snugglesandpages's reviews
250 reviews

One Of Us Is Dead is an addictive domestic thriller perfect for those who love reality tv and over the top rich housewives drama.

📖 Shannon use to be Queen Bee of Buckhead, until her politican husband, Bryce trades her in for a 20 something bartender from Texas named Crystal.

Olivia is the resident mean girl waiting in the wings to dethrone Shannon at first chance.

Karen is a mother and successful real estate guru and the only one who isn't living off her husbands efforts. She is strong willed and now realising perhaps not so happily married.

Then there is sweet Jenny, a high-profile hairstylist and all-around beauty guru to Buckhead's social elite. Her beauty salon, Glow is the hotspot for all the towns gossip, so it's no surprise that Jenny and her right hand Keisha are the keeper of their clients dark and dirty secrets.

The story opens with Jenny being questioned by police and we learn straight away that someone has been murdered (hence the title). Told from the POV of Jenny, Shannon, Olivia, Karen and Crystal, the chapters alternate between Jenny in the present day and the drama filled events which took place in the three weeks leading up to the murder.

If you mix Big Little Lies, The Real Housewives and Mean Girls featuring 30-40 something-year-old rich and devious housewives who can't control their deceitful and catty behaviour, you get One of Us is Dead.

It was very bingable and Jeneva did a great job and ensuring each of the women had their own unique voice.

The chapters are short and snappy which aids in building suspense and the dialogue is so brutal at times I found myself gasping at the shock value.

If you enjoy popcorn thrillers, snarky dialogue, and unreliable narrators, then One of Us is read will knock your socks off.

📢 Thank you Blackstone Publishing and Netgally for gifting me an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

The overall execution of this book blew me away! 🤯👏

The voices of the three main women in this storey, Siobhan, Miranda and Jane are all unique and deeply relatable characters. I couldn't stop myself from laughing and crying along with them as they each navigated their inner turmoil of love and life.

There were so many moments I wanted to reach out and shake Joseph Carter or give him a good kick in the shin for making these women feel so vulnerable, but no matter how much I tried to dislike him, something was telling me that there was more to this man than I knew at that point.

The No-Show is the first book by O'Leary that I have read and I must say, I am impressed. I can't wait to go back and check out her backlist because her witting is phenomenal.

I purchased my copy of The No-Show to join in with read the Tandem Collective Readalong event and the discussion group for this one was so fun. So many theories along the way and minds blown when it all came together. The clever breadcrumbs laid out are easy to miss when you are so engrossed in the story. I know some of my fellow readalong buddies are planning to read it again, because it was just that good!

The No-Show is such a beautifully touching and fun read. I highly recommend you grab a copy and when you do, come back here and let me know what you thought of it!! 💛

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥?

The Last Guests is the 3rd book of J.P's that I have read in a matter of months and it did not disappoint. 👏

True to J.P's writing style, Lina and Cain are well developed and highly flawed characters with plenty of secrets. The story touches on a number of sensitive topics such as financial struggles, PTSD, addiction and infertility.

The addition of the subchapters depicting the Peephole live streams really heightened the voyeuristic elements and ramped up the suspense to a whole other level.

The plausibility behind the premise of this story is what made it super creepy and eerie for me. The idea of being watched during your most private and vulnerable moments... 😱 Ahhh gosh, it just makes my skin crawl because this kind of thing is likely happening somewhere in the world right now. I think it's going to be a while before I book a trip in someone's vacay home.

If you're in the mood for a twisty thriller that will make you ask yourself just how far you would be willing to go to attain the life you've always wanted? Then The Last Guests is a must.

Also, shoutout to J.P for that "Tell Me Lies" easter egg cleverly included on page 290 👏👏. I see what you did there 😉

This was such a funny, lighthearted read. I laughed out loud so many times, and oh my... So many cheesy lines, but I am here for it 🙌.

I enjoyed the witty banter between Olive and Ethan and the evolution of their relationship from enemies to lovers. I found the characters were well written and likeable and Olive's family dynamic made me think this could play out as a novella similar to Jane the Virgin.

That climatic wedding reception scene though? I mean...🤢🤮 

This is my first read by the writing duo Christina & Lauren, and I am very much looking forward to reading their entire backlist.

Nine Lives is a quick easy read with a modern take on the Agatha Christie classic, And Then There Were None.

When I first sat down to read this, I flew through the first 100 pages and couldn't put it down. Even with so many POVs, I was hyped because one of my all-time favourite books is Swanson's The Kind Worth Killing. (If you haven't read it, go grab it. So good!)

Each of the Nine had a voice and it was easy enough to tell them apart, but I just didn't care enough about any of the characters to feel impacted by their deaths. 

Unfortunately, by about halfway, I had already made up my mind about who was behind the murders and had a suspicion as to the reason why. Now, this wouldn't usually be an issue for me because working out whodunnit is all the fun, but I was disappointed to find the deaths were very quick, with some taking place over just a few lines (yes, I am a psycho 🤣).

