Review: The Marriage Clock

Posted on July 4, 2019 by ashareads

The Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem

Publication Date: 7/23/19

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (HarperCollins Publisher)

Rating: 3/5

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced digital copy of this book from HarperCollins in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

Review: The Marriage Clock is Zara Raheem’s debut novel. This contemporary romance follows, Lelia, a young Muslim-American woman, who is given 3 months to find the perfect husband otherwise her conservative Indian parents will find someone for her and arrange her marriage. I found this book to be charming, witty, and could connect to the book on a personal level. Zara’s writing style keeps your attention throughout the full book. I also found it refreshing to read the view point from an Indian Muslim perspective as I am Indian Hindu and it was interesting to see what the similarities and differences were. With all of that said, there were some parts of the book that I found difficult to connect with fully which resulted in a lower star rating. First, I found Lelia’s personality to be a bit jarring, more immature, and delusional than I anticipated. At the same time, it didn’t surprise me as she was still living at home with her parents, but I expected a bit more openness and understanding from her. The ending made sense to me, but it felt me wanting something a bit more. Overall, I thought it was a great start for a debut. I’d recommend picking this up if you like contemporary novels.

Review: Lock Every Door

Posted on June 27, 2019 by ashareads

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

Publication Date: 7/2/19

Publisher: Dutton

Rating: 5/5

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced digital copy of this book from Dutton in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

Review: I was super stoked to receive Riley Sanger’s third and latest novel novel, Lock Every Door. This thriller follows Jules, who is broke and unemployed, accepts an offer to be an apartment sitter for a high profile and mysterious building in NYC. Jules befriends another apartment sitter, Ingrid, who suddenly disappears the next day. In the wake of Ingrid’s disappearance, Jules uncovers the building’s dark history. Are the secrets of the building’s glamorous facade still hold true today or is it in the past? This was definitely a 5 star read for me! I swear Riley’s writing style gets better and better by each book. He has quickly become one of my favorite thriller writers! The premise of the novel is not only intriguing, but actually kept me on my toes throughout the story as I didn’t see the twists and turns coming. I found each of the characters to be distinct. This thriller kind of reminded me of the Disney movie, Tower of Terror, a little bit. Overall, if you loved Riley Sager’s previous books, you’ll love this one and it won’t disappoint!

Review: Fix Her Up

Posted on June 20, 2019 by ashareads

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

Publishing Date: 6/11/19

Publisher: Avon Books

Rating: 2/5

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced digital copy of this book from Avon Books in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review or rating.

Review: Fix Her Up is the first book I’ve read from Tessa Bailey. This romcom follows Georgie, a young woman who wants to be taken seriously despite her age and profession, lands herself fake dating Travis, her childhood crush / her brother’s best friend / former baseball star. Initially the cute illustrative cover and premise intrigued me to read this novel. It wasn’t at all what I expected. The novel was definitely steamier than I anticipated it to be which I didn’t mind. The story started off pretty strong, however as I kept reading further, most of the scenes ended up being cringeworthy and too cheesy for me which I couldn’t overlook. I also wasn’t a big fan of the typical virgin female and player male main characters which I feel is overused and pretty dull to me. Unfortunately, this wasn’t my type of romance, but if you like the whole dating your best friend’s brother and fake dating sort of romance then this is for you.

Review: The Friend Zone

Posted on June 13, 2019 by ashareads

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

Publication Date: 6/11/19
Publisher: Forever Romance (Grand Central Publishing)
Rating: 3/5

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced digital copy of this book from Forever Romance in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

Review: The Friend Zone is Abby Jimenez’s debut novel and will be part of a series. Kristen is busy planning her best friend’s wedding along side the best man, Joshua. Kristen and Joshua are drawn to each other, but Kristen is a long distance relationship with her military boyfriend of two years. Kristen also finds out that Josh wants kids, but she won’t be able to as she’ll be facing a life-changing medical procedure that will leave her to become infertile which then leads the question of whether things can go further with Josh or not. Given all the hype of this book on Instagram, I was really looking forward to reading this, but it didn’t quite fit my romance read standards. This romance read is unique in a sense where it discusses about battling infertility. I liked the way the author incorporated this, however, the main characters and the story killed it for me. I found both main characters to be unlikable and annoying. The story doesn’t really pick up until a third of the way into it and it took me a while to warm up to it. I also didn’t like the ending at all which I will leave it at that without any spoilers. With all of that said, this is a decent romance novel. I would recommend to you check it out yourself as it might be more of your cup of tea than mine.

Review: Recursion

Posted on June 11, 2019 by ashareads

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Publishing Date: 6/11/19
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Rating: 5/5

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader copy of this book from Crown Publishing in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review or rating.

