Hi, my friends! I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend and are settling into your holiday decor, music and movies. Here in Charleston, I did absolutely nothing on Thanksgiving. I laid on the couch, watched movies, scrolled on my phone and did nothing that caused me to move for more than 10 minutes – it was lovely! Since being here, my work life has picked up while my personal life has slowed down. Volunteer commitments picked up while grad school has started to slow down. Ebs and flows and with all the change, I needed that break.
I did, however, do my fair share of holiday shopping from the couch and antique stores. I’ll be sharing my full Christmas list on the blog soon but as a sneak peek, I picked up a few items I had my eye on for months: Nespresso Vertuo; Antique jasperware glass; Pink Martini glasses; 2022 planner; and a “Max” bracelet. Considering I’m still figuring out my Austin move (ICYMI – I’m moving to Austin), I didn’t get any big furniture and am already pushing myself to get a plan together. With shipping delays and supply chain issues, I know I need to start on apartment furniture shopping to have anything in the space by the time I get there.
With some of my free time, I’ve gotten back into my first book love genre: thrillers! With so much chaos, I love how thrillers and mysteries can take you out of your current world and into a completely different space. Here are my recent favorites:
The Other Passenger
Rating: 5/5 | Type: Audiobook
Description: It all happens so quickly. One day you’re living the dream, commuting to work by ferry with your charismatic neighbor Kit in the seat beside you. The next, Kit hasn’t turned up for the boat and his wife, Melia, has reported him missing.
When you get off at your stop, the police are waiting. Another passenger saw you and Kit arguing on the boat home the night before and the police say that you had a reason to want him dead. You protest. You and Kit are friends–ask Melia, she’ll vouch for you. And who exactly is this other passenger pointing the finger? What do they know about your lives?
No, whatever danger followed you home last night, you are innocent, totally innocent.
Aren’t you?
Review: The book started fairly slow for and between the accents and timeline jumps, I was really confused. After the book started rolling, the plot got thicker and thicker with a small explosion at the end. This is actually my first time reading a thriller that has the classic insurance money plot line but this one has such a twist. With each character having their motives for their relationships, jealously at every turn and so many plans happening at once, I was shocked to know that, in the end, no one wins. This book was a good mystery but also a great reminder of the crazy things people do for money and for the sake of “public love” to please those around them. If you’re looking for a mystery that’s not scary and won’t give you nightmares, this book is absolutely for you! Plus, if you listen via audio, you get to hear all the British accents which are the absolute best 🙂
The Stranger in the Mirror
Rating: 4/5 | Type: Audiobook
Description: 
Addison’s about to get married, but she’s not looking forward to the big day. It’s not her fiancé; he’s a wonderful man. It’s because Addison doesn’t know who she really is. A few years ago, a kind driver found her bleeding next to a New Jersey highway and rescued her. While her physical wounds healed, Addison’s memory never returned. She doesn’t know her real name. Or how she ended up injured on the side of a road. Or why she can’t shake the notion that she may have done something very, very bad . . .
In a posh home in the Boston suburbs, Julian tries to figure out what happened to his loving, caring wife, Cassandra, who disappeared without a trace two years ago. She would never have left him and their seven-year-old daughter Valentina of her own free will–or would she?
As these two lives intersect, The Stranger in the Mirror hooks readers with riveting drama, told with Liv Constantine’s hallmark blend of glamour, tense psychological thrills, and jaw-dropping twists.
Review: Y’all know my obsession with the Liv Constantine duo is nothing short is stage 5 clinger. Like many of their other books, this one is broken into several parts. The whole time, my heart felt for the main character, Cassandra, as her memory returned and the reality of how she ended up in this city many states away with no recollection of how, began to get clear. So many #RichPeopleProbs combined with manipulative spouses and how the art of psychology can be twisted in the favor of a bad person. I loved loved loved this book and how it tied in the stories of so many with the a tied up ending.
Such a Quiet Place
Rating: 4/5 | Type: Audiobook
Description: Welcome to Hollow’s Edge, where you can find secrets, scandal, and a suspected killer–all on one street.
