Tag: adult thriller

Reviews

The Turn of the Key Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Turn of the Key Review

40489648Creepy!

The Turn of the Key follows the story of Rowan who is a nanny. When she comes across an advert for a live in nanny position it looks too good to pass up.

I like the format of the book, the use of the letters at the start to kind of establish all of the details and then backtracking to find out how Rowan came to be in this situation. There was quite a short time frame that the book focuses in on which I appreciate. I think the whole story was over the course of a week, which really enabled the plot to go into the minute details of all the events that take place! 

I really enjoyed Rowan’s character. She was definitely self-aware and wasn’t at all arrogant or above anyone else, I found her to be super relatable and I could find myself really connecting with her and all the events that happen at Heatherbrae. I thought she wasn’t the most likable of characters and I think that endeared her to me even more.  I like the fact that she swore and but some of the thoughts she had in regards to the girls were a little off-putting and didn’t really enable me to trust her completely as a character. Especially when she was supposedly this highly regarded nanny and childcare worker, so I kind of picked up on that and it made me a little wary of her.

Ruth Ware really has a way of creating this completely chilling and creepy ambiance out of a perfectly normal scenario. The atmosphere was a little off kilter from the start and I liked how the technology was incorporated as a way to make Rowan a little more paranoid. The way that Ruth weaves the story definitely had me on the edge of my seat and really had me concentrating on what was happening and when in order to figure out how everything goes down.

The only qualm I had was that the ending felt a little rushed to me. We had this whole, long drawn out, build-up of suspense and in the end Rowan was really just stumbling around while the events took place. I get that she didn’t really know what happened from the start but we are really just told and not shown what actually took place. It was still a great twist and I didn’t see it coming at all, I just thought it would have been explained a little more in detail.

Still a fantastic, nail-biter of a psychological thriller and I will definitely be checking out a few more of Ruth Ware’s backlist titles in the near future!

⭐️4.5/5 stars Dark, unsettling, spooky!

Reviews

My Lovely Wife Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on My Lovely Wife Review

39796904This was a roller-coaster ride!

This book follows the story of a suburban couple who decided to spice up their marriage by murdering people!

I absolutely loved the concept of this book! Reading from an inside perspective of the killers is something that you don’t really come across in thrillers. Especially when the husband kind of portrays himself as the innocent bystander really and Millicent is the one who does all of the dirty work. Looking after his daughter when she is sick and being so in the dark of what his wife is really capable of.

I actually really loved Millicent’s character! I love how meticulous and mercurial she is. Her rigidity and need for order and structure in all aspects of her life and how controlling she is of her family was an indication of how she truly is but I didn’t pick up on anything! She was really unpredictable and I had no idea of what she was capable of. I definitely wanted to know where she was keeping the girls and when she was going to see them, but through her husband’s perspective she really covers every aspect of her crimes and very nearly got away with it all!

I like the fact the even though we are deep in the husband’s mind and we are reading through his perspective we only know him as Tobias which is his alter-ego. The fact that we aren’t even given a name I think proves how inconspicuous he is and how easily he is able to blend into society without a second thought or glance.

I thought the pacing of the book was perfect! We are really given just enough to keep turning the pages and the sense of foreboding is implemented really well throughout the course of the plot. Every page I was waiting and anticipating for when the other shoe was going to drop and the truth was going to come out. And when the climax finally did occur it was totally unexpected and shocked me! The twists and the turns really keep you engaged and the characters and their lives kept you enthralled.

I highly enjoyed this book and I feel it’s one of the best domestic, suspenseful thrillers I’ve ever read!

⭐️4.5/5 stars calculating, twisted & dark!

Book Lists

5 Mystery/Thriller Books Update

by amyleighreads5 Comments on 5 Mystery/Thriller Books Update

This year I really wanted to branch out from fantasy and get into some other genres and mystery/thrillers always interested me, I just never picked any up. So back in February I posted 5 mystery/thriller books I wanted to read in 2019 and I thought since we are now in mid-June I would give an update on what I’ve read and some of my thoughts on these books!

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

I liked the twists and revelations that occur in the book as well. I am not really an avid reader of mysteries or thrillers so all the tropes are relatively new to me. I enjoyed the steady progression of suspense and the flashbacks really helped to establish Anna’s frame of mind and why she is so adamant in finding out the truth. It definitely kept me intrigued and eager to read on and see what was going to happen next. I couldn’t predict any of the plot points so I was definitely surprised when the truth was finally uncovered.

