muddypages's reviews
194 reviews

Do Not Open by Kiersten Modglin

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey 
 
First Line✏️”The first day of Camp Holly Springs is like shaking a bottle of soda and taking off the cap: an overflowing, effervescent explosion of sweet, delicious chaos.” 
 
First off, thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. 
 
Four Women: June, Daphne, Lanier & Mary Stuart. Songbirds. 
 
Thirty years ago June purchased Camp Holly Springs, a summer camp for girls. Now June is about to lose it all due to finances. June’s niece Daphne met her two best friends Lanier and Mary Stuart at Camp Holly Springs and shares fond memories with them. From young anxious campers, to camp counselors to adulthood. Now grown, they take turns helping with each others “hard things”. Broken hearts, pregnancy and addiction. When they learn the fate of Camp Holly Springs the trio springs into action to help save the camp and are confronted with more than one relationship from the past. 
 
Guys. PUT THIS IN YOUR BEACH BAG ASAP. Im not kidding. I loved this book so so much and it will definitely be a comfort read for me in the future. Love, friendship, laughs…it has it all. It’s 5 starts from me. Go grab this one now! 
 
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.48/5 
PUB Date: July 11, 2023 
 
  • 368 pages
  • Womens Fiction/Romance
  • Alternating POV
  • Hopeful/Lighthearted
  • Infidelity 


 
**Some of these triggers may contain spoilers**
 

 
*****
 
*****
 

 
⚠️ Triggers/Warnings ⚠️ 


 
  • Addiction
  • Car Accident
  • Alcohol Abuse
  • Drug Abuse
  • Death of Parent
  • Toxic Childhood 

You Shouldn't Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose

First Line✏️”I didn’t want to stop, but when the low fuel light lit up on the dashboard of my car, I knew I had no choice.”

First off, thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. 

Grace Evans is a New Yorker who knows nothing besides work. Looking for an escape from her every day life she books and Airbnb in Wyoming. Upon arrival the owner of the airbnb is handsome Calvin Wells. Lack of cell service, wifi, and a missing woman in the area have Grace questioning if something isn’t right with the town. 

Despite her feelings, Grace decides to stay and overtime becomes closer to Calvin, eventually falling for him. As her 10 day stay nears its end, Grace and Calvins relationship starts to change as strange happenings keep occurring and Calvin develops an obsession with Grace. 

This is my first Jeneva Rose book. 
Lets start with the cover. Its simply captivating. The darkness, the creepy long driveway, car with headlights, a house in the middle of no where - its everything a thriller reader looks for!
For the first 3/4 of the book I found it to be very slow paced. While I was invested in the story it was hard to keep my attention. About half way through it picks up into a guessing game mystery. You don’t really know who the “bad guy” of the story is. All the action comes around 65% in which was a bit of a let down for me personally. Thrillers are my number one genre and having all the thrills come at the end of this book was how do I say this….expected and frusterating? While I did not figure out the conclusion completely, parts of it I suspected right off the bat. Overall I give this book 3 stars. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it, I wish there were more “thrills” added throughout the story, but I probably would not pick it up again. 

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.57/5
PUB Date: April 25, 2023

  • 350 pages
  • Shorter Chapters
  • Thriller/Mystery/Suspense 
  • Alternating POV

**Some of these triggers may contain spoilers**

*****
*****

⚠️ Triggers/Warnings ⚠️ 

  • Violence
  • Animal Death
  • Alcoholism 
  • Blood
  • Gore
  • Death
  • Fire
  • Cursing
  • Murder
  • Confinement 
  • Car Accident
  • Sexual Content
  • Physical Abuse
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
NRN - a not right now book. 
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth🌊 
 
This was my very first Sally Hepworth read and all I can say is, WOWZA. I read this in a day and a half folks.  I 1000% wanna pick up more of her books! 
 
The Soulmate starts off with a cliff. A cliff well known to the locals as “the drop”. It just so happens to sit closely to Gabe & Pippa’s perfect coastal home. Sounds like a dreamy location yeah? Wrong. The drop is well known to the locals because of its bad reputation. It’s the place that has become popular for people to end their lives. 
 
7…the number of souls Gabe has successfully talked away from the ledge, until one day…he doesn’t. 
 
