So Thrilled for You – Book Review

Title:- So Thrilled For You

Author:- Holly Bourne

Date published:- January 16th 2025

No. of pages:- 423 pages

Genre:- Fiction/Contemporary/Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5 Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

A terrible heatwave. A very tense baby shower. It will all end in tears…

Nicki, Lauren, Charlotte and Steffi have been friends since university. Now in their thirties, life is pulling them in different directions – but when Charlotte organises the baby shower of hell for pregnant Nicki, the girls are reunited.

Under a sweltering hot summer day, tensions rise – and by the end of the evening, nothing will ever be the same. Someone started a fire at the house – and everyone’s a suspect… Is it Steffi, happily child-free but feeling judged by her friends? Is it Charlotte, desperate to conceive and jealous of those who have? Is it Lauren, who is finding motherhood far, far worse than she imagined? Or is it Nicki herself, who never wanted a baby shower anyway?

In the aftermath, the police put together the facts – but the truth will shock everyone. Even you.

BIG LITTLE LIES meets REALLY GOOD, ACTUALLY in the incredible new novel from Holly Bourne – it’s the book you’ll want to read three times, then give to every woman in your life.

This could be more a contemporary book than a thriller

It’s the heatwave and amidst the heatwave, Charlotte has organized a baby showe for one of her best friends, Nicki. Their other friends, Lauren and Steffi are also invited for the baby shower as well, which is held at Nicki’s parents’ countryside house. Charlotte, Nickie, Lauren and Steffi had been friends since the university. Lauren is already a mother– a struggling mother who yearns for her old life back. Nickie is pregnant but her past seems to be catching up with her at the baby shower. Charlotte is struggling to become a mother after many failed attempts of IVF. And Steffi is the only unmarried, childless person in the group, running a successful literary agent.

But then a fire destroys the baby shower and the friendship between them is questioned.

There were snippets of detective SImmons questioning the four friends about the fire. However overall, the story, told in the POVs of Lauren, Nicki, Charlotte and Steffi tells about the struggles and accomplishments in their own life. Motherhood is hard for Lauren who is struggling and probably having postpartum depression. Each of them are envious and jealous of one another and towards the end of the book is the whole drama and fight between the four friends before the fire. And of course not to put much spoilers, the fire was NOT an arson as the police initially believed.

Despite the fact that it’s not a thriller and no body is getting murdered, I did enjoy reading the book–I am more like Steffi as I am not married and childless so I can relate to Steffi more than to any of the other main characters. There are some funny parts, some emotional parts (particularly when reading Lauren’s POV).

Overall, this is actually a great book and is worth four stars.

Nightwatching – Book Review

Title:- Night Watching

Author:- Tracy Sierra

Date published:- February 1st 2024

No. of pages:- 368 pages

Genre:- Suspense/Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 3/5 Writing:- 3/5

Overall rating:- 3/5

The Fallon Spring Reads Book Club Pick

A mother is forced to the breaking point when her life and the lives of her children are threatened by an intruder

Home alone with her young children during a blizzard, a mother tucks her son back into bed in the middle of the night. She hears a noise—old houses are always making some kind of noise. But this sound is disturbingly familiar: it’s the tread of footsteps, unusually heavy and slow, coming up the stairs.

She sees the figure of a man appear down the hallway, shrouded in the shadows. Terrified, she quietly wakes her children and hustles them into the oldest part of the house, a tiny, secret room concealed behind a wall. There they hide as the man searches for them, trying to tempt the children out with promises and scare the mother into surrender.

In the suffocating darkness, the mother struggles to remain calm, to plan. Should she search for a weapon or attempt escape? But then she catches another glimpse of him. That face. That voice. And at once she knows her situation is even more dire than she’d feared, because she knows exactly who he is—and what he wants.

Back in 2024, there was a huge raving for this book and so I decided to get this book. It took me sometime for me to finally sit down and read the book and let’s just say, it took me a while to finish this book.

The premise for the book was good. It has an interesting plot. During the blizzard, a mother realizes that there’s an intruder inside the house and she is armed with a task to protect her two children from this intruder whom she calls as “the Corner”. The whole story talks about how she managed to evade the intruder from finding her children and getting help, to save her and her children from the unknown intruder.

As I said, the premise was great. But the way the story was executed wasn’t that great however.

