This is where I will be keeping track of my NetGalley/Edelweiss Challenge books to share with everyone. You know I also track everything on multiple spreadsheets like a huge nerd!
My goal is Bronze – 10 books (as I am no longer requesting ARCs this year and plan to focus on my backlog for this challenge)
January 2026
February 2026
February 2026
Title: Friends and Liars
Author: Kit Frick
Format: eBook
Length: 272 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Publication Date: December 2, 2025
COYER, Netgalley/Edelweiss
Friends and Liars delivers an intriguing premise—old friends reuniting under uneasy circumstances and long-buried secrets bubbling to the surface. While the suspense has its strong moments and the shifting timelines add some interest, the story doesn’t always maintain its momentum. Some character motivations feel a bit underdeveloped, and the twists, though satisfying enough, aren’t particularly surprising. Still, the writing is solid, the atmosphere is engaging, and the book offers an enjoyable, if not standout, thriller experience.
I received a complimentary e-copy. Thank you to Atria Books for allowing me to read this ARC through Edelweiss.
Title: The 11:59 Bomber
Author: Marshall Karp
Format: eBook
Length: 300 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Publication Date: November 25, 2025
Challenges: COYER, HRCYED 2.0, Netgalley/Edelweiss
The 11:59 Bomber is an absolute knockout—Marshall Karp delivers a fast-paced, clever, and wildly entertaining thriller that’s impossible to put down. The plot is sharply constructed, balancing high-stakes suspense with the humor and heart that make this series such a standout.
What truly elevates the book is the main cast. Karp’s characters have always been one of the strongest parts of the series, and they shine here more than ever. They’re vibrant, funny, deeply human, and endlessly engaging—exactly the kind of characters you can’t wait to follow into the next installment. Their chemistry and banter add warmth to even the most intense moments, making the story feel alive on every page.
If you’re already a fan of the NYPD Red series, The 11:59 Bomber is everything you’re hoping for and more. And if you’re new to Marshall Karp, this book is a fantastic place to see why his characters and storytelling have earned such a dedicated following. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary e-copy. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this ARC through Edelweiss.
Title: The Kill Clause
Author: Lisa Unger
Format: eBook
Length: 68 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Publication Date: December 1, 2025
COYER, HRCYED 2.0
I really enjoyed this quick, twisty read! Lisa Unger manages to pack so much tension and emotion into such a short story. It has that perfect mix of suspense and dark humor that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The characters feel like real people, the pacing is on point, and the ending totally sticks with you. It’s a fast, satisfying thriller that shows just how good Unger is at what she does.
I received a free e-copy of this book. Thank you to Amazon First Reads.
Title: The Writer
Author: James Patterson & JD Barker
Format: audiobook
Length: 9 hours 30 minutes
Rating: 4 stars
Publication Date: March 17, 2025
Challenges: Audiobook, HRCYED 2.0, Library Love
The premise is irresistible: a famous true-crime author found standing over her husband’s dead body, covered in blood, claiming she didn’t do it. NYPD detective Declan Shaw quickly realizes nothing about this case is straightforward, and the more he digs, the more twisted it becomes. Every time I thought I had it figured out, another twist sent me in a completely different direction.
What I liked most was how the story blurs the line between truth and fiction. The idea of a writer whose life starts to resemble the crimes she writes about is fascinating — and a little unsettling. The pacing is classic Patterson: short chapters that make it almost impossible to stop reading. I flew through the book in just a couple of sittings.
If you enjoy psychological thrillers that keep you guessing right up to the final reveal, The Writer delivers exactly that. Fast, addictive, and loaded with twists — it’s the kind of book that reminds me why I love the genre.
I borrowed this audiobook from my library. Thank you to Libby! I own a hardcover copy of this book thanks to James Patterson Street Team.
Title: The Wasp Trap
Author: Mark Edwards
Format: eBook
Length: 336 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Publication Date: September 16, 2025
Challenges: COYER, Netgalley/Edelweiss
Synopsis: A dinner party in a beautiful Notting Hill townhouse turns into a sinister game, as six old friends are forced to spill their darkest secrets…or else.
Six friends reunite in London to celebrate the life of their recently deceased ex-employer, a professor that brought them together in 1999 to help build a dating website based on psychological testing.
But what is meant to be a night of bittersweet nostalgia soon becomes a twisted and deadly game when the old friends find themselves held at gunpoint. They are given an ultimatum: reveal their darkest secrets to the group or pick each other off one-by-one.
It soon becomes clear that their current predicament is related to their shared past. The love questionnaire they helped develop in 1999 for the dating site was also turned into a tool for weeding out psychopaths: The Wasp Trap. This and the other tragic events of that summer long ago may help reveal the truth behind a killer hiding in plain sight.
Review: I thought the beginning of this story started off slow, but it was really laying down groundwork for later in the plot. The story goes between the present and the summer of 1999, where the group of friends met to work for a start up company for a website to find love on the internet. Of course the twists were twisting, and I did not see the ending coming (I feel like I should of, but I was looking the other way lol). Overall, I would recommend this book to all my friends who enjoy locked room thrillers.
I received a complimentary e-copy. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this ARC through Edelweiss.
