Just as I'm getting jaded, here comes a thriller the likes of which I haven't seen before.

Jen is up one night waiting for her 18-year-old son to come home. She sees him out the window, but before he can reach their door, a stranger crosses his path and he commits an unthinkable crime right in front of her. She is shocked. How could her beloved child do this? When she wakes up the next day, an even bigger shock awaits her. It's not tomorrow, but yesterday. Is this her chance to figure out what's going on and to stop it from happening in the first place?

First, let's take a moment to admire that premise. It's such a fun take on the mystery/thriller genre and time loops. We follow Jen as she tries to figure out how to save her son, but instead of seeing the investigation unfold in order, we see it in reverse. As she goes backwards in time, we're right there with her as she discovers each clue bit and bit. It's all quite fascinating.

I'm a big fan of time loops (or any sci-fi element really), so I can't resist when they show up. But to set expectations correctly, it's important to note that this story isn't science fiction. The time loop is merely a device to set up the premise and enable the story to be told in a different way. And it totally works. The explanation provided was quick and clever, and it allowed the focus to remain on the mystery where it should be.

There were so many twists and turns in here, it made for a most exciting time. I don't want to talk them up though, since whether or not you'll be surprised will depend on what you've seen before. As for me, I guessed a few things beforehand, but there were still plenty that surprised me and kept me on my toes.

I will say though, I didn't love everything. For one, I found the writing style to be a bit odd, especially in the beginning. There was an excess of punctuation everywhere, particularly commas. This isn't the sort of thing I usually notice, but it was really flagrant.

And, right then, it had felt, suddenly, like spring, even though it began to rain again only minutes later.

If you're wondering how this got through editing, you and me both.

Also, there was a lot of telling and no showing when it came to setting up the main characters. Supposedly Kelly is really witty, and Jen and Kelly banter a lot. We know this because we're told many times, usually right after the characters say something mundane and awkward. Between this and the punctuations, I found it all really distracting. But once the action got going, I was able to block it out and just concentrate on the mystery.

If it weren't for the writing hiccups, this could've easily been 5 stars for me. The more I read, the more impressed I became. This is such a layered and complex story, with lots of clues and parts that all funnel towards one cohesive explanation. I bet now that I know the ending, if I go back and reread it again, I would catch so many things I missed the first time around.

It's not often I come across a book that adds something new to the thriller/mystery genre, and this one sure does. For that alone, it is worth a read.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Let's face it—it isn't a proper summer without the quintessential beach read. And Elin Hilderbrand's books have become a go-to for me in recent years. But unfortunately, The Five-Star Weekend didn't quite end up scratching that summertime itch.

Hollis is grieving for her dead husband. She gets the idea to host a weekend get-together for her best friends, inviting one from each phase of her life, in the hopes that being surrounded by friends will help her heal and move on. But each of these women is battling her own issues and the weekend doesn't really turn out the way Hollis expects.

Elin Hilderbrand's books always feel light and fun, and this one's no different. It's the sort of story I pick up when I need a distraction. It's easy to get sucked into the island of Nantucket, with all of its water, sunshine, and delicious food. But at the end of the day, something about this story just didn't click for me.

Maybe it's because this feels more like a disjointed collection of stories about the different women rather than a cohesive whole. They're each having their own issues, and for the most part, they don't overlap. Hilderbrand could very well have written separate stories for each of them, and it would've still made sense.

Or maybe I just don't buy into the premise. I can't imagine a former friend dropping everything to fly out and spend a weekend with me and a few others they don't know, just to comfort me. But perhaps that's me being cynical and this sort of thing really does happen.

Or maybe it's because while the women's issues are real, the resolutions somehow end up feeling a bit shallow. Everything is wrapped up too neatly by the end of the book, whether the issue was medical, spousal, or work. Like the proverbial happily ever after, everyone gets one, even if the circumstances are too convenient or magical to be believable.

Whatever the reason, this story just didn't quite rise to the level of beachy magic I usually associate with Elin Hilderbrand. Don't get me wrong, I still had fun with it. But I always hope for a memorable reading experience, and this one was all too forgettable.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

This was a pick for my Book of the Month box. Get your first book for $5 here.

Gotta love a thriller that delivers on the surprises!

Nine-year-old Avery Wooler is missing. Her parents are frantic and want her found. But in this small neighborhood, secrets abound, and not everyone is willing to share theirs in order to help find Avery. And is so often the case, the biggest secrets tend to lie closest to home.

Shari Lapena writes stories across the gamut of the mystery/thriller genre. Some of her stories are more of mysteries, with clues galore where you can suss out the culprit. Not this one. I would categorize this as more of a neighborhood thriller. There are no real clues to follow, but there are plenty of surprises. Just when you think you've got a grip on what's going on, the story changes on you and you have to start again. It's great fun.

I always enjoy Lapena's writing style. It's sparse and action-driven, without a lot of emotional or psychological fluff that is common to the genre. Instead, there's an ease and energy to the writing that keeps you wanting to read just one more page. And before you know you it, you've reached the end.

And what an end it was. It's quite coy, winking at the reader and implying a certain conclusion. Usually I don't mind using my own imagination to fill in the blanks, but in this case, I wanted that certainty. I wish there had been one more chapter to spell it all out so I could get the satisfaction of seeing the villain get what they deserve. But that's a pretty small quibble overall.

Shari Lapena has definitely become a must-read author for me. While I didn't love this one quite as much as Someone We Know and Not a Happy Family (both more of a mystery with clues and red herrings), I did have a lot of fun with it. It hit the perfect spot for an unputdownable thriller.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

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