The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Title: The Last Time I Lied
Author: Riley Sager
Publisher: Dutton/Penguin Group
Publish Date: July 3, 2018
Rating: 📖📖📖📖/5

// I received this ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review //

Let me tell you that when I found out Riley Sager was coming out with a new book, I jumped at the chance to get my hands on a copy for the ARC. I LOVED Final Girls (it actually made me want to get into book reviews) and I knew his next book would be just as good. I was wasn't wrong!

The Last Time I Lied follows Emma, an artist with a fixation on the past. After a harrowing summer at Camp Nightingale where she witnessed her cabin mates disappear into the night never to be found, Emma finds herself returning to the scene of the crime 15 years later. She has been invited back to the camp as a counselor by the wealthy Mrs. Harris-White, the owner of the camp and Emma takes the opportunity to investigate what happened to the three girls all those years ago. Emma finds tension, distrust and ever-surfacing clues that will lead her to a conclusion she may not be ready for.

Sager is a wizard with words. His style is vivid and the images she paints stick in your brain throughout the entire book. There were many times I could put myself at Camp Nightingale with the rest of the campers. I could feel the confusion that Emma feels throughout the story as she feels she is going insane and trying to hold on to reality. I believe that the mental aspect of this book was one of the finer points of the story. I truly could not figure what her involvement was in the disappearances until the end when all was revealed. Who wouldn't struggle with their sense of stability after watching your friends disappear?

While the story and plot were great, there were a few points that bothered me. I felt like I just needed more depth. The characters seemed to be a bit "one-note" and lacked some of the detail that would have made them richer characters. Maybe that is because there are just so many characters that there wasn't time to delve deeper into them. Plus Emma was a bit too whiny for my liking. The ending, while totally twisting in different directions, seemed rushed. It almost felt like Sager was running out of time and had to end it abruptly. The ending definitely needed more explanation in my opinion. Could this abruptness be because there may be a sequel? Who knows. I know I'd read it though!

In all, I highly recommend this book to mystery/thriller readers, summer camp lovers and psychological-based readers alike! Basically any reader would enjoy this book and should pick it up when it hits stores in July!

#rileysager #dutton #penguingroup #books #mystery #suspense #summercamp #mrsmadonnareads #accordingtomrsmadonna #netgalley #arc #bookreview

Jane Seymor: The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir

Title- Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen
Author- Alison Weir
Publisher- Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine
Publish Date- May 15, 2018
Rating: 📖📖📖/5
// I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review //

I'm going to keep this one short as there isn't too much to say about it in my opinion. If you don't know the story of Jane Seymour, then I'll give you a quick overview. She was the third wife of Henry VIII of England and died after giving birth to Henry's only legitimate son. Little is known about her for sure. She was a pious woman and said to be Henry's favorite wife (probably because she was the only one to give him a son).

This is very clearly a historical fiction book. If you're looking for a biographical account, look elsewhere. As little is known about her life, I can see why the book is so heavy on the fiction side. Weir does a decent job of painting Seymour's world and filling in the gaps where the historical record is lacking. I only wish she didn't make Seymour so naive and borderline annoying. I don't believe that anyone was as clueless as she is painted to be in this story. Though I never really thought about reading a book about Jane Seymour, Weir made her a little more tolerable.

After reading reviews about Weir's book on Anne Boleyn, I was very skeptical about reading this book as Jane came after Anne. And I can see why people didn't like Weir's depiction of Anne. Almost every interaction and description of Anne in the book is negative and petty. I can't imagine every time Jane saw Anne it was horrible. And I mean EVERY TIME. It was annoying and frankly unnecessary. Anyway, if you are just looking for a book about Jane Seymour, then you can pick this one up for a good read. However, if you're looking to learn more about her in more of a research capacity, I would probably steer clear. Or just read the author's notes in the back of the book which honestly I found more interesting than most of the book.

#reading #netgalley #janeseymour #henryviii #alisonweir #ballantine #randomhouse #history

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

Title: The Broken Girls
Author: Simone St. James
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: 📖📖📖📖/5

What do you do when you can't give up on someone even after their death? In 2014 a reporter named Fiona Sheridan, after the murder of her sister Deb twenty years prior, cannot let go of the past. The murderer is in jail and the case has been solved. So why must she dig deeper? Fiona digs deeper into the case and finds that the abandoned Idlewild Hall, where Deb's body was discovered, is being renovated. Her research leads down a road she never thought she would discover, secrets that have been kept hidden for good reason.

