#THRILLER BOOK

[mediamatinees]

Adaptation Pass or Fail: How Do The Stepford Wives Films Compare To the Ira Levin Masterpiece

Content Warning: The Stepford Wives contains themes of abuse, including gaslighting and intimate partner violence as well as homicide. We’re also talking about a very dated and poor attempt at comedy, so just . . . keep that in mind. Viewer discretion is advised. Spoilers for The Stepford Wives (novel, 1975 movie adaptation, and 2004 movie adaptation) ahead! I mean it. If you’ve been under a…

[gardenbicycle]

I think if I try really hard I can finish editing my horror novel in time for Halloween!

Would any of my followers (17+) be interested in being a test reader?

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb: In this heart-pounding debut thriller for fans of Lisa Jewell and Celeste Ng, a first-generation Vietnamese American artist must confront nightmares past and present…  

Annie “Anh Le” Shaw grew up poor but seems to have it all now: a dream career, a stunning home, and a devoted husband and daughter. When Annie’s mother, a Vietnam War refugee, dies suddenly one night, Annie’s carefully curated life begins to unravel. Her obsessive-compulsive disorder, which she thought she’d vanquished years ago, comes roaring back—but this time, the disturbing fixations swirling around in Annie’s brain might actually be coming true. 

A prominent art patron disappears, and the investigation zeroes in on Annie. Spiraling with self-doubt, she distances herself from her family and friends, only to wake up in a hotel room—naked, next to a lifeless body. The police have more questions, but with her mind increasingly fractured, Annie doesn’t have answers. All she knows is this: She will do anything to protect her daughter—even if it means losing herself. 

With dizzying twists, You Know What You Did is both a harrowing thriller and a heartfelt exploration of the refugee experience, the legacies we leave for our children, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters. 

Review:

An artist finds herself slowly descending into madness as she begins to question what is true or not... and whether the monster is her own mind or someone out to get her as those close to her begin to die and it's all pointing to her as the murderer. Annie "Anh Le" Shaw looks like she has it all, a thriving art career, a devoted husband, and a beautiful home and daughter. Yet Annie's struggling, especially with a mother who she has a very difficult relationship with... that ends up worse when her mother dies suddenly. Annie's life begins to unravel and her OCD begins to flare up and things only get worse... from her art patron disappearing and to the man she had an affair with being poisoned... and someone leaving her threatening messages. Annie feels like she's losing her mind, she can't tell if she's the problem or if someone else is after her. Her memory is foggy at best and she can't seem to do anything right... yet something in her knows that she isn't the one doing this... right? If not her... then who? This was an interesting mystery because I loved the portrayal of Annie dealing with her own background and childhood versus that of the cultural differences in her husband and daughter. The portrayal of the refugee experience and the relationship between mother and daughter was really interesting and I enjoyed it. The mystery itself was pretty clear and I guessed who did it early on but enjoyed it overall. I liked how vulnerable Annie felt and how her struggles were realistic. It's an interesting thriller overall and I think it makes a good read!

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[wordsbyher]

(via Book Review: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden)

The writing of Freida is simple and it kept me engaged till the end. I read this book in one sitting because, in the beginning, I felt like everything was making sense but when the plot twist happened I was shocked and there and then I learned that people who act super sweet are actually psychopaths. Again, This book reminded me that we can’t judge anyone just by their looks but everyone has huge secrets.

Nina is the true character of this book and I absolutely loved her. Freida wrote her so smartly and Nina taught me how to play a real game and win. Another reminder from this book is that if you feel like you are playing the main character in your life, you are the pawn in your own game. The plot twist was mind-blowing, I did not see it coming. Also, this book sheds light on generational trauma, the person is not born like that but the world and people around are responsible for it. Also, the book gives the warning to never trust a person so easily there are a lot you might not know so stay back, know the person and then trust.

I highly recommend this book as it’s very fast-paced and fun. Also, you will get to experience a lot of emotions and the ending is very satisfying.

Rating: 4/5

[multi-fandom-imagine]

My book came in today!

I so excited to read it!!

MistaGG recommend the book then I looked it up on TikTok, lot of people were saying good things.

[gamerkats]

Okay, we've been told our current descriptions for our writing suck, like, super bad... 😖 And to be fair, we never thought we'd need to write descriptions, because we didn't think anyone outside our small circle of friends would read our work. So... Here's our hopefully less sucking blurbs.

Our AO3 link

((Please don't make us write a full synopsis on all of them. Honestly, they're not that in-depth. NoF is people with magic who knock boots and fight other people with magic. TNBBD is a Hallmark parody, with assassins, crime syndicates, serial killer vigilantes, and more people who knock boots. And Berrybottles is a geeky in-character diary about eating cheese and epically failing to knock boots. Please, we're begging you, think less of us. We're not holding out some literary mysteries to keep the plots a secret.))

