Starry Nights Over Dragonfly Lake – ARC Book Review

Starry Nights Over Dragonfly Lake

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Date published:- will be published n 1st August 2026

Author:- Alison Sherlock

Genre:- Romance

No. of pages:- 264 pages

Quick Review:- A romance between two lost souls and help each other to discover their talent.

Rating:- 4/5

Are the stars aligned or is it case of star-crossed lovers?

Astronomer Beth Jones dreams of forever love but with every romance ending in heartbreak she’s sworn off men. Hiding out at Maple Tree Lodge after losing both her job and Jeremy, her boyfriend, can Beth discover a new way to keep her passion for stargazing alive whilst putting aside her hopes and dreams for a fairytale future?

Carpenter Noah Jackson doesn’t believe in love of any kind and refuses to trust anyone, even his own, estranged family. But when he arrives at Maple Tree Lodge to pick up a surprise inheritance, a winter storm forces him to stay when all he wants to do is flee.

When Jeremy turns up unexpectedly at the hotel in an attempt to win Beth back, Noah is catapulted into a fake romance in front of her ex. Beth knows that Noah isn’t looking for love and he’s the complete opposite of everything she’s been looking for, isn’t he?

As the starry nights begin to weave their magic, can Beth and Noah learn to open their hearts and start to trust each other?
And perhaps trust the true feelings in their hearts as well…?

Beth moves to Maple Lodge when she finds out that her fiancé, Jeremy has been cheating behind her back. Despite having PhD in astronomy, Beth is struggling, working as waitress to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the carpenter, Noah Jackson at the invitation of his great-uncle moves to Maple Lodge. Everyone knows him as the “bad” boy but Noah loves building boats. Beth and Noah then accidentally were put into the same room. Then Noah helps Beth to overcome her insecurities and Beth helps Noah to expose more of his feelings.

This was an enjoyable read–I felt like I was enjoying winter in the north of England. I do like the close-knit Jackson family and how both Beth and Noah were made to be a aprt of the family. I like how the chemistry slowly developed between Beth and Noah. Beth is insecure, unsure about everything as Noah encourages her to follow her dreams. Same thing goes to Noah. Though the whole story and ending was predictable, it was enjoyable and interesting.

Overall it is worth 4 stars.

The Divorce – Book Review

The Divorce

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Date published:- May 26th 2026

Author:- Freida McFadden

No. of pages:- 368 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Quick Review:- Just like her previous books, this was fast paced, with short chapters. But unlike her previous books, this book wasn’t just for me

Rating:- 2.5/5

What is a happily ever after really worth?

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family…

Then―he kicks her out, hires the city’s best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something.

It’s a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life.

Except, why should she?

Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession―and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger.

But if it keeps her perfect family intact, isn’t it worth it?

In The Divorce, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a razor-sharp, subversive thriller where love curdles into vengeance, and survival becomes the most dangerous game of all.

The Divorce is Freida McFadden’s latest book. I always wait for Freida McFadden’s latest book and so I managed to get a copy of this book. But I have to say, I was disappointed with this one.

Naomi returns home with her five-year-old son, Teddy when she finds that the lock has been changed. Her husband Jeremy tells her that there are renovations going on inside the house and asks her to move into his parents’ apartment. But the next day, Jeremy tells Naomi that he wanted divorce, full custody of Teddy. When Naomi investigates, she finds out that Jeremy is having an affair with a woman named Veronica. Naomi will do anything to get her happy family back and that includes getting rid of Veronica.

This had the same storyline as her other previous books. But like all Freida McFadden’s books, this was fast-paced, page turning and told in the POVs of Naomi (mostly), Veronica and Jeremy at the end. However, I didn’t like the characters at all. Naomi was stupid, naive, Jeremy is narcissist, I think I can tolerate Veronica a little. Naomi’s POV was repetitive and it feels like you are reading the same thing again and again. Plus, the decisions that some of the characters particularly Naomi was making was so stupid and comical.

