Tag: psychological thriller

Book Review: No Exit by Taylor Adams

Another thriller I picked up was “No Exit” by Taylor Adams. The blurb seemed interesting; however, the book is totally different from what I expected. It’s more intense than a mystery. The book is about Darby Thorne, a college student who gets very badly stranded by a blizzard at a highway rest stop in the middle of nowhere. She is not alone but with four complete strangers, and she has to spend the night with them. Then she discovers that one of the parked cars has a little girl locked inside, and the story gets intense.

OMG, this book is so intense, there is literally no time to breathe in between, nor for Darby, and none for the readers. I felt that this book had a lot of potholes, and the only thing that kept me on the edge was the intensity of Darby running to save her life. Just like any typical thriller character, Darby was an absolute idiot at the beginning. At first, I thought she might be using her brain, but no, my assumption was wrong.

She is with four strangers and she is guessing by their clothes who is good and who is bad, which should never be done because clothes tell nothing, nor do the good behaviour that strangers pretend to have. The second, the stranger started being good with Darby, I knew it was a huge red flag, but Darby didn’t see it. I was so confused throughout the book about whether I should be mad at Darby for sharing everything with the stranger or pray that she survives.

The culprit was revealed very early, according to me, and then the plot twist happened, and I was expecting it after reading so many thrillers. The book is totally about Darby and the girl running away from the culprit and surviving the blizzard. So many times they could have been saved; however, the situation made it worse.

I can guarantee you that throughout the whole book, you are going to scream at Darby to save her life and be out of the situation, as well as pray that she doesn’t get caught. The plot is all about the chase between Darby and the culprit, and it’s too intense; I could feel Darby breathing for her life.

If you are expecting that this thriller is all bout mystery and plot twists, then this book might not be for you, but if you are expecting crazy chase and intense fight, then please go ahead.

Rating: 3/5(please check trigger warnings)

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

The amount of time I have heard people talk about this book, especially the middle plot twist, is what made me pick this book right away. The thriller book I am talking about is I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. This book is about a mother, Jenna Gray, who, in a tragic accident, lost her son, Jacob. She is not able to cope with being in a house filled with memories of her son, so she decided to move to a small cottage on the Welsh coast. At the beginning, she started feeling better; however, suddenly her haunting past secrets seemed to follow her there.

The book is divided into two parts as well as two points of view. One, we have Jenna’s point of view from the first person and then the detective working on the case from the third person. I won’t lie, it took me some time to get the hang of different pov’s. I can’t really talk about the characters as there are spoilers pretty much in it. But the characters are not what we expect them to be, and it’s obvious that it’s a thriller book.

I went into this book thinking something absolutely different, and you might as well, but OMG, the middle plot twist. What was even that? I don’t think anyone could get it because it is so distinct and extraordinary. The plot twist happened so randomly that I read that again and again in order to understand what happened. There are many suspects which make it impossible to guess the plot twist. The plot is definitely confusing as there are two points of view, and the author did a great job of adding elements in a way that we can’t get the plot twist.

The storyline, as I said, is something totally different because I felt it was mostly romance, with thriller being a sub-genre. I think that the book was a little long, as most of the time there was just romance and not any thriller. I had to make sure that I was reading a thriller, not a romance book. Some detective parts felt unnecessary as they mostly focused on romance rather than solving the case.

The plot twists and the story are pretty good for a thriller book, as it gave me a headache, but the romance part killed it for me because I felt that it was unnecessary at some point, which made the book feel long. But the plot twists are really good, so maybe give it a try.

Rating: 3/5(please check trigger warnings)

Side Note: I just want to clarify that this is entirely my opinion; you are free to love this book, and I am free to give my opinion on this book. I would be very happy if you loved this book, but please do not take this review to heart; it is okay to have different tastes. Thank You.

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager

Yes, I am in my thriller era and will be in it for a long time. The next thriller pick of mine was The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager. I read so many good things about his writing, so I knew I had to pick, and I started with this book. The book follows the story of Casey Fletcher, an actress whose husband recently passed away, and she is trying to escape the press. So she retreated to her family’s lake house to find peace. However, the house across the lake was recently bought by a couple, Tom and Katherine Royce. The couple from outside seemed glamorous; however, as Casey from her house started spying on the couple through binoculars, things went absolutely crazy.

