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Books Editor (673 KP) shared own list
Sep 22, 2017
This season is going to be awesome for book lovers. Entertainment Weekly has put together some irresistible new books from some of our favourite authors.
Artemis
7.7
Rate It
Book
Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon,...
Science fiction
After the Eclipse: A Mother's Murder, a Daughter's Search
7.0
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Book
A fierce memoir of a mother's murder, a daughter's coming-of-age in the wake of immense loss, and...
Biography memoir true crime
Renegades
8.3
Rate It
Book
From #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer, comes a high-stakes world of adventure,...
Fantasy Young Adult
Ali: A Life
Book
When the frail, trembling figure of Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta in 1996, a TV...
A Loving, Faithful Animal
Book
It is New Year’s Eve 1990, in a small town in southeast Australia. Ru's father, Jack, one of...
historical fiction
and 15 other items
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Don't Look Back in Books
May 14, 2023
I haven't read anything by Jo Spain before but after reading Don't Look Back, I will certainly be keeping my eyes open in the future as I enjoyed this.
Don't Look Back is a twisty thriller with great characters, not all of whom are likeable, and an intriguing plot with some great twists. Be warned, it deals with domestic violence so if this is a trigger, I would steer clear.
Travelling from London to the Caribbean and to Ireland, this is one twisty book that is told at a good pace, from multiple points of view and with some flashbacks. The plot is complicated but it all comes to a satisfying conclusion in the end.
All in all, an enjoyable thriller that kept me reading into the night and I must thank Quercus Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Don't Look Back.
Don't Look Back is a twisty thriller with great characters, not all of whom are likeable, and an intriguing plot with some great twists. Be warned, it deals with domestic violence so if this is a trigger, I would steer clear.
Travelling from London to the Caribbean and to Ireland, this is one twisty book that is told at a good pace, from multiple points of view and with some flashbacks. The plot is complicated but it all comes to a satisfying conclusion in the end.
All in all, an enjoyable thriller that kept me reading into the night and I must thank Quercus Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Don't Look Back.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Never Have I Ever in Books
Jul 4, 2019
Excellent domestic Thriller
This was my first Joshilyn Jackson read I can see why she is popular, this was a very well written book with some great multi layered characters in it. My understanding is Jackson is generally a more contemporary women’s fiction writer; so this turn at the domestic thriller is a bit of a change and I hope she keeps with it as it’s refreshing to get a really well written complicated protagonist in this genre.
I started off pretty unsure if I was going to get into it as we are in the world of American middle class suburban housewives and for me that generally is a big fat yawner of a world. I was getting ready to get the big old eye-rolls out but it wasn’t necessary just as I thought I knew where the book was going it went somewhere else and then proceeded to just get better and better.
Amy Whey is living in suburbia with her husband, step daughter and new baby. She has her neighbourhood best friend Charlotte (but I do wonder who the hell really abbreviates that to Char!?!) all in all very nice and normal life until the mysterious Angelica Roux moves into the neighbourhood and starts to pry into the past. As we learn more about Amy I went through constant shifts in my feelings to the character, meanwhile Roux is a full on hardcore manipulative bad ass and the constant back and forth is pretty tense.
A very compelling page turner of a thriller.
My thanks to the author, publisher Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I started off pretty unsure if I was going to get into it as we are in the world of American middle class suburban housewives and for me that generally is a big fat yawner of a world. I was getting ready to get the big old eye-rolls out but it wasn’t necessary just as I thought I knew where the book was going it went somewhere else and then proceeded to just get better and better.
Amy Whey is living in suburbia with her husband, step daughter and new baby. She has her neighbourhood best friend Charlotte (but I do wonder who the hell really abbreviates that to Char!?!) all in all very nice and normal life until the mysterious Angelica Roux moves into the neighbourhood and starts to pry into the past. As we learn more about Amy I went through constant shifts in my feelings to the character, meanwhile Roux is a full on hardcore manipulative bad ass and the constant back and forth is pretty tense.
A very compelling page turner of a thriller.
My thanks to the author, publisher Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Lies Lies Lies in Books
Aug 17, 2019
Good Twisty Domestic Thriller
A true page turner of a domestic thriller. Despite some hard to read content it was a book I tore through. Some good twists in and some hard hitting themes are dealt with.
Millie is the “miracle” daughter of Daisy and Simon; conceived after a long battle with infertility. Despite the perfect family appearance there are truths covered up by lies and after one fateful night their lives will change forever. The story is told through the alternating perspective views of Daisy and Simon as they reevaluate everything in their lives.
