My first instinct is to refute her, but shutting someone else's feelings down doesn't make them go away.
published: 2020
pages: 330
read: 5/9-10/2020
book: 38 in 2020
pages: 330
read: 5/9-10/2020
book: 38 in 2020
His opinion of me is tainted by prejudice even before my arrival at his grandmother’s estate, and my first impression of him is just as abysmal.
His arrogance and icy demeanor make it clear that he’s the type of man who’s best handled at a distance.
Fortunately, space shouldn’t be an issue inside this Gilded Age mansion and its lush gardens. If I stick with the servants and he keeps to his sailboat and vintage Porsche, we should hardly cross paths at all. Unfortunately, at Rosethorn, I find that all roads eventually lead to Nicholas Hunt.
Sparks fly as we spar at the dinner table. Fighting words are flung in the shadows of the palatial halls.
We hang suspended in our hatred of one another, painfully oblivious to the heat and tension that build with every moment we’re left alone. We’re liable to kill one another, I think…right up until my eyes land on his lips and a new feeling grips hold of me: lust.
What’s worse?
He knows it.
They say you should keep your enemies close, but when Nicholas tightens his grip on my waist and draws me near, I’m not sure if it’s out of loathing or love.
One thing’s for sure—I intend to find out.
His arrogance and icy demeanor make it clear that he’s the type of man who’s best handled at a distance.
Fortunately, space shouldn’t be an issue inside this Gilded Age mansion and its lush gardens. If I stick with the servants and he keeps to his sailboat and vintage Porsche, we should hardly cross paths at all. Unfortunately, at Rosethorn, I find that all roads eventually lead to Nicholas Hunt.
Sparks fly as we spar at the dinner table. Fighting words are flung in the shadows of the palatial halls.
We hang suspended in our hatred of one another, painfully oblivious to the heat and tension that build with every moment we’re left alone. We’re liable to kill one another, I think…right up until my eyes land on his lips and a new feeling grips hold of me: lust.
What’s worse?
He knows it.
They say you should keep your enemies close, but when Nicholas tightens his grip on my waist and draws me near, I’m not sure if it’s out of loathing or love.
One thing’s for sure—I intend to find out.
THOUGHTS
another RS grey for the books.
(the "i read another one of her books" books so to speak)
this one was okay. it wasnt bad but its not a fave of mine.
i feel like its missing a little bit of spice or something. idk.
im glad i read it before my unlimited kindle expires and i might try to get another one in but as far as this one goes: a) the woman on the cover is gorgeous!!!! b) the story was good but it definitely lacks i think the usual RS Grey vibe that i've come to know.
it all happens fast, too. if that makes any sense.
like one minute: grrrrr and then the next *kissing noises*
i don't know....there's just too many questions as far as why her? just because of the other lady in the home? maybe i'm just over the poor girl meeting a rich handsome dude trope? idk
....either way, i still prefer this one over make me bad. gah.
anyway, so yea.
i don't really have much else to say, i gotta get to work
"I don't think we have the kind of control that we think we do."
published: 2017
pages: 190read: 5/4-5/2020
book: 37 in 2020
book: 37 in 2020
Natalie and Dan were electric from the moment they met. Witty banter and sizzling chemistry made falling in love easy—even inevitable. He was in awe of her subversive art and contagious zest for life; she was drawn to his good-guy charm and drive to succeed as a documentary filmmaker.
But that was before. Before hot tempers turned to blowout fights. Before a few little lies turned to broken trust. Before a hundred tiny slights broke them open and exposed the ugly truth of their relationship.
And now Natalie wants Dan to know just how much he broke her.
Over the course of one fateful day, Dan reads sixteen letters that Natalie has secretly, brilliantly hidden in places only he will find. And as he pieces together her version of their love story, he realizes that she has one final message for him. One that might just send his carefully constructed life tumbling down.
But that was before. Before hot tempers turned to blowout fights. Before a few little lies turned to broken trust. Before a hundred tiny slights broke them open and exposed the ugly truth of their relationship.
And now Natalie wants Dan to know just how much he broke her.
Over the course of one fateful day, Dan reads sixteen letters that Natalie has secretly, brilliantly hidden in places only he will find. And as he pieces together her version of their love story, he realizes that she has one final message for him. One that might just send his carefully constructed life tumbling down.
