The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading?What do you think you’ll read next?
I am currently reading Salem’s Fall by Rektok Ross, a NetGalley ARC, on my Kindle paperwhite. Trying to get that ratio up this summer!
I borrowed a physical copy of Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence from my library. I wanted to start a shorter fantasy series and after doing some research online, I decided on this one. Plus, I like the cover lol.
I am gonna be listening to The Girl In The Creek by Wendy N. Wagner starting today. This is a new to me author and I chose this audiobook from Macmillan’s Influencer program. This month I’ve been in my horror era so I am just rolling with it!
Title: Things We Do In The Dark Author: Jennifer Hillier Narrator: Carla Vega Format: Audiobook Length: 12 hours 21 minutes Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: July 19, 2022
Challenges: Audiobook, Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love, Virtual Mount
Review: I literally have no words on how great this book was. Dark and tragic! Jennifer Hillier is a great author and I need to read more of her books! PLEASE CHECK THOSE TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING/LISTENING TO THIS BOOK
Title: My Lovely Wife Author: Samantha Downing Narrator: David Pittu Format: Audiobook Length: 10 hours 13 minutes Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: March 26, 2019
Challenges: Audiobook, Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love, Virtual Mount
Review: I like that the book is told from the husband’s point of view. It made the whole ending part of the plot great! The kids were on my nerves, but that’s probably because they were teenagers lol. Overall, great debut book from Samantha Downing!
Title: We Used To Live Here Author: Marcus Kliewer Narrator: Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Corey Brill Format: Audiobook Length: 9 hours 52 minutes Rating: 3 stars Publication Date: June 18, 2024
Challenges: Audiobook, Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love, Virtual Mount
Review: I wanted to like this book more, but most of it felt repetitive and could of been shorter. I felt my mind wandering a couple of times. The end was what I thought was going on, so this gets an average rating from me. I did like both of the narrators.
Title: Good Neighbors Author: Chad Zunker Narrator: Amara Jasper Format: Audiobook Length: 1 hours 4 minutes Rating: 3 stars Publication Date: June 2, 2025
Challenges: Audiobook, Virtual Mount
Review: I have read Chad Zunker before and enjoyed his books. This one felt like it needed to be just a little bit longer for the twist to really hit. Felt like you could see it coming a mile away and that’s no fun.
The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading?What do you think you’ll read next?
I want to get to so many books this summer that I am overwhelming myself. I need to slow down, and not worry about the future- just enjoy the books I am currently reading.
The last eBook I read was Falling For Them by Calista Jayne. This book was sitting on my Kindle for a few years, so I quickly blew through it. Not a fan. Will not continue the series. At the writing up of this post, I will have just started reading Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell. I plan to read The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards next. My current and next eBooks are complimentary of Edelweiss.
The last audiobook I listened to was Good Neighbors by Chad Zunker. I am a fan of his books… although this short story I found through Prime Reading was just alright. It could of been a little bit longer and it would of been better. I am now listening to We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer. I requested it through my library and have been on the waiting list for months. It was finally my turn to borrow it. I am halfway through it right now and it’s holding my interest. The next audiobook I plan to listen to is King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby- I was sent an audiobook widget from Macmillan. I keep hearing amazing things about this book on TikTok and I wanna listen to what all the hype is about!
I am trying to read more physical books, and this summer I want to get quite a few in (doubt it’s happening at this point). I am about to finish French Kiss by James Patterson & Richard DiLallo. I am currently, slowly, getting through Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson. I’ve heard good things about the book, but it’s pacing is too slow for me. I am pushing through it and hope to be done with it by next week. I plan to reread Sail by James Patterson next. It’s been YEARS since I read it (and don’t remember the plot one bit) but this book has been calling me to reread it so I am gonna this summer.
