michelles_book_nook's reviews
259 reviews

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

⚠️ CW: childhood trauma, religious trauma, animal death, cannibalism ⚠️ If you're looking for a horror read with a dysfunctional family, dark secrets and Satanism then this book is for you! Nobody has a 'normal' family but Vesper Wright’s is truly something else. Vesper left home at 18 and never looked back, mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn’t return. But then an envelope arrives on her doorstep with an invitation to the wedding of her beloved cousin. However the catch is that it’s to be hosted at the family farm. Vesper's mind spirals with confusion, have they made an exception to the rules? Is the invite a sweet gesture? An olive branch? A trap? She has no idea but something inside her insists she must go to the wedding, even if it means returning to the toxic environment that she escaped from and reuniting with her mother. When Vesper’s homecoming exhumes a terrifying secret she’s forced to reckon with her family’s beliefs and her own crisis of faith in this deliciously sinister novel that explores the way family ties can bind us as we struggle to find our place in the world. This book was such a good read and it really had me hooked throughout but unfortunately it didn't fully live up to the hype. I absolutely loved the plot and all of the secrets that were waiting to be unearthed. I think my issue was that I really didn't like Vesper and I can't even explain why, I just didn't particularly gel to her and found her cynicism of everything to be quite annoying so despite loving the book that did drop it down a bit. Overall, if you're a horror fan I would definitely recommend giving this one a read.

Content Warnings

The Journey: Big Panda and Tiny Dragon by James Norbury

Go to review page

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

This book was the most perfect read to start a new year with, especially considering 2024 was a tough time for me. I believe that sometimes books come to you at the right time and this definitely feels like one of those books. Although Big Panda and Tiny Dragon are content with their temple home high up the mountains, Tiny Dragon realises that something feels incomplete. So they set out on an extraordinary adventure together to new and distant lands as Tiny Dragon works through his big feelings. As they encounter dangers and challenges, they learn that everything they need is already inside them and that change, though sometimes scary, is possible and, with patience, can lead to better things. This book truly hit me right in the feels and I think it will resonate with everyone that has been through their own personal battles. The story is so wholesome and heartfelt and it's combined with the most beautiful artwork throughout that truly makes the story's meaning echo louder the further you get into it. Overall, I highly recommend this book!

Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

⚠️ CW: murder, kidnapping, police corruption, trafficking and brief mention of infertility ⚠️ If you're looking for a crime fiction thriller that will have you in an absolute choke hold then this one is for you! Olivia has been missing for one day, and counting. She was last seen on CCTV entering a dead-end alley and not reappearing. Julia, the detective heading up the search for Olivia, thinks she knows what to expect. A desperate family, a ticking clock, and long hours away from her husband and daughter. But she has no idea just how close to home this case is going to get, because the criminal at the heart of this disappearance has something she never expected. His weapon isn’t a gun or a knife, it’s a secret. Her worst one. And her family's safety depends on one thing, Julia must not find out what happened to Olivia and must frame somebody else for her murder. If she finds her, she will lose everything. This book had me guessing until the very end and was filled with so many twists and turns that left me absolutely hooked with suspense with every new chapter. I love books like this that make you question your own morality and make you think what would you do in this situation. All I can say is that there is no wonder that this book is a best seller and is so hyped up throughout the bookish community. It was so close to being a 5 star read but I kept getting a little confused with the characters because there are just so many to keep track of. Overall though I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read more by this author.

Content Warnings

This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

⚠️ CW: murder, child abuse, domestic abuse, rape, paedophilia and mentions of drug abuse and addiction ⚠️ If you want a book that will make you question every single character multiple times then this one is for you! For GBI investigator Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton, McAlpine Lodge seems like the ideal getaway to celebrate their honeymoon. Set on a gorgeous, off-grid mountaintop property, it’s the perfect place to unplug and reconnect. Until a bone-chilling scream cuts through the night. Mercy McAlpine, the manager of the Lodge, is dead. With a vicious storm raging and the one access road to the property washed out, the murderer must be someone on the mountain. But as Will and Sara investigate the McAlpine family and the other guests, they realize that everyone here is lying. And with the killer poised to strike again, the trip of a lifetime becomes a race against the clock. This book had me absolutely hooked from the very beginning and even when I did put it down I was still thinking of the plot and the characters and trying to figure out who the murderer was. Karin Slaughter is a new author to me, and this is only the second book I've read by her, but she's quickly becoming a fast favourite! Especially with her Will Trent series as I love that the books can be read as a series or easily picked up as standalones with no issues. The only reason I dropped this down a star was because of the mass amount of characters, and in parts it did feel a bit overwhelming trying to remember everything and everyone. Overall, I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read more by this author.

