Strawberry Patch Pancake House – Book Review

Title:- The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

Author:- Laurie Gilmore

Date published:- March 18th 2025

No. of pages:- 361 pages

Genre:- Romance/Cozy

Rating:-

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

Overall rating:- 4/5

Fall in love with the brand new spring romance set in Dream Harbor, from the bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Café.

As a renowned chef, single-dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive.

Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when Mayor Kelly suggests Archer is looking for a nanny, and Iris might be available, she shudders at the thought. But in need of money she reluctantly agrees.

As Archer and Iris get used to their new roles, is it possible that they might have more in common than they first thought, or is Olive just determined to play match-maker…

This is the fourth book of the Dream Harbor series. You can read this book as a standalone though however, there are some certain characters in the book that you would want to know their backgrounds before reading this book.

Archer is a world-renowned chef working in Paris. He comes to Dream Harbor when he gets the news from the lawyer that he is now a father. A father to a daughter named Olive whose mother passed away in an accident and Archer was listed as the next guardian. Archer didn’t really have plans to live in Dream Harbor long time and being a father is a new concept to him. And he just got a job to work as a chef in a local diner. Now he needs a nanny to look after Olive while he is at work. Iris (who get first introduced in the 3rd book of the Dream Harbor series) never seems to hold a stable job. She is on the verge of getting evicted from her apartment and she is in between the jobs. So when she got a job offer as a nanny, she was not really sure as she never had experience with working children before. But she accepts the job offer as if involves staying in the house. As Iris begins her job, Archer couldn’t help but notice Iris in a different light, and Iris knows it’s a bad to be in a relationship with your boss.

This was a cute love story between Archer and Iris. I did like the chemistry between the two. The whole story feels like you are also a part of the Dream Harbor community as well. I think I like the whole of single dad and nanny trope love story in the series. Out of the books that I have read in the Dream Harbor series, this is one of my favorites.

Overall this is worth four stars.

The Midnight Feast – Book Review

Title:- The Midnight Feast

Author:- Lucy Foley

Date published:- June 18th 2024

No. of pages:- 354 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 3/5 Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 3.5/5

Secrets. Lies. Murder. Let the festivities begin…

It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.

But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.

THE FOUNDER * THE HUSBAND * THE MYSTERY GUEST * THE KITCHEN HELP

It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at… The Midnight Feast.

This book was creepy and weird at the same time.

The Manor is hosting a Midnight Feast, but the next day, the manor was burned down and a body was found by the seaside. The small town people are not the fans of the owner of the Manor and some hold grudges against Francesca, the owner of the Manor for an event that happened fifteen years ago.

The story has so many POVs–Francesca, Bella, DI Walker, Owen, Eddie. There is also the change in timeline that is during the Midnight Solstice, after the solstice and of course, the entries of the diary written by Bella, detailing about the event that happened fifteen years ago. The time frame is one issue that I kind of struggled in the book as I had a hard time keeping track of what timeline I was in, as it alternately changes from during the solstice, to after the solstice and suddenly to the past. The character revelation towards the end was unexpected.

What really got me into the book was the so-called local legend “The Birds” because this legend kind of added the creepiness into the book thus making the book more interesting and intriguing to read. The locals trying to sabotage the party, in the form of this group also was interesting. There were twists and turns along the way and the ending was unexpected as a result. Overall, I think this was a good book but not overly top notch that will keep you up all night kind of book. It was creepy, interesting. The confusion of times lines is the only one that led me giving this book a 3.5.

Love You To Death – Blog Tour

Title:- Love You To Death

Author:- Anya Mora

Date published:- 23rd June 2025

No. of pages:- 313 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

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

Overall rating:- 5/5

Since the death of my first husband, I know how deadly love can be…

When Theo died, I swore I would never remarry. But then I meet Parker, and I find I can’t say no to a second chance at happiness.

But after we get engaged, strange things start happening. I find Theo’s sweater hanging in the wardrobe, and his wedding band on the bathroom sink. Our old wedding album is on the coffee table, and I can smell my late husband’s cologne in the air.

Parker is sure it’s my daughter Sadie playing a practical joke, still hurting after the death of her father. But I start to wonder if it’s my in-laws, angry about my new marriage. Then I become terrified it’s something darker…

When a photo of my late husband and my daughter appears on my bedside table, her smiling face scratched out with something sharp, a shiver runs down my spine. Is someone coming for my child?

