Review: As Good As Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3)

Title: As Good As Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3)
Author: Holly Jackson
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 28, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

The finale to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. By the end of this mystery series, you’ll never think of good girls the same way again…

Pip is about to head to college, but she is still haunted by the way her last investigation ended. She’s used to online death threats in the wake of her viral true-crime podcast, but she can’t help noticing an anonymous person who keeps asking her: Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?

Soon the threats escalate and Pip realizes that someone is following her in real life. When she starts to find connections between her stalker and a local serial killer caught six years ago, she wonders if maybe the wrong man is behind bars.

Police refuse to act, so Pip has only one choice: find the suspect herself—or be the next victim. As the deadly game plays out, Pip discovers that everything in her small town is coming full circle… and if she doesn’t find the answers, this time she will be the one who disappears…

Review:

Pip is ready to go to college, but she can’t stop thinking about her last two cases. It doesn’t help that Max Hastings, who should be in prison, is suing Pip for defamation. When Pip starts to get threats, she finds connections to a serial killer, the Duct Tape Killer. However, the DT Killer has been in prison for six years. Pip must figure out if the wrong man is in prison, with the real killer still out there, before she becomes his next victim. 

This was a great finale to the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. The mystery in this book was connected to both of the other books. The second half of the story kept me on the edge of my seat. I would have been too scared to do the things that Pip did, but she had to do them for the best outcome. She had to make her own justice when the authorities wouldn’t listen to her. 

As Good As Dead is a great finale!

Content warnings: death, murder, drugging, blackmail, gaslighting, blood

Other books in the series:

Have you read As Good As Dead? What did you think of it?

Review: The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1)

Title: The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1)
Author: Samantha Shannon
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Publisher: Bloomsbury Books US
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: August 22, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

Welcome to Scion. No safer place.

The year is 2059. For two centuries, the Republic of Scion has led an oppressive campaign against unnaturalness in Europe. 

In London, Paige Mahoney holds a high rank in the criminal underworld. The right hand of the ruthless White Binder, Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare and formidable kind of clairvoyant. Under Scion law, she commits treason simply by breathing. 

When Paige is arrested for murder, she meets the mysterious founders of Scion, who have designs on her uncommon abilities. If she is to survive and escape, Paige must use every skill at her disposal – and put her trust in someone who ought to be her enemy.

Review:

2059: The Republic of Scion has ruled the world for two centuries. Paige Mahoney is a clairvoyant, a person with special powers who is the enemy of Scion. She holds a high rank in her underground criminal group because she is a rare dreamwalker. After a chance encounter leaves a Scion agent dead, Paige is arrested for murder. She ends up in the hands of the creators of Scion, who want to harness her special abilities. Paige must do her best to survive, which may mean trusting the enemy.

I’ve wanted to read this book for years so I was so excited to get the opportunity! When Paige uses her abilities, she gets a migraine. I’ve had chronic migraines for years, so I could relate to her pain. The magic world of this story was a little confusing at first. After I read a couple of chapters, I found out that there are two prequel short stories that have a great introduction to the world. I highly recommend checking those out along with this first book in the series. 

The Bone Season is a great fantasy!

Thank you Bloomsbury Books US and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a sponsored campaign. 

Content warnings: death, murder, riots, blood, death of parent, abuse

Other books in the series:

  • The Mime Order (The Bone Season #2)
  • The Song Rising (The Bone Season #3)
  • The Mask Falling (The Bone Season #4)

Have you read The Bone Season? What did you think of it?

Review: Walter the Woogobee: The Vortex to Vidza

Title: Walter the Woogobee: The Vortex to Vidza
Author: Brenda Beckelman
Genre: Children’s, Picture Book
Publisher: Seld Published
Source: Author
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

An otherworldly adventure awaits us all!

Join Walter in this amazing journey as he space travels through a Vortex to strange new worlds where Elephants Fly and the Wind Speaks.

The local village is being destroyed. Walter and his new friends set out to save the village and find unusual animals, a valley full of gold and of course monsters. Will they be able to save the village? Will Walter find his way home?

Review:

Walter is a Woogobee from space. He lands on Earth via a World Vortex Locator after his planet was hit by an asteroid. He makes a friend named Bayron, and together they travel to the planet Vidza. Walter and Bayron join together with their new friend Kian and try to save her village from the Windmaker Monsters.

