There's something about this series that is just so darn satisfying, and this latest installment delivers again.

Our intrepid Harriet Gordon, in between her duties at her brother's school and working as a typist with the police, has joined the local drama club for a little bit of fun. But even among this gathering of folks with similar interests, there is tension and secrets simmering beneath the surface. When murder comes calling, it's up to Inspector Curran, with the help of Harriet, to figure out what's really going on, before any more innocent lives are cut short.

This was such an entertaining murder mystery. There's a good amount of things going on, so it never feels slow. With plenty of clues and red herrings to suss out and mull over, this was a mystery I could really sink my teeth into. And once it got going, I couldn't put it down and pretty much read it in one go.

But to say the mystery was my favorite part of the story would be to sell it short. There's so much to love here. The characters really come alive, in particular Curran and Harriet. We're learning more and more about them, and in this installment, we come to understand Curran's personal history and his demons. It makes me appreciate his character even more. And Harriet remains strong and undaunted, no matter what comes her way.

You can tell Alison Stuart did so much research into colonial Singapore as part of her writing process, and it really shows. Like any historical fiction worth its salt, the setting feels authentic and atmospheric. Every time I read it, I'm transported to this time and place with its lush humidity and oppressive heat. Our visit to Singapore a few years ago was such a memorable one, and reading this series makes me long to visit this wonderful place again.

The mark of a good book is that I don't want it to end. When I reach that last page, I feel a sense of loss, as if I'm saying goodbye to a dear friend who I won't see for awhile. And so it is with this book. I hope Stuart won't keep us waiting too long for the next installment because I'm already salivating to get my hands on it.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

DNF - And another one bites the dust.

I've been trying to get into this book, on and off, for weeks now, and it's not working. By all accounts, everyone loves it and finds it riveting. Then I come along, and of course, I'm an outlier.

There's something about the combination of the writing and the story that just doesn't grab me. The writing style feels formulaic, with lots of mundane dialogue and descriptions, all to give atmosphere, but I don't feel it. Instead, it comes across as very predictable and fluffed up to me. I always prefer writing to be content-dense, but this is very much the opposite.

The story itself is rather bland. It's supposed to be a ghost story, yet I don't feel any chills or creepy vibes. In fact, I fell asleep twice reading it so far, which is my bar for moving on.

So there you go. I've given Simone St. James two tries so far. I read The Sun Down Motel all the way through and felt very much humdrum about it too. So I'm going to chalk this up to the author not being for me and part ways.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars (DNF)

Honestly, this was just okay. It's clear I've missed what everyone else loves about it. And that's mostly due to the fact that I'm not sure I understood half of it.

This is a much-loved book, so before you come at me with pitchforks and tell me how I just don't get it, I know. That's what I'm trying to say here.

The writing style is flowery and dreamlike, focusing more on imagery and descriptions than on being clear. The same can be said about the worldbuilding, as if it had all happened elsewhere and we're just dropped in the middle of the narrative. It almost reads as if this is the companion book to an already established universe rather than the first novella of a series in its own right.

There are a lot of characters in here, especially when you consider how short this story is. But we don't really get to know any of them. The narrative always feels like it's coming from a distance, looking in rather than being inside the story. So even after having read it, I don't get a sense of who the characters truly are.

The unfolding of the narrative is rather disjointed, with lots of jumping around. It feels more like a series of separate little vignettes rather than a coherent whole that builds up to something. Lots of points are brought up, then never really explained. Even the ending, which is my favorite part, didn't really emerge from what was there before so much as it came out of nowhere.

All this contributes to a feeling of vague confusion that followed me throughout the whole story. I know many readers don't mind or even enjoy that narrative style, but it isn't for me. I only enjoy ambiguity when it's plot-based, so that it drives the story along and will be explained by the end. I don't like ambiguity when it's due to the writing style, because then it doesn't add anything and can be easily fixed by being just a little bit more clear.

I settled on 3 stars in the end because it's a novella and I don't feel like I wasted my time giving it a try. The ending was satisfying and at least added some clarity, though I wish the rest of it actually built up to it. But I'll be honest, if this was a full-length novel, I probably would've given it only 2 stars.

Obviously, I had high expectations going in, and in hindsight, they were too high. I had heard nothing but great things about both this novella and the author. But this is simply a case of mismatch between what I enjoy and what this story is. Many other readers loved it, so don't let me dissuade you from giving it a try.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Is there anything Tessa Bailey can't write? I feel like with Hook, Line, and Sinker, she has cemented her status as a must-read author for me.

