Category: Books

Oh, so you like murder??

.Reading time 4 minutes.

I love to read, you know that. A good novel is the best way to escape reality but sometimes I like to escape into a reality that is full of psychos, murder and brilliant women. I always see people asking for recommendations (I am always asking for recommendations) so I figured I would compile a list of “yes, you should read” & “nah, don’t waste your time”. This post is dedicated to my favorite and my not so favorite suspense novels. 

All The Missing Girls x Megan Miranda

This was the first novel of hers I ever read and I have been hooked ever since. The story is told backwards which I love. It’s a format I’ve never read before and it intrigued me. The story line is just enough suspense to leave you satisfied but real enough to make it seem plausible. I will recommend this book EVERY time.

My Husband’s Wife x Jane Corry

The cover is the best part of this book, in my opinion. It has enough suspense to keep you interested but by the time you’ve reached the last page you’ll be mad you wasted your time. It isn’t believable and isn’t psycho enough to make you happy.

The Marriage Lie x Kimberly Belle

I’ve dotted on this book before and I will continue to do so. What I loved about this book is it started out with a happy couple and it ended with a woman being a badass, because being a badass is better than a happy couple. This book kept me guessing and I was never sure what was going to happen next. It’s one of those books you can read again and you’ll still feel the same way.

Liar x K. L. Slater

Just don’t waste your time…unless you just want to. This book has a good twist….at the very end and the twist doesn’t make up for the rest of the book. You’ll turn the last page and up just feeling sorry for the male character and feeling bad about being a woman. (okay, it might not be that dramatic but then again it might be)

In a Dark, Dark Wood x Ruth Ware

I love Ruth Ware. Most people do but when you say her name most people think about The Woman in Cabin 10 (which was great) but her first novel is my favorite. I seriously read it in one sitting on a Sunday (nap days) that’s how good it is. It’s got enough spook to make you not want to go to a cabin in the woods and enough twist to keep you wondering. I 10/10 recommend

Dead Girl Running x Christine Dodd

This may be my least favorite suspense novel I have ever paid money for. It pains me to know that there will be a sequel. Nothing about the book made sense, not the plot, not the characters, not the writing style. It was just BAD… honestly no one in their right mind would call their cousin “cousin name” example: Thanks cousin Caitlin for cooking dinner — just NO. If you take anything away from anything I ever type please let it be this: don’t waste your money.

Soooo there’s just a quick list of do reads and don’t reads, I will soon have some book to movie post..so stay tuned and stay nerdy, my pals.

xx Kailey xx

All Your Perfects

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Is perfection.

Colleen Hoover is fantastic. Honestly, that’s all that needs to be said. If you follow her on social media you realize that her personality is hilarious & that you don’t even need to read her books to be a fan. BUT I totally suggest reading them. Especially her newest release, All Your Perfects.

I’ll do my best to review the novel with out breaking any laws (lol) or spoiling it. I preordered this one in May and I patiently waited for the release. But unfortunately for me (not really) I’ve moved since then. The book was released but it didn’t show up at my front door…nope it showed up at my old house…at the back door to be exact. So, I had to wait to read the book & for those three days I saw so many gushing reviews that I started to spaz. Anyways, you should read it because, well, it’s amaze balls.

Colleen has mastered the art of pulling at the heart strings. My favorite thing about her writing is that she talks about the REAL issues. In this particular novel she taps into marriage & the struggles that come with marriage, especially the struggles that stem from infertility.

Q & G met in the most unconventional way. They weren’t expecting to fall in love & after they fell in love they weren’t expecting to fall apart.

This novel is written in a Then & Now format & it’s my favorite type of format. You are able to feel the butterflies the couple feels as they fall in love & also feel the pain they feel as they’re falling apart. Colleen does a wonderful job of making you, the reader, feel what the characters are feeling. You crave in the past & grieve in the now. The feelings are so real, raw & relatable. (My favorite R’s when reading a book) Once you turn the first page you won’t be able to put it down until the end.

This is me, not putting the book down 🤷🏼‍♀️[/capt[/capt[/capt[/capt[/capt[/capt
So go to The books website or order from amazon, you won’t regret it.

