The House Share by Kate Helm

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK in exchange for an honest review.

The House Share tells the story of Immi and Dex, two young twenty-somethings who move into a strange but financially-enticing houseshare in London. A little like a cult and a little like university, the houseshare promotes communal living and a vested interest in helping each other as a community. And as with both a cult and university living, there is a bit of a darker side with things taking a turn for the dangerous.

The House Share is a book of two halves. For the first 60-70%, I really enjoyed it but then something odd happened. Characters started acting stupidly, one of the narrators vanishes off the page and stops being important, mental health gets emphasised in a weird way. It was so disappointing because while the writing itself was still pretty good, the plot had taken a sharp downturn. In particular, the epilogue is a real slog and suffers from having the perpetrator dramatically reflect on their crimes like a Bond villain. I also can't believe we don't get to hear again from Dex's point of view after he finds out he's innocent. That felt like such an oversight to not get his reaction at all.

The final twist of it being a psychological experiment also didn't ring true to me. Why pick those particular people if that was the case? Why is the psychology behind everything so shaky? I am not a clinical psychologist but I do have a doctorate in mental health research and the representation, while not awful, was not super accurate either.

Overall, there is still a lot to like about this book and in terms of the thriller market, this is one of the better ones. It's a shame the quality wasn't consistent throughout but I do think this author has huge potential and I would be interested if they released another thriller

Overall Rating:

.5

My Darling by Amanda Robson

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

My Darling is a confusing, messy story about two women and (sort of) two men. Jade is married to Tomas and she is delusional, rude and unpleasant. Emma has just begun dating Alastair, a man who starts to show controlling tendencies. Emma herself is pragmatic and honestly, she doesn't have a second personality trait. Jade becomes convinced Tomas is cheating on her with Emma and decides to take matters into her own hands, resulting in a multi-layered murder plot where everyone is framing everyone else.

This book was so painful to read. I initially started with the audiobook but that was far too confusing, so I swapped to the e-arc which was a bit easier to follow. The characters are quite bland. I expected there to be more going on with Jade but no, she is just delusional and horrible to everyone. I expected there to be more going on with everyone to be honest. We learn more about Emma but it doesn't really translate to anything meaningful in terms of how we view her. Alastair has an ex-wife who shows up a few times and is described in a huge amount of unpleasant detail, but why? What does it add?

The plot itself is very melodramatic and a bit tedious. I wasn't surprised by anything that happened. I am not someone who needs a huge twist in my thrillers, but it almost felt like it was written to contain twists but there just weren't any? I won't give the details of the ending but it is framed like a standard ominous thriller ending where we are meant to feel dread at what the protagonist might do next, except I feel like everything she did was reasonable given the world and people she was dealing with. This is a side effect of the melodrama. Everything becomes a potentially reasonable response because the actions themselves are so extreme, and the people so one-dimensionally unforgiveable.

I was so disappointed by this book. The one saving grace is that this is quite an easy read, so I did finish it rather than abandon it halfway. Unfortunately I can't recommend it though

Overall Rating:

The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry

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

It should be no surprise that I absolutely love everything Christina Henry writes at this point, and The House that Horror Built is no exception. This book tells the story of Harry, a single mother who begins cleaning the home of famous horror movie director, Javier Castillo. This involves cleaning all of the creepy props which adorn his home and following a very strict set of rules. Harry manages to successfully keep a professional distance from her boss until one day, she and her son are forced to move in with him due to her limiting financial circumstances. She then has to balance maintaining her boundaries whilst also suspecting there is something very odd about the house...

This is a hard book to pinpoint. If I had to, I'd say it was a slow-burn ghost story with a few psychological elements. Most of the book is focused on a creeping sense of dread, with only minimal horror 'stuff' actually happening. This was more than enough for me as a reader though. I found the characters interesting and I wasn't really sure where the story was going to go. I think the climax more than makes up for the slow pace of the beginning. The story gets very intense and troubled, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I am a huge fan of horror as a way of exploring human emotion and trauma, and this book does that very well in my opinion. I also like books which keep you on your toes. Which characters can you trust? Are things are sinister as they seem? This book plays with that well, and that's where the more psychological aspect comes in.