Title: Don’t Believe It Author: Charlie Donlea Narrator: Nina Alvamar Format: Audiobook Length: 10 hours 31 minutes Rating: 3 stars Publication Date: May 29, 2018
Challenges: Audiobook, Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love, Read For The Stars, Virtual Mount
Review: Not my favorite Charlie Donlea book, but it was good all the same. A lot of legal and medical jargon so I sort of did tune those parts out. I figured that Grace did not kill her boyfriend, but I did not guess who actually killed him. And I did not care for the ending.
Title: Stranded Author: Sarah Goodwin Format: eBook Length: 398 pages Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: September 16, 2021
Challenges: Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love, Virtual Mount
Review: I flew through this book. The premise of people stranded on an island for a reality TV show, and not everyone making it off the island, sucked me in. I did not see where the story was going, and I did not guess any of the twists. This book was recommended to me and I am so glad I read it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thriller books.
Good morning readers! These are all of the books that I acquired/received/borrowed onto my shelves, virtual and/or physical, for the entire month of June:
Two First Reads choices for June, and I used a gift card to get the latest book in the Zodiac Queen series.
I was sent a widget on King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby. It will be my first listen in July! And my first S.A. Cosby book too!
I requested The Locked Ward and Girl In The Creek and was sent the ALC’s just the other day.
When I went to visit my parents in North Carolina, I always go to the local used bookstore called Pauper’s Books & More. They let you turn in gently used books for store credit, and with that credit I got the three books pictured above.
The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading?What do you think you’ll read next?
My summer reading was ON FIRE at the beginning of the month, and pretty much TANKED for the rest of June!
The last eBook I read was When We Were Friends by Jane Green. I am trying to get through some of my First Reads backlog. You can check out my Storygraph review here. At the writing up of this post, I started reading Stranded by Sarah Goodwin, a book I borrowed from my library on Libby. It was recommended to me by a friend and it’s holding my interest right from the get-go. I plan to read Sun Burned by Katherine Wood next. The bright summer cover screams July to me lol. And I am also trying to get my NetGalley ratio up higher. (I am so close to 80% woohoo!)
The last audiobook I listened to was Angels & Demons, but I ended up DNFing it. I wanted to reread the series in anticipation of the newest book in the series coming out in the fall, but with the crazyness of life in June I just put the book aside and moved on. Now at the writing up of this post I got about thirty minutes in to Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea. This one was also recommended to me by a friend, and since Donlea books always hit I borrowed it from my library! The next audiobook I plan to listen to is King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby- I was sent an audiobook widget from Macmillan. I keep hearing amazing things about this book on TikTok and I wanna listen to what all the hype is about!
I am trying to read more physical books, and this summer I want to get quite a few in. The last physical book I read was back in March lol (The House Hunt by C.M. Ewan)! I started Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson and made good progress into the story the other day. It should be finished by the end of the month. I plan to reread Sail by James Patterson next. It’s been YEARS since I read it (and don’t remember the plot one bit) but this book has been calling me to reread it so I am gonna this summer.
The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.
Wednesday was Graduation Day!
Thursday was my last day of work till September!
Friday was all about getting the house and yard ready for the graduation party!
Saturday was the graduation party!
Sunday was my day to recooperate from all the excitement of the week!
Currently:
I started Kill Your Darlings last week, then with everything going on it just sat on my nightstand collecting dust lol. It’s definitely being a priority this week!
I borrowed an ecopy of Lifeguard by James Patterson & Andrew Gross from the library. I am also not that far into it. This is a reread from when it came out years ago.
I am listening to Angels & Demons by Dan Brown, and also annotating a traveling hardcover book copy at the same time. This is a reread from when it came out years ago (and in anticipation for the newest book in the series coming out in September).
Just Finished:
This story has definite And Then There Were None vibes (and even a very small Clue (the movie) reference early on), so while it absolutely started off slow… it got more interesting once the characters were being killed off. I guessed the murderer incorrectly, and did not see any of the twist coming. I like how each character had a different personality and it felt like a real writing retreat (minus the murders lol).
I enjoyed each narrator and am glad they gave each characters chapter their own narrator. It helped keep the story flowing.