There were too many unnecessary backgrounds to the story–about the main character’s mother’s death, which I feel is irrelevant to the story, about her relationship with her father-in-law (who is an a-hole by the way), about her relationship with her family…these story background does not really connect to the whole premise of the story. And also the fact that there were no names for the characters also was a bit bizarre–for all we know, even the main character does not even have a name, which I am not really a fan of.

Because of that, the beginning part of the book was boring–the part where the story got interesting was actually towards the end. I am not going to put too much into the review but let’s summarize the fact that no one actually believed the main character’s claim that there was an intruder in the house.

Overall, this could have been a better book, if those irrelevant parts in the story were removed and if the author could have given names of all the characters. To many, this was a great read. But to me, it was simply OK.

However, I have to say, this author really writes well and I am looking forward to read more books from this author.

Worth 3 stars.

His First Girlfriend – ARC Book Review

Title:- His First Girlfriend

Author:- Nora Valters

Date published:- 3rd February 2026

No. of pages:- 270 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5 Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 4.5/5

Your son’s new girlfriend.

Your new worst enemy…?

My heart thuds as the front door swings open, and my precious son Seth walks in with his new girlfriend Lily on his arm. I’m so nervous. But she’s everything I hoped she’d be. Before long, she’s part of the family and staying every evening. We relax together and have long conversations. It’s a dream – Lily is like the daughter I never had.

But as our family dynamic shifts, the precious bond with my husband and son begins to change. I’m convinced they’re avoiding me and talking to me differently… Am I being paranoid, or is Lily turning my loved ones against me?

Then I receive a warning. It hints at a past I’ve tried so hard to erase. My carefully controlled world starts to unravel.

Is the secret I’ve tried so hard to bury about to destroy my perfect family?

And can I trust Lily? Or is my life and my son’s life in danger?

An utterly addictive psychological thriller that will have you gasping out loud. If you love None Of This Is True, John Marrs, T.M Logan and Freida McFadden you’ll be gripped by His First Girlfriend.

Jen and Todd has a son Seth who is off to the university. They seemed to be leading a happy family life until Seth starts dating a girl from the university–Lily. Lily is a computer science major. Jen’s computer gets hacked and Lily immediately helps Jen to restore her computer back. Soon, Jen starts to suspect that Lily has done something to her computer, including framing one of her colleagues from work and that Lily isn’t who she is. But Todd and Seth both believe that Jen is crazy.

This was a fast paced page turning thriller. There were twists and turns and the whole story can be read in one go. You have Jen, that as a reader you kind of sympathizes since no one actually believes her including her own family. Then of course we have a murder that happened nearly twenty years ago which may have some sort of connection with the overall story. The ending was actually great–the ending was completely unexpected and it felt as if the ending was WTH moment.

Overall, this book is highly recommended due to its twists and turns and worth five stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

She Didn’t See It Coming – Book Review

Title:- She Didn’t See It Coming

Author:- Shari Lapena

Date published:- July 17th 2025

No. of pages:- 337 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5 Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

She didn’t see it coming . . . And neither will you.
—-

Bryden and Sam have it all – thriving careers, a smart apartment, supportive friends and a cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple.

Then Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden – working from home that day – has failed to collect their daughter from nursery.

Arriving home with their little girl, he finds his wife’s car in the underground garage. Upstairs in their apartment her laptop is open on the table, her phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall.

Except Bryden is nowhere to be seen. It’s as if she just walked out.

How can she have disappeared from her own home? And did she even leave the building at all?

With every minute that passes – and as questions swirl around their community – Bryden and Sam’s past seems a little less perfect, their apartment building less safe, their friends and relatives no longer quite so reliable . . .

Shari Lapena’s books are always easy to read and follow and most of all, once you start reading you would never want to put the book down.

She Didn’t See It Coming follows the story of young couple, Bryden and Sam. Bryden works as an accountant at home while Sam works as a hedge fund manager. One day, Sam gets a call from day care that Bryden has failed to collect their daughter Clara. That was unusual because Bryden always picks her daughter up. Sam goes to the apartment and finds that Bryden’s wallet, car keys and her laptop are still in the apartment. Worried that something had happened to Bryden, Sam first calls Bryden’s sister Lauren and then eventually they call the police.

First of all, there are multiple characters in the story–we have Bryden’s sister Lauren, who seemed to have an obsession towards true crime, Paige, who secretly harbors feelings towards Sam, Derek and Alice, a couple and of course the detective in charge, Jeanie. Except for the detective, all the characters in the book are unpredictable and has at least one reason to get rid of Bryden. The whole story is packed with twists and turns and also unputdownable in my opinion. Overall, this book felt like a roller coaster ride packed with drama, packed with suspense which will make you unable to put the book down.