My world is crumbling. But whoever is behind this doesn’t know the lies I buried with my first marriage. They don’t know the dark secret I have hidden in the attic. And if someone is threatening my daughter, they have no idea how far I’ll go to keep her safe…

Love You to Death follows the story of young widow, Anna who is trying to rebuild her life after her husband Theo died in an unexpected accident. She meets handsome and charming Parker and immediately the two gets engaged. However, Anna’s friends as well as Anna’s in-laws believe that Anna is still rushing to getting married. Besides, how much well did she know Parker? When Theo’s items suddenly come out of nowhere, Anna realizes that someone is trying to play a joke with her, or sick one.

This was a fast paced thriller, filled with twists and turns. The story is mainly told in Anna’s POV and some therapist’s POV with the timelines dividing between before Theo’s death and the present day. Anna seems to be suspecting everyone in the story and unlike the normal characters in psychological thrillers, Anna is a likable character. The book is a page turner filled with suspense and the author had done a good job drawing the reader into the story. The ending although it was expected ending, turned out nicely–not too rushed but a gradual ending with an unexpected reveal (not too unexpected though).

I have read Anya Mora’s books before and her books are usual fast-paced and unputdownable–this latest book is no exception. Overall this book is worth five stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. Many thanks to Bookouture for making me the part of the blog tour. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Author Bio:

Anya Mora lives a ferry ride from Seattle, WA with her family. Her novels, while leaning toward the dark, ultimately reflect light, courage, and her innate belief that love rewards the brave.

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Great Big Beautiful Life – Book Review

Title:- Great Big Beautiful Life

Author:- Emily Henry

Date published:- April 22nd 2025

No. of pages:- 432 pages

Genre:- Romance

Rating:-

Plot:- 3/5 Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 3.5/5

Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years–or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.

I always make sure to read all of Emily Henry books. Great Big Beautiful Life is her latest release.

The story starts with Alice Scott, who by chance gets an opportunity to interview the long-lost heiress, Margaret Ives. However, when Alice reaches Margaret’s house, she realizes that has to compete with a Pulitzer winning journalist and grumpy Hayden Anderson for a chance to write the biography of Margaret Ives. As they try to work together, Alice gets a glimpse of Margaret Ives’ childhood life and at the same time she couldn’t help falling in love with Hayden Anderson…

First of all, I am not sure whether I liked the book or not. Most of the time, Emily Henry books are fast paced, intriguing and engaging. Which is the same for this book. However, I feel, this book wasn’t up to her potential. This is a romance genre book, but there is lack of romance written in the book. Hayden is a serious, grumpy, not falling in love at first sight type of guy, yet his character suddenly changes when he starts falling for Alice. It’s just I feel the romance between Hayden and Alice is too…sudden. Although I enjoyed the historical version and life of Margaret Ives, this shadowed off the romance genre in the book. This book is more like a historical fiction book than a romance book in my opinion. I also feel there is not much chemistry between Alice and Hayden and that the whole story kind of bogged down a little. The ending seems far fetched in my opinion.

Overall, this could have been better, but Emily Henry’s writing as usual always the keep the reader engaged into the story. Worth 3.5 stars.

Daughter of Mine – Book Review

Title:- Daughter of Mine

Author:- Megan Miranda

Date published:- April 9th 2024

No. of pages:- 368 pages

Genre:- Psychological thriller

Rating:-

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

Overall rating:- 4/5

When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake’s longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she’s warily drawn back to the town—and people—she left behind almost a decade earlier. But Hazel’s not the only relic of the past to return: a drought has descended on the region, and as the water level in the lake drops, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge…including evidence that may help finally explain the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

Daughter of Mine follows the story of Hazel Sharp who returns back to her childhood town Mirror Lake to attend her father’s funeral. She didn’t really want to return back as the small town a some hidden secrets–her own mother who is a criminal mysterious left after she was caught through the CCTV of an ATM machine withdrawing money. Then because of the on going drought, a car was found deep in the lake. No one knows who this car belongs to.

Hazel has inherited the house from her father–which did not go well with Caden her brother. Behind the house is another lake and discovers another car deep in the lake. As the police retrieve the car from the lake, Hazel realizes that the car actually belonged to her mother. Not only that–Hazel feels that someone doesn’t want her to be living in the house and wants her to leave…

This was an unputdownable thriller. The unique thing about this book is each chapter begins with the day of no rain and the amount of precipitation. The book is divided into four parts–mother, fathers, sons and daughter, which is an interesting concept in the book. The story mainly follows family dynamics, issues and problems and the community in the small town, how everyone seems to know each other. Hazel seems to be having complicated relationships with everyone in the town and seems to not trust anyone. There were some twists and turns and the killer revealed at the end was quiet unexpected in my opinion.

