Review: Final Girls
“Nothing is wrong. I’m completely normal. If I believe it enough, it’ll come true.”
Let me start by saying that I don’t watch slasher films, horror movies aren’t my thing, and . . . I’ve never read a Steven King novel. (I know, I know. Don’t come after me with pitchforks.) So when I kept seeing a ton of buzz around Riley Sager’s slasher/thriller novel Final Girls
The title of the book refers to the final girl always left at the end of a horror movie. In the book, there is a Final Girls club, so to speak. Over the years, three girls, each the sole survivor of their own real-life mass murder stories, become known to the media as the Final Girls. The story centers around the most recent Final Girl, Quincy Carpenter. Ten years earlier she went on a vacation with five friends to a remote cabin in the woods. She was the only one to return. Now, she seems well adjusted, has a popular baking blog, a nice apartment, and a perfect boyfriend. She still keeps in touch with Coop, the police officer who rescued her ten years ago. Everything is going well. Until Lisa, the first Final Girl, turns up dead and Sam, the second Final Girl, shows up in New York looking for Quincy. What follows is a race against time. Quincy is trying to figure out what really happened at the cabin all those years ago before someone else shows up to finish the job.
I really don’t want to say too much more about the plot, because I REALLY want you to read it. In any thriller, I am always suspicious of suspecting the obvious person as the one whodunit. In Final Girls
I read Final Girls in a day, which is something I rarely do, because I just couldn’t put it down. It’s a thriller without being gory, and with all the suspense you could want. This type of book is not normally in my wheelhouse, but I guess it is now! I hope Riley Sager continues to write more books, because I am all in for every single one.
Final Girls
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton Books for the digital ARC to review! All opinions are my own.
Review: The Other Einstein
“Together, we will become the ideal bohemian couple—equal in love and work.”
This was the Big Library Read (sort a national online book club through your local library and Overdrive) in June. It kept popping up as a suggestion every time I logged into Overdrive, so I finally checked it out. (The Big Library Read books are always available as ebooks during their chosen month-no waitlist!) As much as I loved the cover, I kind of prepared myself for a dry read. But wow. This book was such a surprise. It was so interesting and engaging, and really quite scandalous!
I went into this book with a basic knowledge of Albert Einstein. The Other Einstein
This feels very much like a stranger in a strange land late. Mileva is navigating a whole new world: women in university, learning about traditionally male subjects. There is a huge learning curve for her, as well as for the men. She not only has to figure out how she fits in to the male-dominated world of physics, but also how she fits into society as a woman, and how those two personas can work together instead of against each other. She did not want to choose just one personality (scholar or wife), and this is still an incredibly relevant topic today. We can all relate to wanting a group of likeminded people to be around, and not just trying to fit in with the mainstream crowd. Mileva worked very hard to have that, and she was not always successful.
This was an unexpectedly perfect summer read, and although it also unexpectedly broke my heart a little, it made me think hard about relationships and gender roles, and how much weight is still placed on those things. And please forgive this one superficial comment, but it was hard to see how much of a jerk Einstein truly was. I still think of him as Walter Matthau in the extremely fictional movie IQ. (And yes, I realize how much that dates me.)
Whether or not the fictionalized parts of The Other Einstein
“You are a genius at everything but the human heart.”
Mileva to Albert
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You might also like The Last Days of Night
Review: Watch Me Disappear
“Olive,” Billie says, her voice lower now, almost chiding. “I miss you. Why aren’t you looking?”
“Looking for what?” She’s hallucinating, isn’t she? She isn’t really talking to her dead mom.
I don’t know about you, but when I read a suspense novel, I still want to care about the characters, not just what moves the plot forward. In Janelle Brown’s new novel, Watch Me Disappear
Olive Flanagan’s mom, Billie, has been missing, presumed dead, for a year. She never returned from a solo hike in Desolation Wilderness, and no body was found. A single hiking boot and a destroyed cell phone are all that’s left of Billie Flanagan. Until Olive starts to have visions of her mom, and she and her dad, Jonathan, start to wonder what really happened to Billie. As father and daughter go on a mission to track down Billie’s body, dead or alive, they discover more than they ever knew (and maybe more than they wanted to know) about Billie and themselves.