Freida McFadden is actually a good thriller author–one of the best thriller authors but unfortunately, this book sort of disappointed me. The ending was OK, the twist was OK and the epilogue…well, it kind of seemed far-fetched.

Overall, this is worth 2.5 stars. But despite the lower rating, I cannot wait to read her next release The Witch.

You Shouldn’t Have Come Here – Book Review

You Shouldn’t Have Come Here

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Date published:- April 25th 2023

Author:- Jeneva Rose

No. of pages:- 292 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Quick Review:- This wasn’t Jeneva Rose’s greatest thriller and I didn’t really like it as much as I thought I would.

Rating:- 3/5

Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for a total escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives, she’s pleasantly surprised to find that the owner is a handsome man by the name of Calvin Wells. But there are things Grace discovers that she’s not too pleased about: A lack of cell phone service. A missing woman. And a feeling that something isn’t right with the town.

Despite her uneasiness and misgivings from Calvin’s friends and family, the two grow close and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date nears, things between them start to change for the worse. Grace grows wary of Calvin as his infatuation for her seems to turn into obsession. Calvin fears that Grace is hiding something from him.

Told from dual points of view, You Shouldn’t Have Come Here is a thrill ride and a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when you open up your house and your heart to a total stranger.

The Perfect Marriage and Home is Where the Bodies Are are two of the thrillers I read by Jeneva Rose, which I enjoyed them. So naturally You Shouldn’t Have Come Here got my attention. I thought it will be great as the other two thrillers.

But in short words, I was disappointed.

We have Grace Evans who is from New York and who rents out an Airbnb in a rural part of Wisconsin. We have Calvin who owns that Airbnb. The story is told in the POVs of both Grace and Calvin so we get to know what each of the characters think about each other. There is a brief romance brewing between Grace and Calvin. Of course there is also the case of a missing woman who was actually a guest at Calvin’s Airbnb.

At first, I thought there is going to be romance suspense. The characters, including Grace and Calvin were all unreliable. The whole story to me was unbelievable and unrealistic in my opinion. The ending however was unpredictable but then again it was an unrealistic ending as well.

Overall, this is only worth 3 stars.

Room for Rent – Book Review

Room for Rent

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Date published:- October 13th 2023

Author:- Noelle W. Ihli

No. of pages:- 342 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Quick Review:- Despite the fact that it was predictable, the story was fast-paced and engaging, just like her thrillers.

Rating:- 4/5

Nya can’t remember the last time she felt safe.

The rundown rental house didn’t seem so bad at first. But now, someone is stealing her food. Rattling her bedroom doorknob. Digging through her belongings.

Each night brings more disturbing incidents. And each night, Nya is more convinced that it’s not an intruder. She suspects the culprit is hiding in plain sight: her peculiar roommate-of-necessity, Sidney.

Nya can’t afford to live anywhere else. The horrible rental is her only option. In a few months, she’ll finish her final semester of college—and get the hell out of dodge. But to her horror, the sinister mind games are just the beginning. Before long, she’s forced to face the possibility that her physical safety may be at risk. Maybe even her life.

The truth is more terrifying than Nya could have guessed. And as the situation spirals out of control, it’s suddenly clear that surviving the night may no longer be an option.

Nya is a struggling nursing student who only has one semester off before heading off to Indiana to join her best friend Jade. Nya looks for a cheap rental and finds a rundown house–the rent was super cheap and Nya can afford that. Unfortunately, there is a creepy sense lurking from the house, including the roommate Sydney who seems to be like a creep. Despite Nya’s reservations, Nya moves into the house as she only has a few months before she graduates and leaves to Indiana. But then things began to take a dark turn when despite Nya locks her bedroom and even puts a dresser to prevent anyone from entering the room, she feels like someone is in her room at night.

This was a page turning and fast paced thriller. However, unlike her other novels, to me, this wasn’t that much of a great thriller. Nya seems to be naive girl, probably because she grew up a sheltered life. There were not many characters so as a result, the whole story was very predictable till the end. Despite that, I enjoyed reading and Nya’s experience as a college student brought back memories of myself as a college student, how we all struggled looking for cheap used textbooks to be used for lectures and eating virtually nothing but junk food.