Other thing is, the atmosphere in the book is detailed. I like reading about the descriptions of lake, the small town, and as a reader, it makes you feel like you are also a part of this small town as well. I actually enjoyed reading those descriptions.

Overall this book is worth four stars.

The Second Chance Convenience Store- ARC Book Review

Title:- The Second Chance Convenience Store

Author:- Ho Yeon Kim Translated by Janet Hong

Date published:-

First published:- April 20th 2021

English translated:- 19th June 2025

No. of pages:- 208 pages

Genre:- Korean Fiction

Rating:-

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

Overall rating:- 4/5

In this million-copy international bestseller from Korea, the owner of a corner store takes in an unhoused man who does a good deed, a kind soul whose presence will transform the whole neighborhood—a heartwarming tale of community and redemption reminiscent of the bestselling novels of Matt Haig and Gabrielle Zevin.

Dok-go lives in Seoul Station. He can’t remember his past, and the only thing he knows for certain is that he could really use a drink. When he finds a lost wallet filled with documents, his life is drastically changed.

Mrs. Yeom, a retired history teacher and current owner of her neighborhood’s corner store, is distraught over the loss of her purse, until she receives a mysterious call from the person who found it. To thank this down-on-his-luck stranger, she offers him a free meal from the convenience store. Seeing the joy the food brings him, Mrs. Yeom impulsively invites him to stop by for lunch every day.

In a twist of fate, Dok-go saves the store from a robber—a brave act that propels Mrs. Yeom to offers the bear-like man a job working the night shift, despite the objections of her wary employees. The store’s new employee quickly wins over the quirky denizens of the neighborhood, becoming a welcoming ear and source of advice for his coworkers and neighbors’ problems, and helping his new boss save the store from financial ruin. But just when things are looking up for Dok-go, Mrs. Yeom’s good-for-nothing son, eager to sell the store, hires a detective to dig into the mysterious man’s past and what he seems to be trying so hard to forget.

The Second Chance Convenience Store is a moving and joyful story of a woman fighting for her community and a man who has lost everything except the will to try again.

Dok Go has been homeless for sometime and he couldn’t remember his past. Then he finds a wallet while in Seoul Station and then that changes his life forever. The wallet belongs to an old woman named Mrs. Yeom who is a distraught convenience store owner ad a former retired teacher. When she receives the call from Dok go that he found her wallet, she was excited and offers him free food from the convenience store. When one night, Dok Go saves the store from getting robbed, Mrs. Yeom hires him for the night shift despite hesitations from her staff. And that is how story starts and how Dok Go working in the store changes everyone’s lives by offering them free advice to their problems. Meanwhile Mrs. Yeom’s son is determined to find the secret that Dok Go is hiding.

This is a heartwarming tale. I like the style of writing and the novel as a whole was intriguing and enjoyable to read. Dok Go’s character is a character that I liked. However the story was predictable but then again, the flow of the story was good which made the novel overall enjoyable to read. The reveal of Dok Go’s secret at the end was intriguing and interesting.

Overall I give this book a four star rating.

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

The Pastor’s Wife- Blog Tour

Title:- The Pastor’s Wife

Author:- Lyndee Walker

Date published:- 16th June 2025

No. of pages:- 389 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

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

Overall rating:- 5/5

“Welcome to Church!” Pastor Tim flashes his brilliant white teeth around the congregation. He doesn’t notice me, but I can see that every woman is hypnotized. Except one. His wife. I watch as worry clouds her violet eyes. She’s hiding something. And I’m going to find out what…

Whitney Falls was supposed to be the perfect place for me to disappear, with its quiet leafy streets and tulip-lined gardens. I didn’t intend to make any new friends. But when the pastor’s wife saves me from an accident, I can’t help but fall into her orbit.

Soon enough, I become a regular at church, and the pastor and his wife welcome me into their home with open arms. But the more time I spend with them, the more I begin to feel something isn’t right. It’s not just that Mary looks uncomfortable when Tim kisses her and that he controls what she eats. It’s more than that. It’s the strange black car that I’ve seen watching me each time I visit. The fact that Mary and Tim won’t talk about where they came from before they moved to this small town.

And when I creep through their house in the small hours of a late October morning to see what I can find, I discover something that sends a shiver down my spine… something that makes me wonder whether our first meeting was an accident at all.

Everyone thinks the pastor and his wife are saints. Now, I’m sure that they’re the worst kind of sinners. But they don’t know who I really am. Or what I could do with the terrible secret they want to keep safe…

A completely gripping and unputdownable read that will have you turning pages late into the night. Perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Jeneva Rose and Gone Girl.