From the moment Fox and Hannah met, there's always been a little sizzle of attraction there. But between Fox's reputation as a ladies man and Hannah being the younger sister of his friend's fiancée, it doesn't seem like a good idea to take it further. Now they are solidly in the friend zone, texting every day and sharing their deepest thoughts. But when Hannah has to stay with Fox for a few weeks because of her job, will that finally nudge them towards being honest with their hearts and each other?

I thought the beginning of this book was just adorable. There was so much tension between them as they went around pretending they were strictly platonic friends with each other. Hannah even has a lingering crush on her boss, and Fox has to give her advice on how she can go about trying to snag him. It was so much fun and I about died with delight.

But then we reach the middle of the book, and I feel like it kind of lost some steam for me. Instead of the usual snappy pace, it just went on and on. Fox or Hannah would come up with yet another reason (or the same one) for why they can't possibly be together, and we just went in circles, again and again.

To be fair, I always think I'm going to love the friends-to-lovers trope so much more than I actually do. When I think of other books I've read in the same vein, I always end up a bit lukewarm by the end. It's because there just isn't 300 pages worth of material you can fill on two friends who clearly have the hots for each other, but are either too slow or hung up to actually realize it. So to make a big conflict out of the whole thing, minor reasons must be dragged out to the max, and that's what happened here.

Usually with Tessa Bailey romances, I feel like I have to make a note of how steamy they are, lest a new reader go in unawares and combusts in front of the pages. But this one didn't feel that hot. I don't know if it's because the story dragged on a bit and so the tension wasn't as high, or if the hotness level was a notch down from the usual. Either way, it's still steamy, just not as scorching as I normally associate with Tessa Bailey.

I feel like this all sounds a bit negative, but it really isn't. Tessa Bailey can write the heck out of anything, and she definitely makes this story as interesting and heartfelt as possible. So in terms of this being a delightful read, there's no question. But even her writing chops cannot overcome a trope that just isn't that exciting to begin with. But even within the confines of that, she still wrote my favorite rendition of it. And that says a lot.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

I dreamed of who I used to be.

Of who, or what, I might become.

This right here. This is what I've been waiting for. With Upgrade, Blake Crouch has finally written a successor worthy of Dark Matter.

You might think that I have some sort of rigorous, scientific method for determining what makes a 5-star read for me. But honestly, it's just a feeling. I get this tingle that goes from the back of my head all the way down my spine. And when I feel it, I know that I've found something special and worth savoring. And that's what happened here.

When I think of a great science fiction story, I think of something bold and imaginative, capable of surprising me and challenging my preconceived notions, one that reaches to the root of what it means to be human, and takes us on a journey of where we've been and where we're going. And this story is all that and more.

Just like most Blake Crouch novels, this book feels accessible, even to those readers who don't normally indulge in the genre. And a large reason is because it reads like a thriller. It's relentlessly paced and utterly riveting, and I can't imagine trying to put it down once I've started. Every chapter held surprises and revelations, and even when I thought I was getting an inkling of where it might be headed, it still managed to prove me wrong.

While the science in here is interesting, I suspect most readers will connect with it for far more reasons than that. It seamlessly blends a whole bunch of interesting and timely topics, from philosophy to ethics, evolution to the environment, that elevates it from just a story that passes through one's mind to a story that's truly arresting and memorable.

I've noticed that Crouch is particularly adept at putting the reader in the shoes of the main character. We feel his pain, understand his choices, and appreciate the difficulty of his dilemmas. And it makes me wonder, what would I do when given such impossible choices? Would I have what it takes to sacrifice everything to do what needs to be done? I'd like to think so, and it's definitely an interesting thought to contemplate.

A word of caution here. I normally include a small tease of the story I'm reviewing, but you'll notice I haven't included any such information here. It's because even that little bit feels like a spoiler. In fact, I've been careful not to allude to anything that happens in the entire story, and that's on purpose.

I went into this completely blind and absolutely loved the initial pages as it set up the premise and got into the heart of the story. There were so many things that surprised me and those reveals contributed so much to the delightful experience of reading this book. After I finished, I read the blurb on the back, and it pretty much gives it all away. So my suggestion is to skip the blurb altogether and just go right into it. You'll be glad you did.

