I just finished Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay and these are my thoughts. It’s parents weekend at a small private college in North Cali… 5 families get together for the first night dinner, only to find their kids don’t show up. They assume they just ditched out but when they don’t show up the next day… Things begin to heat up. Five seemingly very different kids all go missing at the same time… Will they be found alive? Full disclosure… I love Alex Finlay.. This means I have very high expectations. Let’s start with the fact it's set on a college campus… I love campus thrillers. I love the ominous feel of the storyline. I love the writing style and the short chapters that flicks between different POVs, meaning each family and it was gripping. I couldn’t figure out what was going on, it totally kept me on my toes! There is a beautiful complexity to the characters which just shows the calibre of the writing because we have many many characters to follow along with. It was fast paced and very engaging. I am so glad I read this one. 4.5 stars Thank you to @netgalley @minotarur_books for my gifted copy! Out now #parentsweekend #alexfinlay #thriller #thrillerreader #thrillerbooks #bookishreview #booklover #readersofig #booknerdigans #netgalley #minotaurbooks #literaryinfluencer #bookinfluencer #bookalorian

I just finished Top Heavy by Rhonda DeChambeau and here are my musings.. Esme is a dancer, it’s her identity. When she and her best friend make their way onto an elite team… she's over the moon. Except, they took the stops of 2 popular girls and the rest of the team are icing them out… Her family can barely afford groceries let alone tuition… Things begin to spiral when a stranger touches her in an inappropriate way and Esme begins to spiral. Firstly the subject matter of this book is a little heavy so please check the triggers… The biggest thing about this book is the unusual format of the writing. It’s written in an almost poetry format and at first I wasn’t sure about it but as I kept reading it actually made sense because it feels like we are listening to Esme’s internal monologue and it has a real authentic vibe to it. As a dancer myself back in my younger years I could really connect with Esme and the issues that having even 1 lb of extra weight can have on your joints. In this case it was her chest and how it felt for her to have so much attention on a body part she can’t control. It was relatable and even as an adult I could still connect to her which was lovely. The writing is well done even with the different format. The ending was excellent and I think the book would make an excellent one person monologue on stage. 4.5 stars Thank you @penguinteenca for my gifted copy - Due out 10th June 2025 I enjoyed the book immensely. #topheavy #rhondadechambeau #penguinteenca #ya #bookreview #booklover #bookcommunity #midgrade #readersofig #bookalorian #bookblog #readervlog #bookchat #literaryinfluencer #bookinfluencer

I just finished My Friends by Fredrik Bachman and now I am done sobbing… There is my review, Louisa is reeling from her loss… All she wants to do is see the painting.. The one of the 3 kids on the pier… Everyone else sees the sea but she needs to know more about the people and when a chance encounter leads her to owning the world famous piece of artwork… She is set on a journey to learn about the people in the painting and heal some of the wounds in her own heart… GAH! I spent a whole day reading this book. It took me hours upon hours because I could not stop the tears. The author always hits you in the feelers but this one started with a one two punch and I was not prepared. Louisa ends up with the painting after a chance meeting with the artist who had commissioned his best friend to buy it back at auction. That’s the only spoiler… It is the story of Louisa and her life in foster care and her best friend Fish who died of an overdose. It was so bloody tragic and I am tearing up again. We get 2 timelines… The current day with louisa on a journey with her new friend… One of the people from the painting, the other timeline is the summer the painting was painted. The writing is deep and painfully raw. It was like he took a knife and ripped my soul open with it. I felt such affection for all the characters, especially Ted. The book literally told the story of all these broken people and the people who knew and loved them the best, were their friends. They took care of each other and lived for each other. I am an easy crier but I have never cried so much in my life. This book should come with a dehydration warning. This book is about friendship and found family. The lengths we will go to, to protect the ones we choose to love. It was beautifully poetic and I don’t think I will ever be able to read another Bachman without feeling all the damn emotions.. If you are looking for a book that has the right balance of plot and character driven elements and you love books that will sit with you for a very long time… THIS. This book has to be your next read. 5 stars… I would thank @bachmansk but how do you convey in words a book that reached you in places you didn’t know you had. Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for my husband… giving me a wide berth for 2 days after I finished haha!! #myfriends #fredrikbachman ##atriabooks #friendship #comingofage #grief #literaryfiction #bookreview #netgalley #booklover #bookblog #bookishblog #bookreader #bookloversofig #igreads #literaryinfluencer

First Wife's Shadow by Adele Parks Emma may be alone but she’s not lonely.. She is rich, successful and a prize catch.. She must be.. She catches the eye of a younger man… a widower… Everything is perfect except…. If his wife hadn’t died… They wouldn’t be together and she cannot quite seem to let that go…. OMG I couldn’t believe the way this book kept whipping me around like candy floss. I never had a bloody clue what was going on and I loved every second of it. The book was a fast faced psychological thriller of the highest order. The narration was perfect and I was sucked right in. Emma was mildly annoying. It took me ages to warm up to her which is why I only gave it 4 stars. I need to connect right away and I just couldn’t but the writing was epic! 4 stars #thrillerreader #thrillerbook #firstwifesshadow #psychologicalthriller #netgalley #booklover #readersofig #igbooks #igreader #literaryinfluencer #bookinfluencer #bookalorian