Early on this book deals with Simon and his ever increasing dependence on booze and it’s done in a very hard hitting way giving a really gritty feeling of the life as, and life living with an alcoholic. In particular viewing things from Simon’s perspective offered a really interesting perspective.
I found some of this uncomfortable to read and just wanted to shake the characters into facing their reality head on rather than avoiding difficult conversations with each other. Daisy became a bit too much of a useless protagonist I understand some things are difficult to face up to but throughout the book she really is useless. Unfortunately this is the second book in a row I’ve read with a very weak female lead in it, I don’t mind some vulnerability but show some backbone please or its just too frustrating to read.
The twists are interesting in this although I guessed one of the big ones early on it was still an interesting read and the “baddie” really did make my skin crawl. All in all an uncomfortable but worthwhile thriller, I just would of liked Daisy to be a more developed character.
Millie is the “miracle” daughter of Daisy and Simon; conceived after a long battle with infertility. Despite the perfect family appearance there are truths covered up by lies and after one fateful night their lives will change forever. The story is told through the alternating perspective views of Daisy and Simon as they reevaluate everything in their lives.
Early on this book deals with Simon and his ever increasing dependence on booze and it’s done in a very hard hitting way giving a really gritty feeling of the life as, and life living with an alcoholic. In particular viewing things from Simon’s perspective offered a really interesting perspective.
I found some of this uncomfortable to read and just wanted to shake the characters into facing their reality head on rather than avoiding difficult conversations with each other. Daisy became a bit too much of a useless protagonist I understand some things are difficult to face up to but throughout the book she really is useless. Unfortunately this is the second book in a row I’ve read with a very weak female lead in it, I don’t mind some vulnerability but show some backbone please or its just too frustrating to read.
The twists are interesting in this although I guessed one of the big ones early on it was still an interesting read and the “baddie” really did make my skin crawl. All in all an uncomfortable but worthwhile thriller, I just would of liked Daisy to be a more developed character.
Dean (6926 KP) rated The Invisible Man (2020) in Movies
Mar 5, 2020 (Updated Mar 5, 2020)
Great acting (1 more)
Fresh twist on a classic
The invisible enemy
The first thing I thought of when I saw the trailer for this was it reminded me of @Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) To be honest it has more in common with that classic thriller than other invisible man films. The opening sequence is very similar and I assume inspired by it. The acting is very good as our victim of domestic violence goes through an entire range of emotions with many thinking she is crazy. The SFX scenes are pretty good and look believable. I only noticed after this is billed as a Horror. There are a couple of jump scares and some bloody scenes but it definitely fits a Thriller more closely.
The only down side is some of the science in some scenes just wouldn't make sense in real life, rain hitting a solid object etc.
Must add the score really added to the intensity of many scenes and created a sense of being on a knife edge.
Overall a good enjoyable film. If you like a mix of thriller, with a Sci-fi angle and especially a fan of sleeping with the Enemy, you'll find this a nice surprise.
The only down side is some of the science in some scenes just wouldn't make sense in real life, rain hitting a solid object etc.
Must add the score really added to the intensity of many scenes and created a sense of being on a knife edge.
Overall a good enjoyable film. If you like a mix of thriller, with a Sci-fi angle and especially a fan of sleeping with the Enemy, you'll find this a nice surprise.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Kill Process in Books
Jan 16, 2020
An impressive techie thriller
I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this story to begin with and from an author I've never heard of before, but this is actually a very good, immensely detailed techie thriller.
Hertling has an enthralling writing style and manages to keep a decent pace throughout, and the huge amount of detail that he has put into the technology side of this book is rather impressive. From the detail around the social networks and tech startups to the tools and abilities of a hacker, this really spares nothing when it comes to the descriptions of Angie's world and skills. Admittedly even for a fairly able techie myself, this maybe goes a little overboard on the detail side, but that's preferable than being too vague! Angie herself is an interesting protagonist and pretty likeable, although I did find her actions a tad irritating at parts. I did appreciate though how well this managed to integrate domestic abuse into a tech thriller.
My biggest gripe is with the ending. Angie's actions were a little predictable and over the top, and I was expecting a big reveal or twist that never came. Still despite the ending, this is still an very good read and would definitely recommend to anyone especially if you're into your technology.