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James was definitely not what I was expecting. After reading a string of thrillers and murder stories, I thought that this book would be more of the same. I was wrong. St. James paints a story that different from expectations. For some reason Fiona resonated with me. I don't easily give up on something I feel passionate about. Not to mention if something feels off, I have to investigate further. I guess you could say I am stubborn. Anyway, it is plain to see in this book that St. James knows how to keep a secret. There are twists in the story that are so subtle that the reader won't even pick up on them. At least I didn't. I admire how the author made such a realistic and believable world that not even I could have guessed exactly how the book would end. Not many authors have done that for me.

The story is told both in the 1950s and 2014. Normally, I dislike books that skip through time. They often leave me confused and quickly lose my focus. However, St. James weaves both time periods seamlessly together. When one aspect is touched on in one time period, the other follows with a similar theme. This makes it much easier for a reader like me to follow the story.

But there are two aspects in this story that often make many readers put books down: the supernatural and boarding schools. I honestly believe that a mystery story that centers itself on the supernatural often becomes predictable and, lets say it, boring. You have the ghost that goes around tormenting and killing people blah blah blah. BUT in The Broken Girls the ghost isn't the center at all! The ghost, Mary Hand, is a welcome addition without taking away from the real story. I was SO thankful for this. The other aspect, the boarding school, wasn't even cliche! I was expecting a bunch of snotty girls who complain for the whole story, but instead I found a group of girls with very different backgrounds and personalities that come together in a less-than-glamorous boarding school. Again, I found the boarding school theme to be welcoming and not boring.

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who may read this blog. Supernatural, mystery, boarding school drama and even general readers would all enjoy this book in my opinion. Please check it out if you get the chance!

#bookofthemonth #botm #mystery #suspense #horror #supernatural #murdermystery #thebrokengirls #berkleypublishing #mrsmadonnareads #accordingtomrsmadonna

She Was The Quiet One by Michele Campbell

Title: She Was The Quiet One
Author: Michele Campbell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Rating: 📖📖📖/5
Check out this book on July 31, 2018!
// I received this ARC for free from Book of the Month in return for an honest review //

She Was The Quiet One by Michele Campbell takes us to the prestigious Odell Academy where Bel and Rose Enright, twin sisters, are the new girls brought to the school by their grandmother after the death of their mother. From the start we can see the differences between the sisters as they assimilate into the student body. Bel makes friends with the "wrong crowd" and Rose sticks with the safe crowd. Jealousy between the sisters as well as the students in the school start to be revealed as the story unfolds. The story heightens as a body is found on what was thought to be a safe campus. Who is responsible for the murder? Is it one of the sisters or another sinister entity?

When Book of the Month sent out an email looking for reviews for possible upcoming books I was totally excited! To be honest, this book wasn't the one I was hoping for but it was probably number two on the list so I was still interested in reading it. The premise didn't seem that different from many other murder mysteries after reading the review, so I didn't come in with high hopes. However, Campbell does have a way with her writing that paints pictures in your head. If it weren't for her writing style in the long run I probably would have given up on the book.

I tried really hard to become invested in the story despite my personal issues with it. You have the pretty standard twins (one bad and one good), the rich school where the kids run the show and a love triangle gone wrong. By the climax of the story the pieces start to fall into place as to why the murder happened although it seems pretty obvious from the start. But Campbell threw in an epilogue that seemed both out of place and unnecessary. No spoilers here, so I won't go into detail, but it sort of threw off the whole story in the last few pages.

Overall, I suggest this story for a quick read maybe if you're just getting into the murder mystery genre. It may seem run-of-the-mill for the average mystery reader.