I just finished Ties that Bind Us by Nicole Knight. Thank you to @wbywattpadbooks and @authornicoleknight for the opportunity to read and review. I have a very very high level of standards for mafia romances. I gave up on them years ago because they just aren’t up to my standards but when I read the synopsis for this one… I had to. So Ava Moretti, is a stubborn and defiant mafia princess, and a chance meeting with Nick Caponelli… leaves them both hot under the collar but he is the heir to a rival crime dynasty…. Their families want them to marry… I WAS HOOKED!! I loved the chemistry between Ava and Nick and they had my pulse just racing. Read if you like: Mafia romance Enemies to lovers Arranged marriage…. The writing was really good for a debut. It was really steamy… Really solid banter. It was a solid plot, lots of drama and suspense along with the romance… 4 stars #tiesthatbind #nicoleknight #wattpad #wattpadbooks #wattpadinfluencer #mafiaromance #steamyromance #smuttyread #debutnovel #bookreview #bookishblog #bookblogger

I just finished Undeniable - How to reach the top and stay there by Cameron Hanes and here are my musings. @cameronrhanes It’s all about your mindset… This book will show you how to pursue your dreams and be successful at it. I like the way Cam writes. I really enjoyed Endure and this was a great follow up. The book has some really cool personal stories and I felt invigorated reading all about them. No one stumbles into being successful. You have to be uncomfortable to keep enduring to reach greatness but it does not come easily and if it does, you won’t sustain it. I run a business and I really felt pumped reading it. I have ideas and the hamsters on the wheel in my head went bonkers… I love self help books that push me to be a better version of myself and this one is amazing! 4 stars Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy! #cameronhanes #undeniable #bookreview #bookishreview #booklover #bookalorian #reading #readersgonnaread #nonfiction #selfhelp #readingislife #bookworm #booksbooksbooks #bookstagramcommunity #bookreel #bookishreels

I just finished The Ghost Woods by C J Cooke and here are my thoughts. Lichen house is not an ordinary house in the woods… The rumors of ghosts, witches and a child who isn’t really a child is just the tip of the iceberg… something has been unleashed. Pearl has arrived at Lichen hall to give birth but she soon realizes that the proprietors are hiding something and she wants to uncover the dark secrets within the walls. Firstly the book is told for 2 POV from 2 different time periods. 1959 and 1965. The women are sent there when they are pregnant and unwed… They figure out pretty quickly that the dark rumors swirling around the house are actually true… and worse. It’s menacing and suspenseful… There is a lot to unpack with the murder, cruelty and betrayal oozing from the pages. My biggest problem was the pacing in the first part of the book. It was too slow and not creepy enough to ignore the pace. The end was a tad rushed but honestly, I felt like I needed the race to the end. It was a wild ride. I love the writing style. It was really well done and I was thoroughly entertained. I loved the use of folklore to bring an extra special creep session to an already enjoyable book. 4.5 stars Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleypub for my gifted copy. #theghostwoods #cjcooke #horror #horrorread #berkleypublishing #bookinfluencer #literaryinfluencer #historcalfiction #gothicread #gothicbook #gothicreader #bookreview #bookclub #bookishbanter #booklover

I just finished The Cornish Witch by Elena Collins and here are my musings. Megan goes to St Mawgen Cove for a vacation… and to get to the bottom of a family secret that has been haunting her father for decades… Things go awry from the moment she arrives. The inn is haunted… The legends are many and the stories of witchcraft if toe curling… There is a dark history in the cove… Can Megan bring peace to the past so it stops destroying the future? It took me a while to get into the past timeline. It wasn’t interesting to begin with and honestly, I was more intrigued with what Megan was up to and why she was at the cove. The past did get really exciting about half way through though and actually was more entertaining than Megan haha The writing style was really solid. I got sucked right into the story and I was so invested in it, I stayed up past my bedtime and I hate doing that haha! It was all really well done and worked well together. Like I said, my only gripe was how mundane the past was but it’s necessary for you to know the story. Now the pace was a bit slow, I needed a faster trot but honestly, it worked for me anyway. Definitely one of the best reads of the month. 4.5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @theboldbookclub for it gifted copy #historcalfiction #gothicread #gothicbook #gothicreader #bookreview #bookclub #bookishbanter #booklover #ghoststory #thecornishwitch #boldwoodbooks #elenacollins #bookalorian #netgalley

I just finished The Thrashers by Julie Soto and here are my thoughts. Emily Mills wanted to be a thrasher so bad and it killed her….. Jodi, Julian, Paige, Lucy and Zack… Zack Thrasher…They are the elite friend group… Everyone wants to be in their orbit but when Emily’s journal surfaces.. The friend group comes under scrutiny and Jodi has to decide whether she is saving her friends… The people she isn’t the same as.. Or herself… But even as the police close in…. The weird occurrences are more frightening.. Firstly I got the ALC and ARC versions of this book. The narration was amazing! I switched back and forth between the two and they were both outstanding. It was hard to really connect with the characters until closer to the end because you got the version of the characters they wanted you to see until you the real characters began to shine through and that for me, showed a real talent in the writing. I really enjoyed the supernatural elements in the book. I would have loved more of that but I think it was done really well regardless. The focal point was the friend group and I loved the contrast of how the friends saw each other and then how outsiders saw them individually and as a collective. It was really clever and skillfully done. It was well paced and all the mystery elements were executed really well. I enjoyed the heck out of it. I thought it was going to be a whiny teenage drama and it wasn’t that at all. The epilogue though.. OMFG! That just about slayed me. Brilliant book! 4.5 stars Thank you to @macmillanaudio, @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for my gifted ALC and ARC. #thethrashers #yanovel #wednesdaybooks #juliesoto #bookreview #bookishreview #bookishblog #readerblog #newrelease #bookreel #bookstoread #reelstagram #bookreviewblog #bookoftheday #mysterybookreader #readersofig