The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor

Welcome to Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago, eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake here. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And two months ago, the vicar of the local parish killed himself.

Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping to make a fresh start and find some peace. Instead, Jack finds a town mired in secrecy and a strange welcome package: an old exorcism kit and a note quoting scripture. "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known."

The more Jack and her daughter Flo get acquainted with the town and its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into their rifts, mysteries, and suspicions. And when Flo is troubled by strange sightings in the old chapel, it becomes apparent that there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.

But uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village where everyone has something to protect, everyone has links with the village's bloody past, and no one trusts an outsider.
 

Pages: 333

Apparently I don't have the brain capacity to make individual posts anymore

Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter
I feel like I've read this story before, but also I love it.
281 Pages

Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words by Annika Sharma
ok but the different cultures and like....trying to juggle that.
384 Pages

Rosewood: a Midsummer Meet Cute by Sayantani DasGupta
So it's like....if you were on the set of Bridgerton with all the actors, but they're all teens, so the shenanigans are teen level.
It's also a Jane Austen retelling (that I cant remember atm) and there's references thrown in throughout.
336 Pages

Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend by Penny Reid
Hi so I loved this, no one look at me.
Also the sensory processing and the needing space.
I love this boy. I love him so much.
436 Pages

The River of Silver by S.A. Chakraborty
When you get more content from a world you love.
256 Pages

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
LISTEN. LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN. Ashley Poston. AND IT'S IN THE SAME WORLD AS DEAD ROMANTICS.
The magic time-traveling apartment.
Kermit hearts gif
I need more content
Also I didn't guess all of the twists so I'm v happy about that.
368 Pages

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
So like...This felt low stakes so I was kind of...eh.
518 Pages

Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper
When you don't remember reading a book until you write about not remembering it.
It was ok. I'm interested in the side characters.
340 Pages

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
So like...you can tell this was written in the 2010s. It also feels closer to middle grade because of the writing style and the language, but he's 14 so like..
But also...he's 14...
Nick reminds me a bit of younger Percy Jackson
464 Pages

Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood.
So I counted the number of times Jack was described as tall (including like....times it talks about him having his own atmosphere or whatever) ...and it's a lot....like....over 100
But also like....I'm being attacked in this book. And I don't like it:

We love tattoos
389 Pages

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley
My Alchemical Romance
Grumpy demon is my favorite. I love him.
Also. Like. The solution to the problem. Smort.
390 Pages

The Night in Question by Liz Lawson and Kathleen Glasgow
It's the sequel to the Agathas, and now I'm waiting for what might be the third book because there's the set up for it.
Also I really want to hurt Alice sometimes because of her reckless driving
416 Pages

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs
the talking about blood made me a little uncomfy...because I don't like needles.
But the magic is cool.
400 Pages

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Main MC is from Missouri... which just...gives me so many happys
The SNL vibes. Also the musician vibes.
305 Pages

Five First Chances by Sarah Jost
Ow.
I'm sad and I wasn't planning on being sad and now my coworkers that sit next to me probably think I'm actually dying
400 Pages

Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
Um so I love these beach vibes.
Let's get rid of city boy...like seriously.
*Wants a tree house and a fun artsy house
TS: The Way I Loved You, High Infidelity
302 Pages

Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool
Ok but boi gives me Cardan "I love you and I hate it but I love it" vibes. Like there are so many Jude/Cardan vibes angst-wise.
Also. The curse. Like.
Must protect.
Can I have some more please
352 Pages

From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper
sfjdsajklfdsa Panic attack on pages.
Also enemies to lovers.
351 Pages

Finley Donovan by Elle Cosimano

 

Pages: 1,020

"Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors. When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet... Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation. Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moments."

Best beach read I could have taken on vacation. I could not stop reading these and was laughing the whole time. The hilarity with which Finlay gets herself tied up in different crimes, without committing a single one, is amazing. Another author-ception with Finley basing her new block-buster books after her adventures with her nanny (accountant/accomplice) and juggling a single-mother life with pseudo-contract killer reputation. I cannot wait for the next installment after the cliff-hanger at the end.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Pages: 288

"The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning-it just happens that one is a murderer."

