Tropical Girl Reads

She has your back.

And may stab you in it.

Wealthy, pampered Susan is living the perfect life in leafy Kingston. She’ll never let anyone see the darkness she’s concealing behind the diamonds and rosé.

Grace is new to the group, seemingly the perfect wife and mum. Yet no one knows the truth of what’s happening behind closed doors.

Loner Natalie hides the pain of her childhood behind a carefully ordered life. But how long can the past stay hidden?

Three unlikely friends, brought together for a weekly class run by beautiful, friendly, instructor, Jade.

But when Jade goes missing in mysterious circumstances, the group starts to unravel. And as their darkest secrets come to light, it seems that no one can be trusted. Even their closest friends…

A heart-in-your-mouth thriller that builds twist after twist, culminating in an unforgettable ending. This shocking, tense and gripping read will delight fans of T.M. Logan, B.A. Paris and Big Little Lies.

This psychological thriller will actually put you on the edge–this was actually really good!

The story starts with Natalie’s roommate, Jade gone missing. Jade, Natalie, Susan and Grace have all met each other at a gym and the story is told from each of these women’s perspectives, dividing between then and now. One of them could be a suspect with their own agenda of wanting Jade gone.

This thriller is actually fast paced which makes it more intriguing and interesting. What makes this thriller more fascinating is the fact that, Natalie, Susan and Grace could be all suspects. Natalie is a very unreliable character with troubled childhood and a problem of sleepwalking. Susan and Grace’s husbands seemed to have had a tordid affairs with Jade which made both the women suspect as well. There were twists and turns, which is a plus sign of a thriller that made the reader wonder who could actually be the suspect and what really happened to Jade. The ending was what left me unexpected and this all made this book a great thriller to read.

If you are looking for twisted thriller which is unputdownable and will keep you on the edge, I would recommend this one–worth five stars!

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

She’s in your home. But can you trust her?

Newly pregnant and down on her luck, Lydia thinks her fortunes have changed when a customer at the café where she works offers her a job and a room in her plush Pacific Heights home.

It’s been years since Iris’s husband Dean died in his sleep and Lydia soon becomes the daughter Iris never had—making her cups of tea, helping her with the bills, and taking charge of Iris’s daily medications now that her memory has begun to fail.

Then one night, someone makes an emergency call from the telephone in the pristine kitchen. The police arrive to find the house has been turned upside down and no sign of Iris or Lydia. Dark and cold, this isn’t the welcoming family home it once was, and why has the telephone line been severed?

As the police unravel what happened that night, they discover a clue in Iris’s past that makes them question whether the two women met by chance after all. But who has everything to lose? And who is really in danger?

This heart-stopping psychological thriller is perfect for fans of Mark Edwards, Minka Kent and Lucinda Berry. As soon as you start reading The House Sitter, you’ll be hooked!

I am having mixed feelings about this book.

Iris Duncan is some seventy year old woman who hired Lydia and Seth as caregivers. Things seem to be going well with Iris considering Lydia as her own daughter.

But then the police receives an alarming phone call from the house where Iris lives and Iris goes missing.

The story started out good–with the start of police receiving the call. However, it soon became slow burn and boring in my opinion that I almost lost in the story. However, the ending was good, which actually made my rating one star higher from 2.5 which I was originally going to give.

Nonetheless, I will look forward to read more books from this author–worth three stars.

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

HAL MUST KEEP GOING OR RISK LOSING EVERYTHING…EVEN HER LIFE.

When Harriet Westaway receives an unexpected letter telling her she’s inherited a substantial bequest from her Cornish grandmother, it seems like the answer to her prayers.

There’s just one problem – Hal’s real grandparents died more than twenty years ago.

Hal desperately needs the cash and makes a choice that will change her life for ever. She knows that her skills as a seaside fortune teller could help her con her way to getting the money.

But once Hal embarks on her deception, there is no going back.

This is the fourth book I have read from Ruth Ware. Although it wasn’t as good as Turn of the Key, nevertheless, I actually enjoyed reading this book.

The story starts with Harriet Westaway, known as Hal. Her mother died from a car accident and Hal is struggling financially as she struggles with paying rent and paying dues from loan sharks. Hal then gets an unexpected letter from a lawyer, claiming that she was set to inherit a house, nestled in the Cornish countryside. The house used to belong to her grandmother, Hester Westaway.

But there’s a problem. Hal’s actual grandparents had died some twenty years ago and she felt that it was a mistake. But she sets to go to the mansion and when she reaches, she realizes that there’s no turning back…

It was actually…creepy. I felt like I was reading some kind of gothic thriller with all these magpies and fortune telling and tarot reading. The descriptions of the house itself gave a creepy feeling, and I fely as if I was watching some kind of horror movie on the TV. But I actually enjoyed reading the book, though it was better than One By One or Woman at Cabin 13 but not as good as Turn of the Key, which left me hooked into the book. However, the ending was totally unexpected and thus, I gave this book a four star reading.

