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Review: Going Dark

Title: Going Dark
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Union Square and Co.
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: January 31, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this ripped-from-the-headlines Gone Girl meets A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder , #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz weaves a white-knuckle YA thriller about a beautiful young influencer who vanishes after going on vacation with her boyfriend.

#WhereisAmeliaAshley

The Influencer
Amelia Ashley shares everything with her followers – her favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants, her best fashion tips, and her European trip-of-a-lifetime with her hot boyfriend.

The Boyfriend
Josh has no choice but to return home without Amelia after she abandons him in Rome. He has no clue where she went or how her blood got in his suitcase. Why won’t anyone believe him?

The Hacker
To Harper Delgado, Amelia Ashley is just another missing white girl whipping up a media frenzy. But with each digital knot she untangles about the influencer, Harper who is Amelia Ashley?

The Other Girl
Two years ago, another girl went missing, one who never made headlines or had a trending hashtag.

The Truth
Amelia’s disappearance has captured the world’s attention. What comes next? Watch this space…

Told through a mixture of social media posts, diary entries, and firsthand accounts, Going Dark is a gripping, suspenseful thriller about all the missing girls who fall off the radar, perfect for true crime fans and readers of One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus.

Review:

Amelia Ashley is an influencer who has just gone on a trip to Rome with her boyfriend, Josh Reuter. However, before they board the plane to come home to San Diego, Amelia abandons him, leaving Josh to fly home alone. He assumes that she will make her way home by herself, but when she doesn’t make any contact with him, he starts to worry. It doesn’t help that her blood was found in his suitcase. Since Amelia was an influencer, her fans start the hashtag #WhereIsAmeliaAshley, spreading the word that she has gone missing. Harper Delgado is a hacker who joins in on the search, by digging into Amelia’s and Josh’s pasts. Josh struggles to maintain his innocence, while everyone else wants to find Amelia.

This was such a wild and intense thriller! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. Though the story appears to be like another famous story of a girl not returning from a trip with her boyfriend, something else is actually going on. This story explored the idea of what missing girls and women are actually covered in the media. Amelia was a beautiful, white, blonde influencer, so her disappearance was taken seriously, while there was another girl who was Asian, who didn’t garner the same interest. I find it so disturbing that this happens. A girl or woman’s appearance shouldn’t determine if their life is worth saving or if she is worth finding. This story didn’t end the way I expected, but I really loved it. I would love to hear what happens next!

Going Dark is a suspenseful thriller!

Thank you Union Square and Co. for sending me a copy!

Content warnings: domestic violence (suggested), run away child, bipolar disorder

Review: One Night with the Duke (Belmore Square #1)

Title: One Night with the Duke (Belmore Square #1)
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Forever
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 18, 2023
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A #1 New York Times bestselling author delivers a sexy and scandalous Regency romance about an adventurous woman and the mysterious son of a Duke who finds his way into her life—perfect for Bridgerton fans.

Eliza Melrose has always cherished her independence. And when she and her family lived in the countryside, it was easy to slip out for a midnight ride, write articles for her father’s newspaper, and otherwise do as she pleased. But now that they’ve moved to the heart of fashionable London, her every move is scrutinized and judged. Worse yet, her father wants her to wed and take her proper place in society.

But Eliza wants nothing to do with marriage. And when the new Duke of Chester moves into his family’s long-abandoned home across the square, her journalistic instincts immediately kick in. Are the rumors true—did he really kill his family? Is he as rakish as everyone says? The more Eliza finds out, the more she wants to know. Because the duke is a fascinating study of contradictions—reclusive and arrogant, fiercely protective and deeply passionate. But those who dance too close to the fire often get burned. And as the undeniable flame between them ignites, the only question is: Who’s holding the match?

