Reading Recap 3 - Sarah Adams, Alicia Thompson, Tahereh Mafi, and more! - Where I Left Off

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome back.
I'm Kristen Balls and you'relistening to when I Left Off a
bookish podcast Today.
On the podcast, I am sharingwhat I've been reading recently,
and this episode has a mix ofthrillers technically thriller
slash horror, ya romance and abit of fantasy.
So I have a variety for youtoday, and I know that we all

(00:32):
probably kind of need an escaperight now.
I feel like everyone that I'vebeen talking to, like just all
of my friends are just having areally rough time, and I'm also
having a really rough time.
So I think that we all justneed an escape, and so if you
need some books to escape to,then look no further.
I have some recommendations.
I have actually decided torework my whole rating system,

(00:57):
and so I'm going to explain alittle bit about that.
So, like, just change ishappening, you know.
Okay, so with my rating system,the reason that I decided to
adjust it was because I, youknow, I was trying so hard to
make every book fit in a boxlike 4.5, 4.25.

(01:18):
I also I gesture with my handswhen I talk, so if that ends up
coming across in my audio, I amsorry, but it is what I do, but
anyway.
So I was trying so hard andthen I was starting to compare
other books.
Like, well, I gave this one a4.5.
So then does this one deserve a4.25, but then as a 4.15 too
low, but then as a 4.2, you know, like it just four stars, five

(01:40):
stars, I don't know, it wasthrowing me off.
I felt like I was trying tocompare books to each other so
hard that I wasn't focusing onlike.
Will the reader like this?
And what do I really think I'dgive it, you know.
So I decided to make it waymore generalized.
So from now on moving forward,I will say that every book is

(02:00):
going to go into either loved it, liked it or not.
For me and as far as the okay.
So for the loved it category,obviously it means I loved it.
Probably would have given itfive stars.
There may be some that are likea four star that I loved.
That it's just.
The reading experience wassuperior and I would recommend
it to other people Liked it.
I would still probablyrecommend it to some people,

(02:21):
depending on their bookpreferences, if I thought
recommend it to other peopleLiked it.
I would still probablyrecommend it to some people,
depending on their bookpreferences, if I thought that
it kind of matched, you know,and then say, I mean with liked
it, it could be, you know, maybeit wasn't my genre or I see why
other people enjoy it, or maybeit's popular or whatever, but
it just something wasn't quiteto loved it level.

(02:44):
But it could be very close andthere could be a lot of good
things about it.
Because sometimes I feel like,personally for those people me
included that read a lot ofbooks per year, you get pickier.
But if I'm just an averagereader and I want a fun
experience, the tropes or theblurb or the plot line or
whatever it is may just reallycall to me and I may really

(03:07):
enjoy the book.
And so, even though I'm onlygoing to read five books this
year, like I would give it fivestars because I enjoyed the
reading experience, because I'mnot trying to compare it to a
million other books, so that'swhy I liked it.
It's still good.
And then not for me is just notfor me personally.
That does not mean I hated thebook.
That doesn't mean that Iwouldn't recommend it to a
specific person if I thoughtthat it fit within what they

(03:30):
would really like and I wouldexplain why.
But then not for me, likesomething just didn't quite hit
completely right with thatparticular book doesn't mean
also that I don't like theauthor.
I will always give authors asecond chance, because sometimes
it really just is thecharacters in those books that I
didn't resonate with, or maybethe plot line in that specific

(03:50):
book.
And writers are always growingand changing themselves.
So I feel like they just end upkind of outdoing themselves and
learning and growing, and theirwriting can completely change
from book to book.
So I do not hold it against anywriter.
If a book is just not for me, Iwill give them several chances
before I determine that anauthor maybe is just not for me,

(04:11):
and that doesn't mean that Iwill never read them again down
the line.
It's just I don't prefer theirbooks and I would probably check
them out from the library.
So there you go, because, yeah,I just feel like that will be
better.
This new rating system will beeasier for you to tell if you
would read a book.
While I'm still giving you myopinions and my feedback.

(04:31):
You can kind of tell by thetone of my voice, by how excited
I get, by what I say you.
You can kind of tell if Ireally loved a book or if I just
really liked it.
And sometimes it's really hardto decide because, like I said,
I just read all these books andI read them quickly and I don't
give myself a lot of time toprocess in between.
So sometimes I'll think that Iliked a book, or sometimes I'll
think that I loved a book, butthen, the more that I think

(04:53):
about it, I'm like I don't knowor like I just keep thinking
about the characters and I can'tstop.
So you know, I don't knowreading subjective, reading,
subjective for everyone and nomatter what season you're in,
and all that stuff plays a role,a role in all of it and a role
in your ratings.
So that's why I decided to readmy rating system.
Also, I have ads.

(05:15):
You may have started hearingads.
Some episodes will have ads,some will not.
The whole ad thing is basicallyso I can hire an editor to edit
this podcast, because I amtired.
I have been recording, editing,outlining scheduling, talking
to authors, finding them.
You know all that jazz.

(05:36):
Luckily, I've gotten luckyenough to where it's gotten to
the point where a lot moreauthors oh my gosh where a lot
more authors are asking to be onthe podcast instead of me
having to like, find them andask them.
So that helps a lot with thatresearch part of it.
But I still have to, obviously,read their books, tailor the

(05:56):
outline to them, schedule itwith them, get them on the
podcast, record it, edit it,transcribe it, add chapters,
link all the books, all thatstuff, create social media
promos and get it out into theworld.
So with all of that it is a lotof time.

(06:17):
I do have a full-time job duringthe day, so this is literally
like what I do at night most ofthe time, and I'm also writing a
book.
So I'm just overwhelmed.
I'm trying to take somethingoff my plate and so if you do
hear some ads here and there, itis really just so I can hire an
editor to get something off myplate.
So I'm not just sinking moremoney into my podcast, because,

(06:38):
if you did not know, podcastsare expensive to be able to keep
up, not only with equipmentcosts, but there are a lot of
subscriptions that go with it,for, like, a hosting service to
have your podcast on.
You know, uploading it once andhaving it go to Spotify, apple,
all those getting the analytics, all that jazz.
There's so many differentlittle services you can pay for
and like editing software andall of that.

(06:58):
That are, of course, allseparate monthly subscriptions.
How fun?
So anyway it just monthlysubscriptions.
How fun?
So anyway it just.
It costs money to keep apodcast like this up and going,
and so that is literally why Ihave ads, is just really to keep
it going.
That's about it.
So, anyway, I felt also the needto explain that.
Can you tell that?