The story overall was well written and engaging and quick to read. However, compared to her other thrillers Ask For Andrea, this wasn’t as great as I thought it would be. Overall it is worth 4 stars.

The Greek Guest House – ARC Book Review

The Greek Guesthouse

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Date published:- 23rd July 2026

No. of page:- 274 pages

Genre:- Romance

Quick Review:- The Greek Guesthouse is a perfect read for summer escape set in the beautiful landscapes in Greece

Rating:- 4/5

Dropping my suitcase at my feet, I stare up at the Greek guesthouse with its faded blue shutters, clambering purple bougainvillea and wrought-iron balconies spilling pink and red geraniums. I haven’t felt truly at home anywhere since I lost my sister. But maybe Eleni’s is different. I have a feeling that anything is possible here…

Annie always has a plan, always knows where her life is headed. But this summer, heartbroken after her sister’s death, she just feels untethered and alone. An invitation to stay at her old friend Kassia’s family guesthouse on the island of Crete comes at the perfect time – an excuse to get on a plane and leave her crumbling life behind for a few weeks.

Before she even finishes unpacking, Annie is wrapped up in the noisy warmth of Kassia’s chaotic, loving family. She soon finds herself cooking with Kassia’s mother, playing with the children under the orange trees… and meeting Kassia’s handsome brother-in-law Alexandros over dinner. Romance is the last thing on her mind, but the night she spends with him, swimming by moonlight and gazing at the stars in the lavender-scented air, heals something in her that she didn’t know was broken.

This was only supposed to be a temporary stay, but the longer Annie spends on Crete, the more she feels that this magical place might hold the key to her future. And as this life-changing summer draws to a close, can she leave her old plans behind her and find the courage to let her life make a map all of its own?

Fans of Kate Frost, Jenny Colgan and My Mamma Mia Summer willlove this gorgeous novel about love, friendship and fresh starts in the Greek sunshine.

Annie seems to have lost it all, after losing her sister Roz. Her engagement to fiance, Tony seems to be not working, she has a crappy job and all in all, she feels like she lives a crappy life. Annie then makes a decision to move to Greece to visit her Greek friend, Kassia by breaking up with her fiance and then quitting her job, not before sending a nasty email to her villainous boss. Together with her best friend Carl, Annie goes to Greece where she feels her life changes for better.

This was a good summer read for ones who love reading romance novels. Annie’s emotions and feelings seem genuine and realistic–I mean I have been in her shoes about the part where I had a crappy job. I love the friendship dynamic between Annie and Carl ( Carl is by far my favorite character in the book) and also Kassia. I like how Annie slowly settles down to the life in Greece, almost becoming a part of Kassia’s family. And even though the romance is far behind in Annie’s mind, I like the sizzling chemistry between Annie and Alexandros.

I specifically liked all the beautiful descriptions of in and around Greece–reading this book made me feel like I was in Greece.

This is a great romance book in my opinion and worth four stars.

The Butterfly Garden (Collector series 1) – Book Review

The Butterfly Garden

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Date published:- June 1st 2016

Author:- Dot Hutchison

No. of pages:- 280 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Quick Review:- one of the disturbing thriller books I have read. Twisty, intriguing and disturbing.

Rating:- 4.5/5

Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden.

In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious “butterflies”—young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens.

When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers. But the girl, known only as Maya, proves to be a puzzle herself.

As her story twists and turns, slowly shedding light on life in the Butterfly Garden, Maya reveals old grudges, new saviors, and horrific tales of a man who’d go to any length to hold beauty captive. But the more she shares, the more the agents have to wonder what she’s still hiding…

This is one of the disturbing thriller books I have ever read.

Behind an isolated mansion is a beautiful garden filled with luscious flowers and shady trees. Inside this garden is a collection of “butterflies”–a group of women who had been kidnapped with their butterfly wings tattooed on their back. The garden is run by a sick twisted man who calls himself as the Gardener. The story is basically about a group of FBI agents who interviews one of the women who survived–who was given the name Maya even though Maya wasn’t her biological name.