Review:

Eliza Melrose wants her independence, but she won’t be allowed to have it. She has published articles under her brother’s name in her father’s famous newspaper. Now that her family has moved to London, she has been betrothed to the unfriendly son of her father’s business partner. When the mysterious Duke of Chester moves back into town after being blamed of murder of his entire family, Eliza is intrigued. She investigates the Duke, which leads her closer to the man she must stay away from.

I couldn’t connect with this novel. I liked Eliza, and she seemed like a great character. I didn’t like the side characters around her. They all seemed to blend together. I also didn’t understand why everyone, including Eliza, liked the Duke because he was attractive, yet he was also a murderer who they ostracized from their community. He didn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities. The explanation at the end of the story of the Duke’s family’s supposed murders was a little too far-fetched for me to believe.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me.

Thank you Forever for sending me a copy!

Content warnings: death of parents, murder, house fire, alcohol abuse

Have you read One Night with the Duke? What did you think of it?

Review: Iron Widow (Iron Widow #1)

Title: Iron Widow (Iron Widow #1)
Author: Xiran Jay Zhao
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Penguin Teen
Source: Tandem Collective
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 21, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

Review:

Eighteen-year-old Zetian volunteers to be a concubine-pilot to avenge her sister’s death. Females act as concubine-pilots to assist the male pilots in controlling giant transforming robots as they battle aliens. When Zetian kills the pilot who killed her sister easily, she’s given the title of Iron Widow. She’s paired up with Li Shimin, an infamous and dangerous pilot. Zetian wants to use her new power as the Iron Widow to figure out why they live in a misogynistic society that is willing to sacrifice women.

I reread this book with the Tandem Readalong to refresh my memory of it before the sequel comes out. The sequel, Heavenly Tyrant, is scheduled to come out in April 2024. I’m so glad I had the chance to reread this book. It’s such a powerful story about challenging gender stereotypes and norms. Iron Widow ended with a bang that makes me wish the sequel was coming out sooner. I can’t wait to read it next year!

I highly recommend reading Iron Widow if you haven’t yet!

Thank you Tandem Collective and Penguin Random Canada for sending me a copy of this book.

Content warnings: death of sibling, death of parents, sexual assault (off page), alcohol abuse, physical abuse, torture

Review: How to Kill Men and Get Away With It

Title: How to Kill Men and Get Away With It
Author: Katy Brent
Genre: Contemporary, Thriller
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 11, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Meet Kitty Collins.

FRIEND. LOVER. KILLER.

He was following me. That guy from the nightclub who wouldn’t leave me alone.

I hadn’t intended to kill him of course. But I wasn’t displeased when I did and, despite the mess I made, I appeared to get away with it.

That’s where my addiction started…

I’ve got a taste for revenge and quite frankly, I’m killing it.

A deliciously dark, hilariously twisted story about friendship, love, and murder. Fans of My Sister the Serial Killer, How to Kill Your Family and Killing Eve will love this wickedly clever novel!

Review:

Kitty Collins is a social media influencer and an heiress to her family’s abattoir. One night after leaving a club with her friends, a guy from the club follows her home. He’s angry that she rejected him, and he dies in a freak accident. Now that Kitty’s had a taste of revenge, she wants to avenge every girl who’s been attacked by a guy. Kitty goes searching for the awful men who target young women on dating apps, but when she takes it too far, she has to be careful that she doesn’t get caught.

This was such a fun and twisty story. I’m sure almost every woman has had an interaction with a man that made her uncomfortable, or worse. Kitty specifically targeted the men who were preying on women, and she used creative ways of disposing of them. By killing these men, she was saving many women from being attacked by them in the future. She was carrying out justice, though if she got caught, she would be in trouble. Even though she had become a serial killer, I kept hoping that she wouldn’t get caught, because she was really helping all women who could potentially be attacked by these men.

How to Kill Men and Get Away With It is a funny and suspenseful thriller!

Thank you HarperCollins Canada for providing a digital copy of this book.

