Review: The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this. I really like Sager's writing style. I had my theories about what was going to happen, but I like that the story is told in alternating times so you are left never knowing what exactly is going on until the end. I really enjoyed how the mystery unfolded and I really had to work to figure out what was going to happen, and when I thought it was over there was more.

I didn't particularly find this overly thrilling or scary, but it was a well put together mystery. I thought the characters were well put together and all of the side characters played their roles nicely. This definitely has the feeling of being told through the eyes of an unreliable narrator, as you aren't really sure if main character Emma is telling the truth about anything or if she even really knows what is happening today or what happened 15 years ago at Camp Nightingale. You know that everyone has their secrets at the camp and just as the girls liked to play, you just aren't sure which ones are the 2 truths and which ones are the lie.

The premise of the story is fairly simple, Emma goes to camp one summer and finds herself bunking with 3 girls she's never met before. She is drawn to the leader of the group Vivian, the older sister she never knew she wanted. As the summer unfolds, Vivian and Emma form a bond, but something causes a rift between them. When her roommates disappear one night, the camp is upended and Emma's life is tormented by the lies she told and the guilt she feels. Emma grows up and 15 years later she finds herself back at the camp as a painting instructor when the owner of the camp tries to find closure for Emma and everyone who was there 15 years ago. Emma is determined to find out what happened to her friends that night. When strange things start happening at camp, Emma finds herself reliving the night Vivian and the girls disappeared. She also finds herself main suspect of her current charges disappearance at camp in the present day. She can't let more girls get hurt on her watch, and she is tired of all of the lies.

Overall, this was a great read. If you liked Final Girls and the way it was told, I highly recommend this. I really like the way Sager constructs stories to keep the reader on their toes and kind of in the dark before the big reveal at the end.



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Top 5 Wednesday: Largest Books on TBR

In honor of #TomeToppleReadathon coming back this month, discuss those big books on your shelf!  I'm a week behind, but I've got a ton of big books on my shelf that I keep meaning to get to but never seem to have the time to read.  I hope to spend some time on these in 2019.  I have paperpack or hardback copies of all of these, so I know I want to read all of them.  Like most people, I just look at how big they are and they intimidate me so I read something shorter.  I tend to mainly read on my kindle or listen to audiobooks, but funny enough many of my 2018 books ended up being close to or over 500 pages, but you can't tell when they are electronic.   These are my top 5 big books that I want to read soon.

• The Black Prism by Brent Weeks - 626 pages
• I picked this up at a used book sale for a couple of dollars and I've only heard good things.  I love a good fantasy novel.
• 
• Stygian by Sherrilyn Kenyon - 655 pages 
• This is part of the Dark Hunter series and I've been a big fan of Kenyon's books and the series for a long time.  Her last few books have been humongous and I'm actually really excited to get to this character's story.  Even though this book is huge, her books usually read quickly.  
• 
• The Fireman by Joe Hill - 747 pages
• As a fan of Stephen King, I had to give his son a chance.  I picked this up on sale at Barnes & Noble and its huge so I keep putting it off.
• 
• Inferno by Dan Brown - 611 pages
• This is one I meant to read this year for my reading challenge but never got to.  I've read Brown's other books in the series and enjoy his work.  
• 
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - 530 pages
• I'm really excited to get to this, I just can't seem to find time to pick it up.  I've heard nothing but good things.
• 

Tag Tuesday: Plan With Me Book Tag

So as usual I get most of my Tag Tuesday ideas from Ali at Hardback Hoarder (What's My Page Again // creator → https://youtu.be/4BKKJKbkSZk). I love her vlog and she picks the best tags. I'm not a super big planner, but I do have a date book and I try to keep my phone's calendar updated with my life events. As for reading, I do try to plan out what I'm going to read atleast for my challenge prompts but I'm not super strict about it.