(07:18):
It's not as if I think that youwill judge me for this.
I just like to explain thingsso you understand why I'm doing
what I'm doing, because Ipromise that there is thought
behind almost everything, unlessI'm really tired that day.
Kidding, there's thought behindeverything on the podcast, but
yeah, right now it's stillpretty much just me, so that's

(07:39):
why I'm trying to do all thethings.
Who knows, maybe one day I'llget a co-host and me and that
co-host can split up theirresponsibilities.
I don't know, but for now, fornow, I'm just one man banding it
.
So yeah, that's kind of whereI'm at.
Anyway, I did want to point outbefore I start getting into the
books a lot of thriller authorshave actually been releasing

(08:02):
books that they have coming up,and I wanted to read you some of
the early blurbs that I've seen, because I follow all the
authors and I try to like,search their pages and stuff so
you don't have to.
So I can kind of tell youwhat's coming out in 2025,
because, yeah, a lot of thrillerauthors have really started
teasing things.
Most of these books are comingsummer 2025, but I will tell you

(08:24):
what they have on theirInstagram.
So first up is Sherry Lapina,and of course, she is one of my
auto buy authors.
I am still in the middle ofEveryone is Lying and I don't
know that I will ever know whokidnapped the girl, because I
really want to get back intothat book and I have not been
able to.
So one day I will.
But her newest book is comingout.

(08:45):
Her newest book is coming outand it will be on sale July 29th
2025.
Here is what she said about saidbook.
Okay, this is straight from herInstagram, or from her
publisher's Instagram, vikingBooks.
So I'm reading this verbatimBrayden and Sam have it all

(09:05):
Thriving careers, a smallapartment in a luxury
condominium, supportive friendsand a cherished daughter the
perfect life for the perfectcouple.
But when Brayden disappearswithout a trace, brayden and
Sam's past seems a little lessperfect and their condominium
less safe, their friends,neighbors and relatives no
longer quite so reliable.

(09:27):
Ooh, sounds interesting.
It's a thriller.
It sounds thrilling, shocking,but anyway, I am looking forward
to this one.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
The one book that I did not lovefrom Sherry Lapino was the
Couple Next Door.
That one was just not myfavorite, I don't know, it just
stressed me out, I think,because they were just freaking

(09:48):
out on each other and that waslike the whole book.
But I do tend to like her otherthrillers and I have purchased
a lot of her backlist.
So that is a book that isupcoming.
Also, hold on, I have anotherone.
Let me see if I can find it.
Okay, this is sorry.
I'm trying not to peak the mictoo much, but this is Stacey

(10:09):
Willingham.
If you have not read A Flickerin the Dark and you like
thrillers, what are you doing?
You've got to read it.
I loved A Flicker in the Dark.
That's my favorite by her.
I did also really like why didthe title just suddenly escape
my brain?
Um, all the dark, all the darkplace, all the dark.

(10:33):
No, okay, I'll look that up ina second, but I don't want to
get away from what this book isgoing to be about here.
I promise I will look about,look about.
Oh my gosh, help me.
I promise I will look up andtell you in a second what that
book is called.
I don't even know and I haven'tread her latest only, if you're

(10:54):
lucky, I had a friend that saidit was just okay so, and she
was a little bit disappointed byit.
So I hadn't read that.
But here we go Another StaceyWillingham coming out.
Here is what it says.
This is from her Instagramverbatim.
It is coming out in August 2025, and it is called Forget Me,
not.
22 years ago, claire Campbell'solder sister, natalie,

(11:14):
disappeared on her 18th birthday.
Days later, her blood was foundin a car.
A man was arrested and the casewas swiftly closed.
In the decades since, clairehas attempted to forget her
traumatic past by moving to thecity and climbing the ranks as
an investigative journalist,until an unexpected call from
her father forces her to comehome and face it all anew.

(11:36):
With the entire summer nowlooming ahead, a summer spent
with nothing to do in herchildhood home with her
estranged mother, claire decides, on a whim, to accept a
seasonal job at Galloway Farm, avineyard in coastal South
Carolina less than an hour awayfrom where she grew up.
At first glance, galloway is anidyllic escape for Claire, a

(11:58):
scenic retreat full ofslow-paced nostalgia, as well as
a place where her sistersseemed truly happy in that last
summer before she vanished, itfeels like the perfect place to
pass the time.
However, as soon as Clairestarts to settle in, she
stumbles across an old diarywritten by one of the vineyard's
owners, and what at first seemslike a story of young rebellion
and love turns into somethingmuch more sinister as it begins

(12:21):
to describe details of variousunsolved crimes.
As the days stretch on, clairefinds herself becoming more and
more secluded as she starts toobsess over the diary's contents
, as well as the lingeringfeeling that her own sister's
disappearance may be somehowtied to it all.
Galloway was supposed to be aplace to help her move forward,
but instead Claire quickly findsherself immersed in her own

(12:45):
dark and dangerous past.
Sounds like Stacey Willinghamis back.
Oh yeah, that sounds so good.
All the dangerous things that'swhat it's called.
All the dangerous things.
I did like that book.
It is very, very dark and itdoes deal with child death and
mental health issues relatingaround postpartum.

(13:07):
So I do feel like that isimportant to point out and, I
believe, also trigger warningfor miscarriage.
I think that's in there, if Iremember correctly.
So that book is just reallydark, but it is good.
It is really good, really wellwritten.
Just it's pretty dark.
So all the thriller authors arestarting to release things Also

(13:29):
.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
So the Click.
I know that this might seemvery niche, but the Click was a
young adult series followingMassey Block, and me and my
friends in sixth grade wereobsessed with this.
We read them.
We would literally pass thebooks around and I'll read them.
We were obsessed.
We dubbed ourselves members ofthe pretty committee.

(13:50):
We loved it.
It is very like I don't know,she's, massey's a fashionista
and they have typical middleschool girl problems and we just
loved those books.
Well, the author, lisi harrison, is currently outlining a new
book where massie is 27 yearsold and the whole pretty

(14:12):
committee.
So you get to see what they aredoing and I could not be more
excited.
I cannot wait to read thatseries.
So totally different thanthrillers, but I am so excited,
excited.
I just I adored.
And there was a movie and, ohmy gosh, the Click was one of a

(14:33):
series of unfortunate events theClick, divergent, maze Runner,
twilight, all of those Yep, Iread them all.
I've read like all of those.
So anyway, the selection seriesif you're a little bit younger
I may have just dated myself bygeeking out over the click Funny
story about the click reallyquick, and then I will actually
get into what I'm talking abouttoday.

(14:55):
But with the click, the coolthing is that I accidentally
wrote fan fiction for it beforeI really knew what fan fiction
was.
So our teacher gave us anassignment.
It was like take a book thatyou really enjoyed and you have
to write like an extra bonuschapter, as, if you know, you

(15:15):
were writing from all the samecharacters in the world and you
have to write an extra bonuschapter.
And so I wrote a bonus chapterfrom the click and I really
loved it.
Um, all my friends enjoyed it.
They thought it was good andthat's when I first kind of got
that.
Well, that's not when I firstgot the writing bug.
I'd always wanted to write abook.
When I was little, me and oneof my friends would literally

(15:36):
sit there and like write fantasynovels, um, but anyway, that
was like when we were inprobably elementary school,
elementary middle school andthen we kind of stopped and I
just kind of let that dream dieuntil now.
So so there you go, dreamscoming true.
But anyway, I accidentallywrote click fan fiction before I
understood what fan fiction was.
So now now I know, um, but itwas really fun.