Last year I went out of my comfort zone and chose a book with an interesting cover that is not in my usual genre for a Macmillan Audio Influencer pick. I ended up liking the story (I think it needed to be a little longer, to really get in depth with the characters).
Now I chose the second book in the series as last month’s Macmillan Audio pick. I plan to listen to it before the end of the month!
Synopsis for When Among Crows:
When Among Crows is swift and striking, drawing from the deep well of Slavic folklore and asking if redemption and atonement can be found in embracing what we most fear.
We bear the sword, and we bear the pain of the sword.
Pain is Dymitr’s calling. His family is one in a long line of hunters who sacrifice their souls to slay monsters. Now he’s tasked with a deadly mission: find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. To reach her, Dymitr must ally with the ones he’s sworn to kill.
Pain is Ala’s inheritance. A fear-eating zmora with little left to lose, Ala awaits death from the curse she carries. When Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help, she has no choice but to agree.
Together they must fight against time and the wrath of the Chicago underworld. But Dymitr’s secrets—and his true motives—may be the thing that actually destroys them.
Synopsis for To Clutch A Razor:
A funeral. A heist. A mission born of desperation.
When someone in Dymitr’s family dies, he’s called back home for the Empty Night, a funeral rite intended to keep evil at bay.
The secret Dymitr is keeping from them makes returning home downright dangerous, but if he wants to get his hands on a book of curses that might appease Baba Jaga’s blood lust, he has no choice. And when that same funeral brings ferocious creature-of-legend Niko to town for his own bloody purposes, Dymitr’s charade becomes impossible to maintain.
Family gatherings can be brutal. Dymitr’s might just be fatal.
I received both of these audiobooks through Macmillan Audio Influencer Program.
Title: The Memory Collectors
Author: Dete Meserve
Format: audiobook
Length: 8 hours 51 minutes
Rating: 4 stars
Publication Date: May 20,2025
Challenges: COYER, Library Love
Review: I can absolutely get behind a sci-fi time traveling story! I love different takes on time traveling and the current time line we are all living in. I enjoyed how you could slowly see how the characters stories intertwined as they were navigating their past.
This audiobook has multiple narrators, which was absolutely stellar! It really helped separate which character was which while listening to the story. All of them did a fabulous job! Every single narrator of this story REALLY made me get into this book. They felt like they were real people and not characters within a book.
This book is written by a Jewish author.
I borrowed this book through Libby.
Challenges: Amazon First Reads Backlog, Beat The Backlist, COYER, Read For The Stars
Review: Victor Methos is becoming one of my favorite authors! His writing style is smooth and all of his stories flow easily, which helps move the story along at such a good pace where absolutely nothing feels forced. His characters are genuine and feel like real people you can relate to and root for throughout the whole series.
I received The Secret Witness as a First Reads choice in 2022. I redeemed a gift card to acquire The Grave Singer and The Deceiving Look earlier this year.
Title: Salem’s Fall
Author: Rektok Ross
Format: eBook
Length: 320 pages
Publication Date: August 5, 2025
Rating: My review is up on Storygraph
Challenges: COYER, Netgalley/Edelweiss
A hotshot young attorney. An enigmatic billionaire accused of murder. To uncover the truth, she’ll have to play his game—and try not to fall in love with the devil.
The Silence of the Lambs meets Labyrinth in this dangerously addictive blend of twisty psychological thriller, legal suspense, and gothic dark romance—perfect for fans of Verity, Haunting Adeline, and The Housemaid.
I received a complimentary e-copy. Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse for allowing me to read this ARC through NetGalley.
Title: The Safari
Author: Jaclyn Goldis
Format: eBook
Length: 320 pages
Rating: 2 stars
Publication Date: May 20,2025
Challenges: COYER, Netgalley/Edelweiss
Review: SOME SPOILERS WILL BE IN THIS REVIEW- Honestly, I probably should of DNFed this one. The beginning of the book had different POV chapters so you get to know the characters. I didn’t really feel the suspense of a typical thriller book. Most of the characters annoyed me, so I wasn’t invested into their backstory or what was going on with them. Odelia is murdered and a family member is missing. When that family member is finally located, the explanation as to what happened is so preposterous I literally paused and scratched my head. It was badly explained away with ‘I left my cell phone behind so I couldn’t call for help’. I could not take the rest of the book seriously after that.
This is my honest review, and all opinions are my own.
This book is about a Jewish family, and a lot of Orthodox Jewish rituals and customs are mentioned throughout the book. I thought it was important to mention this fact to my blog readers.
I received a complimentary e-copy. Thank you to Aleaha Reneé from Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this ARC through Edelweiss.
Maudee Genao from Simon & Schuster sent me a message through Edelweiss with a widget for Friends and Liars by Kit Frick. This is a new to me author which is exciting, and the cover really drew me in!
How many unread ARCs are on your TBR?
Proof of Price: $0.00
Aleaha Reneé from Simon & Schuster sent me a message through Edelweiss with a widget for The Safari by Jaclyn Goldis. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was going to accept it or not, but just decided to download it yesterday.
Is this book on your TBR?
Proof of Price Spent: $0.00