Martha moves into Whitney Falls trying to leave her past behind. She joins a church, and is instantly greeted by the warm and friendly couple, Pastor Tim McClathy and his wife Mary. Martha instantly realizes that behind the warm and friendly facade is a complete two different strangers–Pastor’s Tim womanizing habits and drinking habits and Mary trying in vain to have a child. And when a foster kid Charlotte joins the family, the story gets from stranger to stranger.

The story is told in the two POVs–Martha and Mary. We know that Mary is feeling suspicious of her husband’s supposedly affairs and flirtations. We know Martha is running away from a past. This was interesting and intriguing to read. Church people may seem warm and friendly but behind the closed doors, it’s a whole different story. However, the ending was really unexpected and twisted ending.

Overall, this was an unputdownable thriller that will keep you up all night. Worth five stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. Many thanks to Bookouture for making me a part of this blog tour. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

About the author

 

LynDee Walker writes about strong women who can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Her books have appeared on finalist lists for the Agatha and International Thriller awards—and once, on the weekly Amazon Charts national bestsellers list smack in between two of her writing heroes.

LynDee is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. Before she started writing fiction, LynDee was an award-winning journalist who covered everything from ribbon cuttings and high school football to capital murder trials and high level police corruption. Her work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the United States, and she has written more than 20 novels.

LynDee’s favorite things are family, hydrangeas, porches, beaches, and books. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is working on her next novel when she’s not juggling laundry, children’s sports schedules, and two very happily spoiled rescue dogs.

 

Crimson Moth/The Heartless Hunter – Book Review

Title:- The Heartless Hunter

Author:- Kristen Cicarelli

Date published:- February 20th 2024

No. of pages:- 406 pages

Genre:- Romance/Fantasy

Rating:-

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

Overall rating:- 4.5/5

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can’t help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch… is falling in love.

I heard so many raving reviews on this book and when I finished reading it, I could understand why this has a higher rating on Goodreads!

The Crimson Moth, which is the UK title or The Heartless Hunter which is the US version is the first book of the Crimson Moth series. Rune Winters was feeling guilty after she turned her grandmother Nan over to the Blood Guards, who are determined to wipe out the witches in the area. For a while, the country was ruled by the witches but a revolution wipes out nearly all of the witches forming a New Republic. Rune is determined to save as much witches as she could, earning herself a nickname The Crimson Moth. Meanwhile Gideon Sharpe, a notorious witch heart and his team of army “Blood Guards” are determined to find the Crimson Moth and find the witches. When one of Rune’s witches Seraphine is taken away by the guards, Rune determined to get closer to Gideon. But Gideon wants to get closer to Rune to make sure that she is the Crimson Moth…

This was interesting, intriguing and unputdownable. Also the plotline and story telling are unique in its own way. Rune and Gideon may have romantic feelings for each other but Gideon is determined to find the Crimson Moth while Rune, who is keeping her identity as a witch a secret is determined to find Seraphine. It seems as if they are both using each other. The story itself was engaging and the writing was great as well. I like Rune’s close friendship with Alex (Gideon’s brother) and Verity. The ending was really great and really like the small cliff hanger at the end, which made me determined to read the next second book in the series.

For those who haven’t read this book, I highly recommend this one, this is worth 4.5 stars.

Kristen Ciccarelli is the New York Times, Sunday Times, and Indie bestselling author of Heartless Hunter (Book 1 in The Crimson Moth duology), Edgewood, and the Iskari series. Before writing books for a living, she dropped out of college and worked as a baker, a potter, and a bookseller. She currently resides in the Niagara region of Ontario with her husband and daughter.

The Secret Mistress – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Secret Mistress

Author:- Ellie Monago

Date published:- will be published on 10th June 2025

No. of pages:- 347 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5 Writing:- 3/5

Overall rating:- 3.5/5

Our first mistake was trusting him. Our second was underestimating how far we would both go to hide our own dark secrets…

THE Before my husband died, we were the perfect couple. Or so I thought. When a woman claiming to have been his mistress shows up on my doorstep with a child she says is his, I know she must be lying. Who is she and what does she want?

THE I don’t want to tell his widow the truth about the man she married. But if I don’t get what I need, everything will have to come out. And what I know has the power to destroy her life.

We have both done things we wouldn’t want anyone to ever know about. If anyone found out, it would be the end of us. But if she tells, I tell…

And someone will have to die before this is over…

An utterly addictive thriller that will have you gasping out loud! Perfect for fans of The Perfect Marriage, The Wife Between Us and The Wives .