Review: Blake Crouch’s newest novel, Recursion, is the second novel I’ve read from him. This sci-fi thriller follows NYC Detective Barry Sutton who is investigating a mysterious disease called False memory Syndrome which drives victims to insanity with memories of a life that they never lived. As Barry learns more about the mysterious disease, he ultimately faces Helena Smith, a neuroscientist who invented the device which changed the world. I don’t typically read sci-fi books, but I loved Dark Matter so I had to get my hands on this one. Blake Crouch blew it out of the water with Recursion. Not only is the premise intriguing, but you are kept on the edge of seat throughout the story. I loved the alternating perspectives of Barry Sutton and Helena Smith. Blake Crouch did an amazing job shifting through the times without making it too confusing, but also crafting it in a way which made sense and kept the reader wondering what would happen next. Themes of memories, happiness, difficult choices, and society can be found in this sci-fi thriller. I really found the perspectives of the power of memory to be quite fascinating in this novel. This is definitely one of those books where after you’re done reading, you’ll think about the subject matter for a while. I highly recommend reading this novel if you loved Dark Matter and/or if you love thrillers. You won’t regret it!

Review: Just One Bite

Posted on June 6, 2019 by ashareads

Just One Bite by Jack Heath

Publication Date: 6/4/19

Publisher: Hanover Square Press (Harlequin)

Rating: 4/5

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced digital copy of this book from Hanover Square Press in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review or rating.

Review: Just One More Bite is the follow up to Hangman. This crime thriller follows Timothy Blake who is at a crossroads of working as a consultant for the FBI and also taking on a job as body disposal for local crime lord. Will he able to keep his two worlds separate or will they come crashing down together?

Wow…Jack Heath does it again! The plot in this book was insane and I liked it as much as I liked Hangman. I loved the author’s fast-paced, dark, and funny at times writing style. I liked how in this book we see how Timothy Blake’s character changes a bit and that we are introduced to new characters as well. I didn’t see any of the twists coming and loved how complex the crime they were solving was. However, I still couldn’t stomach in some of gory scenes which I wouldn’t be able to handle in any book. If you love crime thrillers, this series is definitely for you.

Review: Necessary People

Posted on June 4, 2019 by ashareads

Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak

Publishing Date: 5/21/19

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Rating: 4/5

Review: Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak was my May BOTM selection. This psychological thriller follows two friends who will do whatever it takes to become successful even if it means to destroy each other. I devoured this book! The character development in this book is phenomenal. The cat and mouse game of Stella and Violet’s friendship, strive for power and success was a wild ride. I didn’t see any of the twists coming. Stella and Violet’s rich girl poor girl theatrics did get a bit old at first, but definitely was made up by the twists made half way through the book. I also really liked how many of the characters strayed from the typical stereotypes. On a side note, I was intrigued with the journalism/newsroom atmosphere which kept the story intriguing and kind of reminded me of the TV show, Newsroom. Overall, I highly recommend this novel if you’re into psychological thrillers!

Review: The Flatshare

Posted on May 30, 2019 by ashareads

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

Publication Date: 5/28/19

Publisher: FlatIron Books

Rating: 4/5

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced digital copy of this book from FlatIron Books in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review or rating.

Review: The Flatshare is Beth O’Leary’s debut novel. This contemporary romance follows two people, Tiff and Leon, in London who are in a financial bind and agree upon a peculiar roommate agreement. I loved this book! It was lighthearted and fun, but also dove into serious issues such as emotional abuse in relationships and finding justice. The story is unique and maintains the reader’s interest from start to finish. All the characters are quite lovable and realistic. The alternating perspectives were refreshing, however, Leon’s perspective took a bit to get used to as the writing was a bit choppy. I definitely recommend picking this up if you love lighthearted and fluffy romance novels.

Review: The Woman In The White Kimono

Posted on May 24, 2019 by ashareads

The Woman In The White Kimono by Ana Johns

Publication Date: 5/28/19

Publisher: Park Row Books (Harlequin)

Rating: 4/5

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader copy of this book from TLC Book Tours & Harper Collins in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review or rating.

Review: Ana Johns’ debut novel, The Woman In The White Kimono, is told in alternating perspectives from 17-year-old Naoko living in Japan in 1957 Japan and Tori Kovac, an investigative journalist, living in present day America. Overall, I found this novel to be beautifully written and heartbreaking. The story reminds me a bit of Memoirs of a Geisha and the writing style reminds me bit of Lisa See’s writing. Ana Johns does a great job portraying post-WWII and describing the relationship between America and Japan. I really loved reading Naoko’s perspective as her story was fast paced and kept me on my toes. I found Tori’s perspective to be less interesting and at a slower pace, but understand the importance of her character in the story. Though I found some parts of the book to be a bit predictable, I really liked the way that Ana Johns ended the story. I would recommend reading this novel if you love historical fiction and/or interested in Japanese and American history.

Review: Miracle Creek

Posted on May 23, 2019 by ashareads

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Publishing Date: 4/16/19

Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books

Rating: 5/5

Review: Miracle Creek was my April BOTM pick. This legal thriller follows a Korean immigrant family and a single mother accused of murdering her autistic son. This book certainly lives up to the hype and deserves 5 stars! I really liked the premise and the complexity of the characters in this novel. The various perspectives also helped a lot while reading to give a more wholistic view of the controversial situation at hand. This is certainly a heavy read and I would recommend taking your time with this one. If you love mystery or courtroom / legal books with controversial topics, I highly recommend picking this one up!