Tag: Thriller

Book Review

She Didn’t See It Coming

TheShelfLife

She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena

Publication Date: July 2025 | Thanks NetGalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: An intense whodunnit with a healthy dose of paranoia.

3.5/5 Stars

Book Summary: When Sam receives a call that his wife did not pick up their daughter from daycare, he rushes to get the little girl and find his wife. Upon arriving home at their luxury condo, Bryden appears to have disappeared during the middle of her day working from home. An investigation begins and all of the people in Bryden’s seemingly perfect life are questioned. Paranoia builds as everyone tries to prove their innocence.

My Analysis: As with most of Lapena’s work, I liked it but didn’t totally love it. Of course that did not stop me from wanting to read another of her books. Her work is always solid, if flawed sometimes. This is a pretty standard whodunnit mystery with a lot of possible suspects. I appreciated her including so many options as it kept me wanting to know the outcome. It did seem however that she included almost too much background information on the supplementary characters that was almost unnecessary. My biggest hang up on this was the ending- I didn’t really like the end result of who was responsible. Ultimately I feel like with the characters she developed, things could have been more creative. I still feel like it’s still worth reading overall if you like an investigative mystery. This is an adult title, and has the potential to crossover to a YA audience, but I really don’t think they would be as interested in the characters and plot.

Book Review

The Thrashers

TheShelfLife

The Thrashers by Julie Soto

Publication Date: May 2025

Overall Verdict: Fast-paced and will keep you wanting to read more! A solid thriller about a group of friends and just how far people will go to protect their secrets.  

4/5 Stars

Book Summary: Jodi has been friends with Zack Thrasher since they were kids.  Now that they are in high school, she has found herself in a group known as The Thrashers.  The Thrashers are popular, rich and everyone wants to be friends with them.  When Emily, one such hopeful, dies everyone begins to question the group’s involvement.  As the police investigate the apparent suicide, secrets come out and The Thrashers are accused of harassment.  Emily’s journal comes to light, and strange things start to happen that put The Thrashers in danger, and Jodi must decide which secrets she wants to keep.

My Analysis:  I did not want to stop reading this one once I started!  It was very fast-paced, and I really wanted to know what happened and what the characters were going to do next.  Trigger warning: a teen dies by suicide – it is not graphically explained but is often discussed.  There is also a lot of partying throughout the book, and it is very normalized as teens drink heavily and do some drugs.  Because of the amount of partying that happens, this may lend to older YA readers.  Those warnings aside, this was a solid thriller.  Although Jodi could be slightly annoying at times with how she responded to certain things or seemed totally oblivious when it wouldn’t have been likely, I was intrigued by the characters and their relationships toward one another.  The concept of bullying was well done I thought, and you got to see the introspection of the characters in the aftermath of events.  What they did, how they did it and why are all twisted around into some crazy secrets. I feel like I can’t really do this book justice with an analysis without spoiling too much of the plot! If you’re looking for a thriller that revolves around friendship and secrets, I’d definitely recommend this one.

Book Review

How Bad Things Can Get

TheShelfLife

How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates

Publication Date: August 2025 | Thanks NetGalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: Extremely descriptive and gory but underwhelming and forced in terms of plot and character development.

3/5 Stars

Book Summary: Online influencer Eton creates a lavish atmosphere on his own island and invites hundreds of his fans and fellow influencers to take part in a 5-day series of games.  Wanting to actually have some fun and put away the memories of her past life in a notorious cult, Ruth joins her friends on the island.  As she holds on to her secret of being the sole survivor of the cult, she begins to question the motivations and actions of those around her.  As people start to go missing or are found dead, Ruth must face the truth that she has not completely escaped her past.

My Analysis:  I have to start this off by saying I really adore Darcy Coates’s works, and this is the first of hers that I have read that I did not enjoy.  I found the pacing to be incredibly slow and drawn-out way too much, so much so that I almost chose to DNF.  There was one thing that kept me going and piqued my curiosity, but ultimately, I don’t feel it was worth it.  I get where Coates was trying to come from with how her story unfolded, but to me it seemed like she was unnecessarily trying to put two completely separate stories together in a way that seemed to be way too much of a stretch.  I will give a warning that this novel is filled with very descriptive gore scenes and murder, and if you are into that, those were very well written.  They definitely aren’t for everyone though.  I read this to see if it could be an adult title that could crossover to YA readers, and aside from the fact I didn’t care for the story, I would probably avoid putting it in the hands of general YA readers with how intense some of the descriptions were.  Ruth’s character was interesting some of the time and it was compelling to hear of her past experiences in the cult she grew up in.  But again, everything about this story felt very forced to me.  I gave it as high of a rating as I did simply because the writing itself was good, even though the plot was severely lacking and characters other than Ruth were under-developed.  If you really want to read some gore, give this one a try, but otherwise I’d recommend reading any of the other titles by this author instead.

Book Review

Not Quite Dead Yet

TheShelfLife

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

Publication Date: July 2025| Thanks NetGalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: An adult novel that still reads like YA.  There is some potential and suspense, but between an awkward writing style and a lack of a genuine main character, this falls flat.

