Tropical Girl Reads

The police are here. The feeling of pure dread swirls in my stomach as a million scenarios start playing out in my head. My whole life I’ve expected something bad to happen to my daughter. It is as if part of me has been expecting it. As if I deserve it.

Fifteen-year-old Kayla is the apple of her parents’ eyes, their beautiful only daughter. They tried for so long to have her that she was even more precious when she arrived. But deep down, her mother Sherrie has always been terrified that their worst fear would come true: that Kayla would be taken from them.

Then one day – just as Sherrie had dreaded – Kayla fails to return home after a sleepover. In desperation, Sherrie and her husband Richard call Kayla’s friends. They scour the streets, their search becoming more and more frantic. Until the police arrive and deliver the shocking news, when their worst nightmare comes true: someone has their daughter.

As Sherrie and Richard grill friends, family, and even each other, Sherrie starts to wonder, has the secret they’ve been hiding all these years finally caught up with them?

Because Sherrie and Richard are living a lie. A lie so huge, so shocking, that it could destroy the one thing they hold most dear – their daughter.

And if the truth comes out, their family will never be the same. But if it doesn’t, they will never see their precious girl again…

A totally unputdownable psychological thriller that will have you gasping out loud until the very last page. If you love Lisa Jewell, K.L. Slater and T.M. Logan, you’ll be obsessed with Only Child.

Kayla is the apple of her parents’ eye. Sherrie, her mother doted on her but deep inside, Sherrie was holding a secret–a secret that if Kayla finds out, then their relationship will be ruined. And as dreaded, one day, Kayla failed to return and the police then deliver the news confirming Sherrie’s worst fear–someone has her daughter.

This was a fast-paced nail-biting thriller. This was a page-turner, unputdownable as well and the author did a good job of keeping the reader at the edge, making the reader feel like they are a part of the story. The story divides between Sherrie’s POV and a woman named Tessa who maybe the one having Kayla and who is trying to protect herself from someone. Towards the ending, it got more and more intense and the surprising twist at the end was completely unexpected. There’s a a bit of drama particularly between Sherrie and her husband Richard. Overall, this was a fast-paced thriller that will keep you hooked from the beginning till the end–worth four stars!

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

When the cops pull up outside our modest family home and walk up our lawn strewn with our daughter’s toys, I turn to see the look on my husband’s face, and I know he’s done something wrong. In that moment, I have no idea how bad it is, or that I will end up doing something much, much worse…

All marriages have their challenges, right? But as I watch my husband being put into the back of a cop car, I find myself wondering if I ever knew him at all. Could handsome, easy-going Theo really have killed a girl on our block? Could I have got the sweet, loving father, who makes up lullabies to sing my baby to sleep, so wrong?

Most women would leave him—take their child and run for the hills. But not me. Theo and I have been together a long time. I know his secrets. And he knows all of mine. Well, most of them. I’m the best lawyer in this town and I’m his only chance. So I choose to defend him, whatever the cost.

When I learn more about the young woman found dead in a dumpster outside of my husband’s music studio, I feel my heart pound in my chest. I know her, and I know how close she was to my husband. As a local nanny, they often bumped into each other at the children’s playground, and he even invited her over for dinner once. Was I wrong to be so trusting? And why did he lie about where he was the night she was killed?

As the police begin to pick apart our relationship, they don’t paint a pretty picture, and even some of our so-called friends begin to tell stories. It feels like my whole life has been a lie.

Can I really trust the man I love?

And when push comes to shove, can he trust me?

This was actually a very interesting and gripping psychological thriller.

The story starts with Cass and Theo who seemed to be having a happy married life with their eighteen-month-old daughter Abby when the police arrest Theo for the murder of Elise. Cass is a lawyer and even though the evidence are mounting against Theo, she chose to defend her husband even after finding out that Theo and Elise had been having an affair. Can Cass trust her husband?

From start to finish the story was gripping and the author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story. This was fast paced, and the story divides between the present and the past when Theo met Elise. What made it more interesting in my opinion are the court scenes. The story is mainly told by Cass’s point of view. The ending and the most unexpected twist at the end made me rise this book an extra star–totally unexpected twist! Overall, I enjoyed reading this domestic thriller as it was one hell of a roller coaster ride I had with this book.

If you like a good domestic thriller with a part where the wife defends the husband, then this book is highly recommended–worth 4.5 stars!

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

wo ex-wives. Two missing girls. Will yours be next?

Pulling a batch of my husband’s favourite golden oatmeal cookies from the oven, I smile to hear my daughter Phoebe playing in the treehouse outside. I was once so close to losing everything, but since I married handsome Jackson, I have a perfect life. Jackson might tell me what to wear, but he just likes to buy me nice things. He says I don’t need a job, and why would I want one? I can spend all day taking care of Phoebe and running errands in the fancy car Jackson gave me—he knows everywhere I go, and I love how much he wants to keep me safe.

But my whole world shatters when I find out Jackson is a liar.

He never mentioned he was married before—twice.

I love him so much. But how can I trust him now? Desperate for answers, I search our pristine house top to bottom. I thought Jackson was caring: but is it a way to control me?

When I track down his ex-wives, I see fear in their eyes. Both these women had little girls just like me. And when they left Jackson, their daughters went missing.

Devastated I’ve put Phoebe in danger, I have no choice but to find the truth about those poor girls. To protect Phoebe, I must pretend to still be the perfect wife, even though fear floods through me at Jackson’s touch.