Let’s start with the character of Casey Fletcher, just like everyone says, never trust anyone in a thriller book. Even when the story is told from the main character’s point of view, that doesn’t mean they are not crazy. I couldn’t believe what I read when the plot twist happened; my jaw was on the floor, and I’m not exaggerating. I don’t think so, anyone would get the plot twist because the writer, through his writing, made everything so clear yet clever. I will just say Casey is absolutely crazy, but in a good way for a thriller book.

Then we have the couple, living across the lake and just like the description, there is a problem going on between the couple; however, I would say it can be deceitful. I don’t think so, I can say more otherwise it won’t be fun. However, it’s so good, the plot twists OMG what?!?!?! I really want to talk to the writer because what was he thinking writing the plot twist?

Then we have the plot, basically a drunkard girl who is trying to find peace, finds that the couple across the lake is not what they seem, as Katherine goes missing, and Casey thinks it’s Tom who has unalived her. And now she is trying to investigate, simple, right? No, it’s all deceitful in a good way. I absolutely couldn’t get the plot twists, and I don’t think anyone could because it’s so different and jaw-dropping. No, I seriously want to talk to the writer because the plot twist was mind-blowing and nobody can guess it because it’s so out of the world. And all the plot twists just come out at the same time, connecting the story, that’s my favourite part.

I highly recommend it if you want to read something different and jaw-dropping.

Rating: 5/5(please check trigger warnings)

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: Confessions by Kanae Minato

I just watched a recommendation for this book, and the synopsis was so intriguing that I immediately read it. This was originally written in Japanese and then translated into English. When I tell you, my mind went crazy after reading this, because it’s truly a psychological thriller. Yuko Moriguchi is a single mom of a four-year-old girl, Manami. She is her everything until an accident took Manami away from her. But Yuko knows it was not an accident, but her pupils killed her daughter, and now she is out for revenge.

The book is from many points of view, which makes it very interesting for me. When I say it’s revenge, it doesn’t mean physical harm, but mental harm. Yuko is one of the best characters because she took her revenge in such an interesting way without any physical torture, but mental torture. I was shocked on every page because the book is written very clearly and simply. The character tells the story in a letter or lecture manner, and OMG, it’s phenomenal.

The plot is simple about the incident of the child, and the people who are related to it are talking about the same. However, it’s very unique and unexpected because revenge is all about the mental and psychological way, which I loved.

I went into this book thinking something else and more like a detective vibe, however, it’s all psychological. My head was spinning the whole time I was reading this book, and the plot twists made it more intriguing. There are many characters; however, I do not want to spoil anything, that’s why I am just talking about Yuko. The book talks about mental issues and how they relate to the incident, and it’s so freaking interesting. I don’t think so, I have read such a unique book in my life.

I highly recommend it, please just read it.

Rating: 4.5/5(please check trigger warnings)

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

I picked this book after seeing so many positive reviews about the plot twist, and I was having a hard time finding a good thriller. In this book, we get to read the mystery behind people disappearing. First, Shelby Tebow went missing, and not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanished without any trace. Now, after 11 years, Delilah returns shockingly, and now everyone wants to know what happened, but nobody is ready for it.

Let’s start with the plot, and to be honest, it’s heartbreaking and really sad at the beginning, but as we move on with the story, the thriller aspect emerges. The writer did an incredible job of confusing the reader about who the culprit might be, as she introduced numerous characters and their connections to the victim. Because of this, I was not able to guess what the plot twist was. The story is different and fast-paced. I liked that it was not at all confusing, and everything ultimately made sense.

Now talking about the plot twist, I won’t lie, it was jaw-dropping, but not thrilling. The writer has added numerous characters and their plot lines, which would have made more sense; however, the plot twist was so random that I couldn’t digest it within the context of the book’s story. The plot twist definitely needs to be unexpected; however, in this book, I felt that it didn’t fit, it was so random that it made me dumbfounded. It was out of the box because there was not at all a hint about what the plot twist was from the beginning; it came out of nowhere. It was like another chapter, and boom, we got to know what exactly happened. I just felt that how the story started and the suspense the author added in the book didn’t tie up with the plot twist; it just didn’t fit. There could be more interesting plot twists that could have happened given the characters the author has created.

There are many characters in the book, and I have so many suspects; however, as I said, there is no hint about the plot twist, so it did shock me. There are many characters, and it doesn’t really focus on one, like we have the past story from Meredith’s point of view and the present story from her neighbour, Kate and her son, Leo.