THOUGHTS
uhh...
hmmm.....
what to say.
hmmm.....
what to say.
well, I didn't hate the book, I didn't dislike it and i'm not mad I read it.
I was actually super into it but then I had to go to sleep cus work and I think if you're going to give this one a go, it's better as a 1 sitting read. (super short, 190 page read.) Just easier to get it all out of the way.
I was actually super into it but then I had to go to sleep cus work and I think if you're going to give this one a go, it's better as a 1 sitting read. (super short, 190 page read.) Just easier to get it all out of the way.
the synopsis is a biiiiit of a lie.
maybe the point of the story was never to see them in love but only to see the how and why of the relationship going bad and if that's the case, then success. ......I'll word it that way.
there really is no love in this story. So let's just get that out of the way.
there really is no love in this story. So let's just get that out of the way.
I know it's a ya book or whatever but before the truth comes out, i was getting gone girl vibes from Nat. My thoughts were "this bitch is crazy." .....in the end, I was wrong for assuming that but Natalie was still nuts , I think. It takes an inordinate amount of patience to get revenge like she does (or maybe I just truly am 100% lazy as fuck). And I understand why she would want revenge given what happened but to me, the payback/revenge feels more like "you fucked me over but I'll fuck you over worse." Like she just wanted to end the relationship being the one on top.
tbh, from here on out it might get a bit SPOILERY so stop if ya don't want to know.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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Dan gets 16 letters from Natalie through out 1 day.
any ol regular ass day?
Nope.
its probably one of the most important up to date days of his life.
any ol regular ass day?
Nope.
its probably one of the most important up to date days of his life.
See he's making a film about Ryan and his next move in life given that he's a child with down syndrome (I think, i could be wrong so don't quote me). He's recorded everything and this day is Ryan's graduation; the last piece Dan needs for his film.
...but of course Nat shits all over it.
(Dan is a teacher's aide and Ryan was his fave student.)
...but of course Nat shits all over it.
(Dan is a teacher's aide and Ryan was his fave student.)
Through out the 16 letters you learn about their downfall and his betrayal but then the final straw; the ultimate betrayal. (He asked her to let him film them having sex and she did...he saved it on his computer labeled it some dumb shit and then accidentally sent it to two other dudes. One of the dudes showed it to his gf or whatever. Natalie does say she was hurt because of it but it's not clear if it spread out to other people....although maybe that's for you to interpret? There is a part where Nats mom emails her dad and asks for advice in regards to finding a therapist because Nats all depressed.....your call.)
I can't say that anything Dan did is justifiable but Natalie also isn't a saint.
She starts the story off as a "goody good" girl and ends up sharing just the same amount of lies and deceit in the relationship. (Although, Dan def was a dick.)
They might not have done the same things but they're both at fault.
She starts the story off as a "goody good" girl and ends up sharing just the same amount of lies and deceit in the relationship. (Although, Dan def was a dick.)
They might not have done the same things but they're both at fault.
Dan ends up "accidentally" fucking Natalie over but then Natalie gets payback.
and in the end, yes Dan hurt Natalie but her revenge just comes off as "if you're going to fuck me over, I'm going to fuck you over worse. I will end up on top."
(Though if you think about it, both their fuck ups compliment each other: he accidentally releases a video of her and she purposefully destroys a video of his).
and in the end, yes Dan hurt Natalie but her revenge just comes off as "if you're going to fuck me over, I'm going to fuck you over worse. I will end up on top."
(Though if you think about it, both their fuck ups compliment each other: he accidentally releases a video of her and she purposefully destroys a video of his).
And that's really it.
I mean there's another part with Dan's best friend Ruby buuut eh.
If I stop to think about the overallness of the book then yea, it works.
Here Natalie was doubting Dan over 1 girl when she was actually focusing on the wrong girl and then you learn that it was all over an accidental sex tape release.
Here Natalie was doubting Dan over 1 girl when she was actually focusing on the wrong girl and then you learn that it was all over an accidental sex tape release.
.....
A N Y W A Y
It's not the greatest plot but it can stand to have sustenance if ya don't over think it.