The characters in the story itself was creepy–particularly Mrs. Warren. Hal was somewhat a naive but courageous character and it was great seen how she manage to bond with the Westaway siblings, Harding, Abel and Ezra. The snippets of the letters written by a girl named Maggie will give an insight of what the house was like back in 1990’s before Hal was born.

If you have not read any of Ruth Ware’s thrillers, I suggest you read Turn of the Key before reading this one. I have done a review on Turn of the Key. which you can check it out.

THE SECOND NOVEL FROM PATRICIA MARQUES, FOLLOWING ON FROM THE COLOURS OF DEATH

A woman’s body is found in a river just outside of Lisbon. Inspectors Isabel Reis and Aleksandr Voronov identify the murder victim as Marta Nunes – a youth centre worker who, like Isabel, classifies as Gifted. Born with special abilities, the Gifted are often looked at with a certain level of suspicion.

In the search for her killer, Reis digs into Marta’s past. She soon discovers that she is connected to a number of missing women. All young, all telepathic Gifted, all vanished off the face of the earth.

Marta might have been helping these missing girls, or she might have been hurting them. But Inspector Reis needs to find the truth about who killed Marta and why, and she needs to find where the missing girls go. Because some of them might still be alive out there . . .

There’s not much review on this one. In my personal opinion, I didn’t enjoy this book at all. It is the second book of the series, the first book, which I have not read. Maybe that’s why I am slightly lost with the book.

The story starts with the discovery of a body of a woman named Marta. She like Isabel is a “Gifted” woman. While investigating the case, Isabel realized that the Gifted women are being kidnapped by someone.

Initially, the first part of the story was interesting but then it got boring and slow paced. I really wanted to enjoy reading the book but ended up being bored with the whole story. However, the ending was unpredictable and left the readers to wonder what is going to happen next.

Overall, it’s worth 2.5 stars

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

The heat is intense.
The secrets are stifling.
She just needs to escape . . .

Nine guests arrive at a remote villa in the south of France.

They know each other well. Or think they do.

But at least one of them has plenty to hide – and nowhere to run.

Under the relentless sun, loyalties will be tested, secrets revealed, and tensions pushed to the point of no return.

This was actually an unusual thriller that I have read, in which I read in one sitting!

The story takes place in France. Ali and Sean comes across a woman named Lulu. Sean is a conman and Ali seemed to be the one who is stuck with Sean. Then Lulu was murdered and Ali suddenly runs away with Lulu’s things. Then people mistake her as Lulu and that’s when the story begins–Ali tries to hide her identity as well as running away from Sean.

I have honestly not read a good thriller like this at all. It was really intense, fast paced and gripping that literally, I was kept at the edge of my seat, while reading the book. Will someone identify Ali and will Ali get caught? What if Sean catches Ali? I mean literally, my heart was thudding as I went through reading, what is going to happen to Ali is someone finds out about her real identity. The author has managed to grip the reader into the story and did a good job of drawing the reader into the story!

Ali herself is an interesting character and the story is mainly told from her perspective. Not only that–each of the character in the book has some sort of secret that no body wants anyone to find out. The ending though expected was really gripping. I read in the reviews that the book has some similarities with a TV show called The Serpent which is based on real life events. I have not watched the TV show but then reading this book made me feel like I was watching an interesting TV show that I did not want to miss any episode of.

This is the first book I have read from this author and I am actually looking forward to read more thrillers from this author–if you are looking for an unputdownable thriller that will keep you awake all night, then this book is one for you–worth five stars!

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

She has my husband. She has my child. She has my life.

I never thought I would end up here. Alone, in a cold one-bedroom apartment, only seeing my precious daughter once a week.

Another woman is living the life that was once mine. I wish I was still married to my ex-husband, the love of my life. I dream of tucking my five-year-old child into her ballerina bed sheets every night. I miss living in a beautiful house, the perfect family home, with a winding staircase and a sprawling garden.

I’d do anything to be with my family again. To start over and prove to them that I’ve changed, that I won’t lose control like before.

But when I get my second chance, the vicious messages come. The noises at night. The feeling of being watched. It’s happening all over again. I know I’m not going mad, but no one will believe me. I don’t know if I even believe myself.

All I wanted was my life back. But now my life is under threat – and my darling little girl is in danger…

I felt like I was watching some thriller Netflix movie on the TV that intrigued me and that’s how I am feeling about this book!

The story tells about Gideon who is dating a woman named Charlotte. However, despite him dating Charlotte, he still has feelings towards his ex-wife, Sarah with whom he has a daughter, Emily. Charlotte tries to be a part of the family. Sarah on the other keeps hearing voices although no one, not even her ex-husband believes her. She realizes that her daughter might be in danger and believe that maybe, someone was playing with her, even though no one is believing her.

The first part of the book was a slow burn but soon, towards the middle of the book, it started getting its momentum. The story is told from Gideon, Sarah and Charlotte’s points of views and each of the character, particularly Sarah’s character is an unreliable character that makes the reader wonder which of the characters is actually trust worthy. The book started getting fast paced by the middle of the book, I wouldn’t say there were twists and turns but the ending…that actually blew my mind away. I did not expect an ending like that.

If you like a family drama with a love triangle, then this book might be one for you–worth four stars!

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