Note: I gave this one 3.5 on Storygraph, but marked it as 4 stars on NetGalley because they do not use half stars.
If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page. I stopped using Goodreads this year (and didn’t really keep up with it last year) because I want to support a black woman business owner over a white male billionaire.
Title: You Are Fatally Invited Author: Ande Pliego Narrator: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Alejandro Ruiz , Victoria Villarreal, Feodor Chin , William Damron, John Lee , Dawn Harvey , Jeremy Carlisle Parker Format: eBook / Audiobook Length: 363 pages / 11 hours 02 minutes Rating: 3.5 stars Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Review: This story has definite And Then There Were None vibes (and even a very small Clue (the movie) reference early on), so while it absolutely started off slow… it got more interesting once the characters were being killed off. I guessed the murderer incorrectly, and did not see any of the twist coming. I like how each character had a different personality and it felt like a real writing retreat (minus the murders lol).
I enjoyed each narrator and am glad they gave each characters chapter their own narrator. It helped keep the story flowing.
Note: I gave this one 3.5 on Storygraph, but will mark it as 4 stars on NetGalley because they do not use half stars.
I received a complimentary e-copy. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. I borrowed the audiobook through my local library to immerse myself into the story.
The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.
This past week was soooooooo busy! It was my second to last week of work, so lots of getting the kitchen put away and cleaned up before the end of the school years. I am also getting my house and yard all set up and ready for my daughter’s graduation party. My family is coming up to New Jersey to visit as well.
Had to take the dog to the vet yesterday. He wasn’t putting pressure on one of his back legs and we were concerned. Turns out, joker stubbed one of his toes and it was swollen, causing him pain. He was Rx pain meds and he’s on the mend!
Today is my daughter’s 18th birthday! We are gonna go out to dinner tonight to celebrate. Restaurant of her choice of course.
Currently:
I just started Kill Your Darlings on Friday. I am not far in but I am already intrugued!
I am almost done listening to the audiobook of my NetGalley ARC You Are Fatally Invited. Definite AndThen There Were None vibes (and even a very small Clue (the movie) reference early on) but I want to know how it all ends up for these characters. Should be done in a little bit.
Lie In The Tide is starting off slow, and I think I am not really feeling it is because there are a lot of characters and You Are Fatally Invited has a lot of characters too so my brain is overloading lol. You readers all know what I mean! I think I am going to give it one more day and if it’s not drawing me in I’m gonna put it aside and find something else to read.
Just Finished:
Gemma James finally published the latest book in the Zodiac Queen series, Capricorn, and since I am absolutely invested in this crazy story I needed to read it. Best one in the series so far, but check those trigger warnings on this series before getting into it.
I needed a cover with a bathing suit on it, and this Elin Hilderbrand short story was an Amazon First Reads bonus pick sometime last year. I gave it three stars- story was pretty good but the ending reallllllllllllly tanked my rating.
Read another short story from Amazon First Reads titled When We Were Friends. This one was pretty decent for a short read. I could see this one being made into a made for TV movie on Lifetime lol.
If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page. I stopped using Goodreads this year (and didn’t really keep up with it last year) because I want to support a black woman business owner over a white male billionaire.
If you ask Jill Tingley, she’ll tell you she and her husband Jack are college sweethearts living the dream in Southern California. Wealthy, popular and genetically blessed, theirs is an enviable life, though they’ve grown distant in recent years. Newly empty nesting with their daughter Maggie away at college, Jill suggests a road trip to reconnect.
Jack would rather do anything else than drive to Utah with his wife. He’s only stayed in this marriage because of a shared secret, a tragedy in the past he wanted to keep buried. And for his daughter’s sake. But Jack is finished with the charade of his marriage. He’s filing for divorce as soon as they return, no matter what.
But he doesn’t realize what else Jill is hiding.
So begins a cat-and-mouse road trip as a cunning wife–think Ripley in yoga pants–and a reluctant husband match wits and drive each other to the edge. But everything will be fine. Jill still loves Jack and believes he’s the only one for her. She’ll do anything to keep him. Anything. She always has.