It should also come as no surprise that I am going to recommend this book. It's admittedly a little different than Henry's other, more-action filled works but I think that's a strength rather than a detriment. I think there's a lot here for horror fans to love

Overall Rating:

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

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

I read Rachel Harrison's debut novel The Return and thought it was really enjoyable but a little unpolished. I am happy to say that Black Sheep is that book with all the polish and so much more.

Black Sheep is the story of Vesper, a young woman who escaped her upbringing on a cult-like religious farm and is now struggling to get by. One day she receives an invitation to return to the farm to attend the wedding of her favourite cousin, Rosie. It just so happens that Rosie is marrying Vesper's childhood sweetheart and so despite her better judgement, she decides she has to go back to find out what is going on.

This book embodies all the best aspects of horror for me. Horror as a metaphor for trauma can be such a powerful tool, and Harrison uses it impressively here. Some of the themes present in The Return can also be found here, but this time they feel fully explored and the metaphor is far stronger. I loved going into this book almost blind and I encourage other readers to do the same. I simultaneously felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen but also I wasn't quite sure, which is a great position to be in as a horror reader.

The characters are also really strong. Vesper in particular stands out, but I loved the hints of complexity surrounding her mother. Other characters like Rosie and Brody are less complex, but it feels by design. We don't get to know much about them and why should we? Vesper views them a particular way and we are limited by her narration.

This book has convinced me to read everything Harrison writes forever. I didn't think this was really a topic area I was hugely interested in going in, and I fell in love with the writing and style. Her other books similarly aren't about things I would normally seek out (witches, vampires) but now I can't wait to read them. If you're a fan of horror used to explore human emotion and depth, I strongly recommend giving this a try

Overall Rating:

.5

Disney Villains: Happily Never After Gaston by Lorie Langdon

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

Of all the villains who deserve a sad origin story, Gaston is not one of them. Still, I was super excited to read this retelling/prequel/exploration into Disney non-canon. And I'm so glad I did!

Happily Never After Gaston is the story of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, reimagined as an ugly and unpleasant teenager. Living in his brother's shadow and hated by his family, his luck starts to change when he meets an enchantress named Agatha and they form an arrangement of sorts. If Gaston can prove himself to be a good person, she will make him attractive. It's a simple premise and one which is extremely well-executed.

This book can't have been easy to write. Gaston is intentionally a flat and unpleasant character in the original film. He has to be compelling enough here to half-lead a book, but not so sympathetic that it doesn't fit with his portrayal in the film. I'd say the author does a great job of this. Is this Gaston from the films? No, but he's close enough. And honestly, it was a lot of fun as a Beauty and the Beast fan having this alternative version of Gaston and that world.

Fun is the main word I'd use to describe this book. It has the same kind of enjoyment as the Twisted Tales books and is worth checking out for any Disney fans who like exploring the characters from new and different perspectives. It has some nice nods to the original film, good writing and characterisation, and an interesting plot

Overall Rating:

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Orion Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

It is difficult to describe the plot of this book spoiler-free. Gone Tonight centers around Ruth and Catherine, a mother and daughter who live together and have a fairly close bond. Catherine's world comes crashing down when Ruth reveals she might have Alzheimer's, ruining Catherine's plans to move away to a new city. But soon Catherine starts to suspect that Ruth is lying to her and it becomes clear that Ruth has additional reasons for not wanting Catherine to leave.

Gone Tonight is a thriller that sheds its skin many times and becomes many different things. It's a very interesting book and it is carried by the strength of the two main characters. Ruth in particular is well-written and could've honestly been a real person. I liked how I never knew where the book was going to go or what the characters intentions were fully. It's a hard balance to keep characters mysterious whilst not losing reader interest, but this book does it masterfully.

I did feel this book lost some of the steam near the end but I am not quite sure why. Perhaps the focus shifted a little too much off the main two leads and their psychological and interpersonal struggles were really what I was interested in. That isn't to say that the book ends badly and I was still invested throughout, but it became clear to me what was going to happen and it lost some of the magic as a result.