Please note, this book is not for the faint hearted–the actual scenes described in the book was too twisted and disturbing to read. I remember when I read Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter, I kind of took a break from reading thrillers for a while. So yeah, this is the same feeling I am getting after reading this twisted thriller. We have the interview between the victim/captive and the FBI interrogators, Victor and Eddison. The interview was interesting but the victim’s description of her time spent as a captive in the “Garden” was too disturbing to read.

However, this could have been a five star rated book, if not for the ending. The ending was confusing in my opinion which lowered my rating from a five star to a 4.5 star.

Overall, if you are not faint-hearted to read disturbing books, then check this book out.

Local Girl Missing – Book Review

Local Girl Missing

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Date published:- August 11th 2016

Author:- Claire Douglas

No. of pages:- 368 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Quick Review:- This wasn’t her best in my opinion, the ending was really horrible in my opinion and the whole story was messy and absurd in my opinion.

Rating:- 3.5/5

The old Victorian pier was once a thing of beauty. It’s also where twenty-one-year-old Sophie Collier vanished eighteen years ago.

Francesca has spent the last twenty years haunted by the disappearance of her best friend. But when she receives a phone call from Sophie’s brother saying that a body has been found, she knows she can’t keep hiding from what happened. With her own secrets to keep, Francesca doesn’t relish the idea of digging up the past or returning to Oldcliffe. But it is time to go back to where she grew up, and it looks like she isn’t the only one there hiding truths.

Claire Douglas is my go- to thriller authors that I buy, having enjoyed Couple at No. 9 and the Wrong Sister. But unfortunately, Local Girl Missing wasn’t something I expected from this author. It was just plain and not really a good thriller.

Francesca known as Frankie back in her small town suddenly receives a call from Daniel, her best friend, Sophie’s brother. Sophie disappeared nearly twenty years ago and Daniel calls Frankie to return back to the town as Sophie’s shoe/foot was discovered. Frankie reluctantly returns back to the town, even if she didn’t really want. But it seems as if past is back haunting her and Frankie couldn’t help wondering that someone in the town wasn’t really thrilled that she was back.

The story started out great at first. A missing girl more than a decade, discovery of her footwear and of course, I like the setting as well. The story is told in the POVs of Frankie and Sophie mostly so we get to know their thoughts and emotions.

But overall, the story to me was absurd and unrealistic, not the type of thriller that Claire Douglas usually writes. The ending was absurd and messy. There was poor character development that you don’t feel connected to any of the characters. Though the book was easy to read and a page turner, overall, this wasn’t that of a great thriller.

Overall, this is a 3.5 star rated book.

Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die – ARC Book Review

Cross My Heart, I hope You Die

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Date published:- will be published on 14th July 2026

Author:- Mallory Arnold

No. of pages:- 352 pages

Genre:- Horror/Thriller

Quick Review:- An absurd book with a weird setting although I actually enjoyed reading this book.

Rating:- 4/5

One isolated cabin. One cheating boyfriend. One plan to get even.

When Nora, Ruby, and Cham discover that they’ve each been dating the same man, what starts as outrage quickly spirals into a plot for revenge. Together they hatch a plan to lure their boyfriend to a romantic getaway in a secluded cabin at the top of a snow-covered mountain.

Only what was meant to be harmless payback soon takes a chilling turn when their not-so-adoring boyfriend is found dead in the cabin. 

Stranded and snowed in, the women begin to look at each other with increasing suspicion. And as tensions rise, hidden motives come to light. To survive, each woman must confront her own demons as they fight to uncover if one of them is the killer, or if something else lurks in the freezing wilderness, waiting to pick them off one by one. 

Three women from different backgrounds, Cham, Nora and Ruby were scammed by their boyfriends–or rather by one person named Jason. The three women began to concoct a plan to lure Jason into this abandoned cabin that Ruby has recently inherited and decided to threaten Jason so they could all get their money back. But when they reached the cabin and when they actually did threaten Jason, someone had already killed Jason. And it is not Cham, Nora or Ruby.