2/5 Stars

Book Summary: 27-year-old Jet has returned home after attempting college, deciding that she would figure out how else to make her mark on the world.  On Halloween night however, she is attacked and sustains a severe head injury.  Doctors inform Jet that she has only seven days left to live, before succumbing to an aneurysm.  Determined to piece together who attempted to murder her and why, she teams up with a childhood friend to track down evidence and suspects.  As her condition deteriorates with each passing day, Jet realizes her family and friends have more secrets than she could have imagined.

My Analysis:  Jackson is attempting to break into adult novels with Not Quite Dead Yet, but this still reads very much like her YA works.  Other than it being a character in her twenties and the fact that there is a bit more profanity scattered throughout, there really isn’t much that would make it stand out as an adult title.  Which may work for some crossover YA readers who could be interested.  Overall, I was disappointed with her writing.  The sentence structure was very abrupt and disjointed and it took away from the narrative.  There is potential with this title and the idea of a woman solving her attempted murder under a time crunch.  I think the best part of the entire novel was Jet’s relationship and reconnection with her childhood friend.  I did find Jet’s character to be very unlikeable.  Which may have partly been intentional, but it made it challenging for me to even be on her side to want to know what happened to her.  I do also think that she was far too glib about the concept of her dying.  She would continually make unnecessary jokes or put off people who wanted to see her when she knew she had a limited window left.  I found that to be a bit disingenuous and it actually bothered me on a personal level.  There were some moments of suspense throughout which were mildly intriguing, but I will admit I did see the “big twists” coming.  If you are a YA reader and a fan of her other novels, you may also enjoy this one.  If you are an adult mystery thriller reader, I’d skip this one.

Book Review

If We Tell You

TheShelfLife

If We Tell You by Nicola Dahlin

Publication Date: October 2024| Thanks NetGalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: An unremarkable thriller that was more confusing and inconceivable than entertaining or suspenseful.

1/5 Stars

Book Summary: Twins Lewis and Cameron find themselves on the run after their parents unexpectedly kill intruders at a community barbecue. Armed with cash, fake identities and the instruction to go to Edinburgh, Scotland they are forced on their own into the unknown. Trying to piece together the clues their parents left behind, while also trying to conceal their true identities, Lewis and Cameron pretend to be one person so they don’t cause any more attention than necessary.

My Analysis: I really don’t like rating a book so low, knowing the blood, sweat and tears that go into writing something and getting it published. But this one just wasn’t good. Not all that much actually happened and the events that did were either confusing or so unrealistic that it was hard to buy into the plot (even for a YA novel). I also didn’t care for the main characters of Cameron or Lewis- here they are on the run and I just couldn’t bring myself to root for them. The novel is split up into both of their perspectives, and for twins that are supposedly so different, I found myself forgetting whose perspective I was in too often. The one thing I did like about this book were the secondary characters, it’s honestly what saved it for me. I kept reading wanting to know what ultimately was going on with the twins parents, but I also found that unsatisfying. Ultimately not one I would buy for the library or recommend, it would definitely be a DNF for too many readers.

Book Review

This Book Kills

TheShelfLife

This Book Kills by Ravena Guron

Publication Date: September 2024 | Thanks NetGalleyfor an ARC

Overall Verdict: If you can get passed some too convenient coincidences, this is an entertaining boarding school murder mystery.

3.5/5 Stars

Book Summary: As one of the few scholarship students at an elite boarding school, Jess has tried to keep her head down and work hard. When one of her fellow classmates is murdered, it comes to light that it occurred exactly as one of Jess’s short stories she wrote for class. With her future on the line, Jess teams up with other students to figure out what happened all while receiving death threats from the murderer. As their investigation continues, secrets are revealed and everyone has the possibility of becoming a suspect…or the next in line to be murdered.

My Analysis: This one turned out much better than I anticipated after reading the synopsis and the first 20% of the book. It actually had me stumped on who was behind the murders, which is saying something. My biggest hang up with this one was how juvenile some of the writing was geared. It seemed unnecessary to me to have silly character names and to keep over using the same phrases (Er…) to the point it detracts from the story. I did appreciate that there were layers of complexity when it came to characters secrets and wasn’t quite as straight forward of a murder mystery as I had thought. There were of course some events that seemed like a little too much of a coincidence than it would be in reality, but if you can look beyond that it was entertaining. The characters were mostly interesting and the author did do a nice job of making everyone seem like a suspect. I was invested in wanting to know what happened next. If you like murder mysteries and/or boarding school stories, give this one a read.

Book Review

Under the Surface

TheShelfLife

Under the Surface by Diana Urban

Publication Date: August 2024 | Thanks NetGalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: A gripping thriller that will keep you guessing from start to finish. Teens lost and fighting for survival and each other.

