The House Across the Lake

My Riley Sager

This is one of those books you should go into blind. Just know you are in for a wild ride, its starts out pretty typical but then the drop hits you. There were so many twists and turns towards the end that the story completely changes into a complicated tangle.

The first half felt very familiar to me, think Woman in the Window vibes. Our main character Casey Fletcher, a widowed actress, escapes to her family’s lake house after some awful moments in the press. She drinks herself into oblivion every night until she sees the binoculars sitting next to her.

Tom and Katherine Royce are staying in the house across the lake. She is a famous model and he runs a tech company. One day Katherine almost drowns in the lake and Casey is able to save her. From there the relationship between them grows, and Casey finds it hard not to spy on the famous couple. When Katherine goes missing, Casey becomes consumed with finding out what happened.

For over half the book I felt like the story was very familiar. The unreliable narrator thinks she sees something across the lake. With all of Casey’s drinking you just don’t know what you can believe, but when the twist hits it changes everything.

This is one of those twists that you either hate or love because it is so outlandish it’s hard to believe. The last 30% of the book went pretty fast for me. There were so many twits and turns I couldn’t really stop reading until I knew exactly what was going on.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my review. I really enjoyed this one. The twist wasn’t my favorite but I still liked the spooky atmosphere.

Happy reading

XOXO Tricia

How to Create a Cozy Book Space

As a mom of four I don’t always get time to read in a cozy book space, but I decided to make one anyways. It’s incredibly inviting and even if I can’t read as much as I want to, when I have the time I can choose to curl up here.

You don’t need to go shopping and spend a ton of money to create a space that’s all for you. I shopped my house for everything here!

1.Shop your house!

This chair was in our bedroom and honestly it became a dumping ground for laundry pretty quickly. Moving it in here served two purposes, it gave me a cozy seat next to my bookshelf and cleared up our bedroom.

2. Add some art

I’ve had this piece of book art since Christmas! It was a gift from my husband and I just didn’t know where to hang it. Luckily this shelf was in storage and I repurposed a frame I had to add it to my space. I placed a new special edition book from my favorite author next to it and a small candle. Simple yet elegant.

3. Create a TBR cart

I started something new this year, an immediate TBR cart. I still have a rather large amount of back list books on my shelves, but I decided every time I get something new it goes on this cart. That way when I need something to read I can reach here and chip away at the books I already own.

I’m using a cart from IKEA here, but I’ve seen these same designs at Michaels. You can also use a side table or just simple make a pretty stack on the floor. I love a good book stack.

4. Add plants

This one step completely changed my book space! There’s just something special about nature and adding it into your space brings it alive. I grabbed a few plants I already owned and brought them in here for some extra greenery. It makes the space feel fresh and lived in.

Making a cozy space to read doesn’t have to be anything grand. You can simple add a pile of books next to your favorite chair with a cozy blanket and read until your hearts content. Do you have a dedicated reading spot? I would love to hear about it.

Happy Reading

Xoxo Tricia

The Golden Couple

By Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen

Synopsis:

Wealthy Washington suburbanites Marissa and Matthew Bishop seem to have it all―until Marissa is unfaithful. Beneath their veneer of perfection is a relationship riven by work and a lack of intimacy. She wants to repair things for the sake of their eight-year-old son and because she loves her husband. Enter Avery Chambers.

Avery is a therapist who lost her professional license. Still, it doesn’t stop her from counseling those in crisis, though they have to adhere to her unorthodox methods. And the Bishops are desperate.
When they glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.

Review:

I love this style of writing with multiple perspectives, but not too many. It was just the right amount of back and forth without the confusion. I thought Avery’s character was the most interesting. She was edgy but sophisticated and could take care of herself. On the other hand I didn’t enjoy Marissa as much. I can see how her character was meant to be a little weak and vulnerable, but I found it hard to care for her.