#bookofthemonth #botm #bookreview #books #michelecampbell #stmartinspress #mystery #murder #mrsmadonnareads #accordingtomrsmadonna

As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner

Title: As Bright As Heaven
Author: Susan Meissner
Publisher: Berkley
📖📖📖📖/5

The Bright family is new to Philadelphia when they move after the death of their son. The Brights move in with their uncle who runs a funeral home in the city. Just as they are getting used to life in the big city, Philadelphia (and the world) is hit by the Spanish Flu. The family watches as loved ones and friends are taken by a disease and their home fills with the bodies of the dead. In the midst of the death, they find a baby boy and take him in as their own. Together, they learn how to heal and move on in a world that has drastically changed.

I love historical fiction...but I don't mean the cheesy love/romance historical fiction you can find in the grocery store paperback section. I mean the kind where when you are finished, you felt like you were there. Like it could have been a true story. As Bright As Heaven fits that bill. Meissner beautifully describes a city many of us have seen, but not in the light of the 1920s when the world was being decimated by an unseen disease. I very much enjoyed Meissner's writing style.

The story is seen from four viewpoints: Pauline (the mother) Evelyn, Maggie and Willa (her daughters). I did enjoy hearing different accounts of what was going on through the eyes of different people. It did get a bit hard to follow at times, but those times were rare. If there was only one thing that bugged me, it was that the father did not get a point of view as well. I know that would have meant more stories to keep track of, but he was part of the family and it was sad we never got to hear his thoughts. Especially later in the story.

In all, I highly recommend this story for historical fiction lovers as well as general reading lovers alike.

#reading #books #bookofthemonth #botm #susanmeissner #berkley #penguinbooks #philadelphia #historicalfiction #spanishflu

Just Some Thoughts

I don't usually sit and reflect before I write a new review, but I thought I would try it this time. And what better place to sit and think about books than a library? The local High School's in fact. So here's some of what I'm thinking...

If you're a part of GoodReads, you know there are book challenges. Ones where you set a goal to read a certain amount of books by the end of the year. Mine is 40 currently and so far I have read 11. I like the challenge because it gets me reading more instead of maybe surfing the internet or staring at the TV all day. Plus I am reading some books I don't think I would have read otherwise. But there are some things about the challenge that have made me think as well.

Does having a "challenge" make you enjoy reading more or make it more of a race or a chore? While I'm reading books at a faster pace than in the past, I don't know if I am really enjoying the books I'm reading. I'm just reading them to get them done rather than really sitting and enjoying them the way I should be. Then on top of that, I participate in NetGalley too and they need a review in a timely manner. That just makes me want to read the book even faster on top of having to really think about whether my review will be productive or not. So much pressure!

But none of these "problems" are really that big of a deal. In the end, if I just go at the pace I'm comfortable at and I stop to reflect a bit on the book that I'm reading, I think I can overcome these thoughts and get back to the core of reading. What do you guys think? Anyone out there have any thoughts like these? :)

Happy Tuesday!

#books #reading #randomthoughts #bookreviews #tuesday #netgalley #bookchallenge #goodreads

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

The Silent Companions
By: Laura Purcell
Published By: Penguin Books
📖📖📖📖.5/5
//I received this ARC for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review//

The Silent Companions is the creepy story of a woman, Elsie, who inherits her husband's estate after he dies suddenly. She finds herself in an eerie town that doesn't seem quite right. Not even the home she comes to live in is comforting with less than welcoming servants that want nothing to do with her. To make matters worse, she finds a wooden figure, a companion, in a locked room that looks a lot like herself. Are these wooden figures really "companions" to make her feel less alone or are they something more?

I have to hand it to Purcell. There aren't too many books that properly freak me out and stick with me, but this is one of them. Who wouldn't be freaked out to find some creepy wooden figures in a room? It doesn't matter if they look friendly or not. I'm not going to be comfortable around that. Purcell knows just how much detail to use to make the reader uncomfortable without the story seeming fake. The reader slowly gets introduced to Elsie's background in a way that builds the story without throwing it in your face. Closer to the end of the story you wonder whether or not Elise is really the woman she says she is. Is she really insane? Are the companions really in her head?

I would write more, but I think it would give away too much about the story. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to horror lovers, historical fiction lovers and basically any reader at all. It is that good of a story. It doesn't just speak to one genre. I'd love to read more by this author for sure!

#books #horror #historicalfiction #penguinbooks #laurapurcell #netgalley #creepy #nowreading