((Also, for those who don't know what a Hallmark bad guy is, it's the loser in the love triangle; the guy that wasn't picked. Usually, because they're too focused on their careers and money rather than settling down and having a family.))

Nocturne of Flowers

A series about found family; witches, wizards, things that go bump in the night, all getting together to somehow save the world. One accidental win at a time. When the Fae Veil comes crashing down, when the modern world and fantasy collide, the very core of what puts the human in humanity is tested. But don't worry, our large team of misfit heroes absolutely can't handle it. Which is good, because they have a knack for failing in reverse.

A genre mashup adventure novel of fantasy, romance, modern, magic, supernatural, steampunk, and awesomeness. Only on AO3!

Last Updated 3/24/23

The Night Before Boxing Day

An unexpected novel from a writing prompt about two Hallmark movie "bad guys" on Christmas, who are dumped by their blonde ex-girlfriends, meet at the airport on their way home to New York, and subsequently fall in love.

After the cameras are off, once the final kiss scene is over, when the credits are done, what really goes on with the puffed up perfect little romance dolls? What monsters swim between swooning lines? Or darkness scratches at cookie cutter background stories? Two "bad guy" romantic rivals find out that they didn't just lose the girl, they found a whole lot of trouble as a consolation prize. Good thing it's Christmas, because Santa gave them the perfect present to help them get out of this mess alive; each other.

Last Updated 3/28/23

Read both on our AO3

🌸🌼💮🌸🌼💮🌸🌼💮

Tumblr Side Blog

@berrybottles-travelguide

Coming from a long line of Watchers (Terra’s version of Librarians), Autumn is finally old enough to go off on their Star Follow (an event to explore and learn about the world). Watchers always complete the Star Follow in order to gain an understanding and appreciation for the world they’re protecting beyond the text and page. However, Autumn has never much cared for being cooped up indoors. And has decided to create a travel blog of all the wonderful sights, foods, cultures, and adventures Star Follow will bring.

An in-character writing/art blog dedicated to our Saccharine in Nightmares world. Basically a companion guide to Nocturne of Flowers and other books from that series.

Last Updated 3/25/23

[ashleyearley]

First Page of Heart of Skulls

Flicking the lighter, I brought the flame to the tip of my cigarette, watching the white paper burn. The paper darkened and flaked before falling to the gravel below. My mind was static, barely processing what my eyes followed. I tracked time by how many cigarettes I burned through, my eyes only blinking from the falling black flakes when a train raced past. I never heard the approach. The cars just suddenly appeared with the blare of a horn. 

Blindly watching the sunset over the tracks, I let the night air that bite through my hoodie. When the next train sped by, stifling my cigarette, I couldn’t help my shiver. I didn’t bother digging into my pocket for my lighter again. The trains had stolen four cigarettes from me already. 

Inhaling the smell of smoke and oil, I stood from the graffitied wall, ready to suck it up and get out of the cold. 

Though, my gut still twisted at the thought of going home. Being confined to chipped and dented walls made my organs gnarl like they were trying to kill me before I reached my front door. 

I walked across the gravel until my beat-up high tops hit pavement, the rubber scuffing along the road leading to my neighborhood. Keeping my head down, I only looked up when small, one-story homes popped up on either side of the street. Barred windows, locked doors with gates over them, leaf-covered yards—it was like the neighbors had banded together to create one massive shitfest.

My house was halfway down the street, six houses from the corner bus stop, and squished between two other trash-infested homes. I walked over uneven bricks to the front door, steeling myself as I yanked open the gate to the unlocked door behind it. 

The house was stale. The air was dry the moment the world was locked outside. Smoking was forbidden, a rule Mom had made, but heavy drinking was encouraged. The TV was always on, whether someone was watching, or it was on for background noise. Usually, there were at least eight empty beer bottles on the table beside the chair claimed by my pathetic excuse for a father. Old brown leather and stained, his ass was the only one allowed to slump in the crusty throne. 

Except he wasn’t sitting in it.

“Motherfuckers, where are yeh?” came a garbled voice from the back of the house. A cabinet banged shut. 

Copyright © 2023 by Ashley Earley

Heart of Skulls - coming October 3rd, 2023

[cherrywineflush]

The Devil All the Time 2020 dir. Antonio Campos

[mediamatinees]

"You're Not Supposed To Die Tonight": the Odessey of the Black Final Girl

Experiencing horror as a Black person is a fascinating experience. There’s an unspoken list of rules that need to be followed if you expect to survive, and even then you need to always be vigilant. . .

Content Warning: You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight contains graphic violence and mutilation, descriptions of crime scenes, child neglect, cult activities and propaganda, and teenagers dealing with evil, shady adults. Reader discretion is advised. Spoilers for You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight ahead! Particularly the ending, so if you want to read the book I highly suggest you do that first…

[shotbyshe]

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Score: 4/5

Full review here.

