To All the Reviews I’ve Screwed Up Before

As mentioned, I occasionally, er, often read books for Voracious Readers Only. I get free books, authors get reviews to help them sell said books, win/win. The problem is that sometimes I read too, well, voraciously, and Amazon decides I’ve posted too many reviews at one time.

I feel super guilty that two of my recent reviews are stuck in limbo, as they are two of the best books I’ve read through VRO. So I’m sharing them here! Ahh, yes, the before times when I didn’t just publish meal plans….. As an added bonus, I’ve included a review for a book that comes out next month! If you love a good white lady thriller — and if you don’t, you’d better not be judging them having not read any — read on!

• Fault Lines, by Tsveti Nacheva

Wow, I LOVED this. I can’t believe it was from a debut novelist, because besides a great, twisted tale, the writing was just a delight, full of clear
pictures and creative turns of phrase like “fraying Reddit threads” and “The wet smog is layered with pumpkin spice, car exhaust, and a deluge of airborne infections.” My only complaint is that I don’t have another book from Nacheva to immediately dive into!

• Trail of Ashes, by Ashley Fraley

I love few things more than an unreliable narrator and buried secrets from the past, so Trail of Ashes was just the thing for me! I really liked the growth we saw in Harper over the course of the story. Therapy is such a good thing! I wish happiness for this band of friends — and that Fraley will keep finishing more projects!

• The Secret They Kept, by J.S. Ellis

I’m on Ellis’ mailing list and when she was looking for people to read ARCs, I jumped at the chance. Here is the review I *will* be leaving when she’s published!

Well, it’s official, I have another author to add to my favorites list. I’d previously read some shorts and a creative feline thriller from J.S. Ellis, but The Secret They Kept firmly places her among my faves like Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, and Lisa Jewell.

It can be hard to make a “white lady thriller” stand out from the pack, but Ellis does *such* an excellent job creating realistic people and scenarios. Even the secondary characters that rely on stereotypes (nosy neighbor, angry man) are easily seen in my mind’s eye.

I also really like that this book had heft. There were multiple layers of twists and turns. Altogether, one of the best of the genre, IMO, and now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go through all of Ellis’ back catalogue.