1.) Pay day! -A book you would buy right now. Cost doesn’t matter!
I'd repurchase all of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Darkhunter books in hardback so my set matched. The first half I have in paperback and the rest are hardback and it bugs me that they don't match.
2.) Pay a bill A book you would get rid of right now
The Man Who was Thursday by GK Chesterton I really didn't enjoy this book. It is sitting in my pile of books to donate to the library. Fortunately I got it at the library book sale and only paid $1 for it, maybe less so it wasn't a great loss on my part. I read it for a reading challenge and it served its purpose.
3.) Doctor appointment -a book that makes you feel better when you are down
Anything by Penny Reid. Her Knitting in the City Series or Winston Brother's Series always puts me in a good mood or pulls me out of a slump.
4.) Meeting -a book or series you felt obligated to read because of the hype
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, it seems everyone has read and loved these books.
5.) Lunch date a book or series that you feel in love with because a friend recommended it to you.
I don't have alot of reader friends, so I'm going to go with a booktuber recommendation. I picked up Rae Carson's Walk on Earth a Stranger because of Regan over at PeruseProject. I loved the series and Regan's historical fiction recommendations.
6.) Work/school week a book that was hard to get through - Ruin of Stars - I really liked the first book, unfortunately this one just didn't meet my expectations for the conclusion of the series.
7.) Gym day a book that gets your heart pumping because it was such an exciting page turner.
Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This was a book I started one evening and stayed up until the early morning to finish. I couldn't put it down.

8.) Date night a book with your favorite romantic couple.
Fight or Flight by Samantha Young, this is a more recent release but Ava and Caleb quickly rose to the top of my favorite couples list. Samantha writes some of my favorite contemporaries and I always love her couples, my original favorite couple was from another one of her books
9.) Vacation a book or series you would want to binge on if you had all the time in the world.
The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, I've heard so many good things and I feel like I'm going to like it. I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

10.) To Do List - A book that you keep meaning to get to but don’t have the time for
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series. I bought them at Bradley's Book Outlet last year because they were there and I keep hearing great things. After finishing Strange the Dreamer I really want to get to them, but they keep sitting on my shelf.

Review: Blue Water by J.A. Armitage

Blue Water by J.A. Armitage
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an advanced copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.  This came out September 12, 2018.  I'm glad I finally got caught up and read it.  I'm also able to use this for a challenge prompt for a book title with my favorite color in it.  Only 9 more books to go to finish the challenge, no onto the review...

This story picks up shortly after the first book. The sea witch is dead and Ari and Erica are attempting to figure out how their relationship is going to work. Erica is still heir to her kingdom and preparing to be Queen one day, however she is bonded to Ari and exploring her feelings for him. The unofficial couple continues to spend as much time together as they can until Erica's father falls sick of an unexplained illness. When the mermaids of Havfrue and Erica's mother all fall sick unexpectedly, Erica expects that while the sea witch is dead her magic still lingers. Erica embarks on a quest to save both kingdoms and the people she is supposed to serve and protect as Queen.

As with the first book I really liked the mythology and magical aspect of the story line. It adds a nice twist to the reverse fairytale/retelling aspect of the story. This reads as YA, so the characters feel a bit impulsive and immature at times, but you have to remember that they are in fact just that. Their actions are fitting, and they do grow and develop from their experiences which is what I look for. The plot moves along at a decent pace as well. This is a fun story and I am enjoying where it is headed. I'm looking forward to Erica and Ari's next adventure in book 3.

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Tag Tuesday: End of the Year Book Tag 2018

I was watching booktube this weekend and watched Peruse Project's End of Year Book tag.  I thought it was perfect for Tag Tuesday. The original creator was Ariel Bissett (https://youtu.be/hHf0O4e2Z6A)


Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish? I'm currently reading Pittsburgh Irish for my reading challenge, it is non-fiction so naturally a little slower paced.  I started Smart but Scattered earlier this year and never finished it.  I'll finish the first one for sure, and would like to finish the 2nd one eventually.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?  No, not really.  I kind of just read whatever I feel like all the time.

Is there a new release you're still waiting for?  I'm really looking forward to reading Evermore by Sara Holland which comes out in December.  I have an ARC of it so I get to read it early.  I'm planning on reading it in November.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year? All of these are books to fill in challenge prompts, so I plan to get to all of them before the end of the year.

1. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
3. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by John Tiffany (Adaptation), Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year? Vicious by V.E. Schwab, I'm really looking forward to this one and I have really high hopes.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2019?  Aside from the books I planned on reading this year and didn't get to, not really.  I'm anxiously awaiting the 2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge list to come out so I can tentatively pencil in books for the coming year.  I really enjoy the challenge and the list should be out soon.  