(15:59):
It was actually really fun todo.
So.
Okay, getting into the bookstoday.
Remember my new rating systemliked it, loved it.
Not for me.
I am sorry that I feel likeI've held you hostage for almost
like 20 minutes before gettinginto the books.
I am starting off big with abang.
So this one is actually an ARC.
It is an advanced reader's copythat I got through the

(16:21):
publisher, so thank you to Dellfor providing me a copy through
NetGalley.
I did get an e-arc of this, soit is on my Kindle, but this is
Beg, borrow or Steal by SarahAdams and it comes out January
7th.
So, repeat, it comes outJanuary 7th.
This book is not out to thepublic right now.
I just got an advanced readercopy through NetGalley to be

(16:44):
able to review on said podcast.
So I get to tell you all aboutit and if you know me, you know
that I love Sarah Adams.
I have read all of hercontemporary romance books.
As soon as I read PracticeMakes Perfect, I literally got
on Amazon and I bought herentire backlist self-published

(17:05):
books and all Super excited thatyou know they've all kind of
come that Del bought all of themand so, like the Temporary
Roomie, the Off Limits Rule, allof those are kind of getting
republished.
But I have the originalself-published versions and I
did meet Sarah Adams last yearat one of her events for the
rule book.
So I she is one of my favoriteauthors.

(17:28):
So I would just like to prefaceit with that that I don't know
that I can be fully objectivebecause I just love her so much.
So just keep that in mind.
But I okay, this is her, herbook.
It's obviously romance.
It is open door.
This one is open door but ithas modifications in the

(17:49):
author's notes.
This is the second book of hersthat is open door.
The rule book was also opendoor, but with the rule book and
with Beg, borrow or Steal,again modifications are provided
in the author's notes.
So if you only read closed-doorbooks, you can still read these
books.
Just check the author's noteand it will tell you which

(18:12):
chapters to skip.
It gives you thosemodifications.
So this is technically anopen-door book, but do not
forget about the modificationsin the author's note.
I've heard from several readerswho did not know that and
thought that they could not readthe open door Sarah Adams books
.
So you can.
There are modificationsprovided, so I just wanted to
like scream it from the rooftopso you knew Okay, this book, I

(18:37):
loved it.
I loved it.
Big surprise, rome Kentucky isone of my favorite book series.
Practice Makes Perfect is oneof my favorite books of all time
.
So on the one hand, I was superstoked to read this, but on the
other hand, I'm always nervousbecause you know it's really
hard, the standards that we puton an author to try to, you know

(19:00):
, match or beat their previousbooks.
That is a lot of pressure.
So I was a little bit nervous.
But I know Sarah Adams and Ilike anything that she writes,
so I wasn't that worried aboutit.
But I loved this one,absolutely loved it.
Okay, I'm going to talk aboutthe plot for it first, and then
I'll get into my reasoning andlet you know a little bit more

(19:22):
about the book itself.
This is all going to be spoilerfree.
There are no spoilers here.
I do not want to ruin this bookfor you.
I want you to have the likeunbridled joy that I had reading
it.
So this is the third book in theRome Kentucky series.
When in Rome is first, practiceMakes Perfect is second, and
then this is Beg, borrow orSteal, and this is Emily
Walker's story, and I believeshe is the oldest Walker sister.

(19:46):
I'm pretty sure, if I'm right,that the birth order is Noah's
the oldest, then it's Emily,then it's Madison and then Annie
is the youngest and Annie'sbook was Practice Makes Perfect,
and then Noah's book was whenin Rome.
So this is book three of fourin the series.
This is Emily's book, and thenthe next book will be Madison,

(20:06):
the last Walker sibling to get abook.
Okay, so Emily is an elementaryschool teacher just starting her
summer break, only to find outthat her arch nemesis, jackson
Bennett, is back in town after afailed engagement.
Emily tells herself that she'sunaffected by his charm, but her
limits are tested as the twobecome neighbors.
When he moves in to fix up thehouse next door, the pettiness

(20:31):
between these two reaches acrescendo.
And will it dissolve into loveor hate?
You're going to have to read tofind out.
Okay, let me get to talk aboutthis book a little bit more.
So there's so much pettiness,but it's so fun.
They are so petty with eachother.

(20:51):
I wish I could tell you some ofthe adorably petty things.
There was some stuff that Ihave never even thought of.
That I thought was verycreative on Sarah's part, and it
was really entertaining to readjust how petty they were with
each other.
And it was really entertainingto read just how petty they were
with each other.
That being said, theirpersonalities Emily and Jackson,
or Jack as she calls him, isthey're very different from the

(21:14):
other Walker siblings.
Both Jack and Emily are alittle bit more abrasive.
They're going to tell you howthey feel they like Emily is
just no nonsense.
She is going to bulldoze you alittle bit.
She is not an Annie at all.
So because of that, this bookdoes have more language, um and

(21:35):
I mean of the cussing varietyand slightly more crude language
, uh, than Sarah's other books.
However, if you read a lot ofromance novels, you are most
likely not going to notice this.
I'm only calling it out forSarah Adams fans that are just
used to maybe like less languageand more cheese.
This book has a little bit lesscheese, a little bit more bite.

(21:59):
So I did want to call that outjust so that way you know what
you're going into.
Like I said, if you read justtypical romance books, you are
not going to notice that at all,like at all.
But this is just for thoseSarah Adams fans.
Also, this is her spiciest novelyet.
Like it is actually it's spicyfor her other books.

(22:21):
It's spicy compared to herother books.
Again, if you're just readinglike regular romance novels, you
probably aren't going to thinkit's spicier.
I would say it's maybe just atouch more than like an Emily
Henry level, maybe kind of moreon par with like Abby Jimenez.

(22:43):
It's not quite Ali Hazelwoodlevel, um.
So probably I would say more onpar with like Abby Jimenez, but
just a smidge more than EmilyHenry.
Um, so not not super spicy inthe scheme of things, uh, but if
you're used to reading SarahAdams books then you will be
like Whoa, sarah, this this is alittle bit spicier than your

(23:03):
norm.
So just calling that out,calling that out again because I
felt like I mean of course Iwas reading it for review, which
I need to go back and read itlike for fun now, but because I
was reading it for review.
It's just a totally differentexperience and so I felt as if I
were, you know, like I waspaying attention to all of those

(23:25):
things and a couple times justthe slight deviations from
Sarah's normal style took me outof it for a second.
But that's because I was tryingto really read it so closely.
So I'm just telling you aboutthose deviations so you know
what you're going into.
But you can still enjoy thebook because it is so funny, it
is so incredible.
I loved it.