Overall, this is a solid thriller and one of the better examples of the genre. Pekkanen's solo work is just as gripping as her books with Greer Henderson, and if you enjoy cat-and-mouse style thrillers, then this is definitely worth checking out

Overall Rating:

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

 

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

Every so often a thriller comes along that gets a ton of hype. Listen for the Lie is one of those books and I actually think that this hype is in detriment to it.

Listen for the Lie is the story of Lucy, a woman who was accused of killing her best friend 10 years ago and could never be proven innocent or guilty. She returns to her hometown at the request of her grandmother, only to discover that a podcaster is making a series about the murder. Everyone in the town thinks Lucy did it and she has very few friends as a result. She is also prone to wild fantasies of constantly murdering those around her.

In a vacuum, this book is great. It has fantastic pacing and a nice steady plot which makes it very easy to read. The characters, the mystery, the general events are all excellent. But I have some issues and almost all of them stem from things I have read about this book. Do I wish I could ignore them? Absolutely. Does the modern marketing world make this impossible? Yes.

Firstly, I've seen this book advertised as having 'an epic twist' multiple times. This is just not true. It's not that kind of thriller and doesn't need to be. It has great pacing as I mentioned and a number of interesting surprises that crop up throughout the plot, but none of them are a gut punch 'this changes everything' twist. Expecting a twist disrupted the reading experience for me and almost put me on edge, and I worry this marketing will leave a lot of people disappointed.

Secondly, this book is allegedly a dark comedy. Humour in books is so hard to pin down. There are almost no books which make me laugh out loud and I am one of those weird people who will cry-laugh at TV shows when I'm entirely alone. I honestly didn't even know this book was supposed to be funny which I think is a bad sign. Does the humour come from the fantasy murder sequences? If so, these needed to be actually elaborate escapades and not one or two lines of repetitive dialogue.

I feel like I've ragged on this book quite a bit and I want to stress, I did really enjoy it. It's a great example of how to write a thriller without a huge twist, and books of this kind honestly deserve more credit. I loved the messaging around family, and the relationships between Lucy, her parents and her grandmother. There was some thought-provoking stuff around how you can let down those around you by thinking them capable of terrible things, and that was explored from several different angles.

Overall, this book is definitely worth picking up if you enjoy thrillers. Just try to go in without the expectations pushed on by the marketing or other readers, and there's a lot to enjoy here. Tintera is a great writer and I look forward to more thrillers from her

Overall Rating:

The Next Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

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

Look, I get that some books are a tough act to follow. Back when I originally read The Last Mrs. Parrish, I adored it. When I reread it before reading the sequel, I also loved it although I wasn't fully as gripped the second time. I was also of the opinion that there weren't many places for the story to go and unfortunately, that opinion was not challenged by reading the sequel.

The problem with The Next Mrs. Parrish is twofold. Firstly, in order to exist it must undo the ending of the first book and then heap more misery upon our main characters. This is not particularly fun to read about, nor was it something I wanted to see. Secondly, the first book was so good because it had a strong twist. There were other factors which also made it good but the twist was really the key, and you can't recreate that kind of magic twice. At least, it would be near impossible.

This book tells the continued story of Amber, Daphne and Jackson as they fight each other for custody of children most of them don't care about, abuse each other emotionally, sexually and physically, and generally go through bad stuff. Is it awful? No. But is it something I really wanted to read? Absolutely not.

This book is perhaps worth picking up if you are very curious but I honestly don't think it needs to exist. It doesn't add anything to the original (and in fact, it detracts from the ending quite substantially) but I can't say I hated it or that I regret reading it. I believe there is now a prequel and I think it needs to stop. It unfortunately feels a bit like a cash grab

Overall Rating:

This Little Family by Ines Bayard

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher 4th Estate in exchange for an honest review.

Occasionally you read a book that will haunt you forever. This is one of those books.