Ever since Blake Crouch came out with Dark Matter, I've been waiting patiently for another book of his that will grab me just as much. (Recursion wasn't it, unfortunately.) I wanted another that would work on so many levels: a riveting and unputdownable thriller on the surface, but also thought-provoking and scientifically intriguing, and relatable to every reader even though the premise is so outrageous. And it seems my patience has finally paid off.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.

Sometimes I feel a bit jaded with thrillers. They're a dime a dozen and most hardly even cause me to blink, let alone thrill me. But then something like The Night Shift comes along and I remember again how much fun this genre can be.

It's New Year's Eve 1999, and the teenagers who work at a Blockbuster in Linden, New Jersey, are excited to close up and welcome in Y2K. But before the night is over, all but one are dead, and the remaining survivor has never forgotten the horror of what happened. Fifteen years later, an eerily similar attack happens in an ice cream shop in town, again with only one survivor. Will the investigation this time finally lead to the truth of what happened all those years ago?

This story drew me in immediately. The taut pacing and short chapters works wonderfully to keep me turning the pages. The narrative is compact, without extra fillers or psychological ruminations that slow down a lot of other thrillers. It feels like every chapter in here was necessary, and it creates this satisfying experience where I'm always making progress with every chapter I read.

The narrative switches between a few different points of view, and each feels equally compelling. For such an action-driven story, I thought Finlay created some interesting and likable characters. They really pop off the pages and keep me invested in the story. In particular, Agent Sarah Keller from Alex Finlay's previous book makes another appearance, and she's such a badass that I can't help but love her.

Regarding the reveals, there are some fun ones in here. Did they totally surprise me though? Eh, not really. I've read enough of this genre that very few books manage to completely catch me off guard. But there was enough of the unforeseen to keep me entertained. And honestly, this was worth the read even without being completely surprised.

As a self-proclaimed thriller-cynic, I'm as amazed as you that I'm now two for two with Alex Finlay. He is definitely on my must-read list, and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

There's something about Ali Hazelwood's writing that just makes me so happy. All I want to do is smile and laugh, and then my cheeks are sore by the time I'm a few chapters in. Good thing this was a novella.

While Under One Roof doesn't exactly break the mold in terms of the story itself, I still had so much fun with it. It's because it has all the hallmarks I've come to associate with Hazelwood: slightly outrageous premise, two main characters who are loveable if a bit clueless, and endless snarky banter that has me in stitches.

With regards to the banter, Hazelwood really is my queen. Just like there are certain people you meet and instantly click with, that's exactly how I feel about her banter. It's witty, funny, slightly zany, and utterly delightful. It's exactly to my style and I just want to soak it all up.

I love Hazelwood's focus on STEM females, and Mara was a feisty one. She's an environmental engineer, which makes it all the more funny when she finds out that her hottie roommate is a big-shot corporate lawyer for an oil company. You can see how they would butt heads, to rather hilarious results.

I don't read a lot of novellas because I'm always afraid the shorter page length will leave me wanting more. And that's definitely the case here. Even though I enjoyed the story, there's something a little unsatisfying about how short it is. What can I say? I want more of Mara and Liam! But I guess it's a good thing when a story leaves you wanting more.

Now excuse me while I go wipe that silly smile off my face and do some cheek-relaxing exercises.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Traps upon traps . . . and riddles upon riddles.

Yes! Except, no. The thing is, if you're going to promise me puzzles and riddles, you'd better deliver. And The Inheritance Games fell way short.

Avery is your standard teenager trying to get through high school when she receives news that billionaire Tobias Hawthorne has died and left her almost his entire fortune. The only stipulation is that she must move into his mansion and live there for one year. When she arrives, she meets the enigmatic family, including his four handsome grandsons. But it's all rather awkward since the old devil disinherited them all. Soon though, she realizes that he's got one more trick up his sleeve and it's up to her to figure it out.

At first, this story reminded me of Knives Out, probably my favorite whodunnit film of all time. They both have the wealthy old man kicking the bucket and leaving his fortune to an outsider, along with a mystery/puzzle to solve. But that's where the similarities between the two end, and unfortunately, so did my enjoyment.

At the very least, I expected the majority of this book to be about the puzzle that Avery is supposed to solve. But that was such a small part, and it was unnecessarily convoluted. Reading about her searching through every book and desk and tree on the property doesn't really quicken my pulse with excitement. And the end result is so lame, I forgot it almost as soon as I read it.