(23:45):
I mean, practice Makes Perfectis still my favorite because
it's just practice makes perfect, but this has fought its way to
second place.
I think Beg, borrow or Steal isa fantastic novel.
I think a wide variety ofaudiences are going to love it.
It was a favorite of the monthand I just really enjoyed the
book.
The banter between Jack andEmily is just fantastic and it's

(24:08):
swoony, it's funny, it'sinteresting, the plot is going,
but also there's a lot ofemotional depth and these
characters really do get to knoweach other a little bit more.
Last thing I'll say about like.
Compared to Sarah's normal, um,there is something that she I'm
trying, not like I'm notspoiling this for you, so I'm
trying to give you a hintwithout giving you a hint, if

(24:32):
that makes sense.
So, okay, there's somethingthat Sarah is pretty famous for
not doing, that this book hassomething adjacent that might
seem as if she is breaking herown rules, because it feels a
lot like this thing.
You could probably argue thatlike no, it wasn't really

(24:53):
because they weren't this andyou know, but it had it feels.
It feels like that and Ihonestly, I had to put the book
down for a second and I had totake a breather and I had to
come back to it.
Um, again, it was such a goodbook.
I really enjoyed it all the waythrough, um, but I did want to

(25:15):
preface that like.
This feels to me like adeviation from her style.
Uh, you definitely feel likeyou're still in Rome, kentucky,
don't worry about that.
And there are a lot of cameosfrom previous characters.
There's more of Will and Annie,because they're actively kind
of hanging around Emily thewhole time.
Well, and Jack, there's onehilarious like grocery store

(25:38):
scene with I think it's MabelI'm pretty sure it's Mabel and
Phil the hardware store owner,if I believe, and Jack and Will
Griffin and it's really funny.
But there's a lot more Annieand Will, but there's also some
Amelia and Noah, so they arealso, they make cameos in this

(25:59):
book and both of them makecameos, like several times and
they interact with the othercharacters and stuff.
So you don't have to worryabout that.
There are even phone calls andstuff with Madison.
Madison is off in New York.
I'm pretty sure she's off inNew York at culinary school.
So, matt, even though Madison'sout of the picture, like, there
are still some calls and stuffwith Madison as well.

(26:20):
And this book is also going toset up you.
You are going to know therewere subtle hints and practice
makes perfect, um.
But you are definitely going toknow by the end of this book
who Madison is going to be withfor the next one and who the MMC
is.
You're going to know who he isand I knew it as soon as
Practice Makes Perfect happened.
I didn't know if he was goingto be with Emily or Madison, but

(26:41):
now I know that he's going tobe with Madison.
So that is also a thing thatyou're going to know by the end
of this book.
Like I said, it has Rome,kentucky, it has the cameos.
If you have not read any of theother books in the series, you
could open this up and it is atotal interconnected standalone.
You will not miss anything, youwill just be along for the ride
.
I still think you would enjoyit just as much.
Everything's explained reallywell, so nothing to worry about

(27:04):
there.
But ultimately I loved this book.
It was a slight deviation fromSarah's normal style.
It's just like Sarah Adamsturned up like two or three
notches from her normal style.
So just know that, going in, Iloved it.
I just I had so much funreading it and it's just so nice
when you can get a true escapeand just have all the fun.

(27:27):
And I had all the fun readingthis book.
I can't wait to reread it andI'm definitely going to be
getting a physical copy.
That is, beg, borrow or StealWould highly recommend it.
It comes out January 7th.
I loved it, so thank you toDell for providing me an early
copy.
Oh, and I just realized, rightas I was about to close it, dang

(27:48):
it.
I realized I forgot to tell youthat both Emily and Jack are
authors.
She, nope, I can't even tell.
Tell you, I don't even want totell you what kind of authors
they are.
But they're actually bothwriters and so there are a lot
of fun things that happenbetween them and their separate

(28:09):
publishing journeys, which bothlook really different.
But anyway they are bothauthors.
So there there's a very strongbookish element in there, and
they learn that about each otherlater on.
So there you go, that's it.
Okay, now onto my next book.
This is the Art of CatchingFeelings.

(28:29):
Apparently, I just wanted tohit you with some romance at
first, but I promise I will getto other books later.
Hit you with some romance atfirst, but I promise I will get
to other books later.
Okay, the Art of CatchingFeelings.
It is romance.
It is an open door novel.
Spice level like it was kind ofspicy, but it wasn't anything

(28:51):
crazy.
I don't know.
I still feel like it's kind ofon, like just standard.
You know, ellie Hazelwood levellike maybe a, I don't know.
I feel like this one might be alittle bit less, maybe like a
two and a half.
I would say maybe a two and ahalf out of five on the spice
scale.
I think, like it wasn't crazy,but it wasn't.
It wasn't not spicy.
Um, it was definitely open door.
So on this one I can't decide.

(29:18):
I'm really in between liked itand loved it, and I can't.
I'm kind of on the fence.
I'm like almost to loved it,but maybe not quite Like.
I feel like liked it is notstrong, liked it is not strong
enough, and then loved it asmaybe a little bit too strong
for just a couple of the issuesI found in there.
I don't, I don't know, it'shard to describe, so I'm going
to talk about the plot first andthen I'll get into it.
Daphne signs her divorce papersand, in a final act of
self-defiance, she takes herbest friend to the baseball game

(29:39):
that her ex-husband wanted togo to.
She knows absolutely nothingabout baseball but gets caught
up in the atmosphere and ends upheckling a player, making him
cry as he steps up to bat.
As she sobers up, the guiltreally kicks in and she sends
him a DM to apologize.
But through a series ofmissteps, she forgets to say who

(30:02):
she is and ends up forming anonline relationship with him.
When she fills in as a sidelinereporter for the team, will her
professional and digital lifecollide, as she's forced to see
third baseman Chris Kepler, thevery same player she brought to
tears.
Okay.
So this book, it is told in Ifeel like I'm going to butcher

(30:26):
this pronunciation omniscient.
I think that's right.
It's told in omniscient, thirdperson.
I didn't think that I was aperson that really cared what
what it was written in, whetherit was first person or third
person or anything, but for somereason this it took me out of

(30:47):
it just a few times, and maybethat's because I'm just so used
to reading first person romancenovels.
At this point it was not bad.
Just a couple times it took meout of it a little bit, being
third person.
So I just wanted to throw thatout there, that this book is
written in third person, in casethat bugs you.
But I would say that AliciaThompson she did I not even say

(31:12):
that she was the author.
The Art of Catching Feelings isby Alicia Thompson.
This was my first book thatI've read of her.
She is so incredibly talentedand I feel like she took okay,
I'll tell you in a second, butanyway, I feel like she's just
very talented and if anyone canwrite in third person I think
it's her.
But I just wanted to point outthat it was written in that

(31:33):
because it just took me out ofit like a couple times, just a
hair, okay.
So here's where her writingskill really comes in.
So the entire book centersaround miscommunicate the
miscommunication trope, which isliterally probably one of my
least favorite tropes in all ofexistence.
Um, however, like I said, leaveit it to Alicia to change my

(31:57):
mind a little bit.
If Jessica Joyce could changemy mind on Second Chance Romance
and the X-Files, then AliciaThompson slightly changed my
mind on Miscommunication.
Overall, this book is funny,it's quirky, it's heartfelt and
it's really filled with a lotmore depth than you would think
could just happen from hecklinga guy at a baseball game and

(32:21):
falling in love with him over dm.
So it's.
It sounds more superficial thanit is.
There's a lot of depth behindthe story.
Uh, overall I just had somesmall issues with kind of how
the characters reacted when themiscommunication hit.
That gave me a little bit ofpause because again, the entire
thing really centers around thismiscommunication.