I just wish the writer had used one of the other characters that she introduced in the book as the main part of the story, rather than such a random one.

The book is fast-paced and really easy to read, so I recommend it.

Rating: 3/5

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

I came straight after reading the book to write my review because I felt insane about what I just read minutes ago. This book is insane, and my head is spinning at a high rate. The book follows the story of Alix Summer, a famous podcaster and a woman named Josie Fair whose past is full of pain. Josie and Alix share the same birthday, and Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcast and comes up with a plan that she might be a good subject for Alix’s podcast.

Let’s start with the character of Alix. I can’t believe she is a famous podcaster who interviews so many people and can’t even tell how a person is. I found Alix’s character to be so unrealistic that I hated her; she was the reason why things turned out that way in the end. She is such a famous podcaster and has a family, and she is so okay with inviting a random lady she met by accident just a few days ago to her house and letting her stay as well. I wanted to throw the book at her because she meets so many people and can’t tell a person’s nature, that’s impossible. Definitely the dumb character in the thriller I hate, and guess what, she is also the main character. She is to blame for everything, by the way.

Josie, what a character! She is someone who will gaslight and manipulate people so easily, but only a naive person like Alix, the famous podcaster, will believe it. The author has not exactly gone into her mind, but very simply, through her talks, we get to know her character. Then, too, her character was intense to read. The end was unexpected, actually, that’s more like the plot twist. We might think Josie is the main character, but no, it’s Alix as she gets tangled in her own mess she created, and she can’t even clean that up ever.

The plot is excellent. I won’t say there are any plot twists because it’s very clear what is happening. I think it’s more frustrating to see Alix’s character and realise how dumb she could be given her profession. The book is very fast-paced, and I read it in less than 24 hours. The second half of the book was pretty intense and thrilling.

The book is more like a warning than a thriller about how we should never trust a stranger and not bring them home if we have a family, because we never know what that stranger can do, and it can lead to a forever loss like what happened to Alix.

There are no plot twists, everything is clear as water; however, the last ending, OMG, is what made my mind go spinning because wow. It was definitely unexpected, and in a thriller, we never trust any person, no matter what, and that’s what the ending says.

I highly recommend this book.

Rating: 4/5

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: Grave Matter by Karina Halle

Seriously, it is one of the most underrated books I have read. The book Grave Matter by Karina Halle is a gothic fiction, psychological thriller, and science fiction and OMG, what a book it was. I just recently finished it, and I know I need to write about it ASAP. So this book follows an aspiring mycologist, Sydney Denik, who is getting a second chance at life. When a dream opportunity came in the form of working in a prestigious foundation, how could Sydney deny it? However, the prestigious foundation is not what one can imagine; it is isolated, with no outside connection, and everyone around her is hiding secrets. How is Sydney going to survive in the middle of nowhere with people hiding secrets and finding herself falling for one of the residents of the foundation?

Let’s start with the character of Sydney Denik. Just like every horror book, she is very dumb. Seriously, there is no single cell left in her brain. I thought she would be smart at first, but boy, I was so wrong. The entire book is in her POV, and I felt that I was in her brain. I wouldn’t say she was a complex character, but what was happening to her was definitely creepy. The book is more focused on the plot rather than the character, so there is nothing more to say about Sydney.

Then we have Wes, the MMC, and as I said, the book is in Sydney’s POV there was nothing much about his character. However, through her POV, we get to know how obsessive he was. Through him, we only get to see the love he had for Sydney; the boy did everything for Sydney. They have great chemistry, and the instant connection they felt was definitely a spoiler.

Now, the main thing that kept me hooked to the book was the PLOT. There was not a single moment in the book where I was bored because Karina Halle’s writing was so intriguing and fast-paced. The plot was outstanding, and even though there were technical terms as it is science fiction however everything was written so easily that I understood it so well. I understood what was happening pretty much early in the book but still, the end plot twist I didn’t see it coming at all.

I truly enjoyed the vibe of the book and the ending as well. The plot is complex, but the writing isn’t, so I think that was the reason I vibed with the book. There was so much creepiness, and at one point, I was truly confused if Sydney would ever make it alive or not. The book was perfectly balanced with mystery, romance, sci-fi, and horror, which made the storyline interesting.