Overall, Nine Lives kinda missed the mark for me, but if you're a classic mystery lover you may like this a lot more.

The style of this book is a true nod to a classic Agatha Christie Murder Mystery. I loved the author's clever wit and somewhat delightfully satirical approach to the detective/mystery genre and found myself laughing out loud a few times. 

With that said though, the Mystery itself left me feeling a bit underwhelmed and while the ending brought everything together, it was a little convoluted. 

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and can see why there is such hype around it, especially if you're a classic murder mystery fan. I am keen to check out the author's blacklist as well. 

In the follow-up to It Happened One Summer, we navigate Hannah's shift from supporting character to leading lady. I found there to be a few role reversal similarities between the two, but to go into them may be a bit spoilery.

Hannah is a much more down to earth and relatable character (compared to Piper) in my opinion. She has wit and an unwavering fierceness to stand up and protect those she cares about. Because of this, I enjoyed HL&S so much more than IHOS as a whole.

We know from IHOS that Fox is painted as a player. Fox's struggle with imposter syndrome provided a sense of depth and vulnerability to his character (though, it did seem a bit repetitive towards the end). This is something we touched on during our buddy chat, and how Tessa shone a light on toxic masculinity and male slut shaming, instead of playing into it.

Tessa's breezy writing style makes it easy to get lost in the pages and before I knew it, it was 12:30 am and I had devoured the whole thing in practically a day. Such a bittersweet feeling.

One thing I will note though is that Piper and Brendan are very absent in HL&S, so if you're looking to read more about their relationship, you may be disappointed. 

Nestled in the Devonshire valley and tucked away from the world, one wouldn't even know it was there if not for the small hand-painted sign by the turning... The perfect place to commit a crime, the perfect place to bury a secret.

📖 The Sanctuary is a twisty thriller told from the point of view of Selina and the 4 women who have checked into her luxurious pre-natal yoga retreat for the weekend. 

👭 Nicky and Bonnie are half-sisters with 20 years between them. Pregnant at the same time, Bonnie suggests a weekend away at a relaxing prenatal yoga treat. Nicky is not at all pleased, but reluctantly agrees, if only a way to get a peaceful night's sleep and maybe finally find out just who the father of Bonnie's baby is? 

🤰Georgia - a lifestyle journalist and once-free spirit, suddenly finds herself uncharacteristically dependent on her boyfriend. When Brett has to head overseas for a work trip, Georgia reserves a spot at the retreat in hopes of working up the nerve to face her secret. 

🤱Poppy - is 4 months pregnant and still grieving the tragic loss of her baby daughter just over a year ago. Navigating the wreckage of her marriage, Poppy arrives at the retreat with a plan...

🙎‍♀️Then, there is Selina. Eccentric and overly confident midwife, obsessed with making sure the weekend goes off without a hitch. Only there is so much more going on than anyone realises as the truths of her past begin to surface.

💭 All the women have a secret or inner turmoil they are trying to come to terms with, and it's the manner in which these unfold that makes for a riveting read. 

The stunning and tranquil farm surrounded by lush gardens and secluded from the outside world, depicted the perfect setting to heighten the lurking suspense. The idea of sleeping in a tent, no matter how luxurious, at such a vulnerable time gives me the creeps. 😱

This is my first time reading a novel by Charlotte, and it certainly won't be the last. I enjoyed Charlotte's writing style, I found it easy to read and well-paced. Looking forward to reading some of her other novels. 

This was a short and simple novella set during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown in Sydney. 

While I knocked this one out over a few hours, I didn't feel much of a connection with any of the characters, I suppose that could also partly be due to the shortness of the book. 

Overall, it was a fairly underwhelming read with very little suspense.

This is yet another "𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵" read for me and I am finding that I may need to listen to my fellow booksta fam more often. 😂 

Initially, Piper gave off very stereotypical airhead influencer vibes - ditzy, beautiful, rich, eccentric, and famous for being famous. I remember thinking, oh no… I’m not going to be able to stand this character. 🙈

Once in Westport, and no longer surrounded by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood or the misogynistic men in her life, Piper lets her guard down and we come to see she is bright, funny, passionate, and severely misunderstood. It was refreshing to experience Piper find her voice and really come into her own.  

It was about midway through when I really began to ship Captain Taggart and Piper (HA! Ship – very punny). That hospital room scene though… 🌶️🌶️🌶️ woooooof, I was not ready for that level of spice!!

I really loved the storyline of the sisters reconnecting with their roots and reigniting the legacy of the father they lost at a young age. 

The sibling relationship between Piper and Hannah is one of my fav aspects of this book. They are polar opposites, but love and respect each other for exactly who they are. Hannah is such an old soul and played the perfect supporting character, however, I am looking forward to reading more from Hannah’s POV in Tessa’s follow-up novel, Hook, Line and Sinker