This story felt very much like Where’d You Go, Bernadette
My one caveat is that I think, personally, I would have enjoyed the novel even more if it had been more about who Billie and her family are. Olive wasn’t explored as much as she could have been, and she’s such an interesting character that I wanted to know her better.
This is such a perfect summer read, for the beach, the pool, or just your couch on a hot day! If you invest the time to read Watch Me Disappear, I guarantee you will not be disappointed with the story. (Or the ending. It was definitely a jaw-dropper for me.)
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Watch Me Disappear: A Novel
Netgalley provided me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own!
[Top]Review: The Dry
Luke lied. You lied. Be at the funeral.
I love a good suspense novel, and those three sentences are maybe some of the most attention-grabbing I’ve read. Anne Bogel recommended this book on her podcast, and when I read the description, it immediately landed on my library holds list.
The Dry, Jane Harper’s debut novel, focuses on Federal Agent Aaron Falk and his investigation into the triple murder that left his childhood best friend, Luke Hadler, and his family dead. After receiving a note from Luke’s father, Falk decides to attend the funeral, and that’s when things start getting even more interesting. At first glance, it appears to be a murder/suicide orchestrated by Luke himself, precipitated by the drought affecting the small farming community, including Luke’s farm. As Falk and a local police officer probe further into the situation, they soon discover that the case may not be as straightforward as everyone thought. Falk must find out whether or not Luke really did kill his family, before the small town community decides that he’s done enough investigating.
This is how suspense should be done. I was hooked from the prologue and would have read straight through to the end if my family didn’t need things like food and attention. The characters, especially Aaron Falk, are so well-written, which can be hard to find in suspense novels. I felt like I really knew and trusted Falk, and was absolutely rooting for him to solve the mystery. The setting is, truly, a character in itself. It isn’t just Australia in a drought, it is small-town Australia in a drought. If you have ever lived in a small town, you know that it can be a weird bubble of a place to live. If you haven’t ever lived in a small town, you’ll get a pretty good idea of what it’s like while reading this book. Harper has created a pressure cooker of a community that is struggling to find a way to let off steam.
Adding to the tension is the side story that Harper weaves into the main narrative. Twenty years earlier, Falk was accused of murder, and he and his dad were run out of town. Luke was the only person who knew the truth. The two stories come together as Falk uncovers more mysteries from the past.
This is a brilliant debut novel from Jane Harper. She has a second Aaron Falk novel in the works (Force of Nature
(If you’re still wondering if you should read The Dry, let me just say that it won an award before it was even published. Not every novelist can make that claim!)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
[Top]
Summer Reading
Images from Goodreads
Summer is a great time to get a little extra reading done (although it doesn’t help my to be read pile AT ALL), and this year there are several books that I can’t wait to get my hands on! Here are a few releases that I’m excited about, and a few that I’ve been able to read already!
Rich People Problems
From the publisher:
“Kevin Kwan, bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians
I have wanted to read all of Kwan’s novels for awhile, and my plan is to pick a weekend this summer and read all three back to back. These are fun, gossipy books, perfect for summer! Crazy Rich Asians is being made into a movie, and I want to make sure to have them all read in plenty of time.
May 23
Before We Were Yours
From the publisher:
“Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.”
This is going to be a difficult book to read because of the subject matter, but I can’t wait to read it anyway. It is based on a true story that sounds like it couldn’t possibly be true, which is makes it all the more horrifying. I’ve heard great things about this one, and a box of Kleenex will be nearby when I read it.
June 6
Camino Island
From the publisher:
“A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a secure vault deep below Princeton University’s Firestone Library. Their loot is priceless, but Princeton has insured it for twenty-five million dollars.”
What’s more perfect for summer than a new John Grisham novel? A new John Grisham novel about a library, a bookstore, and a novelist with writer’s block. This sounds perfect for book lovers, with a great mystery, and just right for the beach.
June 6
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
From the publisher:
“In a graveyard outside the walls of Old Delhi, a resident unrolls a threadbare Persian carpet. On a concrete sidewalk, a baby suddenly appears, just after midnight. In a snowy valley, a bereaved father writes a letter to his five-year-old daughter about the people who came to her funeral. In a second-floor apartment, a lone woman chain-smokes as she reads through her old notebooks. At the Jannat Guest House, two people who have known each other all their lives sleep with their arms wrapped around each other, as though they have just met.”
