Kara's Book Cravings: The Sleepover

 

Yet another used book sale find, and I was admittedly on the fence about this one. But I gave it a shot, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. 

THE SLEEPOVER by Samantha King is an adult domestic thriller / mystery. Normally, I can really get lost in this genre, but something about this one didn't quite click for me. 

First, this is every parents worst nightmare -- dropping your child off for a sleepover and returning the next morning to pick them up only to find they're just gone. And no one knows what happened or where your child is. 

Once I got beyond that... the bulk of the story is the search for Isobel's son (Nick) and trying to piece together what happened to him. This was all really well done, and I suspected a few people who didn't turn out to be the right suspect. That was interesting because I was so sure I was right about one specific character. 

For me, the ending is where this book fell apart. Not only were parts of it confusing to follow, the "bad guy" while shocking was also a little disappointing. Their motives were a little weak, and the things this person did -- I don't know. It just didn't click for me and felt a little like it might be out of the realm of possibility. I realize I'm probably not making much sense here, but I don't want to spoil the end, either. lol. 

The author's writing style was good and easy to read, and I'll more than likely try another of her books at some point. 

Anyone else read this one? What did you think?

Kara's Book Cravings: Someone We Know

 

This book was another used book sale find that I snagged because the blurb sounded good. I don't normally read domestic thrillers like this, but I read this in one day flat! Once I started, I just couldn't stop...

SOMEONE WE KNOW by Shari Lapena is like riding a rollercoaster without being fully buckled in. I was not prepared for all the twists and turns and secrets. Suburbia is a wild place, y'all! lol. 

At first, I thought I knew who the killer was, but as the story progressed, I began to second guess myself. This author is a master at casting suspicion on everyone, all the time, without the reader even realizing it's happening until after the bomb has been dropped. 

I really liked how everything and everyone was interconnected in some way and the (dysfunctional) relationships these people have built within their own families and with their neighbors. This was another book that had a lot of points-of-view, but it worked and definitely helped with the overall mystery. 

I felt the ending was a tad rushed, though, and the actual killer wasn't anyone I had suspected. Normally, that would be a good thing, but I tend to prefer books like this where the author gives some hints about whodunit. In this book, however, it seemed to come out of left field. Sure, the killer was shown and mentioned a lot throughout the book, and the killer showed up at odd times, but there really wasn't any hints that that specific person was the killer. So that was odd, but overall, the book was great. I'll definitely be looking for more books by this author.

Anyone else read this one? 

What are your favorite domestic thrillers?

Kara's Book Cravings: Suspicious Minds

 

I am a HUGE fan of Stranger Things. I've watched the series multiple times, and I've started a collection of show memorabilia. I've also been reading the books. Knowing that the show came first, and the books came after, I was hesitant as to how they would fit in, and whether they'd be true to the show itself. I've been pleasantly surprised. 

Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond is the first official novel set within the Stranger Things world. This is the story that takes place before season one. This is the story of Dr. Martin Brenner and his experiments and how he came to create the children with special powers. Told from alternating points-of-view, we get the entire story of Eleven's mother--Terry Ives. We learn how she became involved, how she tried to fight back, how Eleven came to be and how she came to call Dr. Brenner "Papa." 

This was an extremely interesting story and definitely filled in a lot of holes and questions that weren't addressed in the show. This story was also disturbing! This has stayed with me since I've read it. The things Dr. Brenner did, the way he treated these women... I just can't fathom it. Talk about sadistic. And horrifying. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book and how it added to the world. I plan to do another re-watch of the show once I've read the books. 

Are you a fan of Stranger Things? 

Have you watched the show or read any of the books? 

What did you think?