(32:43):
But the reading experienceoverall was great and I would
still recommend the book.
Like I really enjoyed my timereading the book.
I was so excited to get back toit and I was constantly
flipping pages, but I did wantto point out just those things
on the miscommunication and thethird person.
So you knew them so you coulddecide if this book was for you.
But honestly, I just I reallyenjoyed the reading experience

(33:06):
and I feel like, overall, if anauthor can change my mind on a
trope that I normally don't likeand I enjoy the book throughout
, then I would still say thatit's a really strong read and I
would recommend definitelyadding it to your TBR.
And personally, I will bereading more Alicia Thompson in
the future and I think that sheis extremely talented.

(33:27):
So I really enjoyed this bookoverall.
I just had those few littlekind of nitpicky things that I
don't know like they bugged meenough to where I felt like I
couldn't let go of them to anextent.
But then also I had such a goodreading experience that I
didn't want to negate that forthose small little nitpicky
things.
But the miscommunication stuffwas ultimately kind of what

(33:51):
bugged me about it.
But I just really liked thebook.
So I would still say read theArt of Catching Feelings, add it
to your TBR, but just know thatit all centers around this
communication.
Okay, next up we have thePumpkin Spice Cafe.
This is romance and it is opendoor and I don't even know how

(34:14):
to describe the spice.
Honestly, I don't remember itthat much.
I may have blocked it out alittle bit.
Okay, this one was not for me.
This is by Laurie Gilmore, andthis book was just not for me
personally.
I originally thought, though,that based on the cover and the
blurb, I thought it was a cozymystery, so that could have some

(34:35):
bearing on it.
I did not realize that it was aromance novel going in.
I thought I was going to bereading a cozy mystery.
So here is the plot, and thenI'll get into a little bit why
it was not my favorite.
So Jeannie moves to a town asan outsider to take over the
Pumpkin Spice Cafe while heraunt is gallivanting around the
country.
It and she ultimately justneeded to get away.

(34:56):
So this kind of came at theperfect time.
She meets plaid shirt wearinglocal logan and is instantly
infatuated but tells herself notto get involved.
Logan was publicly humiliatedwhen he proposed to his city
slicker girlfriend, only for herto turn him down in front of
the entire town and leave, thusshattering his heart.
He is determined not to fall inlove with out-of-towners again

(35:21):
until he meets Jeannie.
There is a little bit of mysteryin the air as the book goes on
as well, and that is my littlemini plot synopsis on the book.
So, okay, the mystery solvesitself halfway through and it
starts out with just like a kissand it's super sweet and it's a

(35:42):
slow burn, and I'm thinkingthis is a cozy mystery where you
know, normally in a traditionaltrue cozy mystery there is a
very slow burn romance thathappens throughout the series.
So they may or may not evenkiss in the first book and in
this book they kissed and I waslike, oh, that's on par with
cozy mystery.
Then somehow we go into purespice in the blink of an eye.

(36:04):
In the blink of an eye.
And I think my main frustrationwas just how did we get here?
That's what I kept askingmyself was well, how, how did we
get here?
That's what I kept askingmyself was well, how did we get
here?
For me, the pacing started outreally like cozy and slow and
there was a lot of atmospheregoing and I was enjoying myself.

(36:25):
And then, randomly, it justkind of got really fast towards
the middle of the end of thebook, with almost no buildup,
and it felt like everything justkind of like the pacing was too
fast and it tumbled a littlebit.
So I liked the first half, butit fell apart for me in the back
half of the book.
I have heard, though, that thesecond book the Cinnamon Bun
Store, I think, or somethinglike that Cinnamon Roll Bun,

(36:47):
cinnamon Bun Roll Store I don'tknow, I'm just messing it up now
Cinnamon Bun Store, cinnamon, Idon't know, I'm just trying to
think too hard.
Anyway, that one, the secondbook in this series.
I've heard that it's a lotbetter, but, honestly, I just
don't really have a desire tofinish this series after reading

(37:09):
the first one.
So this is supposed to be basedon Gilmore Girls.
This is supposed to be based onGilmore Girls, and I honestly I
wouldn't know if that iscorrect or not, because I've
never watched the series all theway through.
Yes, I know, For me they justtalk too fast and it kind of
stresses me out.

(37:30):
Now that I listened toaudiobooks on 1.75 times speed,
I think I may have actuallytrained myself a little bit.
So maybe if I watched it backnow, I would understand and I
would really like it.
But at that point it, you know,it just stressed me out.
So that was kind of how I feltabout it before.

(37:50):
So ultimately I would say thatif you want cozy, a cozy fall
book, it may be worth a try, andI would read more books from
this author later down the line.
It's just, this series was notultimately for me, but I would
definitely read more books fromthis author.

(38:11):
I think it's just the seriesand the characters a little bit.
Maybe that is my thing for it.
It makes it not quite for me.
I am hitting you with a thriller.
It was probably you werethinking I thought you said that
there were going to bethrillers.
I thought you said that therewas going to be thriller horror.
I thought you said that therewas going to be fantasy, and
then I proceeded to talk allabout romance.
Well, I saved them for later.

(38:32):
So I'm talking about In myDreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley
Winstead.
This is a thriller.
I liked it.
I liked it a lot.
It was sold to me, though, asdark academia, and it's just.
It's not that I don't feel thatit qualifies as dark academia.
Dark academia, I can neverremember which one it is, anyway

(38:57):
, so I'm probably going to sayit wrong, sorry.
I expect that the school reallyneeds to be like another
character if I'm going to bereading and classifying
something as dark academia and Ineed some very strong imagery.
So, for example, like I cantell you off the top of my head,
I probably read the book liketwo years ago, but I can tell

(39:20):
you without a doubt that the itGirl by Ruth Ware, which is
another thriller, all centeredaround Oxford, and that is what
I would truly consider darkacademia.
Also a fantasy rec.
Ninth House is Yale.
Ninth House is Yale.
There's like a dark, secret,occult society in Yale that

(39:42):
deals with different you know, Idon't know ghost creatures.
I can't remember what they callthem.
They have a specific name forthem and so, yeah, that's those,
those I can instantly tell youwhat university it is.
They really cast a lot ofimagery, but for some reason, I
cannot for the life of meremember what school this takes

(40:04):
place at, like I just I don'tremember.
Um, it is overall, it's dualtimeline and it's basically this
group of college friends attheir college reunion.
Here's my plot synopsis.
So it's this group of collegefriends at their college reunion
.
Here's my plot synopsis.
So it's this group of collegefriends at their college reunion
.
However, one of them has beenaccused of murdering their
friend who was killed on campuswhen they were still in school.
Everyone has secrets that areuncovered throughout the story

(40:27):
and all of the dirty laundry isaired.
This book is very dramatic, likeif you want real housewives
level drama, then this book isfor you.
That I know.
That was like the world'sshortest plot synopsis, but I
can't like everything else Iwould give you as a spoiler.
So that's kind of all I cantell you.
But it is very dramatic bookwhich some will see as a pro and

(40:51):
some will see as a con.
I've heard people say like Ireally like dramatic thrillers
and I've heard some that arelike I don't like dramatic
thrillers, like kind of RealHousewives style drama.
So it's a selling point forsome, it's a con for others.
I'm just pointing it out so youcan decide.
Either way.
I listened to the audio book ofthis and it kept me decently
entertained throughout, which Ihonestly can't necessarily say

(41:13):
for that many thrillers thisyear.
So I did enjoy the overallreading experience of this and I
constantly wanted to know whathappened next and I wanted to
keep playing it to see whathappened.
The beginning was a little bitslow, but it really started to
capture me pretty quickly andthe ending okay.
So the ending was slightlyunderwhelming and some of the
plot twists were a little biteasy to guess in my opinion.