Content warnings: murder, rape (off page and described), assault, animal abuse, animal death, slaughterhouse, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, drug overdose

Review: The Wicked Ones (Dark Ascension #1)

Title: The Wicked Ones (Dark Ascension #1)
Author: Robin Benway
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Publisher: Disney Press
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: January 10, 2023
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

“Blood is blood…and one way or another, we all bleed.”

Drizella and Anastasia only know one thing for certain: they will never end up like their mother, Lady Tremaine. When their father left them as young girls, he took what was left of their family’s fortune and their mother’s dignity with him. A few years and one deceased stepfather later, the only version of Lady Tremaine that Drizella and Anastasia know is a bitter and cruel head of house. Anastasia and Drizella have promised themselves―and each other―that they’ll be different. They’ll find love, see the world, and never let their hearts go cold.

But both sisters are all too aware of what it can mean when cast into disfavor with their mother, and fueled by Lady Tremaine’s tendencies to pit the daughters against one another, Drizella and Anastasia are locked into a complicated waltz of tenuous sisterhood. On the cusp of the royal debut party―their one chance to impress the Prince and live up to their mother’s expectations―the sisters at last get a glimpse of what life could be like outside of Lady Tremaine’s intentions: Drizella discovering a love of science and Anastasia sparking a secret romance. But never underestimate the power a mother whose greatest talents lie in manipulation, and the sisters may learn that even the cruelest of hearts can spill blood.

This first book in the new Disney Villains Dark Ascension series by National Book Award-winning author Robin Benway explores the complex sibling rivalry between the two wicked stepsisters from Cinderella that turned them into the characters we know today.

Review:

Drizella’s and Anastasia’s lives were changed after their father abandoned them. They were left with their cruel mother, Lady Tremaine. Lady Tremaine remarried, but the man brought a stepsister who was idolized by him, so he didn’t have time for the sisters. After their stepfather died, their stepsister, Ella, was forced to do all the chores and cooking. When the Prince’s debut is announced, Lady Tremaine knows this would be the opportunity to find them each good husbands. However, as the sisters venture out of their home, they discover who they are on their own. Drizella wants to learn about science and Anastasia starts a secret romance with a palace groom. This story shows how they went from sweet sisters to wicked stepsisters.

This was such a great villain origin story. The wicked stepsisters in the Disney movie Cinderella seem like they’re unnecessarily cruel to Cinderella. Though their anger is a little misguided towards her, this story shows how they were abused and tormented by their mother, leading them towards wickedness. This story followed a similar plot as Cinderella, with a ball at the palace at the climax. However, this story takes place before the events of Cinderella.

The Wicked Ones is a fun Disney villain origin story!

Content warnings: death of parent, parent abandonment, child abuse, captivity

Review: Queen Bee

Title: Queen Bee
Author: Amalie Howard
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Joy Revolution
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: April 4, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A teen girl seeking retribution against her backstabbing former best friend finds her plans slightly derailed once she catches the eye of a familiar, handsome marquess. Bestselling author Amalie Howard delivers a delightful, anti-historical Regency-era romp that’s Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo!

Lady Ela Dalvi knows the exact moment her life was forever changed—when her best friend, Poppy, betrayed her without qualm over a boy, the son of a duke. She was sent away in disgrace, her reputation ruined.

Nearly three years later, eighteen-year-old Ela is consumed with bitterness and a desire for . . . revenge. Her enemy is quickly joining the crème de la crème of high society while she withers away in the English countryside.

With an audacious plan to get even, Ela disguises herself as a mysterious heiress and infiltrates London’s elite. But when Ela reunites with the only boy she’s ever loved, she begins to question whether vengeance is still her greatest desire.

In this complicated game of real-life chess, Ela must choose her next move: Finally bring down the queen or capture the king’s heart?