9/10

Til I read the next great book

xx Kailey xx

Behind Closed Doors

.Reading time 4 minutes.

Book review time!! &&&& ohhh is it a doooozy of a book..& i mean that in the best way possible.

I have been very adamant about my top two books and this one just slid right up in there! Honestly, I was hooked from chapter one. Not only was it a page turner but it also made you think, actually think, about what you could do or would have done had you been in Grace’s shoes. Did she handle things the best way possible or could she have done something sooner? I strongly urge you to read this novel then answer those questions.

This novel switches between Present and Past which seems normal except that half way through the book Past happens after the original Present. That keeps you on your toes to say the least.

Chapter one shows what a perfect family Jack & Grace Angel are. The most beautiful house, luxurious vacations, extravagant meals, not a single thing out of place. Sounds perfect, right? Their friends adore them..except the new friend, Esther. Esther is skeptical, can a couple really be perfect?

The next chapter allows you to look into the past, see how Jack and Grace met. And wow Jack is so perfect. He’s understanding, caring, loving and generous. What else could a woman want? Especially when the woman has a little sister who has Down’s syndrome. A little sister she has promised to take care of after she turns 18.

You then learn that Jack is very controlling, or so you think that’s what he is. He won’t allow Grace to see her friends without him, she doesn’t have a cell phone or a personal email…what could be going on? Esther is very cautious of her new friends marriage and Jack is starting to take note of that.

The book gives you very little at a time, just enough to keep you turning the page and making it impossible for you to put the book down.

“Do you realise what you’ve done, do you realise that you’ve sold your soul to me?”

As you dive deeper into Grace’s life you begin to wonder if she can ever achieve what she needs to in order to not only keep her self safe but her little sister as well. You wonder if Esther will ever understand what is actually happening to Grace and if Jack will ever get what is coming to him. & I am here to tell you….

 

nothing. 🙂 You must read it yourself. You won’t regret it. You might even smile.

Jack may shut the shutters on their house but he can’t shut the shutters on our opportunity to read a killer novel. 

I like to rate the books I read on a scale of 1-5 and I rate this one a solid 4.5. B.A. Paris hit a home run with this novel and I will probably read it again. I hope you’re not disappointed when you take the leap and turn the page.

 

xx Kailey xx 

The Kitchen House

.Reading time 3 minutes.

With February being Black History Month I figured it would be a great time to tell you all about The Kitchen House. If you have already read this novel then I would love to hear your thoughts.

This novel wrecked my soul in the very best way, made me cry several times and made me so happy in the end. It was so real, so raw, and really made you think about how far we have come and how lucky we are today. 

kitchen house

Based from 1791-1810 the novel is told from two separate points of view. Lavinia, the Irish girl who was orphaned during her passage from Ireland whom the Captain brought home & Belle, the Captain’s illegitimate slave daughter.

The prologue really snags you from the beginning. It starts with Laviana running, full of fear. A little girl is following her and you just know something bad is about to happen. And then it does, someone has been hanged. You have no clue who but you do know that you have to find out.

Chapter one starts and you learn about Laviana and how she ended up at the Tall Oaks plantation. You watch her go from a tiny, sick, scared little girl to a girl who believes she belongs in The Kitchen House. Laviana believes the slaves are her family and that they will always have one another.

Laviana develops a very close relationship with Belle. Belle takes her under her wing and loves her as if she were her own daughter but Belle herself has obstacles to overcome.  The Captain’s wife does not know that Belle is his daughter, she believes Belle is actually his mistress. Which in the long run makes life more difficult for Belle.

Laviana grows close to all the slaves, they become her family but in 1797 (chapter 27) everyone’s world is shook. The Captain passes away & Laviana is taken from Tall Oaks in hopes for a better future. The white people and black people both know this will give Laviana a better future but Laviana just wants to stay at Tall Oaks.

In 1801 Laviana finally gets what she wants, a life at Tall Oaks once again…but everything has changed and no matter how hard she tries it will never be the same. The struggles the family faces in the next 9 years is enough to have you laying in bed, eating ice cream & crying!