(41:35):
But I do really want to trymore of Ashley Winstead's books
in the future because, like Isaid, overall I enjoyed the
reading experience.
This was a thriller that Ifound intriguing, which, like I
said, I've kind of been in athriller slump for pretty much
the entire year.
So for me to find a thrillerintriguing is awesome because I

(41:56):
love thrillers and I do want toread more of Ashley's in the
future.
For some reason, midnight isthe Darkest Hour is the one is
the book of hers is kind ofcalling to me.
Next, but all the audiobooksare available to me through my
library on Hoopla, so I cancontinue to try them out and I
would say definitely check yourHoopla and your library for them

(42:16):
.
I think the audio book was welldone and it kept me entertained
.
So overall I thought that thiswas a really solid thriller.
I liked it and I enjoyed thereading experience.
Wasn't my absolute favorite?
No, I had heard of just a lotof hype behind this one and I
had heard that it was at DarkAcademia.
So on those ends I was maybe alittle bit disappointed, but
overall I thought that this wasa really solid, good book, like

(42:38):
I enjoyed it.
So I would recommend it to theright person for sure.
Next I'm going to go into afantasy before I circle back to
thriller, slash, horror.
So fantasy this is Shatter Meby Tahara Mafi, and this is
young adult fantasy.
Tahara Mafi and this is youngadult fantasy.
So for this particular bookbook one Shatter Me I would say

(43:01):
it goes in the like dickcategory, but the series as a
whole, the series as a whole,falls in the love dick category.
So the great thing about YAfantasy is that there's not a
lot of intense spice.
I'm looking at you, quicksilver, so I appreciate the focus on
the plot and even though a lovetriangle is the center of this

(43:25):
particular book, it will getresolved eventually.
So it's not going to be overlyfrustrating, which is very much
appreciated.
This is not going to be like aTwilight situation of will they,
won't they, the entire time.
Almost Well, I mean I guess notthe entire time in Twilight.
You know what I mean.
I feel like this love trianglegets resolved more quickly and

(43:50):
it's not as frustrating as thewhole like Jacob Edward thing
was in Twilight.
I don't know why I'm comparingit to Twilight in any way, shape
or form.
I have not read those bookssince literally high school and
I really just read them becauseeveryone else was reading them
and I did like them at the time.
I just I have almost norecollection.

(44:11):
No recollection, really.
Basic plot points is all Iremember at this point.
But I I don't, I can't, I can'tlike give you anything
interesting on Twilight now,because I just don't remember it
enough, to be honest, um at all, and I don't at this moment
really have a desire to rereadit.
So this is not me hating onTwilight, but this is not me

(44:32):
saying I loved it, because Ijust don't.
I remember really liking it,but I just can't, I can't
remember and I don't want toreread it.
So back to Shatter Me, okay.
So here is my little plotsynopsis and then I'll talk a
little bit more about kind ofthe book, the series, all that
jazz.
So Juliet has powers that shedoesn't know how to control and

(44:54):
no one has really taught her howto wield, and because of this
she accidentally commits a veryserious crime when the book
begins.
She's been in solitaryconfinement for about a year and
to keep herself sane.
She writes in this journal dayand night.
All of a sudden she gets acellmate, which sets off this
chain of events that lead her toher captor, who has a task for

(45:14):
her.
Unsure of who to trust, nothaving a grasp on the state of
the world that has crumbledaround her as she's been in
solitary confinement and tryingto figure out really just the
two male main characters' trueintentions sends her into a
tailspin.
Will she find out her truepurpose and are her powers more

(45:35):
useful than she once thought?
Will the cause of her pain bethe catalyst to her power?
Breathe to find out.
And yes, like all of my plotsynopses, I did write that.
So I did write.
Will the cause of her pain bethe catalyst to her power?
You're welcome.
Maybe the catalyst to unlockingher true power actually might
be better.

(45:55):
Yep, I'll go with that Anyway.
So this book, okay, the thejournal entries at first they
were just a little bit weird,cause again, you're kind of like
you're in the mind of someonewho is not mentally all the way
there, I mean who would be afterbeing in solitary confinement
for basically a year.
I mean they say I'm in solitaryconfinement for basically a

(46:16):
year.
I mean they say I'm pretty surefrom all the like true crime
books and stuff, I've read thatlike if you spend 24 hours or
more, like I think it's evenmore than like 24 or 48 hours in
solitary confinement, thatyou're going to have like brain
damage, like brain damage orsomething that's going to happen
.
So anyway, this is a reallyintense scenario for her to have

(46:37):
been locked up like this for ayear.
So you are inside her brain anda large majority, if not the
entire thing from what I canremember of Shatter Me, is in
Juliet's point of view.
However, later on in futurebooks you get different points
of view and I would say so.
There are six books in theseries, six full length books,

(47:00):
but then there is a novella forlike one and a half, two and a
half, three and a half, four anda half, five and a half and six
and a half.
So there are a total of 12items in the series, but six are
full books and six are novellas.
But with the novellas they eachhave a different character's

(47:20):
point of view and I feel like itreally enriches the reading
experience to be able to readthem all at once.
This is a series that is goingto have absolutely positively
insane cliffhangers like I havenever read before, not even
Lauren Roberts.
I feel like this is moreintense than a Lauren Roberts

(47:42):
cliffhanger.
The cliffhangers are justinsane.
I guess made the mistake.
Well, I was really on a bookban and A I decided to just kind
of start the series on a whim,which was very stupid, because I
know myself, when I read afantasy series this is why I shy
away from them a little bitwhen I read a fantasy series I

(48:04):
go all out and I cannot doanything but consume the entire
series almost all at one time.
So I cannot start a fantasyseries if I know that I am like
not going to be able to read thenext book because I have other
books I have to read.
And I made the mistake of justgoing yeah, yeah, I'll just
start the series.

(48:24):
I didn't really commit.
I got one from the library leftme on an insane cliffhanger.
I got almost every book fromthe library and the novellas
from the library, so I had toconstantly like wait multiple
days and then try to read thenovellas really quick and then
read them in the middle ofreading the big books.
So I would not recommend that.
Um, I'm not saying you can'tget them from your library, but
I would like check out books,maybe like one to two or one to

(48:46):
three from the library if you'regonna, if you're gonna start
the series.
Like, be ready to start theseries because it is going to
grip you.
It's like the first book waspretty weird again, just because
Juliet's a little bit unhingedand you're kind of only getting
her very skewed, verynarrow-minded, because she

(49:07):
doesn't actually really knowwhat's going on with the world's
point of view.
But in later books you're goingto get other points of view and
everything kind of starts tozoom out.
Like it's very focused onJuliet in the beginning but then
you zoom out and you get a lotof other perspectives and you
learn a lot about the othercharacters and the banter
between the characters is justfantastic.
It is fantastic and there's somany funny and good moments.