This was a cute picture book. I really liked the illustrations. There was a 3D quality to them with background images slightly blurry to create perspective. The characters were well developed in a short amount of time. This story is a great start to a new series!

Walter the Woogobee is a cute picture book!

Thank you Brenda Beckelman and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign.

Have you read Walter the Woogobee: The Vortex to Vidza? What did you think of it?

Review: The Paris Affair

Title: The Paris Affair
Author: Pip Drysdale
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Tandem Collective
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 28, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

She thinks love can kill you. It turns out she might be right. The dark and sexy new thriller from the author of The Next Girl and The Strangers We Know .

Harper Brown is an expert at picking locks, breaking her way out of car trunks, and talking her way out of trouble. She could run a masterclass on escaping relationships—her record for losing a guy is three minutes flat. She’s addicted to true crime podcasts and is the genius behind a micro-column called “How to not get murdered”.

After having her heart broken helping her ex follow his dreams, Harper has moved to Paris to fulfill hers. She’s talked her way into a job as an arts journalist, a stepping stone to her dream role as an investigative journalist. And she’ll do whatever it takes to get there. But then one night she meets the artist Noah X, and everything she thinks she knows is turned upside down.

Soon Harper finds herself entangled in a web of lies, hot on the trail of a murderer and the scoop of a lifetime. This is the story that could make her career—if the killer doesn’t catch her first.

Review:

Harper Brown is an expert at getting out of relationships and picking locks. She loves true crime podcasts, so she knows how to avoid becoming a victim herself. She’s just moved to Paris to be an arts journalist, which isn’t what she wants to do but it’s a step in the right direction. One night, she meets Noah X, a new emerging artist, and Harper’s life is changed. She ends up entangled in a murder investigation, which she must solve before she becomes the next target.

This was a slow burn, intense thriller. The actual “thriller” part didn’t start until quite a few chapters into the story, but somehow it was still creepy. This story shows a dark side of Paris, with missing and murdered women, who aren’t given the investigation they deserve. I loved how clever and adaptable Harper was in dangerous situations. She didn’t give up searching for answers, when most people would have.

The Paris Affair is a great thriller!

Thank you Tandem Collective and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book. 

Content warnings: murder, abduction, stalking

Have you read The Paris Affair? What did you think of it?

Review: Love at First Knight

Title: Love at First Knight
Author: Megan Clawson
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Avon
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: April 25, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

A second royal rom com from the author who had readers falling hard for royal guards, coming Spring 2024.

She’s no damsel in distress, and he’s certainly not wearing shining armour. But one knight can change everything…

Daisy Hastings has always thought she was born in the wrong era. So when she bags a summer job at the Tower of London helping to run their Knight school, it feels like a step in the right direction.

Theodore ‘Teddy’ Fairfax is a loose cannon. A disgraced distant relative of the royal family, he’s tall, dark and now (begrudgingly) helping with the Tower of London’s summer programme – and there’s nowhere he’d like to be less.

When Teddy’s oath to be an obstruction almost gets Daisy fired, she declares war. But as the two cross swords, they start to discover they both need a little rescuing…

And that maybe, just maybe, love can bloom, even on a battlefield…

Review:

Daisy Hastings loves LARPing with her family, wearing costumes and acting out fantasy stories. When she gets a job at a knight camp at the Tower of London, it seems like the perfect job for her. She’s partnered up with Viscount Teddy Fairfax, the King’s nephew who’s always in the tabloids. Teddy is always doing things to get Daisy in trouble at work, but she can’t seem to stay away from him. Daisy must try to keep her job without being distracted by the Royal who she’s falling for. 

I really liked Daisy and her family who dressed up and did role playing together. They had characters and storylines they always followed. It sounded so fun! Teddy and Daisy didn’t get along from the moment they met. They went from hate to love really quick. I would have liked to see more of their romantic time together after they started to fall for each other.

Love at First Knight is a cute rom com!

Thank you Frenzy Books for sending me a copy of this book!

Have you read Love at First Knight? What did you think of it?