Overall, the book only cost me $1.94 so I don't feel bad about buying it and I don't feel bad about possibly leaving in a little free library.
this book does remind me of that other book "why we broke up" which I did end up dnf'ing......so I'm wondering why this one worked out for me like that one did not.
soooo, yea.
no spoilers cause i basically spoiled it all up above.
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
* i wrote all these posts before i updated my blog and before blogger itself updated so that's why there's like 100 different fonts.
i know. i hate it.
but im almost caught up and hopefully when i start new posts, it'll look cohesive.
In the meantime, read more carefully. you never know what good things you might have missed.
published: 2020
pages: 404heard: 4/28 - 5/3/2020
book: 36 in 2020
Point B is the story of one clever and occasionally determined young woman seeking both love and vengeance, but hardly ready for those two missions to intersect. It takes you to Vietnam, Hollywood, Singapore, Tokyo, inland Mexico, Oxford, the Maldives, Cuba, the coast of Northeast Australia, and ALL points beyond. You will find yourself plunged into a borderless, chaotic, oddly miraculous world that is ruled by a single bloodless corporation, and by a family determined to keep it that way. But PortSys never expected Anna Huff, and Anna Huff never expected love to make her this daring.
THOUGHTS
i have this thing where I'm ride or die for Drew even though prior to this book, I've only read The Hike (and since then, The Rover)....and i can see why.
i read this story because i got a notification from Amazon that this was released through them (what's up with that? did amazon buy out all the authors!?) and i saw that people were saying that this was a funny read. so i thought i'd give it a go.
it was funny. and it had some really good points but i also somehow wasn't expecting it to be as heavy as it was in some parts.
maybe that's why it took me a while to read this. i thought i was going to finish it before May started..
...and i was wrong about that.
(side note: don't take my word for it when i say this is a heavy read. because its not HEAVY, i just am not one to read heavy subject books so when something unpleasant is happening i'm already on high alert. others might read this and be able to breeze by it all without any issues.)
this is different from The Hike in that i actually know what's going on with this one (lol). there were parts that i wasnt into like the side articles and now im wondering if they really needed to be in there at all (like the whole Mt. Everest debacle) but in the end it adds up and i guess its there to show you the way things could go wrong.
i do wish we could have gotten a more broader ending including everyone that was involved but i do understand that this book was about Anna so it was a proper ending and i understand it ending the way it did. and even if it didn't end including everyone, i did really love all of the supporting cast who made this story even more wonderful.
i should note that this book is about teleportation and it takes place in 2032.
2 0 3 2 ! ! ! ! !
that's 12 years from now!
i know it's not possible. at least not yet anyway, but i think that's kinda what freaked me out. because we're currently going through shit with Covid (and yes, i know they are nothing alike!) but Magary doesn't shy away in showing just how corrupt those with power can be and how the planet can and (most likely) will suffer from such invention.
it's a lot to take in.
in general, i am a worrier so this book had me all over the place.
but it's still a good (and funny) read.
i highlighted a bunch of things off of this book so if there was a physical book out there, i would definitely buy it.
DM is definitely an auto buy author for me.
ill do basic spoilers if you're interested.
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
most of us are good. most of us mean well. but we somehow manage to hurt each other anyway. don't ask me why.
.
.
published: 2014
pages: 23heard: 4/28/2020
book: 35 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
Something has landed in Armie Puglian's yard. Something not from here. What is it? What's it looking for? And what happens when Armie decides to keep it?
THOUGHTS
wtf did i just listen to?
i mean, i know what i heard i just don't know what i'm supposed to make out of it.
this rover robot thing lands in Armies yard, he rescues it, he takes it over to his bff Harry's house to help him replace its messed up wheel and the thing ends up blasting a whole ass hole right through Harry.
Armie escapes with it and is on the run until he hits a bridge and he gets out with it.
he ends up dropping it in the ocean and the cop dude hits him right in the chest.
and he ends up dying watching his little homie swim away while he imagines the cop dude wiping the smile off his face as he shoots him in the head.
.....and that was it?
maybe the point of the story was something along the lines of like "having something to live / die for"?
idk.
but it was a quick listen to so, hey!
still love The Hike tho!
and i just started another book of his!
....and so yea, that's it.
no spoilers cause, well i just spoiled it all up above!
I could never go back, could I? My Memories had to be my home now. That was all I could take with me.
