@bookstodon My #review of Rouge by Mona Awad is now live! Darkly beautiful and intensely bittersweet, this actually managed to make me cry towards the end. That is VERY much a compliment.
The trees of the forest shiver and shake.
Their long limbs tremble from the next quake.
White is the color of my nightgown
As I stand and shiver with a frown.
A shadow emerges from the trees.
I hope it is not him, pretty please.
My body moves forward against my will.
I grab a thick tree and try to hold still.
I dig my feet into the packed snow,
But I must go where the wind might blow.
HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD? The characters in Naomi Alderman’s crisp near-future technothriller have a lot of ideas—some of them on a collision course with others. Action and deft satire blend in this high-energy yet thoughtful read. A MINUS
SHARP PRIVATE EYE thriller follows a detective and his childhood best friend, now an investigative reporter, to Mexico on the trail of a seasoned criminal. Lots of relatable characters and some great descriptions. SOLID B
Small thoughts on the books I've finished during November:
Shadow Prey (John Sandford, 1990): Fun thriller, better than "Rules" in a lot of ways, somewhat problematic in others. The almost "For the Evulz" mentality of the main villain is somewhat underwhelming. Could it be published today? Maybe, with some tweaks, especially regarding Shadow Love.
I think I first heard about this book while listening to an ad on a Rotten Mango podcast episode, and I was drawn to it because of my love for true crime, mystery, thriller, and suspense. The idea of a podcaster becoming the subject of her own podcast was fascinating to me, and I couldn't wait to dive into it.
Lisa Jewell did such a great job crafting these characters and their storylines. I knew after Janie followed Alix to the restroom in that restaurant that she was going to be weird. Her behavior after that initial interaction slowly but creepily escalated from being "okay that's weird" to "wtf is wrong with her?" The social worker in me wants to pull out a DSM-5 manual and diagnose her with a personality disorder. I'm curious if anyone else shares the same opinion.
The ending still left me with questions. None of this is true... but which part? Josie's telling of her version of her life experiences? Roxi and Erin's telling of their version of their life experiences? I personally want to believe that Josie is, in the words of the British, completely mad and that her (possible) personality disorder and (possible) psychosis has deluded her into believing that she truly is a victim who just wanted to break free.
Side note... This would be cool to watch as a dramatized version on Netflix or something.
A chilling thriller about an unlikely friendship between a true-crime fan and a former high school classmate suspected of murdering her influencer boyfriend, perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and Courtney Summers.