With all that being said I highly suggest you read the novel and see how it ends. You won’t regret it. It will warm your heart in ways you didn’t know it could be warmed and you will get a good cry out. 

xx Kailey xx

the kitchen house 1

Best Books of ‘17

.Reading time 8 minutes.

Okkkaay so most of these weren’t actually published in 2017 but I read them this year and they were fantastic and I expect you to love them just as much as I did.

I recently rediscovered my passion for reading which has opened the door to my passion for writing. I love the way a good book can take you out of your world and put you somewhere else if only for a chapter or two. It’s the greatest escape & it also stimulates your mind.

Seeing how I have a degree in Criminal Justice I tend to lean toward the crime novels..or suspense may be a better word. I am also a woman so a little romance never hurt…especiallywhen there’s suspense thrown in there.

Sooo I’ve put together a list of my top 5 books that I suggest you read…you won’t want to put them down.

1. All the Missing Girls x Megan Miranda

This book is at the top of my list for favorite book ever. It’s suspenseful, intriguing, dramatic, all things that make a novel a best seller. The book challenges you as a reader to figure out what happened all those years ago & what happened this time? Can two girls go missing from the same town with connections to one another but not be related at all?? Not only does the novel keep you on your toes about the missing girls but it also lets a love story, a true love story, unravel. Let’s not forget (drumroll please) this book is told backwards! With every chapter, every day before, you get more & more invested. You won’t be able to put this novel down.

2. The Marriage Lie x Kimberly Belle

This novel will leave you shook. How does someone keep a secret so huge from their wife for seven years!! As the story unravels you start to question not only Iris’ sanity but yours as well. You go on an adventure to find the truth and you wonder if the truth will help Iris make the right decision or not. Maybe a new romance will unravel? Maybe an old romance will rekindle? Can Iris protect her future? Will she make the right decision even though it hurts? You’ll have to read it to find out.

3. It Ends with Us x Colleen Hoover

This novel is a romance with a little bit of suspense. I was unable to put this book down while at the beach…THE BEACH & I love the beach!! Lily has not had the easiest life but she pushed herself and got the life she wanted and deserved. The perfect man, her own business, the perfect apartment & the best friend. Then things take a turn for the worse. The perfect husband may not be so perfect. A ghost from her past pops up. What will Lily do? Will she stop the cycle that started before she was born? Or will she let it continue? Check it out. You won’t regret it.

4. Ghost Gifts x Laura Spinella

I believe in ghost & I believe in mediums so this book is right up my alley. Once again (drumroll {again}, please) suspense & romance wrapped in oneeee! Aubrey realizes she had a gift at a young age…when she first noticed this gift she was not excited. It would make her sick & people did not take it well. One year as a child something strange happens, a blonde girl shows up and leaves her flowers without speaking. Twenty years later Aubrey finds her self in a town she visited as a child with a career taking off. She doesn’t speak of her gift to anyone but she uses it for good. Then one day bones fall out of a wall & Aubrey’s job gets more interesting. Her talents and her past may help her solve a murder & help her fall in love. If you don’t believe this novel may change your mind.

5. Gone Girl x Gillian Flynn

Okay, obviously this book is almost four years old and a hit film that our favorite girl Reese helped produce. Butttt I just read it then watched the film & wowza the book is perfect. Amy is beautiful & brilliant & knows how to get what she wants. She’s always been conniving & sneaky. Nick is handsome, struggling, stoic. They seem to have the perfect marriage until Perfect Amy goes missing (name coined by her parents). All eyes turn to Nick seeing how he shows very little emotion about his missing wife. (Total Scott Peterson vibes) Next thing you know there’s a huge plot twist that will literally make your jaw hit the floor. Sooo if you’ve never watched the film I suggest reading the novel. Your mind will be like the new emoji…blown. Then watch the film and message me so we can compare them together.

I hope you take the time out of your busy lives to read and escape. These are just a few of my favorites and it’s not just my favorite books but my favorite authors as well.

Gimmme allll your book suggestions xx

With love & nerdiness,

Kailey xx