Review:

When she was fifteen-years-old, Lady Ela Davis’s life was ruined when her best friend, Poppy, spread a rumour about her. Ela’s father sent her away to a school, away from her friends and the boy she liked: Keston, Duke Ridley. Three years later, Ela returns to high society as the heiress Lyra Whitley. Her plan is to get revenge on Poppy by separating Poppy from her friends and removing her from her place at the top of society, while potentially claiming Duke Ridley for herself.

Queen Bee is Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo. I loved the revenge plot. Ela was wrongfully accused of something, which led to her being removed from high society. It always bothers me to see people wrongfully accused of something when you know they didn’t do it. Though this revenge plot could be perceived as bullying, with the way that Ela manipulated things to pin on Poppy, I think Poppy deserved it in the way she was constantly trying to tear other people down to raise her status in society.

Queen Bee is a fun story of vengeance.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death of parent, addiction, bullying, drug addiction

Happy Pub Day – April 4

Happy Pub Day to these authors!

A Breath of Mischief by MarcyKate Connolly

Queen Bee by Amalie Howard

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline

What books are you most excited for this week?

Review: Wait for Me

Title: Wait for Me
Author: Sara Shepard
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Union Square Co.
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: November 1, 2022
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Drowning in déjà vu . . .

Who is Casey Rhodes? Is she a no-nonsense realist or a hopeless romantic? A just-getting-by scholarship student or a sometimes-Cinderella dating the cool, cultured heir to a media empire and New York City’s most eligible? At seventeen years old and already in her sophomore year at NYU, Casey sheds disguises effortlessly. It’s how she navigates school and avoids the second-guessing that’s plagued her since she and her boyfriend Marcus got together.

But then Casey starts hearing voices that terrify her so badly she flees to the remote beach town of Avon where she can sort through her thoughts and reset. But the voices only get more intense and are now accompanied by visions of places she’s never been and people she’s never met, like Jake who’s lived in Avon his whole life. There’s no way Casey could know him, yet she feels an immediate connection. And, crazier still: he feels it too. Together they search for answers, finding only questions—about their connection, Avon, Casey’s memories . . . And whose voice is she hearing inside her head?

Review:

Casey Rhodes is a seventeen-year-old sophomore at NYU. After she starts dating New York’s most eligible bachelor and heir to a huge media company, she starts hearing voices in her head. As the voices create flashbacks and memories that Casey doesn’t recognize, she has to get out of the city to figure everything out. She ends up in Avon Shores, where she recognizes everything despite never going there before. She meets Jake, who knows her already, though she doesn’t know where they met before. Jake helps Casey investigate where the voice and strange memories are coming from.

This story had such an intriguing premise, and I was drawn into the story immediately. It was a very fast paced and easy read. I can’t talk much about the details without giving away the ending. I didn’t know how everything would be wrapped up at the end, and unfortunately I didn’t like the ending. Things that happened to solve the mystery seemed too far-fetched to be believable. If the story had a more realistic and logical explanation I would have enjoyed it so much more.

Wait for Me is an intense psychological thriller.

Thank you Union Square and Co for sending me a copy!

Content warnings: death of parent, car accident, drowning, kidnapping, murder, amnesia, mental health disorders

Review: Belladonna (Belladonna #1)

Title: Belladonna (Belladonna #1)
Author: Adalyn Grace
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Gothic, Mystery
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: August 30, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.

Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation, and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.

Review:

Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow was orphaned as a baby and has spent her years with a variety of different guardians who all met an early death. Signa can see ghosts, and she can also communicate with Death, who appears to her before her relatives die. After her aunt dies, Signa is sent to live with her distant relatives, the Hawthornes, at Thorn Grove. Elijah Hawthorne is coping with the loss of his wife by throwing extravagant parties. His son, Percy, is trying to take control of the family business, and his daughter, Blythe, seems to be suffering from the same illness that killed her mother. When the mother’s ghost tells Signa that she was actually poisoned and murdered, Signa has to solve the murder in time to save Blythe’s life.