This is Roy’s first novel since The God of Small Things
June 6
Love Story: A Novel (The Baxter Family)
From the publisher:
“When John Baxter is asked to relive his long-ago love story with Elizabeth for his grandson Cole’s heritage project, he’s not sure he can do it. The sadness might simply be too great. But he agrees and allows his heart and soul to go places they haven’t gone in decades. Back to the breathless first moments, but also to the secret heartbreak that brought John and Elizabeth together. At the same time, Baxter family friend Cody Coleman is working through the breakup of his complicated relationship with Andi Ellison. He is determined to move on when a chance sighting changes his plans—and heart. Can Cody convince Andi to give their love another try, or is it time for them to say goodbye for good?”
I haven’t read any of Kingsbury’s Baxter series, but this one sounds so good! Family sagas are great for any season, but if you have time to binge read a series during the summer, this one might be the one for it!
June 6
The Identicals
From the publisher:
“Just because twins look exactly the same doesn’t mean they’re anything alike–and Tabitha and Harper Frost have spent their whole lives trying to prove this point. When a family crisis forces them to band together–or at least appear to–the twins come to realize that the special bond that they share is more important than the resentments that have driven them apart.”
Hilderbrand is the queen of summer reads, and this year’s publication looks to be just as juicy and fun as her other books. This is high on my summer reading list, and I can’t wait to devour it by a pool!
June 13
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
From the publisher:
“Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.”
So far, this is my favorite book of the summer. I absolutely loved it (Read my review of the novel HERE.), and I’ve added all of Reid’s books to my to be read list. This is a perfect summer read, but it’s not as fluffy as you might think. Be prepared to read this one from cover to cover in a couple of days, and to have the characters stick around in your head for awhile.
June 13
Seven Stones to Stand or Fall: A Collection of Outlander Fiction
From the publisher:
“A collection of seven short stories set in the Outlander universe, never before published together, including two original stories. This riveting, romantic collection includes: “Besieged” (original novella), “Survival” (original novella), “Virgins,” “The Space Between,” “Lord John and the Plague of Zombies,” “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” and “The Custom of the Army.””
It’s Outlander. What more do you need?! For all of us who are anxiously waiting for Gabaldon’s next Outlander novel, this is the perfect in-between book, full of short stories.
June 27
Final Girls
From the publisher:
“Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. “
This is the debut novel from Riley Sager . . . but not really, since it’s a pseudonym for a previously published author. There’s another mystery to be solved there. 10 years after the Sack Man went on a killing rampage, it appears that he is targeting the Final Girls. Will they be able to escape a second time? I’ll be reading this one with ALL the lights on!
July 11
Watch Me Disappear
From the publisher:
“It’s been a year since Billie Flanagan—a beautiful, charismatic Berkeley mom with an enviable life—went on a solo hike in Desolation Wilderness and vanished from the trail. No body—only a hiking boot—has ever been found. But then Olive starts having waking dreams—or are they hallucinations?—that her mother is still alive. Together, Olive and Jonathan embark on a quest for the truth—about Billie, their family, and the stories we tell ourselves about the people we love.”
I’m in the middle of reading this one, and it is quite the page-turner! Brown slowly draws you into the story so that you are fully invested in finding out what happened to Billie, and why Olive is seeing her mother’s . . . ghost? Or something else?
July 11
The Lying Game
From the publisher:
“Something terrible has been found on the beach. Something which will force Isa to confront her past, together with the three best friends she hasn’t seen for years, but has never forgotten. Theirs is no cozy reunion: Salten isn’t a safe place for them, after what they did. At school the girls used to play the Lying Game. They competed to convince people of the most outrageous stories. But for some, did the boundary between fact and fantasy become too blurred?”
The flap copy for this one is sparse, and I think it is so for a reason. Sometimes it’s better to go into a book not knowing much about the plot, and Ware’s books are definitely in that category. After In a Dark, Dark Wood
July 25
Glass Houses: A Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel)
From the publisher:
“When a mysterious figure appears on the village green on a cold November day in Three Pines, Armand Gamache, now Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, knows something is seriously wrong. Yet he does nothing. Legally, what can he do? Only watch and wait. And hope his mounting fears are not realized.”
If you are a Louise Penny fan, you’ve probably already pre-ordered her thirteenth novel in the Inspector Gamache series. I’ve been putting off reading her first, Still Life
August 29