Review: Lies by T.M. Logan

Lies by T.M. Logan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This was released September 11, 2018.  I know this review is up super late, but here it is. 

This was a fast paced read with a decent plot. I give the author kudos for the plot twist, as I didn't see it coming. I didn't find it to be much of a psychological thriller or very intense from the thriller perspective, it was more of a dramatic mystery. I kept shaking my head the entire book as the main character Joe continually makes bad decisions, recognizes he's making poor choices or is told not to do something and does it anyway. This makes him look kind of idiotic throughout the book, giving this "thriller" a comical edge. Then again, I'm not sure what a real person would do in this situation so it may be completely realistic, it just felt like he was being ridiculous at times. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, it isn't what I look for in a thriller. I was engaged while reading it, and I did like it.

Onto the plot, our main character Joe is kind of a boring guy. He's an English teacher, he is a doting father to son William, an a loving husband, he follows the rules, gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, and really has no aspirations to achieve more in life than what he has now. His wife Melissa is a go-getter, she is beautiful, outgoing, a high achiever, and while she loves her family she has an active social life outside of the home as well. Joe and his son spot Mel's car on their way home one evening and decide to surprise her, this leads to an unraveling of events and lies that Joe could never imagine he would ever find himself in the middle of. He learns that Mel has been lying to him for quite some time and their relationship is not as happy as he thought it was. Joe finds himself accused of crimes he didn't commit, and he is determined to prove his innocence in the matter. As Joe impulsively runs about trying to prove he had nothing to do with the crime his is being accuse of, he finds that he doesn't know what is true and what is a lie, all he knows is he didn't it and someone is trying to ruin him. I won't go into the plot any further or else it will spoil it for you.

If you like mysteries and thrillers that aren't too intense, give this a chance.


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Review: Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.  This came out in early October.  I know this is up a little late, but alteast I got to it.  A month late isn't too bad.

The plot follows three different perspectives, four if you count the perspective of "the Rock", Zoey, Marion, and Val. Zoey is the police chief's daughter, she has recently lost her best friend in a mysterious disappearance and she is determined to find out what happened to her. Marion is the new girl on the island, her father has recently died and her sister mysteriously disappears shortly after they arrive. Val is the beautiful and affluent girl that Marion's family came to work for, but Val's family has a dark secret tied to all of the disappearances on the island. The girls are ultimately connected and not just because the island of Sawkill Rock is small and everyone knows everyone. As girls keep disappearing, Zoey and Marion discover that they have developed supernatural powers, but they aren't sure why. Val and her family have been connected to the disappearance and legend of The Collector for generations. Val wants no part of it, but she can't seem to see a way out of the part she's been destined to play. As she fights the Collector's wishes, she too develops a power. Zoey, Marion, and Val eventually figure out that they have to use their "gifts" to fight the monster.

Meanwhile, Zoey's dad the chief of police also happens to be a member of a misogynistic cult. The cult is tasked with banishing the monsters around the world like Sawkill's Collector. Their methods are brutal, and involve the girls dying to make the monster go away temporarily. The girls aren't having it. Each of them is strong willed, smart, and doesn't want to die. They are all fighters and want to go down swinging. The Hand of Light was irritating, and you really just wanted them to go away anytime they came around.

As for The Collector, I really wanted him to be more scary. He was creepy sure, but he wasn't scary. He was kind of just a jerk, who happened to be a monster.

This tackles some real world subjects and decent representation. I thought this was done very well. There is an African American character who is also asexual. Asexuality is discussed, not just glossed over. There is a real discussion on how that does and may impact a romantic relationship in the future in a very realistic way. There is a lesbian relationship between two of the main characters. When the characters say and do hurtful things to each other it is addressed, and they don't kiss and make up two seconds later. They stay mad, all is not forgiven, just like in the real world. Emotions are justified, discussed, validated, maybe they move on, but they atleast accept that things are not OK and that life is ugly sometimes.

Overall, I thought this was an entertaining YA read. It is more mystery than horror or thriller. I wanted more scare factor, but I liked it anyway. I really enjoyed the writing style and the plot. Overall, it felt a little long and I felt like I wanted to know more about the mythology and magical elements in the book. I wanted more about the Rock and more from the perspective of the Rock. I think the parts from the Rock's perspective were actually my favorite. Those chapters were extremely poetic and I really loved them.

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