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
*armie drives a red honda and he named her Rhonda and that just about killed me because of cuteness. random but i thought i should note it. lol
"Now I know how much worse things can be."
published: 2020
pages: 340
read: 4/25-26/2020
book: 34 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
You probably know someone like Shay Miller.
She wants to find love, but it eludes her.
She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end.
She wants to belong, but her life is so isolated.
You probably don’t know anyone like the Moore sisters.
They have an unbreakable circle of friends.
They live the most glamorous life.
They always get what they desire.
Shay thinks she wants their life.
But what they really want is hers.
THOUGHTS
eh.
this was an okay read.
the one good thing i can say is that I'm not mad i read it, which I've said before...."I wouldve been okay never having read this."
that's not the case here.
I can see why a lot of people like it.
I can also see why some people, myself included are in the "eh" boat about it.
Y'all know I love a good spoiler and in this books case, I found 3 before I was done. I'm 100% sure that had I not read them, I would have maaaaaaybe liked the book better but I'm going to argue that that's not the case here.
See, the one major spoiler, aside from the obvious one, was pretty freaking good. But I think my beef with this book lies in the simple fact that it is 340 pages long and you get the main spoiler on I think something like page 330.
Bro, you're left with 10 pages after that.
And like 2 or 3 of them are epilogue.....so there's not a lot left once you know which means the ending was just basic af.
And actually, yes, it was.
I love an open ended ending...when it's done good.
and so you can see where I'm going with this.
this book is told in 3 parts. The first 2 & a half read like the entire show that is Arrested Development. Shay is at a place at the wrong time. I cant really say wrong place because she "was sposed" to be there but basically from that point on, the same story line is going on and everyone is doing the same exact thing or trying to get to the same thing but since no one is communicating honestly about their actions, they're all getting to the end point in very different/deceiving ways.
....and then the rest.....well its sloppy...its about...well I dont want to spoil it here but you can see it start to fall apart. and actually, it was never really that clean anyway.
These were some amateur women doing some very sloppy work.
I guess in the end I wasnt a huge fan because it just....ends. it takes A LOT of work (330 pages) to get the result. And it was great but it wasnt 340 pages great.
it only took me two days to read if only because I did not want to wake up to continue reading it a third.
I'm just glad i finally got it off my bookshelf.
..oooh! And I found a typo, so that was fun.
jump over for spoilers!
thanks for reading!
pages: 340
read: 4/25-26/2020
book: 34 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
You probably know someone like Shay Miller.
She wants to find love, but it eludes her.
She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end.
She wants to belong, but her life is so isolated.
You probably don’t know anyone like the Moore sisters.
They have an unbreakable circle of friends.
They live the most glamorous life.
They always get what they desire.
Shay thinks she wants their life.
But what they really want is hers.
THOUGHTS
eh.
this was an okay read.
the one good thing i can say is that I'm not mad i read it, which I've said before...."I wouldve been okay never having read this."
that's not the case here.
I can see why a lot of people like it.
I can also see why some people, myself included are in the "eh" boat about it.
Y'all know I love a good spoiler and in this books case, I found 3 before I was done. I'm 100% sure that had I not read them, I would have maaaaaaybe liked the book better but I'm going to argue that that's not the case here.
See, the one major spoiler, aside from the obvious one, was pretty freaking good. But I think my beef with this book lies in the simple fact that it is 340 pages long and you get the main spoiler on I think something like page 330.
Bro, you're left with 10 pages after that.
And like 2 or 3 of them are epilogue.....so there's not a lot left once you know which means the ending was just basic af.
And actually, yes, it was.
I love an open ended ending...when it's done good.
and so you can see where I'm going with this.
this book is told in 3 parts. The first 2 & a half read like the entire show that is Arrested Development. Shay is at a place at the wrong time. I cant really say wrong place because she "was sposed" to be there but basically from that point on, the same story line is going on and everyone is doing the same exact thing or trying to get to the same thing but since no one is communicating honestly about their actions, they're all getting to the end point in very different/deceiving ways.
....and then the rest.....well its sloppy...its about...well I dont want to spoil it here but you can see it start to fall apart. and actually, it was never really that clean anyway.
These were some amateur women doing some very sloppy work.