Pippa was on the phone with police like many times before when she makes the call there is another person at the drop. Only this time, she looks up…the person is gone and her husband arms in questionable position. Did the victim jump, or were they pushed? Would Gabe, Pippa’s soulmate lie? 
 
Pick up this book which hits shelves April 4 to find out and discover all the cracks that emerge. 
 
 
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.06/5 
 
  • 336 Pages
  • Short Chapters
  • Alternating POV
  • Duel Timeline
  • PUB Date April 4, 2023


 
**Some of these triggers may contain spoilers**
 

 
*****
 
*****
 

 
⚠️ Triggers/Warnings ⚠️ 


 
  • Suicide
  • Mental Illness
  • Death
  • Infidelity
  • Suicidal Thoughts
  • Murder
  • Alcoholism
  • Toxic Relationships
  • Violence
  • Cursing
  • Gun Violence 
  • Emotional Abuse
  • Gaslighting 
  • Stalking
  • Psychosis

If You're Reading This by Kiersten Modglin

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

If You’re Reading This by Kiersten Modglin✉️ 
 
First Line✏️”They say the first year is always the hardest-but I never got to find out” 
 
Every little girl dreams of their wedding day. The white dress, walking down the aisle, the groom. 
What would happen if the day of your dreams turned into a nightmare instead? 
 
On the 1 year anniversary of her wedding, Colbie is not celebrating the way she always dreamed she would. Instead she is grieving the loss of her fiancé and preparing for a weekend away with her closest friends to help take her mind off the immense heartache. 
 
Colbie’s weekend away takes a turn when she opens a box of letters from her wedding. Letters intended for the bride and groom to read on their one year anniversary. The contents of the box could ruin everything that Cobie believes about her life. 
 
A mysterious letter shocks Colbie to her core and she soon will unravel dark truths about the man she once loved. 
 
 - - Alright, so this book was different from any #kmod book I’ve read before. Mystery, thrills AND some romance thrown in? It was brilliant! 
Its quick pace catches you from the very beginning and you feel every emotion for Colbie while reading her story. Sadness, anger, frusteration and all the creepy vibes. 
 
🎉Pub Date: September 1, 2022 
Available on Kindle Unlimited 
 
My Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.48/5 
 
  • Fiction/Suspense
  • Romance/Mystery
  • Medium/Fast paced read
  • Shorter Chapters


 
**Some of these triggers may contain spoilers**
 

 
⚠️ Triggers/Warnings ⚠️ 


 
  • Drug Abuse
  • Gaslighting 
  • Emotional Abuse


 

 
The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell

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

3.5

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell 👁 
 
First Line✏️”Groggy with sleep, Rachel peered at the screen of her phone.” 
 
Early one morning on the Thames river, a mudlarker discovers a bag with bones inside. . . human bones. Detective Samuel is called to examine the find and ultimately connects the bag to a case that left 3 people dead and children missing from a mansion in Chelsea years ago. 
 
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it kinda let me down. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t LOVE it either. This is a book that has three different stories going at once smushed into one big story. Normally I have multiple books going at once but while I was reading this one, I couldn’t do that. It required my full undivided attention in order to keep track of things that were happening and a lot of it was cringe worthy. I was not a fan of the ending either. 
There. I said it. 
 
Honestly I don’t even think this sequel was necessary - I loved the first book and felt like it left a great ending. 
 
QOTD: Have you read this one yet? What were your thoughts without giving spoilers? 
 
My Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️💫 /5 
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.24/5 
 
  • 384 pages
  • Fiction/Thriller
  • Dark/Mysterious
  • Multiple Timelines
  • Slow/Medium paced read
  • Shorter Chapters


 
**Some of these triggers may contain spoilers**
 

 
⚠️ Triggers/Warnings ⚠️ 


 
  • Domestic Abuse
  • Emotional Abuse
  • Suicide
  • Stalking
  • Gaslighting 
  • Sexual Assault
  • Toxic Relationship
  • Child Abuse
  • Abandonment 
  • Murder
  • Alcohol
  • Violence 

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell 
 
First Line✏️”Libby picks up the letter off the doormat.” 
 
Libby returns home from work one day to find a letter, a letter that she has been waiting to open her entire life. 
 
Upon opening, she learns the identity of her birth parents but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on a coveted street in London. Everything about Libby’s life is about to change, but will it be for the better? 
 