Hertling has an enthralling writing style and manages to keep a decent pace throughout, and the huge amount of detail that he has put into the technology side of this book is rather impressive. From the detail around the social networks and tech startups to the tools and abilities of a hacker, this really spares nothing when it comes to the descriptions of Angie's world and skills. Admittedly even for a fairly able techie myself, this maybe goes a little overboard on the detail side, but that's preferable than being too vague! Angie herself is an interesting protagonist and pretty likeable, although I did find her actions a tad irritating at parts. I did appreciate though how well this managed to integrate domestic abuse into a tech thriller.
My biggest gripe is with the ending. Angie's actions were a little predictable and over the top, and I was expecting a big reveal or twist that never came. Still despite the ending, this is still an very good read and would definitely recommend to anyone especially if you're into your technology.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated In Her Footsteps in Books
Jun 5, 2019
In this exciting domestic thriller by Ruth Harrow, Harriet tells the story of her abuse and her efforts to go into hiding from her husband Dan.
Having fled from London, she sets up shop in Coventry, rebuilding her life, working and cautiously making new friends again. From the outside all looks well. However, the reader is led into a false sense of security and slowly we watch Harriet’s paranoia get the better of her, and cannot help but wonder if she is just worried because her past, or if there is something deeper going on.
In Her Footsteps was an entertaining debut book, broaching difficult topics surrounding physical abuse and the emotional distress it causes. I’ll be looking out for more from this author in the future.
Having fled from London, she sets up shop in Coventry, rebuilding her life, working and cautiously making new friends again. From the outside all looks well. However, the reader is led into a false sense of security and slowly we watch Harriet’s paranoia get the better of her, and cannot help but wonder if she is just worried because her past, or if there is something deeper going on.
In Her Footsteps was an entertaining debut book, broaching difficult topics surrounding physical abuse and the emotional distress it causes. I’ll be looking out for more from this author in the future.
Milleen (47 KP) rated Our Little Lies in Books
Jan 14, 2019
This is a very dramatic departure from the usual sugar dusted, bakery inspired novels Watson is so famous for. It’s a psychological, dark, domestic thriller that explores a seemingly perfect marriage, exposing what goes on behind closed doors. Marianne has everything, a handsome surgeon husband, a beautiful home and three children she adores. A perfect life. Then her husband says another woman’s name and her spiral descent begins. Is it paranoia or does she have reason to believe that this is another woman? This is a tense novel, using dramatic irony to pull you along Marianne’s journey. The characters are a little cliched, but I won’t spoil your reading by revealing too much. If you enjoy this genre then it is ‘unputdownable’.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Fifty Shades Freed (2018) in Movies
Feb 12, 2018 (Updated Feb 12, 2018)
Mercifully brief compared to the other two (1 more)
A good advert for celibacy
Once More Unto the Sex Dungeon
(Hey, I know no shame, I will admit to watching this.) Yet more underwhelming shenanigans from the crayon of E.L. James, as thinly-characterised everygirl Anastasia and mysteriously alluring ripped billionaire Christian Grey embark upon married life together.
More of the same mixture of blandly aspirational low-octane soap opera and profoundly unerotic softcore porno; difficult to say which is more boring. Scores somewhat over the second one by actually having a sort of thriller subplot, which means there are moments which approach being dramatic. Supposedly edgy and transgressive saga concludes with the most conventional image of domestic happiness imaginable; says it all really. One quite funny line: too involved to repeat here, alas.
More of the same mixture of blandly aspirational low-octane soap opera and profoundly unerotic softcore porno; difficult to say which is more boring. Scores somewhat over the second one by actually having a sort of thriller subplot, which means there are moments which approach being dramatic. Supposedly edgy and transgressive saga concludes with the most conventional image of domestic happiness imaginable; says it all really. One quite funny line: too involved to repeat here, alas.
Milleen (47 KP) rated The Girl Before in Books
Nov 14, 2018
A twist on the popular domestic noir novels that have dominated the bestseller list. This psychological thriller revolves around Jane, recovering after a traumatic loss, she moves into an architectural showhome, an austere house with strict rules. One Folgate Street is a formidable fortress of technology that promotes, sleek, sterile, minimalist living but it hides a murky past. Jane is not the first resident to enjoy the stark lifestyle and her interest is piqued when a stranger leaves flowers at the door. Who was the girl before and will the same fate befall Jane?
This narrative uses the two women’s perspectives to draw you into the plot. The film is being directed by Ron Howard so there’s time to read the book before you see the movie. One for your travels.
This narrative uses the two women’s perspectives to draw you into the plot. The film is being directed by Ron Howard so there’s time to read the book before you see the movie. One for your travels.