ginasbookreport

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre:  Domestic Suspense / Thriller / Psychological Mystery Read This If You Love:  Megan Miranda / Alex Michaelides "I can't talk about Wild Meadows. Not yet." The Darling Girls  by Sally Hepworth is another psychological thriller from one of the masters of the genre. When a body is found on the site of the former foster home Wild Meadows, all the past trauma of the women who spent time there is unraveled. Who do the bones belong to and who put them there?  The majority of the plot is peeled back through the memories of three sisters who shared horrific years in foster care. While at the heart of the novel is the mystery about the deceased, what happened to Jessica, Norah, and Alicia and how that mapped out their current life and personalities is really the main focus of the novel. Hepworth does a great job exploring how our psyches adjust and evolve. It's fascinating to

Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk Publisher: Tordotcom Book Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Mystery / Noir / LGBTQ Read This If You Love: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue “I called out to the devil, and the devil came to me.” Even Though I Knew the End  by C. L. Polk is a supernatural noir mystery novella that tells the story of the mystic detective. Tasked with uncovering the White City Vampire in 1941 Chicago, this atmospheric sapphic novel is brilliantly crafted. The writing is so well developed and is matched by the superior character development. A new take on the gumshoe detective novel, I hope Polk delivers more stories with these characters!

One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole Publisher: William Morrow  Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre:  Domestic Suspense / Mystery / Psychological Thriller Read This If You Love: The Other Black Girl “Come to find out the voice was already compromised by a whole damn castle full of other people and after everything I’d dumped on them, they disliked me as much as I disliked myself.” One of Us Knows  is an amazing book that I already have in the running for my 2024 book of the year. It is a mystery/thriller novel, but the way it is told and the dissociative identity disorder framing of it also sets it apart. It takes on some aspects of a horror novel or even a science fiction slant. It cleverly uses the storm trapped island trope and turns that on its head because our pool of potential killers isn’t limited. It’s a unique and fresh take on the mystery and thriller genre and I couldn’t get enough of it! ***Note: I’m not going to give any sort of synopsis on purpose. I want you to fully jum

Wellness by Nathan Hill Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Literature / Fiction Read This If You Love: Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow / John Irving novels “But it also explains why love sometimes feels fleeting, why it seems to occasionally go away. Because it’s a thing . And things can run out.” Wellness  by Nathan Hill is a story of marriage, evolving individuals, and the pursuit of what constitutes health and happiness. Spanning decades from childhood through middle age, the novel touches on 1990s nostalgia while examining the time via the evolved lens of today and also delves into our obsession with wellness culture. Jack and Elizabeth fell in love as neighbors before they even met. It’s a lovely story to the beginning of their life together, but was any of it real? Now decades into their marriage, they are facing the daily challenges of life while confronting the childhoods that shaped them. Elizabeth has always been an overachiever and now she w

Wool by Hugh Howey Publisher: William Morrow an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Science Fiction Read This If You Love: The Ferryman by Justin Cronin “Each life might wear away a single layer, even as the silo wore away that life.” Wool by Hugh Howey is a post apocalyptic look at an alternative future world. Where once humans lived outside, now they live inside the world of the silo. The only view to the outside is a dreary landscape speckled with dead bodies…the cleaners. To be a resident of the silo, you must follow the rules of the Pact. Fail to do so, and you will become one of those bodies on the hill. When the current sheriff decides to go out, a mechanic named Juliette is asked to step into his spot. She has no interest in the job, but she does have an unending dedication to keeping the silo running. Shortly after accepting the job, crimes start to become a regular event and Juliette is questioning everything. Who built the silo? What

The Guest by B. A. Paris Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre:  Domestic Suspense / Thriller / Psychological Mystery Read This If You Love: Ruth Ware / Liane Moriarty “I saw Laure standing at the top of the stairs.” In The Guest by B. A. Paris, Iris and Gabriel come home from a vacation to find their friend Laure helping herself to their house. Laure and Pierre are their best friends and Laure is despondent over a revelation and is unsure if her marriage will survive. As the secrets begin to unravel, everyone is feeling the pressure and the past is set to blow up the present. Paris is an auto-buy author for me. Her books are always fast-paced thrillers with short chapters that I consume in a day or two. She is a master at drawing in the reader with her psychological mystery vibe. 

She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica Publisher: Park Row Books Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre:  Psychological Thriller / Domestic Suspense Read This If You Love: B. A. Paris novels “I did something bad.” Meghan is an ICU nurse and single mother to Sienna. When she gets overly invested in caring for her patient, she puts her life in peril. Meanwhile, a man is attacking women throughout the Chicago neighborhoods. This pulse-pounding novel will keep you on the edge of your seat. Oh. My. Goodness! If you love a good thriller, She’s Not Sorry  is the book for you. It’s a psychological whirlwind of twisty revelations. Need a “turn the page as fast as you can to see what happens” novel? This book fills that spot. On top of the palpable knife’s-edge intensity, the book is set against the atmospheric backdrop of Chicago. The city takes on a character of it’s own that adds to the story.