october 2022
book lovers by emily henry
alex’s rating: 10/10
this is hands down my favorite book of the year. move over colleen hoover, emily henry is coming for you!! book lovers is laugh out loud funny with absolute ZINGERS — i thoroughly enjoyed this. it captures every emotion of reading a book right up to the bittersweet moment of finishing the last sentence. nora is a literary agent who’s almost cynical when it comes to romance because all she does is review typical tropes where the guy gets the girl. charlie is an editor and sworn enemy of nora. you may roll your eyes at this and say i know where this is going to go but henry is such a master wordsmith & storyteller it makes this tale as old as time not only realistic but utterly heartwarming. if you listen to anything i tell you, buy this book.
the sanatorium by sarah pearse
alex’s rating: 6.5/10
set in the swiss alps, the new le sommet hotel is sleek, minimalistic and sinister — its walls containing secrets only few know. elin and her boyfriend will are staying to celebrate her estranged brother’s engagement to her childhood friend. elin is nervous and so not herself; she hasn’t been since her brother, sam, died when they were kids and since her mother died this past year. but it could be a chance to reconnect with her brother, issac. through the course of the novel we learn that the hotel was actually an old sanatorium for tuberculosis patients and everything is not as it seems. people start to go missing and a wicked snow storm makes it impossible for guests to leave. they’re trapped. i really loved the suspense and short chapters; each one was literally 2-3 pages and kept you on your toes. i did however find the plot to be a little too convoluted in a way that diminished the credibility of the overall story. to be honest, i was a little underwhelmed.
sign here by claudia lux
alex’s rating: 7/10
hell is alanis morrisett’s “ironic” playing on a loop. hell is a constant wet spot on the carpet. hell is everything it’s cracked up to be. in claudia lux’s sign here, hell is a series of your worst imaginations. peyote trip, however, is up for a big promotion in the deals department if he can just get one more person of the harrison family to sell their soul. you see, in hell, there are “agents” of sorts that help grant humans desperate wishes. there is of course a catch, but no one reads the fine print. this storyline is told through multiple characters both in hell and on earth and is a uniquely woven plot. there were a few parts that were a little confusing but this was a really different read — and one perfect for spooky season.
the house across the lake by riley sager
alex’s rating: 9.8/10
keeping with the thriller theme of october, next up was riley sager’s the house across the lake. this wild plot is gripping and page turning. just when you think you know what’s about to happen, a new twist is introduced leaving you saying ‘what the hell!’ ok, now into the actual story — casey fletcher is a tired actress who needs a break. while visiting her family’s cabin in vermont, she meets famous model katherine royce and her tech mogul husband tom. they just bought the beautiful home across the way that lights up at night thanks to the all glass exterior. and casey would know, she’s been watching them through binoculars like you would your weekly reality tv show. katherine then goes missing and casey instantly suspects tom. but, not everything is as it seems because as you’ll find out, lake greene vermont is anything but the serene vacation spot that postcards boast.
someone knows by lisa scottoline
alex’s rating: 8/10
someone knows something dangerous about what happened one night in the suburbs of philly when kyle gallagher was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. allie, the shy introvert, never wanted to be there in the woods that night. sasha, popular & pretty, was toying with two friends she knew had crushes on her. julian, the spoiled boy-next-door, had his own secrets he was keeping. david, misunderstood & sensitive, worked so hard to find himself. the minute this group came together they formed a twisted pact to never speak of what happened that night. twenty years later, they reunite at a funeral. old feelings & thoughts about that night resurface and you come to find out everything is not as it seems. the non-linear story follows the pov of each character and is crazy up until the very end!
the wife between us by greer hendricks & sarah pekkanen
alex’s rating: 7.5/10
i honestly don’t know where to start with this one without giving too much away but i’ll try. we open up with what appears to be a jealous ex-wife upset at the fact that her ex-husband is dating a new, young woman — her replacement. a little light stalking gives the intimate details of this new fling’s life. what you don’t expect is the complex and confusing narrative that follows. throw out everything you think you now about the plot and start fresh when you get to part 2. sarah pekkanen & greer hendricks are very talented authors, there is no doubt about that, but i found it hard to follow which made me so sad because it’s an interesting read. the good news is that steven spielberg’s company bought the film rights so we will get a movie soon!!
the kiss curse by erin sterling
alex’s rating: 7.5/10
continuing with the spooky theme of this month, my next read was the kiss curse, the second installment of the bestselling novel the ex hex. we’re back in graves glen, georgia where vivi & gwyn run something wicked, a witchcraft shop located downtown. gwyn is strong-willed, opinionated and determined to not let the town’s newest shopowner, wells penhallow, get under her skin. sure he’s good looking (and technically her brother-in-law) but he’s also irritatingly pompous and so not a match for gwyn. it’s not a complicated story and makes for a fun, lighthearted read.
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