Content Warnings

Run on Red by Noelle W. Ihli

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

⚠️ CW: stalking, abduction, drug abuse, human trafficking, murder and mentions of sexual assault and rape ⚠️ If you're looking for a read that will really get your heart racing with fear then you need to read this book! A rural country road. No cell signal for miles. A terrifying game of cat-and-mouse. By the time Laura and Olivia notice the headlights tailing them through the hills, it’s too late. What seems, at first, like a case of road rage quickly unfolds into a heart pounding chase, and a battle for survival. Who are the men in the truck? What do they want? And can Laura and Olivia outrun, and outsmart, them long enough to call for help, even if it means taking their chances in the hills on foot? As their situation grows more perilous, the girls realize that the real terror has only just begun. But flight won’t save them from their pursuers. If they’re going to make it home alive, they'll have to fight. This book was such a fast paced, terror inducing read and it really gives you that uneasy and eerie feeling that you get when you first think you're being followed, before it unfolds into a wildly thrilling and twisty book that I just couldn't put down. I loved how the intensity and that feeling of having no way out ramped up with each chapter. It is truly so well written from the emotions it conjures to the short chapters that really build the suspenseful 'life or death' feeling. Overall, I highly recommend this read and I can't wait to read more by this author.

Content Warnings

The Wreckage of Us by Dan Malakin

Go to review page

challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

⚠️ CW: murder, mental health, suicidal ideations, self harm, drug use, stalking, rape, underage relationships, domestic abuse ⚠️ If you're looking for a read to get you into the spooky season mood that will keep you guessing until the very end then this one is for you! Astrid Webb is missing. The police have found her car crashed near the woods, the driver's door open and the seat spotted with blood. But there's no sign of Astrid herself, a chronically ill woman who rarely left her house, and who surely couldn't have left the scene of the accident without help. Her husband Bryan is sure that she's alive because after all, this isn't the first time she's vanished, only to reappear without explanation. But as the days pass, Bryan starts to look like a suspect in his wife's disappearance, perhaps in her murder. Yet little do the police know, Bryan isn't telling the whole truth. Not about Astrid's stalker, their broken-in back door or the threatening messages she received. And it seems as if both Astrid and Bryan have something to hide. This book had me absolutely hooked from start to finish! It is so suspenseful and chilling, and so perfectly written in a way that just when you think you've figured everything out another twist drops and demolishes what you thought you knew. It is one of those books that's hard to review without giving spoilers though, but trust me it's just such a perfect way to kick off spooky season. Overall, I highly recommend this book and can't wait to see what Dan Malakin drops next.

Content Warnings

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

⚠️ CW: stalking, drug abuse, murder ⚠️ If you're looking for a read that gives you the best influencer drama that turns into a psychological thriller then you need to read this book! Meredith is stalking her best friend. Aspen Palmer, with her millions of followers and beautiful family, has everything Meredith wants. The worst thing is, she showed her how to get it. And now she's dead to her. Yet, little does Aspen know that Meredith has found the perfect way to get revenge. But she knows that Aspen won’t go down without a fight. Nothing gets in the way of her perfect life, but Meredith made Aspen and she knows exactly how to break her too. This book was everything I needed right now. It has lived rent free in my head since I picked it up and if I had the chance I would have easily binged it in one sitting. It was filled with twists and turns and so much suspense that it had me absolutely hooked. I'm a big Jesse Sutanto fan and she never fails with her incredible writing but this book is definitely in my top 3 faves by hers. Overall, I loved this read and highly recommend it!

Content Warnings

Undoctored: The Story of a Medic Who Ran Out of Patients by Adam Kay

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

⚠️ CW: miscarriage, rape, sexual assault, homophobia ⚠️ Yet another great non-fiction medical read by Adam Kay! With his stethoscope now hung up, Adam shares more suture-splitting anecdotes from both on and off the wards. From the hilarious to the profoundly moving, from the first days of medical school to life after the NHS. This book had me absolutely hooked just like all of his previous books. I absolutely love the brutally honest and hilarious stories that Adam Kay writes about that give such a perfect portrait of healthcare, including the good, the bad and the ugly. Overall, if you like medical non-fictions and unique views of healthcare in the UK then I highly recommend this book and all of Adam Kay's previous books too.

Content Warnings

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

⚠️ CW: school shooting, murder, fatphobia, racism, homophobia, ableism, mental illness, child abuse and mentions of paedophilia ⚠️ This book is so hard hitting and had me hooked from the very beginning! Eva never really wanted to be a mother, certainly not the mother of a boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker and a teacher who had tried to befriend him. Now, two years after her son's horrific rampage, Eva comes to terms with her role as Kevin's mother in a series of startlingly direct letters with her absent husband about their son's upbringing. Fearing that her own shortcomings may have shaped what her son has become, she confesses to a deep, long-standing ambivalence about motherhood. This book is so incredibly chilling, heartbreaking and truly makes you consider the nature vs nurture debate. I regularly had to put it down and really think about the psychological side of this story, it was definitely a lot to consider but the characters and plot lived rent free in my head even when I wasn't reading and I think it will stay with me for a long time. I'd previously watched the movie of this but the book is on a whole different level that I can't even explain properly, it's one of those that you just have to read to understand the emotional rollercoaster. Overall, I absolutely adored this book from the way it was written to the hugely thought provoking plot, and I highly recommend reading it but please take the CW's into account because this is a very difficult read.

Content Warnings

Conviction by Jack Jordan

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

More...

michelles_book_nook's reviews 259 reviews

michelles_book_nook's reviews
259 reviews