Author-ception is how I would initially describe this book. It starts out with a letter written to a fictional author by a fan who is writing a mystery novel about an author writing a mystery novel. That layering alone intrigued me but I stayed for the multiple mysteries the different authors were experiencing. It was also interesting to see how authors write things they see in everyday life as inspiration for their books seen both by the author writing back and forth with a fan at the end of each chapter and the characters of the mystery novel themselves competing for who gets to write the quirky neighbor into their novel. I really enjoyed the story overall though the characters read a little flat, the parallel story lines and the mysterious fan correspondence kept me interested.

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson

It was an ARC, but again. Publication date beat me.
It's a murder mystery game and Pip figures out what she wants to do her senior project on.
Also like...knowing how the rest of the series goes.
208 Pages

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

 

Pages: 416

"Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow, orphaned as a baby, has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at the glittering and gloomy estate of Thorn Grove. Thorn Grove’s patriarch, Elijah, mourns his late wife, Lillian, through wild parties and drink, while eldest son Percy grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and daughter Blythe suffers from the same mysterious illness that killed her mother. And when Lillian’s spirit confronts Signa and claims she was poisoned, Signa realizes that Blythe could be next to die.

Signa’s best chance of uncovering the culprit and solving Lillian’s murder is an alliance with Death himself—the very man she hates most. And Death, that fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side, shows her that their connection may be more powerful than she ever dared imagine."

I was initially drawn to this one for the cover. The first edition hardback is gorgeous and I need to find one;

I really enjoyed Signa discovering society life is not what she thought it was while at the same time trying to solve a mystery. I could not have predicted the ending and the Gothic vibes were amazing. Who doesn't want a murder mystery in a haunted mansion, being assisted by Death himself! I am now obsessed and want the next book to come out.

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

 Pages: 451

"After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn't yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend's true name. 

The only chance of uncovering Legend's identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more--and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets...including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can't fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend's name, she'll lose everything she cares about--maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever. "

I was not expecting the shift in perspectives but I love how we are now getting Tella's story after Scarlet's. We still get some of Scarlet but the focus is more on her sister Tella and how this Caraval is more real than ever. It was hard at first to believe that things were getting real after the first book.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Pages:  407

"Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever."

The mystery and intrigue in this book! You cannot tell what is real and what is not. I am on the second book and I still have doubts about some of the happenings in the first one! I do not think the game ever ends. There are so many twists and turns and motivations seem to change at the drop of a hat. I hope the ending is real, I would be heartbroken for Scarlett if the act continues on through the next books.

Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

Istg if my ship doesn't make it.

JACK THE RIPPER TOUR JACK THE RIPPER TOUR.
Ok so I figured out who did it pretty easily....but I'm also essentially a genius, not to brag.
I love Nate. Like... Precious little writer boi.
I will protect David with my life. I will not be taking criticism. 
I really wanted to throw my phone at the last chapter....There better be another book....
464 Pages

TS Songs: a little bit of The Great War, this is me trying.

The Maid by Nita Prose

 Pages: 280

"Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misinterprets the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. But Molly’s orderly life is turned on its head the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself very dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?"

I have a lot of thoughts about this book and its representation of its characters. I was really surprised after reading it that it was a Goodreads Choice Winner. It really stereotypes the characters and Molly is a caricature of an Autistic individual. As a neurodivergent person myself, it was really overhanded and not very realistic. She misses so many obvious social cues at times and catches integral ones at others and isn't consistent with her actions and personality. That said there were some cute moments such as her flashbacks to her Gran and her found family at the end. Though I don't think it makes it worth the read, especially after the uncalled for explanation of Gran's death. So did not add anything and had no reason to exist.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

 Pages: 325

"Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him.... "

My taste usually runs in the sci-fi/high fantasy vein so picking up this mystery thriller is a new experience for me and I have wanted to try a new genre for a while. This definitely kept me reading as bits and pieces of the story were given but did not fit together until the shocking reveal near the end. I did not in any way see what was coming and I read the last bit with my mouth open. I had to stop and think back over the story to see if I could find any hints. The completion of the mystery definitely makes this worth the read.

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

 

In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost. But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Desperate for help, Beatriz clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness.