I guess in the end I wasnt a huge fan because it just....ends. it takes A LOT of work (330 pages) to get the result. And it was great but it wasnt 340 pages great.
it only took me two days to read if only because I did not want to wake up to continue reading it a third.
I'm just glad i finally got it off my bookshelf.
..oooh! And I found a typo, so that was fun.
jump over for spoilers!
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
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BOOKS ARE TIME TRAVEL. TRUE READERS ALL KNOW THIS. BUT BOOKS JUST DON'T TAKE YOU BACK TO THE TIME IN WHICH THEY WERE WRITTEN; THEY CAN TAKE YOU BACK TO DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF YOURSELF.
pages: 270
heard: 4/21-22/2020
book: 33 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
If you want to get away with murder, play by the rules
A series of unsolved murders with one thing in common: each of the deaths bears an eerie resemblance to the crimes depicted in classic mystery novels.
The deaths lead FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey to mystery bookshop Old Devils. Owner Malcolm Kershaw had once posted online an article titled 'My Eight Favourite Murders,' and there seems to be a deadly link between the deaths and his list - which includes Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders, Patricia Highsmith's Strangers on a Train and Donna Tartt's The Secret History.
Can the killer be stopped before all eight of these perfect murders have been re-enacted?
"I don't trust narrators more than i trust the actual people in my life. we never get the whole truth from anybody."
its been a while since i read this one so this might be short.
i was really excited for this book but in the end, it didn't work for me. i ended up not being a huge fan of it.
once i finished it and i could see it for its entirety, i did appreciate it for what it is.
and now that i know what this whole story is about...okay cool. i like it. i think if i reread it again i might like it more. but honestly, i probably won't re-read it.
tbh, it was Malcolm that bugged the fuck out of me.
i dont know.
he just annoyed me.
and now knowing the whole story, it still doesn't help his case.
maybe it just wasn't my time with this book yet and i jumped the gun...but as of right now its my second last favorite book of his.
ill think about this one for a little while and see how i end up feeling about it later on but as of right now, eh. but i do love that cover tho. worth getting it from the UK.
and i should also mention that there is spoilers for 8 other books so beware if you do want to read any of them:
1. The Red House Mystery - A. A. Milne
2. Malice Aforethought - Anthony Berkley Cox
3. The ABC Murders - Agatha Christie
4. Double Indemnity - James M. Cain
5. Strangers on a Train - Patricia Highsmith
6. The Drowner - John MacDonald
7. Deathtrap - Ira Levin
8. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
yea that's a bit spoilery......but what would you rather spoil? the list of 8 books in one whole ass other book or the spoilers of 8 books, one of which maybe you wanted to read?
"IF I CANT MOVE HEAVEN, THEN I SHALL RAISE HELL"
pages: 313
read: 4/19-20/2020 (but technically like a few hours)
book: 32 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
THOUGHTS
FUCK YES!
ooooohhhh this book!
I'm SOO glad I got it as a BOTM pick.
that cover and that synopsis just about did me in. and tbh, had I not woken up at 7 am and then had a fat ass turkey sammich for lunch that put me right to sleep, I wouldve finished this book from beginning to end, all in one sitting...which, technically I did once I picked it back up only 44 pages in at 130am. I finished at like 830am.....I kept getting scared so I I taking breaks. lol.
OMG THIS BOOOOOOK!!!!
Its marked as a thriller but because I'm a huge chicken shit I went into it think it was going to be scary AF which, besides that 1 scene (and it was more just the description of it), it really wasnt scary at all (and to be honest, it doesnt take much to scare me sooo...yah)
I'm suffering from a book hangover because I just opened it up to get the page count and all that and I was instantly bummed out that I was done with it because I loved it that much. I loved this story.
You know someone dies off the bat but you don't know who.
You know someone close obviously did it, but ya don't know who.
and then the deeper you get into the story the more you start seeing the reason why each individual could have been behind the murder.....but i still did not see that end coming.
I guessed that every single person who had more added to their story was the killer but in the end, I did not see that person being the killer at all. i loved it.
The story is told from several points of view and different timelines; the day before, the moments leading up to the wedding, some flashbacks and then as the story is happening and I think that was so well done.
there arent TOO many characters to keep track of (the main ones anyway) and the different timelines are perfect because they arent too far apart and the flashbacks all tie up nicely to everyone's emotions as the story progresses.
