Alone by Lisa Gardner, 480 pages

A few months back, I read a book by Lisa Gardner without realizing it was part of a series. Thankfully, I was able to read it without reading the rest but I liked it so much that I decided to start the series from the beginning. Alone is the first book in Detective D.D. Warren series, and is based around Boston State Trooper Bobby Dodge. The story begins with Dodge being called to a hostage situation involving a married couple and their four-year-old son. When the situation quickly takes a turn for the worse, Bobby makes the decision to end someones life in order to save two others. He's now dealing with the consequences of his actions, and realizing that there is way more to the story than what was originally let on.

I really enjoyed this book and have already started on the second one in the series! I was a little disappointed that we didn't hear more from or about Detective D.D. Warren, as I was excited that this is a series based around a female detective who kicks butt, but I'm sure there will be more on her later!

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin, 368 pages

I received an advanced copy of The Escape Room by Megan Golding in exchange for an honest review. The Escape Room is a psychological thriller due for publication on May 28,2019. I'm still not entirely sure how I felt about this book. On one hand, I enjoyed it because it was an easy read and was extremely fast paced. On the other hand, the ending is so utterly unrealistic that I found myself almost laughing out loud at it all. I do appreciate a book that requires little to no thought involved, and that's exactly what this book was. This is a good one to read if you have time to kill and enjoy something fast paced.

All The Rage by Courtney Summers, 336 pages

All The Rage by Courtney Summers is a contemporary young adult novel. It'd been on my to-read list ever since I read Summers' other book, Sadie, which I loved. All The Rage tackles a lot of tough topics, and the entire story is based around the aftermath of a young woman being raped. This is definitely not an easy read, and a lot of the book is hard to digest due to the intensity of the topics. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and thought it was an eye-opening read. I thought that the writing was absolutely beautiful, and Summers really projects her writing on to you, making you feel every single gut-wrenching feeling that the main character, Romy, is feeling.

Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng, 338 pages

The story begins with a house burning down and then details backward, explaining what happened in a seemingly serene suburban community.  Set mostly in the late 1990's, the book is an emotional thriller about being a woman and motherhood.

I listened to 3/4 of this book and then read the last 1/4 because I was desperate to finish it.  The story was so emotionally fraught I just wanted to finish it as quickly as possible.

I wasn't really sure if I liked the book and then it ended and I thought, oh wow, that was good.

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis, 432 pages

This book is powerful, heartbreaking, raw, gut-wrenching... so many things. Heroine tackles the tough subject of addiction, and really puts it into perspective that addiction doesn't target just one type of person. The main character of this book is Mickey, a successful high-school softball player who is aspiring to play in college. Those dreams seemingly fly out the window when Mickey is injured in a car accident. Prescribed Oxycontin for her pain, Mickey realizes that she can get back to her normal life quicker if she takes an extra pill here and there. But, she's not an addict- she's just doing what's best for her recovery path. When the pills run out, Mickey runs into a woman who sells Oxycontin on the side. She decides to buy from her, just so that she can hopefully heal in time for softball season. Mickey is aware of the opioid epidemic in her small town, but that's not her. Her doctor prescribed her Oxy, so it's completely fine if she's still taking it. As the book goes on, you slowly, painfully watch as Mickey becomes addicted to drugs, unaware of what's happening to herself. I'm always looking for books that scare me, and this book truly did. It is horrifying to me how easily someone can become addicted to something that was originally prescribed by a doctor. I think this book is such a great read, and so eye-opening.

Fallout by Sara Paretsky, 304 pages

I have no good excuse as to why it took me so long to read "Fallout."  This is book #18 in Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski mystery series.  V.I. is a tough and smart female private investigator based in Chicago.  In this outing she travels to Lawrence, KS to find an aging actress and her young biographer who have disappeared from Chicago.

As usual Paretsky delivers smart writing, an engaging fast-paced story and plenty (but not too much) grit.  Happily, in the time it took me to get around to reading this one Sara Paretsky has published another V.I. Warshawski novel.  "Shell Game" is on deck to be read darned soon!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, 336 pages

I was surprised by how much I liked this book at the end, because I was about to give it up about half-way through. The Silent Patient is a slow-burner, with a very explosive, twisty ending, so I'm glad I stuck with it. This is the type of thriller that really doesn't have much going on until that major twist in the end, which I feel is so risky because if you consider yourself an armchair detective like myself, you risk spoiling the entire story if you figure it out early on. I, thankfully, didn't figure it out like that with this one, and was genuinely surprised and shocked by the ending.

The Drowning by J.P. Smith, 336 pages

This book was so creepy! I think this would be a great summer read, as it's based around a creepy old summer camp that has a dark, sinister history surrounding it. I really liked this book and haven't been able to put it down for the last two days. The main character, Alex, was horrible, but that's intentional on the author's part. I do wish that the ending gave more closure, but that's my only complaint! There were lots of twists in the story that made me think I was on the right path, and then another twist would come in and completely throw me off.

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson, 352 pages

Never Have I Ever is a domestic thriller that is scheduled to be published in July 2019. I decently enjoyed this book, but I did find it a little too unrealistic for my liking. There is a major twist, though, that saved the whole thing for me! Unfortunately, I found the characters really unlikable and frustrating to no end. My main issue with this book was that the plot had such potential, and the author went an entirely wrong direction with it, in my opinion.

Since We Last Spoke by Brenda Ruffener, 287 pages

This was a hard book to read subject wise but you know that's a possibility by the blurb on the back.  I kept putting the book down but then almost instantly picking it back up because I had to know what happened. I didn't cry until the end of the book at which point I started sobbing. It's the type of book that I hope everyone will read. It brings to light things people don't always want to talk about but should. Grief should never be bottled up. Teen readers and adults readers will both get a lot from this book.