Review: What We Did To Survive - Megan Lally - March 2026 There's something about returning to an author whose debut completely swept you off your feet, isn't there? That hopeful anticipation mixed with just a touch of nervousness that maybe lightning won't strike twice. After falling hard for Megan Lally's first novel, I eagerly cracked open What We Did to Survive, her latest thriller and while I genuinely enjoyed the ride, I have to admit it didn't quite capture the same magic. This is my third Megan Lally book now, and I'm beginning to recognize her signature style: sun-soaked settings that turn sinister, the claustrophobia of being trapped with people who aren't what they seem. Here, we follow Hannah on what should be an idyllic spring break in Mexico with her best friend Emmy's family. Senior year stress? Gone. Pristine beaches? Check. Awkward proximity to Emmy's gorgeous older brother Jackson, Hannah's long-time crush? Well, that's c...

  VBT# Blue Arrow Island - Book #1 - Brenda Rothert - August 2025 There are few things in the book world that bring me more joy than discovering an author whose writing consistently delivers, and Brenda Rothert has become exactly that kind of treasure for me. After having the absolute pleasure of meeting her at RT2017—honestly one of my top five life experiences and what I still consider one of my best days ever—I knew she was not only a phenomenal writer but also the kind of genuine, down-to-earth person you'd want to grab coffee with. So when Blue Arrow Island landed on my radar, my excitement was through the roof. From the very first page, I was completely hooked. Brenda Rothert wastes no time throwing readers into a world that feels disturbingly plausible—a dystopian reality born from a virus that decimated most of humanity. As I read about this plague, I couldn't help but think of COVID, imagining this as our world's potential dark future. It's a chilling thought ...

Review: Run on Red - Noelle W. Ihli - November 2023 This past month has been a slow reading month and I was stuck on a romance book for the past two days, I tried and tried but I just felt so blah with it and it wasn't moving as fast as it should have been for more, so then I decided the best genre to give a go would be a thriller. This book I ended up reading this in two hours and was the first one of her's I had read and now looking forward to reading her other books. This book gave me the vibes of the movie Joy Ride which features Paul Walker. Remember the one where they tease the trucker with Candy Cane over the radio and he gets revenge on them by playing cat and mouse on the deserted roads? Run on Red starts with two friends Laura and Liz, heading to a party after work. The car they are in is old and soon they find themselves out in the country with no cell coverage and being chased by two men in masks in a ute. What do they want with Liz and Laura? Can the girls not only...

Review: The Lake House - Sarah Beth Durst - April 2023 As we are in October which tends to be Spooktober Reading, I have tried to sprinkle a few scary/horror-related reads into my reading lists. This one was one I clicked on as the previous couple of books before this one were DNFs, again nothing I was reading was keeping my interest and I do go through phases like that. The Lake House however drew me in from the beginning as we meet three teens who have come to "The Lake House" for the summer, each for the reasons their parents have sent them there. We learn that about twenty years ago, one or both of their parents went to the camp at the same time and during their stay, they all went into the woods - but one of them didn't return. He was forgotten about and acted like he didn't exist. When the girls arrive, the building is burned down and their camp facilitator has a bullet to the head. What is going on? The girls though have no way of getting off either as the o...