But how far will I have to go? And what will happen to me and my sweet child if my husband finds out?

Elana is happily married to Jackson and Jackson acts as a doting stepfather to Phoebe. To an outsider, the family is picture perfect family. But soon, Elana learns a dark secret about Jackson–Jackson had lied to her, he had married before twice and his daughters are missing. Now Elana wondered if she and Phoebe are same.

This was a slow-burn thriller although towards the middle of the book, the book started getting fast-paced and started getting more twists and turns. You have a controlling husband, money, power and privilege all played out and for Elana, it felt like a complete Cinderella theme. This was all too direct to me, already predictable and would know what is going to happen in the end so I would say not much twists and turns you would normally expect in a good psychological thriller. The characters to me feel like moaning and bland although I started liking Elana towards the end. The ending part wasn’t bad as I predicted that this was what was going to happen next. Kind of had Behind Closed Door by B.A Paris vibe in this book.

Overall, if you like a slow burn domestic thriller then this one is for you–worth 3.5 stars.

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

The old house hides her darkest secret—and there’s no running away this time…

Twenty years ago, Liz left Easthaven to escape the memory of one tragic night at Lakewell Manor. Only she and her best friend Tamsin saw what really happened, and in the aftermath they drifted apart. Now she’s forced back after a nasty divorce, with two daughters in tow, the shadows of that terrible night lurking on every corner. With a custody battle looming, she’s one wrong move away from her life falling apart completely.

So when news arrives that Tamsin, too, is returning to Easthaven, Liz fears their reunion will bring the awful truth spilling out into the open. But when she finally meets Tamsin, now mistress of the clifftop house whose locked gates have guarded the friends’ secret all these years, she’s in for a surprise. Tamsin looks different, and she doesn’t remember Liz, let alone what happened that night…

Something is clearly wrong. But confronting Tamsin means reliving the nightmare Liz has been running from for twenty years. Can she risk exposing what happened that night, knowing that the truth will destroy everything?

Twenty years ago, Liz and Tamsin were friends and Tamsin allowed Liz to stay in her house Lakewell Manor.. After an incident, that both friends want to forget, Liz leaves the small town, leaving behind the memories. Now present day, Liz returns back to the small town and is working as a post woman. As she delivers letters, she meets Tamsin again and something is very off about her.

This was a slow-burn thriller but it actually helped me to get hooked into the story. .The story divides between the present and past twenty years ago and I like how the story was engaging and the author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story. Towards the middle part only it started getting exciting and that was where I got literally hooked into the story. The twist at the end was completely unexpected and I actually liked the ending. This was the second book I have read form this author and I actually enjoyed reading this book as I was hooked into the story from the first chapter till the end!

Overall this book worth four stars.

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

My precious daughter. You have no idea how dangerous the world is. No idea of the horrors I’ve shielded you from. The things I’ve endured . . . our past.

We’ve been happy. We’ve been hidden. We’ve been safe.

But our perfect life is about to come crashing down.

Because they’ve found me. And they’re about to reveal my darkest secret . . . to you.

I’ll do anything to protect you, darling, because if you knew – I’d lose you forever.

You can never discover what I’ve done . . . or what I’m willing to do to keep you safe.

This was an interesting domestic thriller.

Annie and her thirteen year old daughter Izzy seemed to be having a happy life but then soon, someone seemed to threaten to end this happy life. The message demands Annie to give money and if Annie didn’t give the money on time, the person threaten to tell Izzy the truth. Annie would do anything, to prevent Izzy from knowing the real truth.

The story divides back and forth between present and past. Though there weren’t many twists or turns, the story itself was quite engaging and the author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story. Annie seemed to be a courageous character and in my opinion, I like reading the past part more than the present part. Also, the ending to me wasn’t very satisfying but nonethless this was actually a good thriller. Overall, if you are looking for a good domestic thriller that will keep you in suspense then try this book out. Worth four stars.

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

To save your life
You must kill the one you love
Can you do it?
Sarah is madly in love with boyfriend Theo, and can’t wait to go on their first weekend away.

But by the end of the first night, Theo is dead. And Sarah has killed him. But she swears she had no choice.

She was forced to kill Theo because of something that happened a lifetime ago … something buried in her past.

Now, Sarah has one week to find the truth of what happened back then and prove her innocence, before she’s turned over to the police.

She’s spent years running from the truth – but now the choices of her past might destroy her future.

A fast-paced, addictive thriller that fans of Gillian McAllister and Linwood Barclay won’t be able to put down.

This thriller is actually a very interesting thriller and is also an action packed thriller.

The story starts with Sarah stabbing a man named Theo and then running away from the police. But there was a main reason why Sarah must have stabbed Theo. Almost fifteen years ago, Sarah who was earlier known as Rebecca was married to Drew, a petty thief and he owed to the Vincent brothers. Vincent brothers would have hired Theo to fall in love with Sarah. Now Sarah is running away from the Vincent brothers in order to save herself and from the police, as the police do not believe her story.

This was in my opinion an OK, thriller. Though the first part was slightly boring, it got a little bit more interesting towards the end. This whole book feel like you are watching some sort of an action movie with Sarah, the main character running away from the gang group so as a result, some of the things that are happening in the book felt unbelievable. Sarah to me felt like an unrealistic character. There weren’t many twists and turns that you would normally expect in a psychological thriller and not very fast paced–it was a slow burn thriller. The writing to me was OK but the author in my opinion did a great job writing a female protagonist. Overall, this is an OK thriller worth three stars..

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