The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Hodder & Stoughton, in exchange for an honest review.

I have come to realise that I love sci fi thrillers; that is, the unique blend of domestic thriller but with some sci fi elements thrown in. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from The Echo Wife and honestly, I think the blurb is a little misleading. This is the story of Evelyn, a scientist who specialises in genetic research. In particular, she has perfected cloning through a brutal and not entirely legal method. The problem is, Evelyn's ex husband has stolen some of her research and cloned himself a new Evelyn, one who won't talk back and will be his perfect wife.

To say anymore of the plot would begin spoiling stuff, but this really is the bare bones. I feel like the blurb is misleading because you know Nathan's new wife is a clone from the start and there is no mystery or sense of tension from that. The main focus of the story is Evelyn, her scientific ethics and her relationship with this clone of herself (and by extension, her husband's attitude towards her). It's an interesting and unique way to tell a story that, although it does have thriller elements, is not quite the 'mess with your mind' experience you might be expecting from the summary. The thriller elements are more related to the body horror and nature of existence type stuff.

Overall, I definitely recommend giving this thriller a read, especially if you've not read something like this before. It does have such a unique and interesting story to tell, and it is told extremely well. Evelyn is a compelling protagonist and all of the characters are flawed but intriguing. I never quite knew where the plot was going to go in a really enjoyable way.

Overall Rating:

The Famoux by Kassandra Tate

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Wattpad Books, in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to be honest, I was super excited to read this book but I wasn't exactly expecting a lot from it. The Famoux is the story of Emilee, a girl living in a future where global warming has destroyed most of the world. Spending most of her time being bullied by her schoolmates or yelled at by her family, Emilee is shocked when one day she is scooped off the street and offered the chance to join her favourite teenage celebrities, The Famoux. Leaving her own life behind, she moves in with them and becomes a part of their world. Only then does she learn that one of them has been murdered by a secret organisation, and it seems very likely they will kill again.

The start of this book is fairly rough. If you're a teenager you'll undoubtedly love it, but there are quite a lot of 'YA dystopian' tropes here. The people and the cities all have twee names like 'Chapter Stones' and 'Delicatum'. It gives major Selection vibes (which admittedly I love). But push past the first few chapters and suddenly you get to a story which is surprisingly very genuinely good.

The blurb is a little misleading I feel. The Famoux are reality stars but their celebrity group functions a lot more like a hype house without the TikTok. Every one of them has their own talent, and they spend most of the time doing activities together and building publicity. If you're expecting a story based around being on a reality TV show, this isn't it. However, the main strength of The Famoux is its intriguing plot and characters. The Famoux are all pitted against each other in a popularity contest for their lives, and this results in some very enjoyable character interactions and dynamics. I got sucked into this world and, better yet, I couldn't predict where the plot was going or who would do what next.

Overall, this book is a ton of fun. If you don't mind the occasional YA trope indulgence, there's a real gem of a story to be found here. As soon as I finished it, I was desperate to read the sequel and return to this world. I really hope it gets published as this book definitely deserves some love and attention.

Overall Rating:

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Hodder & Stoughton,  in exchange for an honest review.

Oh boy. Every so often a thriller will come along which just blows all other thrillers out of the water, and Survive the Night is just one in a long line by Riley Sager to do so.

Survive the Night is the story of Charlie, a college girl whose roommate has recently been murdered by the notorious 'Campus Killer'. Riddled with guilt and suffering periods of dissociation, she makes the rash decision one night to hitch a long ride home with a guy she meets on campus who happens to be driving her way. Faced with a long roadtrip and a potentially bad decision, they start talking and Charlie starts to wonder if maybe she has gotten into the car with precisely the person who might have killed her roommate.

This book is intense. I was worried at first that it was playing its cards too early, but of course I should have known better. Rather than being full of dramatic twists, this book gently shifts and shifts back like a rope ladder, never quite letting you feel secure. The writing is a beautiful lesson in how to create tension and a sense of dread. I read it on a journey home and it made the trip seem so quick, that's how absorbed I was.

As a protagonist, Charlie is a super interesting character. People who are tired of the whole 'mentally ill' heroine trope in thrillers might be disappointed here, but I found her an intriguing and (perhaps most importantly) sympathetic protagonist. Even as she makes stupid decisions, you can always understand her rationale, even if you don't agree with it. That's quite a hard task for a thriller author to accomplish, and it never felt like Charlie was being forced into making stupid decisions for the sake of the plot.

I can't say a whole lot more without giving stuff away, but if you're a fan of either closed space or cat and mouse thrillers, then this book is for you. It's a fast-paced, tightly woven read with plenty to keep you engaged for the ride. Definitely worth checking out this author if you haven't already!

Overall Rating:

.5

Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Random House Children’s UK,  in exchange for an honest review.

I adored Knives Out and was super excited when I heard there was a YA book about a vaguely similar subject. The Inheritance Games tells the story of Avery, a young girl who is plucked from her normal life when she is told she has inherited the entire fortune of a billionaire-a billionaire she has never met. Souring this exciting news though are the billionaire's existing family. It turns out the old man was quite a fan of puzzles and suddenly the whole family are keen to solve this one.

This isn't quite the book I was expecting from the blurb, which admittedly I think is more my fault than the book's. I was honestly expecting the puzzles to be a much larger part of the story and also the inheritance, perhaps with family members competing to outdo each other. Instead Avery has straight-up inherited everything, and the puzzles are mostly her and the other family members trying to work out why she has been given the money over everyone else.

The structure of this book feels very YA if you are an older reader. There are a host of attractive young grandsons to play love interest to Avery, and honestly it felt like there was one too many of them. Having said that, the characters are one of the strengths of this novel. I enjoyed the different family dynamics and the tensions that arose from them. The mystery sometimes takes a back seat but I was always engaged in trying to work out the puzzles in the book and guess why Avery might have been chosen. A lot of the puzzles you are actually given the opportunity to solve which I always like.

Overall, The Inheritance Games is an enjoyable book, if a little sparse as a mystery/thriller. There are some really great elements and I had a blast reading it, just don't expect something super tense or intricate.

Overall Rating:

.5