This might not be best Shari Lapena book but nonetheless, it was fast paced psychological thriller that you will never put the book down. Worth four stars.

A Wedding in Provence – ARC Book Review

Title:- A Wedding in Provence

Author:- Alison Roberts

Date published:- will be published on 12th February 2026

No. of pages:- 273 pages

Genre:- Romance

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5 Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

Discover a BRAND NEW dreamy, escapist romance from Alison Roberts. Perfect for fans of Gillian Harvey, Kate Frost and Lucy Coleman In the golden light of Provence two fragile hearts are about to collide for a second time.

Sophie Taylor has spent years creating dream weddings under the Provençal sun, pouring love into every detail—except her own heart. After losing her fiancé in a tragic accident, she rebuilt her life from the ruins, turning heartbreak into beauty for others. She never expected him to walk back into it.

Luc Moreau, the man behind the lens and the one mistake she’s never forgiven. Returning under the guise of Le Phénix, the world-famous but reclusive photographer. – he’s the last person she wants to see—yet the only man who ever truly saw her.

Forced to work together at a fairytale château, Sophie and Luc find themselves revisiting the past they buried. And against the backdrop of the South of France, memories resurface, truths unravel, and the spark they once denied begins to reignite. But when Luc’s secret identity—and their shared history—are exposed, Sophie must Sophie must protect the life she’s built or fight for the love of her life.

A Wedding in Provence is a tender, uplifting story of second chances, healing old wounds, and finding the courage to follow your heart… even when it’s broken once before. Perfect for fans of Gillian Harvey and Kate Frost

Sophie is a wedding planner. While planning for an influencer’s wedding, her usual photographer gets a heartache and was unable to attend the wedding, another renowned photographer comes to his place. That person is none other than Luc Moreau and Sophie knew him–he was someone from her past and used to be her ex fiance’s best friend. And he was there when her fiance was killed in the accident. Now Luc and Sophie work together, trying to set their past aside. But soon, they started working together in the other weddings as well and Sophie and Luc soon falls in love.

This was well written, set in Provence, France. This was actually a third book of the Provence series but you can read this book as a standalone. The descriptions of the places around France makes you feel like you are actually in France. The story itself has all emotional and heart-breaking scenes as well. There was humor in the book as well.

Overall, this was a great romance read and you can read this as a standalone novel. Worth four stars in my opinion.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Homemaker – Book Review

Title:- Homemaker

Author:- Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare

Date published:- 1st May 2025

No. of pages:- 297 pages

Genre:- Mystery/Fiction/Cozy Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5 Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

When a former friend and devoted mother vanishes, a confident homemaker turned amateur sleuth follows an unexpected trail of scandals and secrets to find her.

Prairie Nightingale is both the midlife mother of two teenage girls and a canny entrepreneur who has turned homemaking into a salaried profession. She’s also fascinated with the gritty details of other people’s lives. So when seemingly perfect Lisa Radcliffe, a member of her former mom-friends circle, suddenly disappears, it’s in Prairie’s nature to find out why.

Given her innate talent for vital pattern recognition, Prairie is out to catch a few clues by taking a long, hard look at everyone in Lisa’s life—and uncovering their secrets. Including Lisa’s. Prairie’s dogged curiosity is especially irritating to FBI agent Foster Rosemare, the first interesting man Prairie has met since her divorce. His square jaw and sharp suits don’t hurt.

But even as the investigation begins to wreak havoc on Prairie’s carefully tended homelife, she’s resolved to use her multivalent homemaking skills to solve the mystery of a missing mom—and along the way discover the thrill of her new sleuthing ambitions.

Prairie Nightingale is recently divorced with two sassy teenagers, a mother-in-law who still lives with Prairie. She is both a midlife mother and an entrepreneur where she turned homemaking into a successful salaried business. When Lisa Radcliffe, Prairie’s former friend and a mother that all the mothers in the circle know disappeared, Prairie is curious. Lisa is a dedicated mother and runs a business called Kitty Blue. Meanwhile the FBI is seemed to be interested in Lisa Radcliffe case and Agent Foster tries to work with Prairie. And Prairie must find out what really happened to Lisa Radcliffe.