My Rating: ⭐️4/5 stars

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The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware

The overall tone of the book was very dark and foreboding and also very cold, be it the weather or the house and even Mrs. Warren. I finished this book in basically one sitting and I was swept into this story by Ruth Ware’s immensely detailed and descriptive prose. I loved every second of this book. The mystery elements really kept me on my toes; the pacing was perfect and the plot twists… OMG! I did not see anything coming and I was very much surprised and satisfied with how this book ended!

My Rating: ⭐️5/5 stars

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Never World Wake by Marisha Pessl

This book was super obscure and very interesting! I liked the slow buildup of tension throughout the plot and how things started unraveling as the storyline progressed. I didn’t really know what to expect from the premise but I enjoyed the direction the book went with.

My Rating: ⭐️4/5 stars

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The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendriks & Sarah Pekkanen

I love how we are always misdirected in this book. It says it in the blurb to not make assumptions about this love triangle but of course I thought Vanessa was just another alcoholic housewife whose husband has left her and moved on to greener pastures. I was so invested in the storyline that I almost forgot that it was a thriller and when that first plot twist hit me I was thrown.

My Rating: ⭐️4/5 stars

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Reviews

The Wife Between Us Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Wife Between Us Review

*SPOILERS!*

34189556Was definitely very thrilling!

Vanessa’s husband of 7 years just recently left and divorced her already moving on to the next woman, who is like a younger version of herself.

I love how we are always misdirected in this book. It says it in the blurb to not make assumptions about this love triangle but of course I thought Vanessa was just another alcoholic housewife whose husband has left her and moved on to greener pastures. I was so invested in the storyline that I almost forgot that it was a thriller and when that first plot twist hit me I was thrown for a second. I connected more with Nellie than Vanessa initially when I started reading and then when I came to find out they are the same person it shocked me. It really made me stop and look back at what I had already read and see how it all pieced together.

All of the jumping between time periods was also very effective. I was easily able to follow along and again try to piece together Vanessa’s life and how everything managed to work out the way it did. The second half of the book really went in another direction that I wasn’t expecting. Seeing Vanessa’s motives shift quite suddenly from essentially sabotaging the wedding to wanting to save Emma and reading how almost manic she was really propelled the plot forward and made the book as a whole a lot more thrilling for me.

Vanessa’s arc over the course of the book was almost inspirational. There was already so much she had to overcome from her early twenties and everything that happened in college, then to seemingly find the man of your dreams and think that you are set for life only to have that fall through as well. I was happy that Vanessa decided to fight and not just give up and let Richard continue his ways with Emma.

I was very much engaged throughout the course of this book and all of the twists and turns kept me invested in the plot! I will definitely be reading An Anonymous Girl soon to see how it compares!

⭐️4/5 stars Fast paced, addictive, page turning!!

Reviews

The Woman in the Window Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on The Woman in the Window Review

40389527A solid mystery/thriller!

This book follows the story of Anna a woman who for the past 10 months has been stuck inside her home with an intense form of agoraphobia. Everything is going fine until one day she see’s something happen across the street that she wasn’t supposed to see.

Even though this a highly popular mystery thriller I still don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read the book yet, so just bear that in mind.

I found the book to be a little slow at the beginning. Learning about Anna and her life and going through the motions was a little repetitive but effective in perspective as we are really getting a feel for what she goes through everyday. It really highlights how easy it is to be able to survive in this modern era without ever having to leave your home.

The pacing really picked out and continued to grow throughout the course of the book. The major plot point happens pretty early on in the book and then having the seeds of doubt planted into Anna’s mind making her second guess herself really prolonged the suspense. 

As a character I found her to be a little unlikeable yet relatable in a way. She stays true to her convictions and she still tries to help other people and doll out advice and just an ear to people like her. I can’t really fault her in any way as she does the best she can with her current circumstances.

I liked the twists and revelations that occur in the book as well. I am not really an avid reader of mysteries or thrillers so all the tropes are relatively new to me. I enjoyed the steady progression of suspense and the flashbacks really helped to establish Anna’s frame of mind and why she is so adamant in finding out the truth. It definitely kept me intrigued and eager to read on and see what was going to happen next. I couldn’t predict any of the plot points so I was definitely surprised when the truth was finally uncovered.

⭐️4/5 I can see why it was so hyped!