If you are unaware what the Buzzword Readathon/Challenge is see my prior post HERE. Last month the buzzword prompt was to pick a book with direction related words in the title and I ended up completing Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough which I really enjoyed! For June the buzzword is the word all and for that my options are options:
All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman
All Systems Read by Martha Wells
If you are unaware what the Buzzword Readathon/Challenge is see my prior post HERE. Last month the buzzword prompt was to pick a book with size related words in the title and I ended up completing All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris which was a little disappointing. For May the buzzword prompt is direction related words and I have a couple options:
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
These are five of my favourite quotes from the last five books that I have read!!
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
“A sort of madness sets in when one is away from society for too long, when one looks out to the horizon and sees only sea and sky.”
My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
“Horror’s not a symptom, it’s a love affair.”
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
“Being unbiased is important. Every woman is not me.”
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
“Remember that darkness simply requires another way of seeing. Be your own light. And just like that, you’ll find yourself everywhere instantly.”
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
“There are so many subtle ways we women subconsciously protect ourselves throughout the day; protect ourselves from shadows, from unseen predators. From cautionary tales and urban legends. So subtle, in fact, that we hardly even realize we’re doing them.”
*SPOILERS BELOW*
When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.
Lux was definitely an interesting perspective. She just comes across as quite lost and without a tether really holding her anywhere since her mother died. Then she met Nico and attached herself to him and his dream and is now disappointed with how things have worked out for her. She has the potential to be a very strong, independent woman but just acquiesces to Nico’s every whim and allows him to be very dismissive of her and her feelings, which then builds up until she completely unloads on him when she is at her breaking point. I don’t really like how she is so blase towards Amma and Nico and I feel like she let them off way too easily, I wanted more of a rage fuelled drawn out fight or argument.
I think what would of made me love this book more is if we had another perspective in the now. Lux got to be a bit tedious at times and even though she goes through this emotional awakening during the plot and stands up for herself and calls out the insanity that Chloe and Brittany created. She knew that something was off with how everyone was reacting to Harvey being missing and then the radio situation but just let things slide a little too much.
The dual timelines I really enjoyed. It gave a lot of these characters depth and added much needed context to the story and how all of they all ended up at this ‘off the beaten track’ island. In hindsight it’s kind of glaringly obvious who everyone was and how they are connected but as I was reading I had no idea. I ended up really despising Nico in the end and I was glad that he died but I wanted to see him actually get killed. To not get to witness it and just have Lux coming across his body like she did with Harvey and Amma was underwhelming.
I liked that we got to read about the journey to the island from Hawaii and there was some action scenes sailing through the storm. The actual setting of the island though was great. The forced proximity and isolation made the tension continuously build throughout the course of the storyline. The addition of Harvey was kind of an obvious red herring to me, I would of been more inclined to believe he was going to have more of an impact had they had just a few more interactions with him as a group. But otherwise the atmosphere was suspenseful, the twists I could not see coming at all and I was overall entertained!
⭐️4/5 stars This was a wild one!
Amy Leigh Reads 