If you would like to read a mixture of horror romance and science fiction, I highly recommend this book.

Rating: 4/5 (Please check trigger warnings)

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

Clearly, we can see that I am in my thriller era and my next pick was What Lies Between Us by John Marrs, it was my first book by this author. The book follows the story of a mother and a daughter, Maggie and Nina. However, their relationship is very different from that of a typical mother-daughter relationship. Every night Nina helps Maggie after dinner to go to the attic and ties her with heavy chains that keep her there. Because Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she has done to her. Also, there are many secrets that Maggie has kept that Nina doesn’t know and she will keep it that way no matter what.

I don’t really know what I felt while reading this because it is more than a thriller, there are thrilling vibes however it is not exactly like a thriller book but more a horror story between a daughter and a mother. Nina’s character is one of the most dangerous characters I have ever read in a thriller. The way she was from the start showed and gave me all the hints of the plot twist. I was actually traumatized by Nina, her point of view was so aggressive and just out there, it’s crazy.

Maggie’s character shows a lot to the readers. I can understand she loved Nina a lot and would do anything for her but I felt like if she asked for help a lot of people would be alive. But a mother can go to any extent to save her daughter. I was so shocked reading how Maggie, the mother, did anything possible to save her daughter, Nina.

The storyline is very traumatizing and very deep. The book gave me a headache because there are shocking revelations throughout, and all of them are deeply disturbing. The plot twists were not shocking at all because I guessed almost all right, and that is what makes it not a thriller for me but more of a horror story about a daughter and a mother. Because as the revelations are made, the story turns crazier.

The vibe is so creepy and I was shocked by what I was reading. Nina is a very complex character and reading her different phases of life gave me creeps and I can never forget her character. The book gave me a headache in what I was reading, however, I felt it was more horror than a thriller. And the book was kind of slow so that did not fit right with me. The setting is very disturbing as well as the characters of Maggie and Nina.

I wouldn’t put out there to recommend this book but if you want to read please check the trigger warnings.

Rating: 3/5 (Please check trigger warnings)

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: Verity by Colleen Hoover

This is the only Colleen Hoover book I have read and this book is so crazy. This is a psychological thriller book with romance as a subplot. So it focuses on Lowen Ashleigh who is struggling as a writer and is about to go bankrupt. Jeremy Crawford is the husband of bestselling author, Verity Crawford. However Verity is severely injured, so he hired Lowen to complete his wife’s remaining books. She started living with them and one day found a disturbing manuscript of Verity and from that point, her life changed completely.

So I read this book after reading The Housemaid by Freida McFadden and if you have read it you know that the characters are the same in both the books, two women and one man. So I already know the plot between the three of them and what it would be, however, the suspense and plot of the books are totally different. The book Verity is very fast-paced and you won’t realize how much you are engaged until the suspense starts to keep you on the edge of the seat. The plot is astonishing as the manuscripts are so disturbing. My mind was having an internal battle because if I were in the place of Lowen I would have packed my bags the first day and would love to go bankrupt but again in thrillers characters are supposed to be dumb and curious. Apart from manuscripts, Verity herself was deranged which adds another bone-chilling point to the book.

Jeremy Crawford, I don’t know what to say about this character because you can’t figure him out. The way he is written, he is just too good as a person which means in a thriller he should be on the top of the list as a prime suspect. Verity, she is crazy however the book doesn’t let you know the truth, so it is up to you to decide what you feel about her. Lowen is the main storyteller of the book and there is nothing extraordinary about her except the shocks she gets when she reads the manuscripts.

The book ending left me gasping, that is all I am going to say, and it is up to you to figure it out. So the book is delivered into POV, first Lowen’s current POV and second Verity’s POV through her manuscripts. So the audience is divided into a team letter or a team manuscript. Or maybe Jeremy is the real psychopath, nobody knows that.

I wish I could say that this is the best thriller book I have read but the romance ruined it for me. I can’t stand romance in a thriller book. And in this book, it was so cheap and unrealistic. The setting is definitely creepy and brings more thriller to the book. But this book is still in my mind, I read this almost a year ago but I still remember everything because of the ending. I think that fulfills the main aspect of the thriller and the author did an incredible job of writing the book in a way that will make you gasp every time you remember this book.

I will definitely recommend this book.

Rating: 4/5 (Please check trigger warnings)

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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