Hollow’s Edge used to be a quiet place. A private and idyllic neighborhood where neighbors dropped in on neighbors, celebrated graduation and holiday parties together, and looked out for one another. But then came the murder of Brandon and Fiona Truett. A year and a half later, Hollow’s Edge is simmering. The residents are trapped, unable to sell their homes, confronted daily by the empty Truett house, and suffocated by their trial testimonies that implicated one of their own. Ruby Fletcher. And now, Ruby’s back.
With her conviction overturned, Ruby waltzes right back to Hollow’s Edge, and into the home she once shared with Harper Nash. Harper, five years older, has always treated Ruby like a wayward younger sister. But now she’s terrified. What possible good could come of Ruby returning to the scene of the crime? And how can she possibly turn her away, when she knows Ruby has nowhere to go?
Within days, suspicion spreads like a virus across Hollow’s Edge. It’s increasingly clear that not everyone told the truth about the night of the Truetts’ murders. And when Harper begins receiving threatening notes, she realizes she has to uncover the truth before someone else becomes the killer’s next victim.
Pulsating with suspense and with the shocking twists that are Megan Miranda’s trademark, Such a Quiet Place is Megan Miranda’s best novel yet–a twisty locked-box thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night.
Review: Hello, true suburb drama! From the beginning of the story I was convinced Ruby was the master manipulator. She was shiesty, really weird and the perfect character to pin the crime on. However, my mind was quickly changed about halfway through as I realized I was started to think about her the way the characters were and not from an outside view, which when I did, changed how I thought of her completed. This book reminded me of so many suburb, cul-de-sec dramas where everyone’s secrets not only hurt the ones around them, but have catastrophic impacts.
Ace of Spades
Rating: 5/5 | Type: Audiobook
Description: All you need to know is . . . I’m here to divide and conquer. Like all great tyrants do. –Aces
When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too.
Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures.
As Aces shows no sign of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly?
With heart-pounding suspense and relevant social commentary comes a high-octane thriller from debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
Review: Y’all, I – *insert surprised face* had no idea what to expect from this book but my goodness, it was SO good. The description of Gossip Girl meets Get Out (I would say also with Pretty Little Liars elements) is very accurate. I found myself scared and nervous at so many points wondering what would happen next. I felt so deeply for the characters because unfortunately, several aspects of racial discrimination and hate actions were far too real. The biggest surprise EVER was the last sentence of the story. I verbally gasped and flipped for more. *Added bonus: there’s an author’s note at the end that is such a sweet treat if you want to know more about the author and why she put this story together in a way that made it relatable and likely to happen anywhere*
Next on my thriller list are these two:
A Slow Burning Fire (gifted by #riverheadbooks) by Paula Hawkins: Paula Hawkins has held me in a chokehold since Gone Girl, the book that started my thriller obsession. I actually received two copies of this book and the friend I gave the extra copy to keeps reminding me to start! I hope to start before my holiday work travel begins.
While Justice Sleeps by @staceyabrams: For all the obvious reasons, I would love to dig my heels into the latest Stacey Abrams novel! I love political shows, as we all know my obsession with Scandal, and a political thriller combines two of my favorite things. This book is thick and up until now, I’ve been a little intimidated to start. However, with a few long flights coming up, I am excited to take this book along with me. I would love to consider this book for a future two part bookclub as we haven’t read anything like this and it would be awesome to discuss the multi-faceted political queen of the South, Ms. Abrams, in all her glory.
1700 words later and that’s it, friends! I’m still fairly behind on my reading goal of 36 books but am excited to have a few new books to look forward to. While I travel over the next three weeks, I’m hoping to read 2 hard copies and listen to 1 book via Scribd. If you love all my picks and want more, you can:
Check out all my book blog posts: here
Join #LotsofBooksClub, my monthly book club: here
Read along with me via Scribd: here (first two months free then $10/m)
See all my book ratings: here
Thanks so much for reading, friends! Have a lovely week -xo, Azanique <3
The other passenger sounds amazing and how cute is that pink martini glass!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com