This was such an enchanting gothic mystery. The setting was gorgeous and evocative, with Thorn Grove filled with decadent architecture, food, and clothing. I loved the paranormal aspects, especially that Signa could communicate with death. I was really shocked at the twists and reveals at the end of the story. It ended on a thrilling cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to see what happens in the next story!

Belladonna is a beautiful gothic paranormal mystery!

Content warnings: poisoning, stabbing, death of parent, death of grandparent, vomiting, substance abuse (mentioned)

Other books in the series:

Foxglove

Have you read Belladonna? What did you think of it?

Review: Two for the Road

Title: Two for the Road
Author: Chantel Guertin
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Note: This is the Canadian title and same book as GIGI, LISTENING in the USA. For readers of Emily Henry, Gail Honeyman and Josie Silver, a tender, funny and wise new novel about a romance bookshop owner who embarks on the adventure–or misadventure–of a lifetime in search of her own happily ever after.

Sometimes there are detours on the road to love . . .
Gigi Rutherford loves love stories. She reads them, she sells them at her romance bookstore, and she could spend hours imagining the meet-cutes of every couple she encounters. But beyond her shop’s walls, Gigi is out of stock when it comes to her own love interests. And instead of enduring bad date after bad date, these days she’d rather curl up at home with her favourite audiobook and the only man that makes her heart skip a beat: Zane Wilkenson, the smooth-voiced narrator that Gigi is convinced is her soulmate.

Then, she’s presented with the chance of a lifetime: a ten-day bus tour through the hills of the English countryside, taking in the sights and sounds of a world an ocean away from her bookstore–all in the presence of Zane, the man of her dreams, in person, as he leads the tour.

But things don’t go as planned. When Gigi arrives at the bus terminal in London, Zane is nowhere to be found. Until he shows up, she’s stuck with an eclectic group of fellow travellers she’d rather not be with on a long road trip: the recently widowed and chatty Charlotte; odd Francis, a walking Trivial Pursuit; Jenny, a true-crime-makeup YouTuber documenting every detail for her subscribers; and Sindhi and Roshi, a long-married couple that just can’t stop bickering. And then there’s the brooding bus driver, Taj, who Gigi finds infuriating but also incredibly alluring . . .

With heart and charm, warmth and humour, Chantel Guertin explores the meaning of love and family–and how, sometimes, the journey to yourself is where you’ll find everything you’ve been searching for.

Review:

Gigi Rutherford runs a romance bookstore in Ann Arbor. She’s had many bad dates from dating apps, but who she really wants is Zane Wilkinson, the narrator of her favourite audiobook. For Gigi’s thirtieth birthday, her friends surprise her with a trip to England to go on the bus tour that Zane guides as his regular job. However, when she arrives at the bus tour, Zane isn’t there. Gigi still goes on the tour, but she’s stuck hanging out with Taj, the brooding bus driver. Though the trip doesn’t start out as she planned, Gigi may still find what she was looking for.

This was such a cute story. Gigi references a lot of novels throughout the story, which avid readers will recognize. I always love it when characters like to read. There were some emotional parts in the story, such as when Gigi talked about her parents’ deaths. I liked that some key parts of the characters’ pasts were kept from the reader until close to the end, which made their histories seem more mysterious. Gigi and Taj were a grumpy/sunshine pair. There was a little bit of enemies to lovers, which is one of my favourite tropes.

Two for the Road is an exciting book about a fun England road trip and a cute romance!

Two for the Road will be published in Canada on March 28, with the same story being published as Gigi, Listening in the United States.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a physical copy and Kensington for sending me a digital copy.

Content warnings: death of parents, car accident (mentioned), parental estrangement, early onset Alzheimer’s

Goodreads Synopsis:

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The Witch King (The Witch King #1) by H.E. Edgmon

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My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

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So This Is Love by Elizabeth Lim

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Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

A Breath of Mischief by MarcyKate Connolly

Queen Bee by Amalie Howard

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline

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Going Dark by Melissa de la Cruz

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All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

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The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary