Never Out of Sight By: Louise Stone ARC Review

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ebook copy of Never Out of Sight By: Louise Stone in exchange for an honest review. 

Short Review Summary: 

Addictive. Fast-paced. Thrilling. 

Earlier this year I read S is for Stranger by this author and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  So of course I was excited to read a new book by her. I'm happy to say that I loved this as well! As a matter of fact, I loved this one even more. 

#LOVEEEEE

I was hooked from page one of Never Out of Sight. The writing is so addictive!! Even though the writing styles and genres are different, I would say that Louise Stone's writing is just as addictive as CoHo's. I could not put this book down. I would have read it all in one sitting had I not started it at midnight. It was so difficult to put the kindle down and go to bed.

#HIGHLYAddictiveWriting

I can't say that I LIKED any of the characters, but they sure were intriguing and this is a book where liking the characters isn't essential. These characters are not perfect and they all have secrets. JUICY secrets. I loved the mystery and the tension is on point. I had to keep reading to find out what happened to Freya's daughter, Zoe.  I won't give any spoilers, but let me just say that the ending was unexpected, twisted, and chilling. 

#OMGThatEnding!

Overall I absolutely loved Never Out of Sight. This book did exactly what a mystery/thriller is meant to do. It kept me on the edge of my seat, I didn't guess the mystery, and it had fantastic twists and turns. In the summary it says, "A gripping psychological thriller..." and gripping is definitely the word I would use to describe this novel. I can't wait to read more by this author!

#GRIPPING

I recommend Never Out of Sight (and S is for Stranger) to ALL mystery/thriller fans.

#YouWon'tBeSorry

Waiting on Wednesday- I See You By: Clare Mackintosh

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature/meme hosted here at Breaking the Spine. The idea behind it is to share upcoming releases that we can't wait to get our hands on! 

My pick for this week is I See You By: Clare Mackintosh. I haven't read I Let You Go by this author yet, but both books sound fantastic. I've been in a mystery/thriller mood since the summertime and it's not fully gone yet! I'm hoping that I See You will be another winner for me. The summary sounds very intriguing and I'm curious what Zoe will find out about why her picture was in the paper. 

Expected Publication Date: April 4, 2017

What do you all think, does I See You sound great to you as well? I will say I do have an E-ARC of this one so I will be reading it for sure. I can't wait to get to it! Have you read I Let You Go? What did you think of that one? 

The Dead House By: Dawn Kurtagich Review

Short Review Summary: 

Unique story with great twists and excellent writing.

I am in shock after finishing The Dead House. I am in shock because I can't believe that it's Dawn Kurtagich's debut novel. If I didn't know that this is her debut novel I would have never guessed. It's that well written and the story is that fantastic. The entire idea behind the book is just fascinating and the execution is magnificent. 

#ThisIsADebut??!!

I LOVE stories that really screw with your head and this one certainly does. I had no idea where the story was going or at times what exactly was going on. The Dead House is full of dark twists and turns and kept me on my toes. 

#MindF**k!

Another thing that I really enjoyed about The Dead House is the format. I'm a fan of any unique way to tell a story.  The format reminded me of a mix of the Illuminae and House of Leaves formats. The story is told through journal entries, police interviews, film transcripts, and more. 

#FunFormatForTheWin

Overall The Dead House is excellent and one of my new favorite books. The writing is on point, the story is different, the twists aren't predictable, and some parts are pretty creepy. The story isn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was way better! I can't wait to read And the Trees Crept In. I'm hoping to read that one before the month is over. 

#BetterThanExpected

I recommend The Dead House for fans of YA horror, psychological horror, and fans of books with fun formats. 

#YouKnowYouWantToReadIt

The Graveyard Apartment By: Mariko Koike Review

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ebook copy of The Graveyard Apartment By: Mariko Koike in exchange for an honest review. 

Short Review Summary: 

Atmospheric, good tension, and slow building. 

 The first thing that drew me to The Graveyard Apartment is the cover, but the other thing that really caught my attention is that it was originally published (in 1986, the year I was born) in Japan. I enjoy Japanese horror and I feel like it's something that I haven't read/watched enough of. Boy, am I glad I gave this one a try because I really enjoyed it! 

#CoverLove

The Graveyard Apartment is an extremely atmospheric book. Due to the atmosphere, the mystery, the supernatural aspects, and the slow build I found it to be a bit gothic. I love stories that are a bit gothic and have a great slow building story, so this definitely was a big plus for me! However, this book is also psychological and pretty intense at times. The tension is really magnificently done in this novel.  I'm a sucker for atmosphere and tension. I don't really have a lot to say about the characters though. I felt for Teppei, Misao, and their daughter Tamao in their situation, but I didn't really like any of them. It's not that I disliked them, but I definitely feel like this is a more of a setting/plot driven novel. 

#AtmosphereAndTensionAreAWinningCombo

There are a few classic tropes, but they are very well done. Also, because it was first published in the 80s that is to be expected. I really enjoyed the tropes that were used and it didn't take away from the intensity of the novel. One part was so intense and then I had to go to sleep right after (since I couldn't keep my eyes open lol) and I really wanted to keep reading. It's funny because I dreamed about that intense part in my dreams that night. I couldn't wait to get back to it and finish the book the next day. I think that part will stick with me for a while. I love that. 

#IDreamAboutBooks

Overall The Graveyard Apartment is a FANTASTIC horror novel and I loved it. I even love the ending that is equal parts awesomeness and frustrating. You'll have to read for yourself to see what exactly I mean by that though. I'm so glad I read this one. It's exactly what I've been in the mood for this Fall. 

#OctoberReads

I recommend The Graveyard Apartment for fans of Shirley Jackson, The Ring, atmospheric/tense horror stories. 

#CallingAllHorrorFans

The Couple Next Door By: Shari Lapena Review

Thank you to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for providing an ebook copy of The Couple Next Door By: Shari Lapena in exchange for an honest review. 

I was really looking forward to reading The Couple Next Door. Especially since I've been in the mood for mystery/thrillers all summer long. I expected this one to hit the spot and be absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, it wasn't amazing. It was still a good read, but I was expecting more. 

#HopesWereTooHigh

The Couple Next Door started off well, but there wasn't anything spectacular that happened. Even now as I write this I can't really remember anything special about the book. Nothing that will cause it to stick out in my memory in the months/years to come. There were good things about the book, but I just felt pretty blah after I finished reading it. 

#NotBlownAway

I liked the story okay, even though it wasn't perfect, but I did not like the writing style. I can't say anything was WRONG with it, but it just wasn't for me I suppose. I kept reading because I thought there was going to be a really big twist. Well there wasn't one. Okay there was, but it was a super predictable twist. The whole ending for me just felt really lame. At least this was a quick read and it was enjoyable despite it's flaws. 

#EnjoyableButNotFlawless

Overall The Couple Next Door is not a bad book, but it did fall a bit flat for me. I ended up feeling pretty split about this book. I just wasn't impressed honestly. There wasn't anything crazy BAD about it, but it wasn't amazingly good or unique either.

#AngelErinIsNotImpressed

I would recommend The Couple Next Door to someone looking to branch out into reading thrillers, but hasn't really read any before. This may be a better read and less predictable for someone who hasn't read so many mystery/thrillers. 

#ForNewbiesMaybe?

Watching Edie By: Camilla Way ARC Review

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing an ebook copy of Watching Edie in exchange for an honest review. 

So if you have been following this blog for a bit then you know I have been extremely in the mood for thrillers as of late. I was looking forward to reading Watching Edie from the second I saw it and I was ecstatic to have been approved on NetGalley. However, I'm sad to say that this one was not for me. 

#Meh?

If I'm being completely honest Watching Edie was an okay book. This is one of those books that's not bad, but it's not great either. I can't think of anything this book had that felt different, unique, or suspenseful. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters either, which is fine, but I wanted to connect to Edie. I wanted to connect to her so I could feel worried for her and have some suspense in the novel. That just didn't happen though. I didn't like anyone or care what happened to anyone.

#NothingNewHere

I did give this novel two stars because one thing I DID like was how the past is told from Heather's POV and the present is told from Edie's POV. That may be the only thing I really did like about Watching Edie. This was a pretty lackluster read and it just missed the mark for me. By the end I was pretty bored unfortunately. 

#AThrillerShouldNeverBeDull

Overall I just wasn't that impressed with Watching Edie. It was fine, but not spectacular. It was missing something different to make it stand out. Also, it missed out on what could have been some bone chilling moments. I wanted a psychological thriller, but there weren't any thrills! 

#WheresTheChillsAndThrills?

I can't personally recommend Watching Edie, however I think that there are a lot of thriller fans that may enjoy this one. If it sounds good then go ahead and try it yourself! 

#TryAndSeeYourself