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Her Perfect Life
Her Perfect Life
Hank Phillippi Ryan | 2021 | Thriller
5
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This Book Doesn’t Turn Out to be Perfect
Lily Atwood is living a charmed life. A TV reporter with awards and millions of fans by day, she is a devoted single mother to a charming seven-year-old daughter by night. Her fans think she has it all, and Lily works hard to project that. Things take a turn when her latest anonymous source starts feeding her secrets from her own life. Can Lily keep her perfect life?

The book started well, and I was quickly pulled in. The use of multiple narrators and a large chunk back in the past was easy to follow thanks to headings at the start of every chapter. However, as I got further into the book, I started to get more frustrated. A whiney character was annoying, and I felt like some of the book was driven by manufactured suspense. If the characters would just listen to each other, they’d get the answers they wanted. Having said that, one twist got a gasp out of me near the end. The ending was a bit of a letdown since it left me wondering what the point was. All told, this was a mixed bag.
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Insomnia in Books

Mar 27, 2022  
Insomnia
Insomnia
Sarah Pinborough | 2022 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is one of those books that you are either going to like or not ... for me, I liked it. It's a proper mind-messing read where you don't know what's real and what's imagined.

Emma, the main character, is not what I would call a particularly likeable one; mind you, not many of the characters in this book are if I'm honest but that doesn't really matter to me that much and, if anything, it makes it even more intriguing as you don't know where the story is going to go.

It does start off pretty slowly while the scene is being set but during this time, there is the slow drip, drip, drip of information and the creation of tension, suspense and misdirection that all comes together in the end.

This is a complex and original story which uses a touch of the "unknown"; it's dark, unnerving and unsettling and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys something a bit different in their psychological thrillers.

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
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Merissa (12969 KP) rated Spark in Books

May 20, 2023  
Spark
Spark
Atthys J. Gage | 2015 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Francy is a 'normal' teenage girl, with nothing outstanding about her that she recognises. She is doing okay at school, has some good friends, and is on the Basketball team. So why would an alien entity decide to take up residence with her?

We stay with Francy as she enters a world of alien theories, collapsed fulcrums, mathematics, entropy and yoga. It is a whirlwind of theories that made my head spin at times. I loved Francy's dad's explanation of entropy, with analogies of having a 9-year-old child. Perfect!

There is intrigue and suspense in this book as Francy tries to figure out just what is going on, and more importantly, how she can help in any way. Then we also have a splash of romance as she and Owen become closer.

This is not your normal, run-of-the-mill Young Adult tale. It will intrigue and delight as the story takes you along. Different from anything I have read, I would not hesitate to recommend it.

* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 23, 2016
  
Passport to Spy
Passport to Spy
Nancy Cole Silverman | 2023 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Tracking Stolen Art in Germany
Kat Lawson’s first official case working undercover for the FBI sends her to Munich, Germany at Christmas. While she is officially there to cover the season for a travel magazine, she is supposed to get close to gallery owner Hans von Hausmann who is suspected of knowing the location of a horde of art missing since the end of World War II. After a slow start, Kat begins to make progress, but without knowing who to trust, can she complete her mission? Or is she in more danger than she realizes?

This was a fantastic book in the series. The world of Munich in December 1999 came to life, and I shivered from cold a few times as I read. The plot kept me guessing as Kat had to deal with one thing after another. The third act just ups the suspense, and I couldn’t put it down. We really only see a couple of returning characters, which means that Kat doesn’t know who she can trust, which was a wonderful addition to the plot. The characters are all strong. This book will have you hooked from the beginning. Enjoy it today.