When the book says A Heart Stopping Psychological Thriller with a Jaw Dropping Twist, you would expect a high standard in the book. But unfortunately, I didn’t really think that this was a heart stopping thriller.

Before her husband’s death, Maren and her husband Corey seemed to be a picture perfect couple. But after Corey’s death, Maren’s life suddenly turned upside down when a woman named Jade comes to Maren with her son Tai who she claims as Corey’s son. Jade wants money while Maren, who has been struggling with motherhood is desperately looking to have a child. This is a story of two women, both affected by Corey and how they fight for what they actually want.

The story started out strong. I did really have high expectation for this book as the story started out interesting, intriguing and strong. A woman is widowed and another woman claiming to be her husband’s mistress comes to the doorstep with her husband’s son. Both Maren and Jade have their own agenda–Jade wanted Maren to give her and her son a part of Corey’s estate and wealth. Maren meanwhile believes Jade is not fit to be a mother and is determined to get Tai as her own child. However, by the middle of the book, the story started out getting repetitive and boring. There wasn’t OMG moment in the book, which I really did expect from the book. As a reader you might feel sympathetic towards both the main characters but then couldn’t help that these mentioned incidents in the book might not really happen in real life. Overall, the ending seemed rushed and confusing in my opinion.

Overall, this book is only worth 3.5 stars. Although this book wasn’t as great as I thought, I am looking forward to read more from this author.

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

Ellie Monago is the pen name of a novelist and practicing therapist. She’s also a wife and mother, and when you add it all up, she doesn’t wind up with much time for hobbies. But she’s an avid tennis fan, a passionate reader of both fiction and nonfiction—especially memoir (nothing’s as juicy as the truth!)—and she relishes a good craft cocktail. She spent most of her life living in the U.S. and now resides in Western Canada with her family.

We Are All Guilty Here – ARC Book Review

Tite:- We Are All Guilty Here

Author:- Karin Slaughter

Date published:- will be published on 19th 2025

No. of pages:- 446 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

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

Overall rating:- 5/5

The gripping and exciting first book in a brand new crime thriller series from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author.

Welcome to North Falls—a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think.

Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage girls vanish, and the town ignites.

For Officer Emmy Clifton, it’s personal. She turned away when her best friend’s daughter needed help—and now she must bring her home.

But as Emmy combs through the puzzle the girls left behind, she realizes she never really knew them. Nobody did.

Every teenage girl has secrets. But who would kill for them? And what else is the town hiding?

Karin Slaughter is my auto buy thriller author. Her books are interesting, intriguing and…disturbing all mingled together. We Are All Guilty Here is the first book of the North Fall series and yes, this is a book that you actually wouldn’t want to put down.

North Falls is a small town where everyone knows everyone and everything that is happening in the town. On the night of Fourth of July, two teenage girls, Madison and Cheyenne disappears. Emmy Clifton is the last one apparently to see Madison. Madison wanted to talk to Emmy but Emmy who was having some personal issues brushed her off. And with Madison disappearing, Emmy was guilty about it. The case was personal to Emmy as Madison is the stepdaughter of her best friend Hannah. The rush to find the teenage girls was there and they eventually find the teenagers bodies floating in a pond at the back of the house. They arrest a man but then Emmy couldn’t help but feel that the two teenage girls have been hiding secrets. Twelve years later, the man is released from prison and then another girl disappears. Emmy and with the reluctant help of her FBI sister must find the girl before it’s too late, before the cycle will repeat.

I really like the way Slaughter writes–how she tactfully describes Emmy’s flows and at her determination to solve the case. The pacing was all right but tolerable in the story. Most of the characters seem to have flaws in their personal life, including Emmy. I like the way Slaughter describes the community in the small town and how nearly every single men in the town were suspects. The whole story was intriguing and page turner. Normally, Slaughter’s thriller book has some disturbing elements and this book is no surprise–the death of the teenagers particularly the detailed torture of Madison was slightly disturbing to read. Nonetheless, I like the pacing, the twists and turns and of course the ending. Slaughter knows how to pull the reder into the story.

Overall, this book is worth five stars.

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

Karin Slaughter is the author of twenty-five instant NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated COP TOWN and standalone novels THE GOOD DAUGHTER, PRETTY GIRLS, and GIRL, FORGOTTEN. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. PIECES OF HER is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette. The Will Trent Series is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S and Disney+ internationally). THE GOOD DAUGHTER and FALSE WITNESS are in development for film/tv. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

Facebook: Facebook.com/AuthorKarinSlaughter

Website: http://www.karinslaughter.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karinslaugh…
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