There are a lot of side stories and characters that help round out this book. They keep things interesting and added enough intrigue that I found myself needing to know more. Once you think you know where things are headed your’e thrown a twist that changes everything.

I’ll be honest, a couple of times I thought I had it all figured out and I turned out to be wrong. It wasn’t until one clue at the end that it all came together for me before the big reveal. That’s how I like a thriller. I want to be taken in the wrong direction as long as possible to make the reveal that much sweeter.

If you like a little martial drama and an unsolved murder from the past, you’ll likely enjoy this one! It’s a slow burn in the beginning, but stick with it, you won’t be disappointed.

Happy reading,

Xoxo Tricia

City of Orange

By David Yoon

A man who can’t remember who he is wakes up injured and alone in an apocalyptic world. That first line made me want to read this book, but it turned out to go in a direction I wasn’t expecting. If you go into this book hoping for an apocalyptic story you’ll get parts of that with a strange narrative built in. I don’t want to spoil the direction this story takes by saying too much, but it’s not the traditional apocalypse story.

The inner dialogue of our main character, who doesn’t get a name until the end of the story, is often at times uncomfortable and a little crazy. It doesn’t feel grounded, his thoughts are distracted and sometimes disturbing. As the books progresses you start to understand his state of mind better, but in the beginning it’s a wild ride.

For the majority of the book we’re left wondering if he has lost his mind. There are constant flash backs to a normal life he had and it makes the reader want to know what happened to this guy, how did he end up like this. His mind was very crumbly and fragile.

I think there were several important topics by the end of this book. It’s a shame the beginning with the uneasy dialogue lost me. The ending was poetic and deals with grief and friendship. It’s hard for me to rate this one. While I liked the story as a whole, I didn’t enjoy the ride to get to the end.

This is one of those books where you have to decide if you want to go on the ride. It’s weird and uncomfortable and tragic and sad, but if you can make it through it has a glimmer of hope.

Happy Reading!

Xoxo Tricia

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

If you’re looking for a hauntingly beautiful and poetic story this one is for you. It’s a mystery wrapped up in a series of journal entries and new discoveries made by our main character, Olivia.

SYNOPSIS

Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for Girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home; it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile, or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.

Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.

Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?

REVIEW

This was a slow start for me, but I cared so much about the story and the characters I couldn’t stop reading. Olivia was an easy character to feel for, her story is tragic but her determination is powerful.

As a person who loves journaling, I was really intrigued by the mysterious journal entires scattered throughout. The look into her mother’s journal was probably my favorite part! It was like trying to solve a puzzle.

I will say this book is frightening! You have your fair share of super creepy ghosts and monsters in this story and V.E. Schwab’s writing brings them to life in a terrifying way. I was completely creeped out and curious at the same time.

The ending was poetic. There is no other way to describe it. I don’t cry when reading books, but this ending had me drowning in my feels. I gave this book 5 stars! It’s a little slow but oh so beautiful.

Happy Reading

Xoxo Tricia

The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli

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Synopsis from Goodreads

In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be darkness—and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death-bringer.

These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up learning in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.

Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her. 

My thoughts : 4.5 Stars

First off the cover of this book is absolutely stunning! I know covers don’t necessarily matter, but this one really caught my eye. I kind of wanted to read it before even knowing what it was about! Then I found out it was a dragon story and that was that, I HAD to read it!

The protagonist in this story has such great character growth. Asha is a dragon slayer who completely stole my heart! Not only is she a bad ass heroine, but she has complex emotions and an amazing inner dialog. I listened to the audio book and Pearl Mackie’s accent made this story for me. I had scenes from Game of Thrones buzzing in my mind and she got me completely hooked.

This book is a bit of a slow burn but totally worth it. I’m usually one to gravitate towards fast paced action novels when it comes to fantasy, but I kind of like the slower pace of this one. It kept me intrigued and always wondering. I’m excited to pick up the next book in the series! If you love dragons, slow burn romances and some major old world family drama you’ll love this book.