The story is told in two POVs, one from Nichole from the past, and a current one from Krystal. Both Krystal and Nichole have a sister-like bond as they both are in foster care, they share a secret that haunts them but Nichole appears to be affected the most as a teenager. When Krystal receives a call that her sister Nichole is in the hospital due to a fire, Krystal soon learns that something isn’t right when Nichole begins to show signs of psychosis, but Krystal wonders what triggered this outcome. I listened to the audiobook and even though it was slow at the beginning, the story does have interesting peaks that will have you like WHAAAAAT?! I was fairly engaged but I think when compared to “The Perfect Child & The Best of friends” I was expecting all-time suspense every step of the way but this was suspenseful on the mild side. There was tons of back and forth on who was the real person behind the fire, but then again I was doubting myself so many times whether Nichole was being truthful and experiencing some psychological distress or Aiden’s honesty twisted with some carried fault of his. Rating: 3.90 Author: Lucinda Berry Format: Audiobook Published year: 2021 Genre: Thriller

In this historical fiction novel, I was so engaged that it was hard to put it down. Ruth was one of the characters that stood out the most because she was caring and made sure to treat every patient fairly despite their mental illness. Ruth was committed to helping every patient in the ward which is where she met doctor Robert Apter. Hungry for a breakthrough in Psychiatry, Robert begins to be in the medical spotlight with such discovery and becomes obsessed with treating lobotomy. This story was sooo interesting and informative as this explains how they used to label certain mental illnesses, which in this story relates more to PTSD in soldiers. I super loved this book! There are tons of real facts about lobotomy and the ability to integrate history was fascinating. The narrations were on point, the voice was so soothing and made the story sound three times better. PS. This is apparently based on a true story of Dr. Freeman on the discovery of “ice pick lobotomy” google it ;) Rating: 5 Author: Samantha Greene Woodruff Format: Audiobook Published year: 2022 Genre: Historical Fiction

Denton and Maëlle will take you on a love journey with the ups and downs of a relationship that begins with a lovely friendship. At first, I felt like the story was slow but as soon as the characters meet, you are able to get to know their past and why both are scared to take the next step in their friendship. Tons of past struggles are shown in Maëlle’s story, having her grandma and dog as her only family source, Maëlle is forced to be on her own after her grandma passes, which is where Denton comes into place. I loved Denton so much! He was such a gentleman who truly cares to make Maëlle feel safe at all times, regardless of Maëlle being skeptical about relationships. The setting took place in a small town with tons of back-and-forth slow romance. All opinions are my own. This review was written voluntarily, and the book was an ARC provided by Foreword PR. Thank you!! Rating: 4.10 Author: Alexa Gregory Format: E-book Published year: 2022 Genre: Romance

I have been meaning to read this book for a while but given the front page, I thought it would be a thriller but to my surprise, it wasn’t. Thanks to Goodreads, I won this ARC book as a giveaway a few months ago. I’m not one to read fantasy but this book was definitely a page-turner, especially in the beginning and the very end! Under The Whispering Door was different, it helped me understand that death shouldn’t be feared rather it be normalized so grieving can be somewhat easier. There are tons of meaningful messages behind the story that I recommend you pay attention to what they may entail. The story revolves around Wallace, a man who was a prick and arrogant when he was alive, and when given a second chance after he dies from a heart attack, he is found with Hugo (his ferryman), Mei (his reaper), Nelson (Hugo’s grandfather) and my favorite Apollo (Hugo’s dog), and they become like a family to him, teaching him the beautiful meaning of life. There were a lot of “read between the lines” parts where I felt lost because if it isn’t said straightforwardly I am pretty much wondering what the author was trying to express, nevertheless after reading the book I was just pondering upon what death really is.. like what’s on the other side… Rating: 4.05 Author: T.J. Klune Format: Paperback Published year: 2021 Genre: Fantasy

This psychological thriller will have you on the edge of your seat. As a psych major, I truly enjoyed the details on Janie’s abuse leading to being manipulative toward Hannah- her new adoptive mother. Christopher and Hannah have tried everything to get pregnant, but an opportunity appears and they decide to temporarily care for Janie. Christopher, who is an orthopedic surgeon, falls in love with Janie and decides to adopt her. The blessing of being adoptive parents soon turns into a bloody nightmare. This page-turning story alternates between Piper (Janie’s social worker), Christopher, and Hannah and while you might think that the story has reached its peak, you shortly find out that it gets worse with time. I had to take a break from the audiobook about two times because certain scenes were too descriptive and disturbing, nevertheless, the story was well written and informative in child development and trauma. Lucinda Berry ily forever and will continue to read all your books, you outdid yourself with this novel. Beware this book contains child abuse, animal torture, and other disturbing scenes. Rating: 5 Author: Lucinda Berry Format: Audiobook Published year: 2019 Genre: Thriller

“𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.” Major shout out to the narrator of the audiobook version, I cannot express how much of a great role she played in this novel. In an Instant is devastating yet heartwarming as this story will make you think about what you will do when you are placed in a desperate situation where your main goal is to survive. Swerving to avoid a deer on a snowing night, two couples who are long-time friends with teen children are forced to make choices to keep warm and be able to survive. This really pushed me to put myself in each of the character’s shoes to try and understand whether the consequences of their actions were justified or not. Survival, family, tragedy, grieving, thought-provoking, happiness, you will experience all these emotions, and more. Well-deserved 5 stars! Rating: 5 Author: Suzanne Redfearn Format: Audiobook Published year: 2020 Genre: Fiction

The story itself is a bit strange, I feel like the characters weren’t fully developed in the story. Indeed, there are some *HOT* episodes where it catches you off guard going 0 to 100, but then the next page is like ? what now. The family dynamic is a bit off, and the only reason I gave such a low rating was that the spicy moments were properly worded, otherwise, the story was “different” for my taste in books. PROS: Hot spicey!! Feels like a mysterious scenery CONS: Strange family dynamics Undeveloped characters Step uncle fucking his niece? Rating: 3.30 Author: Penelope Douglas Format: E-book Genre: Romance Publication year: 2020

Right off the bat, as soon as you read the first page it gives you the idea that this book is going to be all about suspense. Claire is basically trapped because everyone is on Griffin’s side, but you learn this halfway through the book. Claire is smart and caught on since the beginning that Griffin was behind the murder of her friend. This book will leave you guessing about every character regarding the murder, but the story gets conflicted by the ultimate power of corruption, money, and family. Griffin is the truest form of a psychopath, lacking empathy, narcissistic to its core, manipulator, and selfless. If you are into mystery, this is it. Rating: 5 Author: Luanne Rice Format: E-book Genre: Thriller Publication year: 2021

Poppy and Rune are inseparable, they both get to experience pure love. The idea of filling up a jar was so brilliant and original, while at times I felt like my heart was going to explode with sadness, especially at the end. Although Rune’s personality changes when he comes back from Norway, he still has good-hearted intentions toward Poppy, which makes the story so wonderful. PROS: *Sweet love *Love at a very young age going to young adulthood *Insightful thoughts of the afterlife and learning to love the present CONS: *If you’re not into romance novels, this isn’t it. *Overly cheesy love *Repetitive Rating: 4.80 Author: Tillie Cole Format: E-book Genre: Romance Publication year: 2016

I really had fun with the characters. This is a second-chance kind of story where Olive is crushing since she was 7 years old with her brother’s best friend, but something happens that Jason breaks little Olive’s heart. When they grew up, Olive became a writer and Jason a famous movie star. Olive’s book is being adapted into a movie which leads to crossing paths with Jason. Jason is the new male lead in her movie and the rest turns into a sweet love story, with steamy sexual tension between them. Olive and Jason are so perfect for each other, I enjoyed the slow-rising love that Jason beings to feel for Olive. The fact that Jason had a tainted image in Hollywood makes you wonder if he is a good fit for Olive as her personality is a bit opposite from his. Tons of chemistry, humor, and sweet love. Rating: 4.50 Author: Ella Maise Format: E-book Genre: Romance Publication year: 2015

What an entertaining story! Fascinating characters. I mean they all have such power, and strong personalities sided with a reputation that cannot be dismantled. Dr. Neena Ryder, anxious to live a lavish life, doing the most to advance the ladder, even if it includes seducing her boss to reach that life, becomes obsessed- in a little creepy way at times- with William. William, a true hottie, assertive, rich, and intimidating to his employees, begins to ease in Neena’s seductions which lead to his wife becoming more insecure (something she wasn’t in the past). Cat a psychotic but low-key, is a genius with a cherry on top. As I kept flipping pages, she left me baffled at the creative ideas that she came up with just to destroy Neena. Intriguing developments will have you biting your nails! Rating: 5 Author: A.R. Torre Format: E-book Genre: Thriller Publication year: 2020

Younjae was born with a condition called Alexithymia, which prevents a person from feeling emotions (fear, anger, love). He is unaware of other people’s emotions and is very honest. As a teenager, he struggles in school with his peers as they quickly realize he is different. His mom and grandmother help him by giving him scenarios on how to respond when people cry, or how to properly have a reaction without someone finding him strange. He finds himself alone after his mom and grandmother are stabbed right in front of him, which leads him to make choices on his own. Gon is a bully who in reality wants to be like Younjae and not feel any emotion, and eventually, Gon teaches him the meaning of friendship. This book is about the perceived notion of what it is to be normal with questions that are thought-provoking. Rating: 4.05 Author: Won-pyung Sohn, Sunme Yoon Format: E-book Genre: Fiction Publication year: 2020