This was a very interesting read–kind of reminded me of Finlay Donovan series. There were funny parts in the book and it was a cozy mystery so it was interesting. The story is told in Prairie’s version. The struggle being a teenage mother seems real as we see Prairie dealing with her daughters’ drama daily. However, the who-dunnit part seems direct and the ending was expected as it was no surprise. The book however was written well as the authors manage to lure the reader into the story.

Overall this is worth four stars.

Ruthie Knox is the critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels. She writes both mystery and romance, usually with co-author Annie Mare. You can find Ruthie’s books under the pen names Ruthie Knox (mystery and het romance), Mae Marvel (queer romance), and Robin York (New Adult romance). Ruthie and Annie are married and live with two teenagers, two dogs, multiple fish, two glorious cats, four hermit crabs, and a bazillion plants in a very old house with a garden

The Wife Before – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Wife Before

Author:- Sheryl Browne

Date published:- will be published on 6th February 2026

No. of pages:- 372 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5 Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

She says your new boyfriend killed his ex. He says it’s all lies. Who do you believe?

When I first met Jack, he broke down in tears as he told me about the tragic death of his wife, Natalia, on a family holiday. As our relationship blossomed and we started planning a future together, I would lie awake worrying about filling Natalia’s perfect shoes. But everything changes when her mother turns up at my door…

‘Your boyfriend killed my daughter,’ she says.

Jack swears she’s lying, and I want to believe him but something isn’t right. Why doesn’t he have a single picture of her? And why do I feel afraid when I confront him about the night Natalia died? What if it wasn’t grief after all, but guilt?

As I stroke my baby bump, I wonder if I can really trust the man I love. If he killed Natalia, could I be next?

Fans of The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and The Girl on the Train will be absolutely hooked on this nail-biting psychological thriller. Prepare to be gripped!

Kara is widowed when her husband and her son died in a car accident. She meets Jack and the two fall in love and Kara gets pregnant. Jack’s daughter Evie moves into the house along with Evie’s grandmother, Lina who tells Kara that Jack killed her daughter–meaning he killed his ex-wife. Jack denies ever killing his own wife. Kara isn’t sure whether who to believe or trust–whether she should trust her own husband or Jack’s senile mother-in-law.

The story is fast paced packed with family drama. We have POVs of Kara, Evie, Jack and of course Jemma and Jack’s ex-wife Natalia. We have alternating narrators and throughout this book, except for Kara, we don’t really know who we should actually trust i.e. all of them except Kara are unreliable characters something which is suitable for this type of story. There are some twists and turns though the ending was quiet expected however. In fact, the whole story was quiet enjoyable to read with lots of drama and twists that will keep the reader hooked into the book.

Worth 4 stars.

Many thanks to Netgallet and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Broken Country – Book Review

Title:- Broken Country

Author:- Clare Leslie Hall

Date published:- March 4th 2025

No. of pages:- 319 pages

Genre:- Historical Fiction/Mystery/Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5 Writing;- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

“The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.

When Beth was seventeen years old, she falls in love with Gabriel Wolfe who is the son of a wealthy family living in a mansion in the village. But when Gabriel moves to Oxford and that Beth realizes that Gabriel is seeing someone, she is heartbroken and returns back to the village. She marries a local farmer Frank, and together, they lead a happy family life. Or so she thought. In 1968, when Beth’s brother-in-law Jimmy accidentally shoots a dog, the dog is the owner of Gabriel and his son Leo. Old memories swept past Beth as the two begin an affair. Then comes the murder of a farmer and the trial.

The story is divided into five parts–Gabriel, Bobby, Jimmy, Frank and Grace–as all these people have affected Beth’s life in some way. Set in the late 1960’s in the English countryside, the vivid descriptions of the village and the farm in general makes you feel like you are living in Dorset in a farm. The story is beautifully written, capturing the reader into the story and making the reader feel like they are a part of the story. The story is mainly told in Beth’s POV and through her POV we could feel a wave of emotions, heartbreak as she is recounting her story. The intimate feelings between Gabriel and Beth, the intense chemistry between the two of them was well written in my opinion. The book is a Reese’s Book Club selection and there were many raving reviews on this book. And I actually enjoyed reading this book.

Overall, this book is worth five stars in my opinion.

Clare Leslie Hall is a novelist and journalist who lives in the wilds of Dorset, England, with her family. Under the name Clare Empson, she published two domestic noir thrillers, Him and Mine, that were published in the UK and Germany. She has always loved The Go Between by LP Hartley and Broken Country is a nod to it, featuring a forbidden love affair with catastrophic repercussions. Broken Country is her US debut.