(49:31):
Even though it is a veryintense and borderline like this
is kind of depressing.
It is very dystopian.
It is a very dystopian YAfantasy series.
So it is not going to be thehappiest, but there are a lot of
little happy, joyful momentsthat happen within the really
intense, painful, action-packedscenes.

(49:53):
So there's a lot of depth inthis book and all of these books
.
They are so incredibly wellwritten.
You will fly, fly through them.
I personally think that booksthree through six were my
favorite.
I thought book one was kind ofweird but I gave it a chance
because my friend told me toread it.
Shout out to Michaela at MaxLibrary on Instagram, I'll link

(50:15):
it below.
She was the one that justreally said hold on, hold out
through the first book and Isaid, okay, michaela, I'll try
it.
And then by book two, I wasstill kind of a little bit on
the fence.
But book three I was, I wasfully into it, didn't care if it
was weird, I really was intothe series and, uh, the love
triangles between Juliet Adamand Aaron, adam Kent and Aaron

(50:38):
Warner.
And with Warner, like, if we areconsidering morally gray male
main characters, kind of on atint scale of gray, a hue, if
you will, a little bit of a tinton there I would say that, like
Kai Azur from Powerless is moreof he's a light gray, that like

(50:59):
Kai Azur from Powerless is moreof he's a light gray, and then
I would say that Aaron Warner is.
He's more of like a mid, mediumtoned gray, um, and I would
classify so.
You know, kai didn't want to bein the enforcer life and he was
, whereas Aaron, like, didn'talso want to be.
I am blanking utterly andcompletely on what position in

(51:20):
his army he is.
Is Warner a commander?
I don't know, I can't remember,I'm blanking.
But anyway, warner did notnecessarily want to be in his
position and he didn't want tohave the kind of life he did.
But in a way I think I think heenjoys a little bit too much.
I think he's a little bit stab,happy.
So he's a little bit more gray,morally gray, than a little bit

(51:43):
.
He's more morally gray than KaiAzor is.
Um, so just be be prepared forAaron Warner, cause he's about
to be morally gray.
Uh, just know that that'scoming along.
And With this one, while ofcourse, the romance is a big
central plot point in Shatter Me, I feel like there are a lot of
other things going on as welland there are a lot of things

(52:03):
happening and there's a lot ofaction and there's a lot of
development between the othercharacters.
So while it is romance heavy, Idon't feel like it's totally
just all about the romance.
Like there are a lot of other Bplots going on that add a lot
of texture to the story.
So Shatter Me was a win as aseries.

(52:24):
If you read the first two booksand you're not sure, keep, keep
going and also don't forgetabout those novellas.
They add a lot, like a lot, alot.
So I would definitely recommend, if you're going to read the
series, read the novellas.
I'm not telling you to like buyan entire series, because a box
set like that with all thenovellas I think it's probably
like 60 to a hundred bucks.

(52:44):
So I am not saying do that, butif you're going to get it from
the library, maybe just go aheadand like get the first couple
books and novellas.
So that way maybe you have likebook one, book two and then the
novella one and a half and twoand a half like have those.
Have those ready to go from thelibrary.
If you're before you're goingto start it, because you're

(53:04):
going to get really sucked inand it's going to be physically
painful to not know what happens.
So that is shatter me.
Like said, liked the first book,loved the series.
It is gold, it's absolute goldand I very much enjoyed my
reading experience.
I don't even know how I wouldcompare it to Powerless, like I

(53:25):
really enjoyed reading Powerless, but I don't know.
There's something about ShatterMe that was maybe just, I don't
know like a little bit moretexture, depth, weaving, craft
to it.
You know what I mean.
But I still really did likePowerless and I enjoyed reading
it.
But again, I don't tend to reada lot of fantasy.

(53:46):
So this is my perspective,coming as someone who does not
read a lot of fantasy and whomainly reads YA over adults most
of the time.
I'm not saying that can'tchange.
I'm about to read Mistborn byBrandon Sanderson, so, and
that's an epic fantasy with,I've been told, a very small
subplot of romance.
So it's way less like romanceto see why a dystopian heavy.

(54:09):
So I can't wait to see how Iget on with that and then I'll
have more of kind of a frame ofreference, I feel like, for
general fantasy, just the morethat I read.
And I'm reading Quicksilver,which is my first adult romance
to see, and that that's a ridethat I will tell you about that
one, um at a later date, butanyway.
So I am reading more fantasyoverall and I'm starting to kind

(54:30):
of get the hang of it a littlebit, I guess.
Um, I don't know, romance andthrillers are just kind of my,
my cozy at home genres.
I'm not saying that thrillersare cozy, but you know what I
mean.
Like they are just kind of mycozy at home genres.
I'm not saying that thrillersare cozy, but you know what I
mean.
Like they are just mypreferences, that I feel
comfortable and have read abunch of.
But on the train of TaherehMafi and her books.

(54:55):
So there is going to be aspinoff series that is happening
and, okay, there is a spinoffseries that is coming, uh, with
James.
I think James is kind of thecenter focus and it's like a
spinoff series of the youngergeneration.
Um, for, for this series, the,the spinoff series, centers all

(55:19):
around James, who is Adam'syounger brother and kind of like
the younger generation.
And Juliet has a daughter, Ibelieve I have heard.
I don't want to tell you whowith, because then that would
totally spoil the love trianglefor you before you even start it
.
So I'm not trying to do that toyou, but it comes out in April,
I believe, and at first I was alittle bit like, okay, no, I'm

(55:41):
so tired Because I know that I'mgoing to get hooked into this
spinoff series and then I'm justgoing to be back into another
fantasy series because I'm notgoing to be able to let this one
go.
And it sounds fantastic.
But I'm also like, why so manybooks, so little time?
So we'll see how this goes, butanyway, I'm very excited for it
.
But I'm also a little bitnervous to get hooked into yet

(56:03):
another series by this authorbecause she is just so talented
that I know I'm gonna get hookedagain.
Okay, enough fantasy talk.
For today we are going intohorror slash thriller.
So, to preface it, when Istarted this book, I thought it
was going to be a thriller andthen I found out that it was
actually horror slash thriller.
So, to preface it, when Istarted this book, I thought it
was going to be a thriller andthen I found out that it was
actually horror slash thriller.
And Goodreads like on theGoodreads reviews or Goodreads

(56:28):
nominations for the book of theyear, it's nominated as one of
the picks and it's in the horrorcategory.
So this may lead a little bitmore horror.
I am a chicken, I am a scary catand I can still read this book,
of course, could I only read itin the daylight.
Yes, yes, couldn't read itafter about 3 or 4 pm because I

(56:48):
don't know something about thatjust kind of freaked me out.
So I did have to read it in themornings.
I listened to the audiobook andthere are a lot of really cool
sound effects.
So, yeah, let me get into theplot synopsis and then I'll talk
about it.
This is we used to live here, bymarcus queller, and I believe
that this is his debut novel.
So eve and charlie renovatehouses and they live in them.