[alliebook]

as good as dead

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb: "A gripping story that is equal parts shocking, unnerving, and thrilling. Goldin takes the ‘true crime’ trope to new and unexpected territory.” —Karin Slaughter, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of Girl, Forgotten Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed The Night Swim, returns to search for a popular influencer who disappears after visiting a suspected serial killer. Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his release date approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? And why was she visiting him in the first place? When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel Krall’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems to only exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal. When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail—identical to a tattoo Rachel had seen on Bailey’s hand—the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krall herself. Suddenly the target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

Review:

When a true crime podcaster finds herself in the center of a case involving a popular missing influencer who is connected to a suspected serial killer... and the possibility that there is a larger case at hand and that the real killer could still be outside. Rachel Krall is a true crime podcaster who actually helped solve real cases, but then she is suddenly called in by the FBI to help with a case involving Terence Bailey, a man who was put in prison for breaking and entering though he was long suspected of murdering six women.... Terence is about to be let out of prison soon but he got a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot young influencer with a huge following.... who disappears hours after visiting Terence. The FBI ask Rachel to come help because she somehow came up in the conversation between Maddison and Terence, and now Rachel is invested in finding out what exactly happened to Tessa and why she was brought into the conversation. Maddison might be a famous influencer, but there is no real information on her and who she really is outside of her curated social media. More questions begin to pile up as to why both Terence and Maddison have matching ouroboros tattoos and why said tattoo is also found on another victim that has just appeared despite the fact that Terrance is still in prison... which means there’s another killer on the outside. The real question is are Terence and the outside killer working together or is something else happening??? Rachel soon finds herself being the target of the killer, can she figure it out before its too late? This was a really fun mystery and it felt like an episode of Criminal Minds, with how we got the POVs between Rachel, The Killer, and Joe the FBI agent. I liked how the mystery played out and enjoyed that we got background info on the case in the format of Rachel’s podcast throughout the book. I’ve been a big fan of Megan Goldin’s books and this one did not disappoint!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[bigheartedbibliophile]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary: ☠👀😮

Read: Nov. 2024

SPOILERS

I received this book as a free ARC from @bookishfirst for giving my initial review of the first 20 pages or so. I had to read more, so I'm glad I got the chance to!

This book was SO good!

Dovie, the main character, can hear the bones of the dead in Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas. Luckily for the cops, she has been willing to help them find the bones of the missing hitchhikers for the last three years. Typically, one or two hitchhikers go missing a year, but in the past three years alone, almost thirty have disappeared, only to be found later by Dovie. The hitchhikers are almost always with other hitchhikers, and only go missing after being alone for only a few minutes.

Lo, Dovie’s best friend, has been plagued with voices and shadows following him everywhere, so he leaves for a few weeks, hoping they will disappear. When they don’t, he returns to Dovie, begging for her help. All hell breaks loose when they find out he’s hearing and seeing the dead hitchhikers.

I loved how the author made it seem like one person was killing everyone, then it was someone else, then back to the first person, and so on. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, BAM! Evidence that it couldn’t be that person. I will certainly read anything else this author puts out!

[sammystruggles]

“There is a video on the internet of me dying and I can’t stop watching it.”

The Depths by Nicole Lesperance 4/5 stars

Trigger warnings: Death/thoughts of death, drowning, child death, lots of bugs. 

This book sucked me in from the very first line.  “There is a video on the internet of me dying and I can’t stop watching it.” Like girl WHAT??

After literally dying and having the video posted on the internet for all to see, Addie is dragged on her mom and step dad’s honeymoon as they are worried about leaving her alone. On Eulalie Island, she meets two boys, Billy and Shawn, and becomes fast friends with both. but the island is weird. The birds are calling her name, she starts sleepwalking, and she finds a little girl who wants to play hide and seek but is… dead… 

The atmosphere of this book was so immersive. The island was so creepy with how things changed and reacted to Addie. When the birds started making sounds that were clearly Addie’s name, that should have been the sign for her to LEAVE but alas, for the plot we stuck around.

I really liked Addie and Billy's friendship and how they both loved Violet and wanted to help her reunite with her sister. SPEAKING OF THOSE TWO, the story of Violet and Lenora was heartbreaking from the way they died to the way they were trapped on the island.

I enjoyed this book a lot and definitely recommend it!

[sognareleggiesogna]

RECENSIONE: La casa nel bosco di Kiersten Modglin

Cari Sognatori, Lily ha letto il thriller scritto da Kiersten Modglin e pubblicato dalla Newton Compton Editori !!! GENERE: Thriller DATA DI PUBBLICAZIONE: 23 agosto 2023 EBOOK-KU / CARTACEO Affiliati Amazon Grace si è appena sposata e non vede l’ora di partire per la luna di miele: suo marito, Ryan, ha trovato una meravigliosa casa in mezzo al bosco. Sarà bellissimo svegliarsi ogni mattina…