The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

This was intriguing at first… It can be confusing because of different points of view and timelines and there is a lot going on with many characters. I wasn’t thrilled about it but I plan to read the sequel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

A dysfunctional family trapped in a gothic house on an island with tides getting higher through the night while a murderer is killing them one by one by the hour. Sounds promising, a “And then there were none”-type/inspired novel. It was an entertaining read, I liked the twist of what happened to Daisy but I was disappointed with the ending/fina twist/reveal that I didn’t find too believable.

 

 

 

 

 

Love in the time of serial killers by Alicia Thompson

Everything is in the title! If you think this will be a crime-book, no, it is a love story. However, you will enjoy all the true crime references (though they stay pretty general/wide-spread knowledge, or is it the true-crime addict in me talking?) if you are true-crime obsessed. It felt very modern and current, with many pop culture elements too. Like I said, it is a love story and I appreciated a main character with flaws, a wall up and some insecurities. Sometimes, it’s love that is waiting for you in the dark and it’s hard to protect yourself from it!

 

 

 

 

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

I thought I was gonna love it: cult, feminism, true crime podcast, maybe some BDSM, a lot of elements for a good read. Alas, it took me forever to read it; I could only get into the story at the beginning but as soon as we understand the “cult” and how it started I lost interest. I didn’t feel much interest for the main character (Shay) either.

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

So… It was a fast read. I only read it because it was my bookclub choice, as I have been disappointed by the author before. His books are always quick reads so there is definitely something going right. However, if – this time – I did not figure out the twist well before, the twist itself was… well surprising for sure but… [spoiler] Let’s just saw I did not expect a paranormal layer to this book and it was a little hard to swallow. I was not into the usual romance with the hot guy that of course ended up a suspect at some point, but hey, this time he was not guilty lol. [/spoiler]
I liked the setting of the lake houses, I liked the extra twist at the very end… at the end of the day, a lot of mixed feelings about this book!

 

What Lies Between Us
Nina keeps her mother Maggie chained their house. This is a tale of love and hate between two very dysfunctional characters. Damn this book was dark! This is a psychological thriller that contains a bunch of great plot twists and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I read (listened) Keri Blakinger’s book in two sittings. She describes the horror of incarceration while somewhat downplaying her own personal traumatic experiences (in and out of prison), which enlighten her will to expose and not ask for a pity party. The title is brilliant too!
It reminded me of so many people in prison, including my husband, who are going through the worst but still manage to get over that and be optimist. I even call it naivety at times but the truth is it’s resilience.

In July I took a break from books to catch up on podcasts instead. But I squeezed one quick read with Kitchen Table Tarot by Melissa Cynova. Obviously, this is a very specific subject but if you are interested in tarot, this is a great beginner book.The first part of the book is a discussion about tarot in general, its community and I liked that she truly boost up your confidence. The second part is on card meanings. I was not always completely on board with her interpretation but she always have anecdotes to illustrate them. It was a short, informal but informative read!