March reads
March mostly brought me thriller reads. I had a good reading month with no DNFs. Looking forward to what April brings! Let me know if you’ve read anything good lately. Here’s a summary of my reads:
LIKED
A bingeable thriller about Lucy who forgot what happened the night her best friend was murdered. Everyone thinks Lucy did it because she was found wandering the street covered in blood. A true crime podcast decides to investigate what really happened. This book alternated between podcast scripts and Lucy’s POV. The book was fast paced, short chapters that I finished this in two days. I enjoyed this psychological thriller with dark humor!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
This is a legal thriller read with family drama and secrets! Following the Devlins - a family of lawyers who has a firm. The youngest son, TJ is the only one in the family that isn’t a lawyer. TJ is a recovering alcoholic who works as investigator for his family’s law firm. His older brother comes to him for help when he murdered a client who had been embezzling. A very suspenseful read - it started out slow but picked up midway towards the ending. I loved the short chapters, it was easy to binge read! I’ve read a few of backlist titles by this author and I can verify that you can’t really go wrong with Lisa Scottoline!
FAVORITE
I saw the excitement for THE HUNTER release, so I finally read THE SEARCHER sitting on my shelf! We meet Cal, a retired Chicago police officer who moves to rural Ireland and fixes up his cottage. He also meets Trey, a kid who wanted his help to find answers about someone’s disappearance. The first book focused on Cal building relationships with townsfolk in the small town he lived in. The pacing of the book was slow burn, giving a real sense to the slow life in Ireland. In THE HUNTER, Cal has lived in Ireland for 2 years and getting more settled. This book had more action and more POVs (Trey and Cal’s girlfriend). Trey’s long-absent father shows up back in their small town and is trying to scheme the townsfolk. I was hooked to both books - Tana French is a POET. I felt very immersed into the books, feeling like I was right there in western Ireland among them. I loved the banter and the Irish brogue!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
I always look forward to anything Holly Jackson writes. She blew me out of the water with the AGGGTM, FIVE SURVIVE, and now this new release! In this book, we follow Bel, she is doing a documentary sharing about her mom who disappeared 16 years prior. Only to have her mom reappear with no explanation. I thought, multiple times, during reading that I’d figure out the twists and turns coming up ahead… NOPE. It left me stunned. It was a suspenseful page turner with a true crime documentary style. She REALLY does write amazing thriller reads.
FAVORITE
I was skeptical going into this book with all the hype and having no interest in this subject (war). This book focuses on the women who went to Vietnam. WOW… This left me speechless. I’ve heard of Vietnam War but this book brings it to life. I learned a lot more that wasn’t taught in history class. It is a heartbreaking read. I wanted to DNF (do not finish) multiple times because some parts were hard to read, my anger was flaring up, didn’t want to see what happens ahead, etc. The book was divided in two parts - the beginning focused on the action in Vietnam and the second half was post-war when the women came home. It covers the PTSD that many veterans faced and the lack of support for them. I could say so much more but it is worth the read. This book will stay with me for a LONG time.
LIKED
Coming off from a heavy read, this was the perfect easy bingeable read. I finished this book in one sitting! Following Rachel, a lawyer and mother of two living in the suburbs. She’s thrown in the spotlight when racy photos of her and her ex high school boyfriend who is a celebrity was published in the tabloids. Rachel goes through a process where she questions her life and thinks about the what-ifs. This was an entertaining read about second chances and choices.
How are the books rated:
Favorite — LOVED the book / Couldn’t put it down!
Highly Recommend — Great book / Enjoyed.
Liked — Good book / Liked it while reading, but will not remember.
DNF — Did Not Finish / Do not recommend.