Review: The Return of Ellie Black

Title: The Return of Ellie Black
Author: Emiko Jean
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Tandem Collective Global
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 7, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced in the woods of Washington state—but Ellie’s reappearance leaves Chelsey with more questions than answers.

“I stayed up late into the night turning the pages until I learned the truth of what happened to Ellie—and gasped when Jean delivered a truly jaw-dropping twist.” —Jessica Knoll, New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive and Bright Young Women

It’s been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister vanished when they were teenagers, and ever since she’s been searching: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. But happy endings are rare in Chelsey’s line of work.

Then a glimmer: local teenager Ellie Black, who disappeared without a trace two years earlier, has been found alive in the woods of Washington State.

But something is not right with Ellie. She won’t say where she’s been, or who she’s protecting, and it’s up to Chelsey to find the answers. She needs to get to the bottom of what happened to Ellie: for herself, and for the memory of her sister, but mostly for the next girl who could be taken—and who, unlike Ellie, might never return.

The debut thriller from New York Times bestselling author Emiko Jean, The Return of Ellie Black is both a feminist tour de force about the embers of hope that burn in the aftermath of tragedy and a twisty page-turner that will shock and surprise you right up until the final page.

Review:

Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister disappeared and was declared dead, when they were teens, and since then she’s been looking for missing girls. Teenage Ellie Black, who disappeared two years ago, is found wandering in the woods. Chelsey questions Ellie about where she’s been, but Ellie won’t give any answers. Chelsey worries that other girls could be connected to Ellie’s disappearance so it’s crucial that she find out where she was kept as soon as possible.

This was a great fast paced mystery. It alternated between the current story in third person, and flashbacks from Ellie’s perspective where she was held captive. A lot of things that happened when Ellie was held captive were disturbing, but implied rather than described in detail. I guessed one person who was involved, but I was surprised at the whole explanation at the end. 

The Return of Ellie Black is a great thriller!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and Tandem Collective Global for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death, divorce, cancer, rape, kidnapping

Have you read The Return of Ellie Black? What did you think of it?

Review: A Girl Named Harper

Title: A Girl Named Harper
Author: Kara Jefferies
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: 6 Dogs Publishing
Source: Author
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 15, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the fast-paced world of auto sales, Harper Atwood has always had to fight twice as hard to prove herself. As a woman navigating the male-dominated industry, she’s determined to overcome her dysfunctional past and the fear of judgment that has haunted her since childhood. Fresh out of a tumultuous marriage, Harper focuses on building a new life and career.

But fate has other plans when Harper discovers a stranger named Gabe in her apartment, a chance encounter that soon unravels into a twist of destiny. Little does she know, Gabe is not just a random face – he’s her new co-worker. Charming, outgoing, and adored by everyone, Gabe is the polar opposite of Harper, who guards her privacy with fierce determination, trusting only her cousin and one close friend.

In this compelling romance novel, join Harper on her journey of self-discovery and healing as she grapples with her past, navigates the complexities of workplace relationships, and discovers that, sometimes, the heart knows what the mind refuses to admit. Will Harper finally let go of her fears and open herself up to the possibility of love, or will the shadows of her past continue to dictate her future?

Review:

Harper Atwood has had to overcome a tough childhood and a troubled marriage to become the woman she is today. When she moves into her first apartment on her own, she’s rescued by Gabe after falling asleep in her car. This unusual meet cute is disrupted when Harper gets mad at Gabe for staying in her apartment. Then she starts a new job at a car dealership, and discovers Gabe works there too. Harper can’t escape him, as they keep ending up in the same places. Gabe wants to be with Harper, but she’s reluctant to let anyone inside her life. Harper must overcome her fears to open herself up to a potential love story with Gabe.

This story was so fast paced. It was a quick read, at under 200 pages. The romance felt like a whirlwind. A lot of this book was emotional, when Harper talked about her struggles throughout her childhood. There were also a couple of spicy scenes. I liked that the epilogue showed Harper and Gabe many years in the future, so we can see how their lives turned out. 

A Girl Named Harper is an emotional romance. 

Thank you Kara Jefferies and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign. 

Content warnings: alcoholism (off page), abuse (off page), infidelity (off page)

Have you read A Girl Named Harper? What did you think of it?