...the ending is a little bit open ended but personally that takes nothing away from this story for me.
I think it doesnt bother me because this story is more so about the reasonings behind the why... I don't really want to delve too much into that because I feel like it could be a bit of a spoiler and I'm not trying to spoil that up here.
but if you read it and you're mad because of the ending, all I can say is the story is meant to be about the who and the why. not the after.
anyway, I could seriously go on forever about why I loved this book and then eventually I'd spoil something and I don't wana do that here so I'll just cut it here but so far in 2020, this is my top top favorite read. Quick and fast and good and just the right amount of "scary" for this chicken shit.
jump over for spoilers!
thanks for reading!
The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
THOUGHTS
FUCK YES!
ooooohhhh this book!
I'm SOO glad I got it as a BOTM pick.
that cover and that synopsis just about did me in. and tbh, had I not woken up at 7 am and then had a fat ass turkey sammich for lunch that put me right to sleep, I wouldve finished this book from beginning to end, all in one sitting...which, technically I did once I picked it back up only 44 pages in at 130am. I finished at like 830am.....I kept getting scared so I I taking breaks. lol.
OMG THIS BOOOOOOK!!!!
Its marked as a thriller but because I'm a huge chicken shit I went into it think it was going to be scary AF which, besides that 1 scene (and it was more just the description of it), it really wasnt scary at all (and to be honest, it doesnt take much to scare me sooo...yah)
I'm suffering from a book hangover because I just opened it up to get the page count and all that and I was instantly bummed out that I was done with it because I loved it that much. I loved this story.
You know someone dies off the bat but you don't know who.
You know someone close obviously did it, but ya don't know who.
and then the deeper you get into the story the more you start seeing the reason why each individual could have been behind the murder.....but i still did not see that end coming.
I guessed that every single person who had more added to their story was the killer but in the end, I did not see that person being the killer at all. i loved it.
The story is told from several points of view and different timelines; the day before, the moments leading up to the wedding, some flashbacks and then as the story is happening and I think that was so well done.
there arent TOO many characters to keep track of (the main ones anyway) and the different timelines are perfect because they arent too far apart and the flashbacks all tie up nicely to everyone's emotions as the story progresses.
...the ending is a little bit open ended but personally that takes nothing away from this story for me.
I think it doesnt bother me because this story is more so about the reasonings behind the why... I don't really want to delve too much into that because I feel like it could be a bit of a spoiler and I'm not trying to spoil that up here.
but if you read it and you're mad because of the ending, all I can say is the story is meant to be about the who and the why. not the after.
anyway, I could seriously go on forever about why I loved this book and then eventually I'd spoil something and I don't wana do that here so I'll just cut it here but so far in 2020, this is my top top favorite read. Quick and fast and good and just the right amount of "scary" for this chicken shit.
jump over for spoilers!
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
"PEOPLE HATE TO SEE OTHER PEOPLE HAPPY. REMEMBER THAT." -JAKE
pages: 364
read/heard: 4/13-14/2020
book: 31 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
Harry Ackerson has always considered his step-mother Alice to be sexy and beautiful, in an “other worldly” way. She has always been kind and attentive, if a little aloof in the last few years.
Days before his college graduation, Alice calls with shocking news. His father is dead and the police think it’s suicide. Devastated, he returns to his father’s home in Maine. There, he and Alice will help one another pick up of the pieces of their lives and uncover what happened to his father.
Shortly after he arrives, Harry meets a mysterious young woman named Grace McGowan. Though she claims to be new to the area, Harry begins to suspect that Grace may not be a complete stranger to his family. But she isn’t the only attractive woman taking an interest in Harry. The sensual Alice is also growing closer, coming on to him in an enticing, clearly sexual way.
Mesmerized by these two women, Harry finds himself falling deeper under their spell. Yet the closer he gets to them, the more isolated he feels, disoriented by a growing fear that both women are hiding dangerous—even deadly—secrets . . . and that neither one is telling the truth.
THOUGHTS
Peter Motherfucking Swanson.
(Lol because I think his middle initial is M. And tbh, it should stand for nothing but that.)
This.
Man.
automatic purchase/read/whatever else I can add to this list.
what a story.
I think this is the last book of his I needed to catch up on before I start his new book so I got it when I ordered his new one.