Pages: 352

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

 The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Pages: 382

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book was such fun to read. Clever insights, short chapters, and a gentle writing style easily guide the reader through several murders. Set in a peaceful retirement village in England, this story unwinds slowly but steadily. We are introduced to the village and its residents by new comer, Joyce. She is excited to learn about the weekly Thursday Murder Club meetings, where three other residents of the village meet weekly to discuss unsolved crimes. Then a local builder is found dead in their village and they have the chance to solve a "live" case happening around them. The reader shares in the discoveries of different characters from chapter to chapter, sometimes reading Joyce's diary, sometimes with detective in charge of the case, other times with random people from the village. But the tidbits of knowledge go together to make a cohesive puzzle with just enough extra "clues" to keep the reader guessing. 

Down These Strange Streets edited by George R. R. Martin

Down These Strange Streets edited by George R. R. Martin

Pages: 479

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Urban fantasy where mystery waits at the end of every alley and things that go bump in the night have something to fear...

1 The Bastard Stepchild - George R.R. Martin
2 Death by Dahlia - Charlaine Harris
3 The Bleeding Shadow - Joe R. Lansdale
4 Hungry Heart - Simon R. Green
5 Styx and Stones - Steven Saylor
6 Pain and Suffering - S.M. Stirling
7 It's Still the Same Old Story - Carrie Vaughn
8 The Lady is a Screamer - Conn Iggulden
9 Hellbender - Laurie R. King
10 Shadow Thieves - Glen Cook
11 No Mystery, No Miracle - Melinda M. Snodgrass
12 The Difference Between a Puzzle and a Mystery - M.L.N. Hanover
13 The Curious Affair of the Deodand - Lisa Tuttle
14 Lord John and the Plague of Zombies - Diana Gabaldon
15 Beware the Snake - John Maddox Roberts
16 In Red, with Pearls - Patricia Briggs
17 The Adakian Eagle - Bradley Denton

Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12)

Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12) by Charlaine Harris

Pages: 327

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Dating a vampire has always been complicated, but now that Eric's King, Felipe de Castro, is in town, life has gotten even more complicated for Sookie. There are things going on that she'd rather not know about, but other things she needs explained, just to understand what is going on. Ignorance is bliss, may be true for some people, but for a human, caught up in the politics of the vampire world, it can be deadly. 

You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen M McManus

 
I'm just...like...concerned
Me: 

I have theories and then those theories have more theories.
fjkldsafjaksl the characters. the growth. the trying to be better people. Like. Just. Gah. 
336 Pages

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

 

Fifteen years ago, summer camper Emma Davis watched sleepily as her three cabin mates snuck out of their cabin in the dead of night. The last she--and anyone--saw of them.

Now a rising star in the NYC art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings. They catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of the very same Camp Nightingale--and when Francesca implores Emma to return to the camp as a painting counselor, Emma sees an opportunity to find closure and move on.

Already haunted by surfacing memories, Emma is suddenly plagued by a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca, and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian apparently left behind about the camp's twisted origins. And as history begins to repeat itself and three girls go missing again, Emma must face threats from both man and nature in order to uncover all the buried secrets--including what really happened all those years ago.

Pages: 384

October books

 My Best Friend's Exorcism

Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act….different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there’s only one possible explanation: Gretchen, her favorite person in the world, has a demon living inside her. And Abby is not about to let anyone or anything come between her and her best friend. With help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

All I can say is...I guess so?

Pages: 337

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. 

This book was awesome! Great all the way through. 

Pages 458

The Exorcist

A desperate mother and two priests fight to free the soul of a little girl from a supernatural entity of pure malevolence. 

Captain Howdy indeed. Good story, but not as scary as I imagine. I'm chalking it up to the fact I've seen the movie, there's too much hype and that I'm pretty sure I'm desensitized to most horror now. 

Pages: 385

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

Alexa play Dead Girl Walking
Me and my love of Criminal Minds making me feel real smart rn. 

Alexa play "No Body, No Crime"

I love Robbie. I know we know this. But still
Friendship is magic.
I'm just gonna go cry...because the ending. I'm screeching.
464 Pages

Arrowood by Laura McHugh

 Arrowood by Laura McHugh

Pages: 320

Rating 5 out of 5

This second novel, from Missouri author Laura McHugh is a gothic tale of family secrets in small town Iowa. A haunting novel from the author of The Weight of Blood about a young woman's return to her childhood home--and her encounter with the memories and family secrets it holds

After the death of her father, Arden Arrowood inherits the grand historical house, Arrowood, in her home town along the Mississippi River in southern Iowa. Searching to find her purpose and trying to finish her master's thesis she believes the quiet house and town are just what she needs.