This Little Family is not really the book I expected going in and I think the blurb is actually fairly misleading. This is not really a psychological thriller or horror, except in the sense of it being a real-life horror. This is the story of Marie, a poor woman who is raped by her boss and then through a series of circumstances, forced to give birth to the child. She then goes through some of the worst postpartum depression I've ever read about, all depicted and described in heart-breaking detail.

This is not the kind of book someone 'enjoys' but I absolutely could not put it down. The writing is superb and there is a kind of car-crash fascination with the constant barrage of bad luck and psychological trauma Marie goes through. I kept reading hoping something would work out better for her, knowing from the prologue that it wouldn't. At the same time, this book is incredibly honest and sensitive in the way it portrays Marie (in my opinion at least). Nothing is gratuitous or unnecessary, and it all feels like a very real portrayal of someone's pain.

If you're looking for a reading experience that might profoundly change you as a person or a deep exploration of a truly awful situation, then this is the book for you. If you want a typical thriller with twists and turns and psychological tension, then ignore the marketing. Thankfully this book ended up appealing to me anyway, far more than most thrillers can, but I do wonder how many people will be mislead and unfairly rate the book due to the poor choice of marketing. It really does deserve better

Overall Rating:

Such Pretty Things by Lisa Heathfield

 

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

This book is intense. Think Flowers in the Attic but with considerably more bite.

Such Pretty Things is the tale of Clara and Stephen, two children who get sent to live with their mysterious aunt after a horrifying incident has left their mother in a coma. With no children of her own, their aunt is overly invested in caring for the pair of them. Unfortunately she does not know how to cope when they don't fit into her ideal, and the children have a knack of being unknowingly cruel to her in return.

The atmosphere of this book was fantastic. This is the kind of horror rooted firmly in real life, in the awful ways relationships can crumble and obsessive thoughts can lead to tragedy. Very early in the book, you learn as a reader that the aunt has had several miscarriages hence her strong desire to bond with the children. The children however do not know this and the resulting social mishaps are full of tension and a building sense of doom. Additionally, Stephen and Clara's bond as siblings is put under increasing strain as they grow apart in their views of their aunt and their new situation. Almost all of the horror of this book comes from the familial relationships, and it is executed excellently.

Overall, if you enjoy horror built from human nature and a creeping sense of uncertain dread, this is the book for you. It is a deliciously slow burn and yet good enough that I read it almost entirely one sitting. I loved every minute of it

Overall Rating:

Guilty Women by Melanie Blake

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK Audio in exchange for an honest review.

In 2021, I reviewed the first book of this series Ruthless Women and marked it down for transphobia. Well, I am pleased to report that the author does some major course correction in this one. Is it entirely perfect? No, but I have respect for someone who listens to feedback and does their best.

Guilty Women is a continuation of the previous book and is best described as a soap opera come to life which also happens to take place on the set of a soap opera. I enjoyed the fun ridiculousness of the first book and I mostly enjoyed the fun ridiculousness of this one. The melodrama is toned down considerably and this is both a blessing and a curse. The characters definitely feel more real and there is an emotionality to them that didn't fully exist in the first book. On the other hand, it's a little less fun and in fact contains some quite graphic depictions of sexual assault which was a bit jarring tone-wise.

My main issue with this book however is that there is simply too much going on. I feel that many of the storylines/plot threads were not utilised or connected fully. The best example for me was the Katherine/Lee storyline. Katherine's past lover both onscreen and off comes suddenly back, and they rekindle their romance in a very passionate and intense way. This plot takes an interesting turn but then you don't revisit it again until the very end of the book, and even then it's barely explored properly. There is a lot of interesting stuff happening throughout, it's just all a bit messily put together.

The audiobook was a particularly nice way to experience the story, so long as you don't mind listening to graphic sex scenes. It really brought the story to life and amplified that 'soap opera' feeling in a good way.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you enjoyed the first one and you want to see where the story goes. It definitely improves upon the first one in many ways, and I did enjoy seeing where the characters went and the interpersonal dramas going on. I don't know if a third book is intended but if it is, I would hope it manages to strike the balance between the fun of the first one and the heart of the second one

Overall Rating:

.5