I finally picked it up and I could not put it down.
So much so that i read the first 200 something pages and then finished it via audio because I couldn't get enough of it when I was stuck at work and I couldn't wait to get home to continue.
Ooohhh... this story.
It's obvious right.
Its obvious who done did it right?
W E L L !
oooh I did not see that shit coming at all!!!!!
(And if you did; if you knew all along and you're all "les, ya dumb." Please remember that I never fucking see it)
It's always the young gold digging wife innit?
but was it?
(Lol I'm not making any sense or attempt to write a real blog post at this point. mah bad.)
Okay being serious now.
I didnt look up any spoilers and though I did read the last page I really had no idea what this book was about and I didn't really read any reviews so I had no idea what to expect going in. and if anything, reading the last page did nothing for me because i had no idea how the story could have even made it there so that just added to the "i need to know!" suspense.
Honestly besides me not knowing how this one was going to turn out and me really liking it, idk what to say. I really liked the story (even if it did remind me a bit of the girl with a clock for a heart) but it should be noted that this story *and maybe this is a bit of a spoiler* ends up playing a huge part on the type of relationship where an older person ends up grooming a younger person (is that the right way to phrase that?) yes, its spoilery BUT I think it's important to know that going in because I know a lot of people don't like reading about that. And this book is really good but that's a part of it. I don't want anyone going into it expecting one thing and then being turned off by the subject and they end up hating the book because of the subject when once its all over, its all so good!
yes, its weird.
but its good.
i'm glad i got this one out of the way so now i can jump onto his new book.
if ya read it, whatcha think?
Harry goes home right before his graduation because his father passes away.
At first it seems like an accident but then its discovered it was more so planned.
This one includes a bit of a before and after between characters so I'm going to do it that way instead of trying to tell the story because tbh, idk if I even could.
A L I C E
Alice grew up poor til her mom won a lawsuit and they move two towns over and got their own place near the beach.
every day, her mother would drink and she'd be at the beach.
One day on a beach trip with her mother, this dude, Jake comes up to them and starts talking to her mother. In the end, her mom, Edith, ends up marrying him and they move into his condo.
Alice also had this one friend Gina who she kept sorta in touch with after graduation.
But as a graduation gift, Alice's mother has a dinner for her and asks her to invite Gina.
G goes and she gets to see Alice's mom be a drunk mess.
Dinner ends, Alice walks Gina to her car or home or idk and when she comes back home she sees her mom passed out on the sofa face up starting to puke. She couldve saved her but she just let's her die.
From another angle, Jake watched her watch her mom die.
J A K E
This foo is a pedophile.
When he was a teen, he'd go over and do yardwork for this older lady who eventually ended up sleeping with him and showing him "the way". So now he felt it was his turn as an older man to show young girls what he learned when he was young (and young ladies because all the women his age were already sexually advanced and maybe even more forward so he felt he could teach them nothing)
So he used to work at this bank and that's where he got his first "taste". there was a daughter of a banker that would always stop by and ask her mom for a ride but the mom was lazy. So casually Jake offered and little by little he started sleeping with her
He gets caught by his boss and the boss tells him to move before the cops get him.
He moves over and that's when he sees Alice.
So his plan is to marry Alice's mother to have access to Alice.
They're married, the mom is a drunk and he starts courting Alice by taking her to dinner under the notion that they must go out to eat since mom is passed out and there's no dinner.
before we learn of Jake and his nature, you see from Alice's POW that shes starting to feel for him and is picturing a relationship with him without her mother in the picture.
In the end, since Alice was always Jake's goal, he cant take it anymore. He crushes i forgot what kinda pills into Edith's drink and the just watches her over dose. He gets the cup, cleans it and leaves her there.
Then Alice arrives home and he watches her watch her mom die.
That's when he knows.
They develop a relationship.
And it would've kept going had he kept his mouth shut.
Alice was okay being with him forever.
But Gina and her mother confront Alice about her relationship with Jake.
Alice denies it, freaks out, runs away and long story short, ends up killing Gina by taking her into the ocean after she comes to her apt to say shes sorry while shes drunk or drugged up af.
They go to the beach because Alice doesn't want to risk Jake walking in on them.
The police question it and Alice mentions that Gina stopped by but that she then left.