(57:10):
While they do, they move intothis old house with a lot of,
shall we say, history, history.
Eve is by herself when thisfamily comes to the door and
they basically ask for a tourbecause they used to live in the
house.
The dad used to live in thehouse as a boy and he wanted to

(57:30):
see, like just wanted a tour.
So he said you know, we used tolive here and asked if he could
have a tour.
And Eve is a really big peoplepleaser and she has a hard time
saying no and she's not reallysure, like she doesn't get a
good feeling about them.
But she says yes anyway and shelets them into the house and

(57:52):
from there the only thing I cantell you is that all chaos
ensues, all chaos ensues.
So this book has been comparedto I've heard it like compared
to a mashup of Get Out versusParasite, kind of like a Get Out
, parasite mashup of a book, andI cannot confirm or deny that

(58:16):
because I have not seen thosemovies, because I am a chicken,
so I cannot actually watchhorror movies of any kind.
I don't even care if they'relike suspenseful horror, I can't
watch it.
But it has been compared byother people to Get Out and
Parasite.
So if you enjoyed those moviesthen you would probably enjoy
this book.
I loved it.
I loved it.
I would say that this is on thelist of one of the best

(58:38):
thrillers, slash horror, thatI've read this year.
It was just really entertainingfor me.
I was dying to know what wasgoing to happen next on the
audiobook and I was justlistening with bated breath.
This is more like suspensefuland creepy and kind of ominous
over like truly scary.
I mean there are a couple partsthat get real weird and get

(58:58):
real like creepy, but again Ifeel like it's a little bit more
creepy, more ominous.
It's kind of like so in.
Okay, so in Middle of the Nightby Riley Sager, there's this
part and this is not a spoilerfor that book either but there's
this part where he's lookingout his window.
I think the main character ofthat is Ethan, but anyway, he's
looking out his window and thelike motion sensor porch light

(59:24):
goes on and then it goes off,and then the next house, it goes
on and then goes off, and thishappens for several houses and
he doesn't see anything that issetting off the light.
But it has that cadence ofgoing on and going off at the
next one and he cannot figureout, like why that cadence of
going on and going off at thenext one?
And he cannot figure out, like,why the lights are going on and
off.
That is a situation that initself you're like oh, wow,

(59:46):
scary, the motion detectorlights wouldn't go off.
But come on, if that happenedto you, would you be?
I would not just go back tosleep, I would be freaked out
for the rest of the night.
Like that is creepy and kind ofterrifying and just more
realistic because it feels likesomething that could kind of
actually happen.
So that's kind of more whatthis book is.
It's like just really creepy.

(01:00:07):
It does get into the paranormal.
It does get into the paranormala little bit later in the novel
and I will warn you that thisends on a cliffhanger, like a
major cliffhanger, and I believeI have heard that there are
supposedly other books comingout, um, like in a series, for
this, and all I have to say isthere better be?

(01:00:28):
Uh, because I was listening tothe book and then it was like
Simon and Schuster audio.
This has been Simon andSchuster audio.
Thank you for listening to.
We used to live here and I waslike wait, what, what, what?
They are not leaving it at thispoint, are they?
And they did.
Um, the ending's gonna make youmad.
It's gonna leave on a majorcliffhanger.
You're gonna, if you want, ifyou want your mind to go on a

(01:00:53):
journey where you are frustratedand don't know what's happening
and can't figure out where thisis gonna go and want to know
how the characters are going toget themselves out of this.
This is definitely the book foryou.
It's going to pull at yourpatience.
Um, it's going to make yousecond guess yourself.
The more that you think aboutlike, the more that you think
about this and the charactersand what could actually be

(01:01:14):
happening, the trippier it gets,basically.
So so this is a mind bending,kind of like thriller horror.
It was really good and I enjoyedit, like I enjoyed the ride.
This is perfect for kind ofthis darker, colder season.
I think that the atmospherewould be perfect to read this

(01:01:35):
and I will give you one hintthat is not a spoiler, if you
are listening or reading thebook.
I didn't catch this the firsttime and my book club actually
read it, and so they pointedthis out to me.
But pay attention to the Morsecode.
There is Morse code in thisbook.
Pay attention to what the Morsecode is saying.
You may want to write it down.

(01:01:56):
There is a special message inthe code, so keep that in mind.
This book was a wild ride, wild, wild ride, but I enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed every minuteof it.
It was just really unique.
Like I said, it is very creepy.
I don't feel like you reallygot that many answers in the end

(01:02:18):
.
I feel like you almost kind ofhave just more questions than
answers.
So I am really hoping thatthere is another book to this.
It was really interesting.
It was really entertaining.
I would recommend this book.
It is on the list of some ofthe best thriller horrors I've
read this year.
I keep saying thriller horrorbecause I was expecting it to be
a thriller.
And then, as I read it, I kindof thought this sounds like

(01:02:38):
horror, like I was expecting itto be a thriller.
And then, as I read it, I kindof thought this sounds like
horror, like just the way thatthis is paced or written.
I felt like I just got a horrorfeeling off of it.
And so then I looked it up andit said thriller slash horror.
So, and Goodreads isclassifying it as horror.
So I don't know, but I am achicken and I can handle this
book.
That being said, there are somevery creepy parts, so just know

(01:03:00):
that going in.
But it's a little bit moreaccessible to the average person
who is kind of scared of thesekinds of things.
Aka me and my overactiveimagination.
Um, I cannot watch horrormovies.
Yeah, I, you know my wholespiel with the butcher and the
Wren, uh, by Elena Urquhart andhow I read that book.
And then I went on the biggestthriller slump ever and could
only read romance because I wastoo scared to pick up another

(01:03:22):
thriller.
So I am probably not the targetaudience for this, but I still
really enjoyed it anyway and Iwould recommend this book and it
is really good.
So audiobook, physical bookstill liked it either way.
I really enjoyed the audio, soI would have to recommend the
audio.
And that is all for today onthis reading recap.
Stay tuned for more readingrecaps in the future.

(01:03:44):
I will always tell you whatbooks I'm reading.
We have a Christmas readingrecap coming up and we have a
sports romance reading recapcoming up, both closed door and
open door, so be on the lookoutfor those.
Eventually, I have been readingsome really interesting books,
so I'm very excited to bring yousome of these roundups.
It'll be me kind of talkingabout a lot of books.

(01:04:06):
Of course, as always, I have abunch of author interviews
coming up.
A lot of the authors that I'vebeen talking to lately have kind
of given me really big sneakpeeks into what their next books
are going to be and all thatkind of stuff and the way that
they've answered the questions.
They kind of they kind of givea lot away.
So keep on your toes for that.
Make sure that you reallylisten to the next couple author

(01:04:29):
interviews if you areinterested to see what they have
in store for the series, andthank you, as always, for
listening.
Don't forget to subscribe tothe podcast and leave a review,
and also you can send us a textmessage and text me with any
books you want me to read,anything you want me to talk

(01:04:49):
about.
If you have a specific genrethat you would like me to read
more of, or any recommendations,or you want recommendations,
you can literally click on theshow notes, send us a text
message and ask me any of thosequestions and I will respond to
you.
That's it for today on where Ileft off a bookish podcast.

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Reading Recap 3 - Sarah Adams, Alicia Thompson, Tahereh Mafi, and more!