Instead, the majority of this book is spent on very immature interpersonal drama between Avery and the ten other teenagers in here (the four brothers, her sister and her sister's ex, her only friend, and three other girls). If that sounds like a lot of people, I assure you, it was.

None of the characters have real personalities, so I had a hard time keeping straight who was who. Especially among the four brothers, it felt like they were all approximately the same person, just slightly apart in age. They all spoke in the same ostentatious way and all seemed to have varying degrees of crushes on Avery.

In fact, the romances in here really confused me. It seems like every teenager was in some sort of romantic entanglement/flirtation with every other teenager. There were so many implied love triangles and quadrangles, I really just didn't get it. Why is all this in here, other than to fluff out the pages?

The other thing that really got on my nerves is the dialogue. It's somehow both bland and pretentious. It's basic as can be, but presented as if it's some sort of witty repartee worth savoring. Then to further rub salt in the wound, random dull sentences are treated like epiphanies, italicized and repeated over and over, just so the reader wouldn't miss it when they come across it for the tenth time.

Unfortunately, this was a case of overpromising and underdelivering. The best part of the book was the premise and initial pages. As I read on, the mind-numbing dialogue and YA melodrama/romance between all the characters really grated on me. Add to that the underwhelming conclusion, and I'm sorry to say that this is really not for me. Maybe if I were still a teenager, I would enjoy this more. But that's too many decades in the past for me to remember now.

As an aside, if you've never seen Knives Out, I totally recommend it. It's absolutely fabulous and actually lives up to the premise. Imagine that.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

Ah, this is another dysfunctional family drama marketed as a mystery/thriller. I feel like I'm getting better at sussing them out now.

Stephen is about to marry his much younger fiancée, Heather. But his adult daughters Tully and Rachel aren't too thrilled with the prospect of a stepmother their own age. Not to mention Stephen's ex-wife is still in the picture, Tully and Rachel are tangled up in their own issues at the moment, and Heather isn't sure she can trust herself. And on top of all that, everyone's keeping secrets from each other.

For some reason, I just can't get enough of dysfunctional family dramas, and this was a fun and intriguing one. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and thought Hepworth crafted some fascinating ones. Their personalities and secrets are unique and compelling, drawing me in from pretty much the first page. Along with the short chapters and the teasers about what really happened at the wedding, and I was turning the pages as fast as I could.

Maybe I just love reading about dysfunctional families because it feels like something we can all relate to. No matter how messed up our own families are, reading about a fictional one has a way of making me feel better about my own. And this family is guaranteed to deliver the craziness.

As for the reveals, they're interesting enough, but to call them twists à la mystery/thriller is probably exaggerating a bit. They work to move the story along and keep me engaged, which is exactly what I'm looking for.

I do have to mention the ending because everyone's talking about it. As I understand it—and I'm mostly piecing this together, so please don't quote me—the original ARC had a slightly different ending that left a lot of discombobulation in its wake. I didn't read that version; I read the finished one. And I didn't find any such issues in my copy. In fact, I enjoyed the ending and thought it was a fitting one for the story.

If there indeed was a change made between the ARC release and the final version, it might be one of the only times I know of where early reader feedback actually made an impact. So thanks to all the early readers out there who helped make this a more enjoyable story in the end.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.

If you're a fan of the book, please don't read this review. It's going to upset you, and then you're going to hate me and leave mean comments, and then we can't be friends anymore. It'll be awkward all around. So yeah, best avoid.

Seriously, last chance to turn away.

Okay, now that I'm among like-minded readers (all three of us who didn't like this book), what the heck was this? Was Colleen Hoover blackmailed into putting her name on a book written by a hormonal teenager? Because I can't comprehend any other explanation for the hot mess that was this book.

Gosh, where to even start? How about with Tate and Miles, our main couple. So they meet and it's lust at first sight. But Miles can't do relationships because some unexplained thing has hurt him in the past. So now he can only have no-strings-attached sex. (Cue eye roll.) Of course, Tate can't say no to such an amazing offer, so she jumps right in. (Another eye roll.)

Sure, the premise is a bit wack, but not all hope is lost. The characters must at least be likable, right? Well, no. Miles doesn't talk or smile, which is mentioned at least once on every single page. In fact, he smiles so rarely that Tate composed a poem on the one occasion he did:

Miles smiles

For no one else

Miles only smiles

For me.