Challenges: Audiobook, COYER, NetGalley
Review: This was a wild ride! Jill is delusional in her relationship with Jack. Jack wants out of this marriage and keeps getting trapped into staying by Jill’s words and actions. The more the story goes on the more unhinged Jill becomes. A really good thriller I would recommend to people who read the genre.
I would like to note that I feel this book could of used another narrator, a man, for Jack’s chapters, instead of Marnye Young reading both Jack and Jill’s chapters.
Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse for allowing me to read and listen to this book. I received a complimentary eBook and audiobook.
The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.
This past week was the busiest it’s been in forever! My daughter’s Senior Prom was on Friday and a few of her friends were coming over beforehand to hang out and take photos. So we had to get the yard and house party ready, on top of work/school and extra curricular activities.
Currently:
I am in the middle of two ARCs (one audio and one eBook). I should be done with Jill Is Not Happy by the middle of the week, and hoping to be done with Lie In The Tide by the weekend. My NetGalley ratio is currently at 76%.
Just Finished:
You can check out my review of The Safari on the blog, or on Storygraph.
The Perfect Sister is a NetGalley backlog that I didn’t get around to reading last year. This one was a three star review for me. That review is also on Storygraph.
If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page. I stopped using Goodreads this year (and didn’t really keep up with it last year) because I want to support a black woman business owner over a white male billionaire.
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.
The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading?What do you think you’ll read next?
If you cannot tell, I have LOTS of summer reading plans!
The last eBook I read was The Devil’s Kiss by Gemma James. I will not be continuing the series, and you can check out my Storygraph review as to why that is so. At the writing up of this post, I am halfway through The Safari by Jacyln Goldis. I plan to read Lie In The Tide by Holly Danvers on my Kindle Paperwhite next. I am trying to keep up with my ARCs and NetGalley’s.
The last audiobook I listened to was The Perfect Sister, a NetGalley backlogged book that I ended up borrowing the audiobook through the library. Now at the writing up of this post I am listening to The Vacation by John Marrs. I may DNF it since I am confused as to what is going on and the story is not keeping me engaged at all. We will see how I feel in another hour of listening. The next audiobook I plan to listen to is The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten, a Macmillan Audio Influencer ARC.
I am trying to read more physical books, and this summer I want to get quite a few in. The last physical book I read was back in March lol (The House Hunt by C.M. Ewan)! I am going to start Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson today when I get home from work. Then I plan to reread Swimsuit by James Patterson. It’s been YEARS since I read it (and don’t remember the plot one bit) and since I need a book with a swimsuit on the cover for a challenge I am doing, bingo, haha!
Title: So Happy Together Author: Olivia Worley Narrator: Michelle H. Lee Format: eBook / Audiobook Length: 304 pages / 8 hours 47 minutes Rating: 3 stars Publication Date: June 3, 2025
Challenges: Audiobook, Backlog Board of Books, COYER, NetGalley, Read For The Stars
Review: This book kept my interest, as Jane is pretty much a stalker girl obsessed with her ex boyfriend Colin. You could see exactly where the plot is heading for most of the book, so it was sort of annoying. The characters are in the mid 20s but I feel like they act immature at times. I did not mind the narrator, Michelle H. Lee. This is the first time I am hearing her voice, and it fits the story perfect. This is a good thriller book and most readers will probably enjoy it. I gave it an average three stars because it just felt average to me.
I received two complimentary copies. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press Early Readers for allowing me to read this ARC and Macmillan Audio Influencer Program for sending me an ALC, which I used Netgalley to listen to.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.
I received this hardcover copy in the mail and I cannot wait to read it! It’s going to be the first book I pick up in June, that’s for sure!
“From the New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders comes an inventive, utterly propulsive murder-mystery in reverse, tracing a marriage back in time to uncover the dark secret at its heart.”
This premise is giving me Memento vibes (who remembers that movie from 2000? I loved it!). This is why I am so pumped about this book!