I really like how the story is written in the perspectives of these three women, Cham, Nora and Ruby. Each of these women have different personalities and different jobs coming from different background. I also like the setting of the story, that it is set in deep mountains, where there used to a cult group living in these mountains and that Ruby’s biological parents would have belonged to that cult. The story doesn’t have much twists and turns but then it was quiet enjoyable to read. I like how the friendship developed between the three women and really like the banter between them. The ending wasn’t expected but was good.

Overall, this is a four star rated book and the second book I have read from this author. Looking forward to read more books from this author.

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

The God and the Gumiho (Fate’s Tale 1) – Book Review

The God and the Gumiho

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Date published:- March 20th 2025

Author:- Sophie Kim

No. of pages:- 432 pages

Genre:- Korean Folklore

Rating:- 4/5

Kim Hani, the once-terrible gumiho known as the Scarlet Fox, spends her days working at a café and trying not to let a certain customer irk her. Seokga, a trickster god thrown from the heavens for his attempt at a coup, spends his days hunting demons and irking a particular gumiho. When a demon of darkness escapes the underworld, and the Scarlet Fox emerges from hiding before quickly vanishing, Seokga is offered a chance at redemption: kill them both, and his sins will be forgiven. But Hani is prepared to do anything to prevent Seokga from bringing her to justice, even trick her way into his investigation.

The God and Gumiho is a story of a fallen god named Seokga who works in the police precinct in New Sinsi. We have Kim Hani who had been killing men and the fate world has named her as “Scarlet Fox”. When Seokga was assigned to find the Scarlet Fox, Kim Hani joins him as his personal assistant so she could make sure he would never find Scarlet Fox. However, another demon entity soon threatens to ruin the city to create Dark World and Kim Hani and Seokga must work together even though they can’t stand each other.

This was actually very interesting story and I am not very much familiar with the Korean folklore but however, I actually enjoyed reading this book. I liked the banter between Kim Hani and Seokga, the story was overall well written. The ending was sad and unexpected but nonetheless, I enjoyed reading this book. Worth four stars.

Everything She Didn’t Say – ARC Book Review

Everything She Didn’t Say

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Date published:- will be published on 16th July 2026

Author:- Jane Casey

Genre:- Thriller

No. of pages:- 333 pages

Quick Review:- a fast-paced thriller packed with twists and turns that will keep you up all night.

Rating:- 4.5/5

The perfect place

When Ruth arrives at a cliff-top cottage on the Irish coast overlooking the Atlantic, the last thing on her mind is murder. She and her best friend Maura are spending a month there and she intends to make the most of it.

The perfect crime

But then Ruth wakes up alone, covered in someone else’s blood. Something terrible has happened, and Maura is gone, as if she’d never been there at all.

The perfect witness

Ruth is a suspect, but she’s also the key to finding out what happened. She’s eager to help. But is her version of events the whole story?

Or is the truth everything she didn’t say?

Everything She Didn’t Say is about a woman who named Ruth who wakes up covered with someone else’s blood and her roommate, Maura is missing. Ruth and Maura moved into a cottage near the cliffside to spend a month there but murder was the last thing on Ruth’s mind. Because Ruth was covered in blood, she was the main suspect yet, she recounts the whole story about her life and how she met Maura. But is she hiding parts of the story?

This novel was quiet unputdownable and page turner. I was hooked to the story from the start till the end. There were so many twists and turns, and it was quite enjoyable to read as well. The question of whether Ruth actually killed someone or if her roommate was a psychopathic killer was a burning question in the reader’s mind. I like the characters, particular the two detectives, Bill and Fin and I like the fact that there was a small romance developed between Ruth and Bill briefly.

Overall, this was a great thriller, unputdownable and a page turner. Worth 4.5 stars and looking forward to read more books from this author.

Many thanks to Harper Collins for the invite and Netgalley for providing ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.