The Convenience Store by the Sea – Book Review

Title:- The Convenience Store by the Sea

Author:- Sonoko Machida

Translated by :- Bruno Navasky

Date published:- First published August 7th 2020

Translated published:- January 30th 2025

Genre:- Japanese Fiction

No. of pages:- 304 pages

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5 Writing:- 4/5

Overall:- 4/5

Welcome to Tenderness!

A quaint seaside town in Kitakyushu, Mojiko is full of hidden delights. And one unexpected treasure is the 24/7 convenience store, Tenderness.

At first glance, it’s a store like any other.

Sure, it’s a bit odd that the handsome manager has his own fan club. And perhaps the customers are somewhat eccentric. But there’s a warmth about Tenderness that draws you in.

The bright lights are always on. The employees know you by name. And the shelves are stacked with delicious treats, from strong hot coffee to sweet parfaits, egg sandos to ramen, crispy fried chicken to refreshing soba.

After a while, you get the feeling that whatever you need might just be waiting for you here…

Celebrating the joy of connection and community, The Convenience Store by the Sea is the heartwarming international bestseller from award-winning Japanese novelist Sonoko Machida.

If you are fan of Japanese fiction and read Before Coffee Gets Cold, then this book is one for you.

The Convenience Store by the Sea talks about following your dreams, re-thinking about life’s decisions and making new friends and changing your life in perspective. We have a manager of the store who has his own fan club, the employees at the convenience store knows the customers by their own name, and how the community works together and get together to help each other in need. Overall, this small convenience store changed some of the customers’ life by letting them follow their own dreams.

Overall this book is worth 4 stars and looking forward to read the second book of the Convenience Store series.

None Left to Tell – Book Review

Title:- None Left to Tell

Author:- Noelle W. Ihli

Date published:- October 11th 2024

No. of pages:- 381 pages

Genre:- Historical Fiction/Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5 Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

Three women, connected by one of the most brutal mass slayings in US history.

Lucy is sick of turning the other cheek. Ten years ago, an anti-Mormon mob drove her family and friends from their homes in Illinois. But now, the tables have turned. Rumor has it, some of those same men are traveling through Utah on their way to California. And this time, Lucy won’t run.

Katrina knew the trek west would be difficult. But she had no idea she’d be walking straight into hell. The young mother of four is prepared to do whatever it takes to protect her family from the violence closing in, but the battle to survive will be more harrowing than anything she can imagine.

Sally has just been “gifted” to a man she barely knows—as his fourth wife. Trapped and lonely, she tries to make the best of her new life. But when her husband insists on joining a group of religious zealots’ plans for revenge, she’s forced to reconsider her loyalties. Even if it means putting her own life on the line.

Based on true events, None Left to Tell is the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Though this is a work of fiction, the events and some of the characters in the book are real based on the real-life story of Mountain Meadows Massacre that happened in 1857. In fact, one of the main characters, Lucy Robison happened to be the great-great-great grandmother of the author.

I am not that familiar about Mormons in general and reading this book, despite being a work of fiction helped me learn some things about the US history and Mormons in general.

The Mormons have established themselves in Utah territory. Lucy Robison and her husband are Mormons. They had fled from New York and settled down in Utah to get away from the persecution they faced as Mormons. Then we have a Native Indian tribe the Paiutes who have allied with the Mormons to protect their territory from the gentiles–meaning the non-Mormons. And then we have this non-Mormons, the Huff and other families who are migrating to California for better life. And they had to pass through Utah territory for their journey to California.

The story starts when Lucy Robison’s son Procter dies from an apparently steer poisoning and so are the other Indians. Believing that the gentiles must have poisoned the steer, the Mormons come up with a plan to get rid of the gentiles who are passing through the Utah territory–and that begins the bloody Mountain Meadows Massacre where 120 people were slaughtered to death including women and children. Seventeen of those children survived but was forcibly taken in by Mormon families.

Noelle W Ihli had beautifully crafted this story making the readers feel interested about the story. The story is told in multiple POVs which include Lucy Robison who is thus the main character, Katrina Huff, who was on the journey to California, a Native Indian Sally and Katrina’s daughter Nancy who survived the massacre. The fact that this happened in real life also intrigued me. Not many people would have heard about this massacre, yet that 120 innocent people butchered were too emotional to read. Noelle somehow manages to captivate the audience with her brilliant style of writing. This to me felt more like a historical fiction than a thriller, and quiet emotional to read as well.

Overall I rate this book five stars.