Now step back in time. 25 years ago, the police were called to a home with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived they found a happy, healthy baby in a crib. However, downstairs in the kitchen laid three dead bodies, all dressed in black next to a note. 4 other children who lived in the home are also missing. 
 
I’m a new big fan of Lisa Jewell. Her books are incredibly fast paced, I am a fan of her writing style and find myself connecting and pulling for the characters. I didn’t have any expectations going into this book but I ended up being shocked with multiple turn of events and the ending left me with some questions; especially knowing book 2 (The Family Remains) is due out this month! 
 
The Family Upstairs gets a solid 4.5 stars from me. While I devoured this book, it does have some pretty heavy subjects that can be triggers for some. 
 
My Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 /5 
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.97/5 
 
  • 340 pages
  • Fiction/Thriller
  • Dark/Mysterious
  • Duel Timeline
  • Medium/Fast paced read
  • Shorter Chapters


 
**Some of these triggers may contain spoilers**
 

 
⚠️ Triggers/Warnings ⚠️ 


 
  • Child Abuse
  • Confinement
  • Emotional Abuse
  • Murder
  • Death
  • Physical Abuse
  • Sexual Assault
  • Cursing
  • Chronic Illness
  • Torture
  • Suicide
  • Gaslighting
  • Adult/Minor Relationship

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager👀

First Line✏️”The lake is darker than a coffin with the lid shut”

Casey is recently widowed and has retreated to her serene family lake house in Vermont. With a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor she begins to pass the hours by watching the neighbors across the lake. 

Odd things start to happen and Casey if often left wondering if it was a figment of her imagination mixed with drunkenness or if what she saw was indeed very real. 

Alright. I’m a HUGE Sager fan. After seeing so many mixed reviews for this book when it first hit shelves I admit, I sat it on the back of mine.
I didn’t want to be let down. 

Here’s the great thing about books; one person can totally hate it and another can totally immerse themselves in it and love it. 

I read this book is two days. TWO. I binged it. I was engrossed in it the entire time. Parts of it were annoying yes lets face it. The repetitiveness of “the house across the lake” and the mention of bourbon and alcohol throughout was a bit much for me. Its not my favorite Sager book by far, but I think it’s still a good read! 


My Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️💫 /5
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.60/5

  • 368 pages
  • Fiction/Thriller
  • Dark/Mysterious
  • Duel Timeline
  • Slow/Medium paced read
  • Shorter Chapters

**Some of these triggers may contain spoilers**

⚠️ Triggers/Warnings ⚠️ 

  • Alcoholism
  • Murder
  • Death
  • Addiction
  • Violence
  • Domestic Abuse
  • Suicide
  • Drug Use
  • Stalking
  • Toxic Relationship
  • Physical Abuse
  • Kidnapping
  • Grief
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center🐄 
 
First Line✏️”My mothers dying wish was for me to take a vacation” 
 
Hannah Brooks. Executive Protection Agent aka The Bodyguard. 
 
Hannah is not your average bodyguard. For starters, she’s a woman. A badass woman who could kill you with a pen, napkin or bottle opener. Who can flip you on your butt within seconds. Who notices small everyday things that can seem out of place in plain sight. She looks like everything BUT a bodyguard. 
 
She hits the jackpot and is hired to protect celebrity actor Jack Stapleton from a stalker. When Jacks mom becomes ill, he comes to the family ranch in Texas to help out. The last thing he wants is his family worrying about his stalker situation, so Hannah finds herself not only being his bodyguard, but pretend girlfriend. 
 
What could possibly go wrong? 
 
Friends, I loved this book so much! This was my first read by Katherine Center and now I want to read all her books. Her writing style is easy to follow and while this story started a bit slow for me, once it picked up I found myself unable to set the book down. 
 
Classic fake dating/One bed trope =🧑🏼‍🍳💋 
 
QOTD: Have you read any books by Katherine Center? 
 
My Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 /5 
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.22/5 
 
  • 320 pages
  • Fiction/Romance


 
**Some of these triggers may contain spoilers**
 

 
⚠️ Triggers/Warnings ⚠️ 


 
  • Death
  • Car Accident
  • Cancer
  • Stalking
  • Death
  • Domestic Abuse
  • Gaslighting
  • Alcoholism
  • Suicide Attempt
  • Violence
  • Injury
  • Panic Attacks
  • Toxic Relationship
  • Gun Violence