If you're wondering how anyone could possibly fall for a nonverbal, expressionless man-child, your guess is as good as mine.

Then we come to Tate, the world's biggest pushover, letting Miles walk all over her and treat her like a sex doormat. Yet she keeps going back for more, reeking of desperation and utterly devoid of self-respect. Lest you think this makes for an exciting story, I assure you there's a reason why silent/clingy has not taken off as a popular romance trope.

I want to plaster those four words on a billboard and require myself to pass it on my drive to work every day.

You'd think he promised her the moon and the stars, but no, he just said, "You look pretty, Tate." I kid you not.

We also have interweaved the story from Miles's younger years, the one that explains his pain. He and Rachel are young and in love, but things keep getting in their way. It definitely makes for very angsty (shudder) drama. But that isn't my biggest issue. My biggest problem is that it's written like this:

Rachel is happy.

I make Rachel happy.

I make Rachel's life better.

Her life is better with me in it.

"Rachel," I whisper.

Is this a joke? And here's another example:

We go to the beach.

Rachel wants to sunbathe while she reads.

I want to watch Rachel sunbathe while she reads.

In case you think I cherrypicked the most ludicrous examples, those are actually from the same page. In fact, every page written about Miles and Rachel reads like this. And it has the most ridiculous formatting, with line breaks galore, everything center-aligned, and random italics thrown in for emphasis.

Why is the writing so juvenile when Miles is supposedly 18 years old? Why is every scene between the two couples so cringeworthy? And why isn't this book called "Idiot Love" instead? I don't have any answers, just questions.

As I was reading this, I kept feeling like I was on some hidden camera show, and any moment, someone would jump out of the bushes and yell, "Gotcha!" Then they would hand me the real book written by Colleen Hoover, and we'd all have a good laugh over how thoroughly they got me. But sadly, that didn't happen.

I have a love/hate relationship with Colleen Hoover, and this one unfortunately falls squarely in the hate category. Since I've read most of her recent books, I thought I'd catch up on some of her older ones. But that was clearly the wrong decision. Maybe she's one of those authors who gets better and better as they go, and this is just too far back from her current style to resemble even a little of what I love about her writing.

And one last closing thought: if you're a young woman (or young man) reading this, and you think this is the way love is supposed to be, just no. You can have spark and sizzle and lust, and still be treated with kindness and respect. Don't ever let someone walk all over you and don't ever settle for less than you deserve. Tate should've kicked Miles to the curb a long time ago. If she had, this would've been a story worth reading.

Readaroo Rating: 1 star

"You shouldn't be afraid of the truth. It'll set you free, right?"

Calling all fans of dark fairy tales. Have I got a book for you!

When Iris Hollow was seven years old, she and her sisters disappeared for a month, only to reappear with no memories of where they've been or what had happened to them. Now 10 years later, Iris just wants to leave it all behind and move on with her life. But when her oldest sister disappears again, it's as if history is repeating itself. And to save her, Iris must revisit her childhood and figure out what really happened all those years ago.

Right from the get-go, this story drew me in. I feel like so many books advertise as atmospheric, yet hardly any of them actually deliver. But this book elicited all the reactions. The hairs on my arms stood up. My spine was tingling like crazy. And I kept breaking out in goosebumps. I haven't had this much fun with a creepy read in a long time.

I should clarify—when I'm looking for a creepy read, I'm not aiming to have the bejeezus scared out of me. Nor am I hoping to be so freaked out that I won't sleep for a week and have to check every dark corner for fear of monsters. Rather, I want that perfect balance where a story is actually chilling, but it's also so much fun that I just want more. And this book hits it right on the nose.

I've been a bit biased lately against books labeled as magical realism. I think it's because I keep getting burned by the genre. The last few books I've read have been so flat and dull, almost as if the authors themselves don't even buy into the magical world they've created. But this book fully embraces the magic, and it totally works. I felt transported and I couldn't look away.

I loved the way the story unfolded, with lots of little clues and happenings, all building up to a spectacular set of twists and turns. I definitely did not see them coming, and it was great fun to partake in the journey and be thoroughly surprised.

I somehow missed this book when it first came out, but I'm so glad I found it now. I'm not sure what I expected going in, but it sure wasn't this. With its lush darkness and evocative imagery that was both beautiful and grotesque, this story feels like a fairy tale that's all grown up. 

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars