July 2023

July 27, 2023August 6, 2023

The Prenup-Richmonde-Psych Thriller-Available Now

I have mixed feelings about The Prenup, a new psych thriller by Arianne Richmonde. On the one hand, it is an interesting look at a relationship dynamic most people never have to consider.

On the other hand, the relating of the actual events often comes across as muddled and uneven. I still can’t decide whether or not that is purposeful to go along with Ava’s state of mind.

Frankly, we don’t get much of a backstory for her, only in little bits, so it is sometimes difficult to tell why she is the way she is…and why she does what she does.

There are parts in the first third of the book where she appears to be an absolute mess. That made it difficult for me to root for her or even relate to her. She almost seemed too pathetic to care about.

There is a point, though, (not giving it away) when it becomes apparent there is another layer to what is going on – and then the pieces start to fall into place.

I liked it when all of the points of view started to converge, and we got to find out more about that other layer. However, I wish that the author had kicked it up one notch.

The threads were there to turn it into a gleeful revenge against the villain character story, but it never quite got there. Likewise, I thought that the author was going to go in a certain direction with Ava, but unless I missed it, that never really materialized either.

At any rate, The Prenup still was a good psych thriller. I just think it could have gone to another level and been even better. I’ll still be looking for the next story from Arianne Richmonde.

July 24, 2023August 6, 2023

She Says She’s My Daughter-North-Psych Thriller-Available Now

What would you do if your child disappeared? What about if someone showed up years later claiming to be her? That and overall family dynamics are the focus points in She Says She’s My Daughter, a new psych thriller by Lauren North.

The author had me going for most of the book. A lot of the story is from Sarah’s point of view, as she is the one most impacted by the loss of her child and the alleged return. Therefore, much of what we see is from her point of view.

There are also chapters from Abi’s point of view. Some are set in the past (“Then”), and some are in the present. They are all convincing, leaving the reader wondering about the truth of the whole matter.

There is also a mystery person who Abi is afraid of, who we learn has set everything in motion. But it is a shadowy figure – there are several characters who could be responsible.

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The plot is evenly paced. I would warn readers to pay attention to the time stamps at the beginning of each chapter. They aren’t entirely vital to understanding the story, but if you have them in your head, you’ll understand the urgency of some of the events and how things occur as they do.

I know that sounds convoluted, but it’s the best I can do without giving anything away.

There are several twists and reveals. I did guess one of them, but I think that’s because I was in tune with Sarah and understood her perspective. However, the rest were a surprise. The author did a great job with red herrings and other false clues.

I really enjoyed She Says She’s My Daughter. The end was breathtaking. I will certainly be looking for the next psych thriller from Lauren North.

July 20, 2023August 6, 2023

The Perfect Girlfriend-Smith-Psych Thriller-Available Now

You may think you know what is happening in The Perfect Girlfriend, a new psych thriller by Hayley Smith, but really…you don’t.

Even if you think that Lauren is impetuous and everything is moving super-fast, and it’s hard to keep up with her relationship, it still won’t make sense to you. Until the author is ready for you to know what’s really going on.

I both liked that and found it challenging.

I liked that the author strung me along. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I like to try to outguess an author when it comes to plot twists.

However, the danger in this was that I found myself not liking Lauren that much. She was almost too much of a “free spirit” for me. As I read, I understood that she was written in a specific way for specific reasons. But taken at face value, I couldn’t get behind her.

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That made many of the book’s early parts difficult for me to get through. I couldn’t connect, I didn’t like her or Jay, and their lifestyle annoyed me. Especially as they were supposed to be bohemian, but Lauren kept buying stuff for the house.

I mean, I get it, but there was just a disconnect in some parts.

Roughly halfway through, we start to get the backstory that shines a light on some of Lauren’s actions. But there are still more aspects that just didn’t work for me. Those mainly have to do with Lauren’s dreams (or memories, or whatever they are).

You’ll find out what they actually are when you read the book.

Add in a creepy girl with weird family dynamics, mystery people and relationships, and lots of secrets, and it makes for a whole lot of weird that I wasn’t always on board for.

That said, the author still had me turning pages to find out what was happening. While some of the resolutions seemed “too easy,” I did ultimately enjoy The Perfect Girlfriend, and I’ll look for the next psych thriller from Hayley Smith.

July 12, 2023August 6, 2023

The Girl at the Party-Stewart-Psych Thriller-Available Now

The Girl at the Party by Danielle Stewart is a decent psych thriller that mostly delivers in a unique way.

The reader knows something bad occurred that fractured a group of college friends. Some of them appear to have dealt with it better than others. But none of them are thrilled when one of them wants to revisit the case.

Apparently, a lot happened on the last night of college, and these so-called friends have been hiding many secrets from each other…for years.

I liked the concept of a podcast being the impetus for revisiting the cold case murder. However, I wish there had been more of it instead of just talking about it. I think the story could have benefitted from being broken up by podcast episodes.

It would have also made some of the reveals more dynamic. As it was, it often seemed like a lot of exposition as the two main characters, Laura and Chris, interviewed people and then discussed the podcast.

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There were also a few characters who I thought would have figured more prominently – but they appeared briefly for an interview, a few brief mentions of their past involvement, and then essentially disappeared.

Even the victim in the whole situation gets pretty short shrift in the story. We never really get to know her…mostly through recollections.

While I think it all could have been told more dynamically, the author did a good job of keeping the reader guessing. And the resolution is not as straightforward as you may think.

I enjoyed The Girl at the Party and look forward to reading the next psych thriller from Danielle Stewart.

July 8, 2023July 9, 2023

The Bigamist-Halsall-Psych Thriller-Available Now

The Bigamist by Rona Halsall is a psych thriller that catches the reader thoroughly by surprise multiple times. And it’s one of my favorite books that I have read this year.

Initially, Emma attends a bereavement group and meets Sam. Their relationship proceeds quickly. They get married, and Emma finds herself pregnant (not necessarily in that order). But when she calls Sam about something, a woman answers, saying that SHE is Sam’s wife.

What is going on? Who is lying? Why is Emma paranoid? What does Faith have to do with anything? And what’s with the cryptic text messages she starts receiving and sending?

There is so much more than meets the eye in this psych thriller that I’m afraid this is going to be a short review because I REALLY don’t want to give anything away. You have to experience these twists for yourself.

And boy, there are a LOT of twists.

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I actually guessed a couple of them, but that’s only because (as I’ve mentioned before) I like to try to think of the craziest things I can to see if the author actually “goes there.”

Trust me, Rona Halsall most definitely “goes there” in this book!

My opinion about Emma changed several times as secrets were revealed. But it wasn’t until I wrote this review that I realized how clever the author is in developing Emma’s character.

It really is a case of the reader having a few psych moments – almost more than the characters themselves. And I’m here for that kind of writing every single time!

I know this is a cagey review, but just trust me when I say that if you think you understand everything in The Bigamist, you probably don’t.

It’s a psych thriller that will keep you thinking long after you finish the book. Oh, and with that ending, I would love to see Rona Halsall write a sequel!

July 6, 2023July 9, 2023

The Wedding Night-Boyd-Psych Thriller-Available Now

At first, it appears as if The Wedding Night is going to be a straightforward psych thriller. But Clare Boyd has much more in store for the reader.

We know from the prologue that there is a wedding gone awry and that someone has disappeared. Are the two linked? How? And whose wedding is it?

The story is told from multiple points of view. We have Amy and William, Amy’s daughter (Tess), and William’s son (Hal). A mysterious “Me” also has a few chapters here and there. That’s a lot of characters.

And there is a LOT going on between them.

Amy and Tess are moving in with William and Hal. It soon becomes clear whose wedding night is going to be a wreck. But we don’t get to that until much later in the plot. In fact, a lot of the book feels like there are several separate plotlines that have nothing to do with each other…until they do.

Eventually, they all come to a head at roughly the same time. They are not interwoven as much as separate roads that converge on the same intersection. It is a different approach from several other psych thrillers.

In fact, it often feels like there is almost too much going on. I got invested in each of the individual timelines so much that by the time the climax (the wedding night) occurs, it felt almost…meh. Not that it wasn’t a good meeting of the plot threads. But the build-up was more interesting to me.

The resolutions after the climax also seemed to go very quickly – almost as if the author was just trying to wrap it up.

There is also an underlying current of William and Hal and their alleged wealth being an issue for Amy and Tess. How Tess changes when she meets new friends in the new posh school, and things like that. But it never feels completely developed – the reader is told it is an issue more than actually seeing a lot of it.

That’s not entirely accurate, but I’m not sure how else to describe it.

That being said, The Wedding Night still had me turning pages late into the night to see what would happen next. Clare Boyd does write a complex psych thriller, and I look forward to the next one.