5/5 Stars

Book Summary: A group of high school students are on a trip to France. Ruby is an emerging travel vlogger, and is excited to see what the city has to offer. Plus, spending a week in Paris with her best friend and crush sounds like a dream. When Ruby’s friend Val sneaks off to meet a French boy though, Ruby tries to stop her from making a bad choice. However, she and a couple others from the trip get swept up into the idea of an exclusive party in the underground Paris catacombs. As they make their way through the catacombs, it becomes clear that they are never making it to the party. Flooding, cave-ins, and wrong turns aren’t the only things they need to survive from, there is also someone or something chasing them as they continue to try and find the surface.

My Analysis: This is Urban’s best work yet. I’ll admit I’m a bit skeptical because she tends to be very hit (and mostly) miss with me but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was very suspenseful throughout and she did a nice job of letting you really get to know the characters on a deeper level. The friendships (both current and former) are very well done. It’s a dual POV with Ruby and someone above ground, so you really get to see what is happening on both sides of things which was interesting and makes you really invested. It is a story of survival, friendship, love and the belief of doing what you believe is right. I liked learning about the Paris catacombs from a historical perspective as well, and through this heart pounding story it made them come alive as the reader. I feel like I can’t say much more without giving away too many spoilers, so let’s just say that I didn’t want to stop reading this one. If you like thrillers then you definitely need to give this one a read!

Book Review

AdelAIDE Just Wants to Help

TheShelfLife

AdelAIDE Just Wants to Help by Melinda Salisbury

Publication Date: August 2024 | Thanks NetGalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: A quick read that serves as a cautionary tale of when AI reliance goes too far. Solid thriller novella.

4/5 Stars

Book Summary: Freya is desperate to become a popular influencer, especially when her former friend has similar ambitions but is already very well known. When Freya’s stepdad brings home AdelAIDE, an AI robot assistant, she feels like her luck may be changing. AdelAIDE only wants to help, and Freya continues to seek out and adhere to her suggestions on how to make herself more popular. After awhile though Freya ends up making some radical choices, putting into question AdelAIDE and the morality of her input.

My Analysis: I adored Salisbury’s Hold Back the Tide (if you haven’t read it- do it!) so when I saw this one I was intrigued. This is a very timely cautionary tale of the influence of AI technology and how reliant one can become on it if we let it. I thought this was a solid thriller novella. Coming in at just under 100 pages, I read it in one sitting. It kept my interest all throughout and I was invested in how AdelAIDE would continue to interact with Freya and the fallout of everything that was happening. A few years ago I would have classified this as Sci-Fi, but with where things are today it’s actually more realistic fiction. I can definitely see this being of interest to a wide range of audiences.

Book Review

The Return of Ellie Black

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The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

Publication Date: May 2024

Overall Verdict: A solid thriller that will keep you guessing and make your heart wrench for the characters. An adult novel with YA crossover potential. Recommended!

5/5 Stars

Book Summary: Detective Chelsey Calhoun has been trying her entire career to help find missing girls, in hopes of finding closure for her sister who had gone missing when they were teens. When a cold case of Chelsey’s is suddenly active again with the reappearance of Ellie Black who vanished two years ago, she begins to dive deeper into what happened. As she questions Ellie however, it becomes clear that she is not sharing all the information about what has happened to her.

My Analysis: This is an adult novel, but absolutely has the ability to be of interest (and appropriate where applicable) for older YA readers. Content warning there is non-graphic depictions of sexual abuse. You are given both the detectives perspective as well as the teen who had been missing, so YA readers can still make a connection. It is a fast-paced thriller and I like how the author connected the dots through multiple perspectives. There are some interesting twists (one of which I wasn’t totally a fan of, but it worked) that really keep you wanting more. I do wish that the ending had been expanded upon. I get where the author wanted to cut things off, but I wanted to know more about the aftermath of things. Overall if you are a fan of thrillers, particularly missing persons/kidnapping plots, you need to read this one.

Book Review

The Bitter End

TheShelfLife

The Bitter End by Alexa Donne

Publication Date: October 2024 |Thanks Netgalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: A closed circle mystery that is not at all plausible or strongly written, but provides an entertaining series of events that make you question each character.

3/5 Stars

Book Summary: Eight teens get stuck with a last minute change to their Senior trip, and find themselves in a remote ski cabin for a long weekend. With the intend of being a ‘digital detox’ retreat, they are cut-off from the outside world, and when a blizzard strikes they become even more isolated. Survival becomes paramount when not only are they trapped, but people start dying. With secrets revealed and constant betrayals, everyone becomes suspect.

My Analysis: I enjoy a closed circle mystery, and wanted to give this one a try. The premise of teens trapped in a snow storm always has merit. This book is based on Agatha Christies And Then There Were None, which was interesting and overall it does keep you guessing on who is responsible. It is told in dual time lines and multiple POV’s which can get a bit tricky to understand but still works. And ultimately is very necessary to the plot. You can definitely tell though that this is an adult writing what they think teens talk and act like. I didn’t find it to be very realistic, based on my experiences. I do think Donne is getting stronger with her writing, but to me she’s just not quite there yet. If you can look past that though it is a decent thriller. There is casual alcohol and drug use throughout, in case you need to be aware of that. Ultimately it’s a quick thriller that I can see some YA readers get into if they enjoy a murder/survival story.