Cops question Jake but he admits to knowing nothing.
Later on they're in bed and Jake let's her know that he knows she killed Gina.
That he saw her walking on the lot, clearly wet and heard the shower the night gina went missing.
He thought that would solidify their relationship.
It just made Alice realize she needs to leave him.
She gets a new job, moves out, moves on with her life.
That's when she meets Bill. And they end up getting married.
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
PS: did ya notice the new blog update?!
i love you EVE!!!!!!
i love you EVE!!!!!!
S P O I L E R S
Harry goes home right before his graduation because his father passes away.
At first it seems like an accident but then its discovered it was more so planned.
This one includes a bit of a before and after between characters so I'm going to do it that way instead of trying to tell the story because tbh, idk if I even could.
A L I C E
Alice grew up poor til her mom won a lawsuit and they move two towns over and got their own place near the beach.
every day, her mother would drink and she'd be at the beach.
One day on a beach trip with her mother, this dude, Jake comes up to them and starts talking to her mother. In the end, her mom, Edith, ends up marrying him and they move into his condo.
Alice also had this one friend Gina who she kept sorta in touch with after graduation.
But as a graduation gift, Alice's mother has a dinner for her and asks her to invite Gina.
G goes and she gets to see Alice's mom be a drunk mess.
Dinner ends, Alice walks Gina to her car or home or idk and when she comes back home she sees her mom passed out on the sofa face up starting to puke. She couldve saved her but she just let's her die.
From another angle, Jake watched her watch her mom die.
J A K E
This foo is a pedophile.
When he was a teen, he'd go over and do yardwork for this older lady who eventually ended up sleeping with him and showing him "the way". So now he felt it was his turn as an older man to show young girls what he learned when he was young (and young ladies because all the women his age were already sexually advanced and maybe even more forward so he felt he could teach them nothing)
So he used to work at this bank and that's where he got his first "taste". there was a daughter of a banker that would always stop by and ask her mom for a ride but the mom was lazy. So casually Jake offered and little by little he started sleeping with her
He gets caught by his boss and the boss tells him to move before the cops get him.
He moves over and that's when he sees Alice.
So his plan is to marry Alice's mother to have access to Alice.
They're married, the mom is a drunk and he starts courting Alice by taking her to dinner under the notion that they must go out to eat since mom is passed out and there's no dinner.
before we learn of Jake and his nature, you see from Alice's POW that shes starting to feel for him and is picturing a relationship with him without her mother in the picture.
In the end, since Alice was always Jake's goal, he cant take it anymore. He crushes i forgot what kinda pills into Edith's drink and the just watches her over dose. He gets the cup, cleans it and leaves her there.
Then Alice arrives home and he watches her watch her mom die.
That's when he knows.
They develop a relationship.
And it would've kept going had he kept his mouth shut.
Alice was okay being with him forever.
But Gina and her mother confront Alice about her relationship with Jake.
Alice denies it, freaks out, runs away and long story short, ends up killing Gina by taking her into the ocean after she comes to her apt to say shes sorry while shes drunk or drugged up af.
They go to the beach because Alice doesn't want to risk Jake walking in on them.
The police question it and Alice mentions that Gina stopped by but that she then left.
Cops question Jake but he admits to knowing nothing.
Later on they're in bed and Jake let's her know that he knows she killed Gina.
That he saw her walking on the lot, clearly wet and heard the shower the night gina went missing.
He thought that would solidify their relationship.
It just made Alice realize she needs to leave him.
She gets a new job, moves out, moves on with her life.
That's when she meets Bill. And they end up getting married.
.
.
.
.
and its been so long that i will just say this:
the old man that Bill hired to work with him at his book shop, John something, ends up being Jake.
by this point, Jake is still in love with Alice. she was basically "the one that got away."
it turns out that Bill was having an affair with a woman named Gwen. Alice found out and i think asked Jake to help her get rid of Bill. well, actually it was Jake that found out about the affair and told Alice. i dont remember if Bill was killed because Alice asked or because Jake wanted revenge for her.
...either way, Jake killed both Bill and Gwen.
Alice has sex with Harry and he breaks it down to her just being emotional.
it turns out that Gwen has a twin who comes down to identify her and Harry ends up getting attached to her. Jakes tries to kill Harry but doesn't get away with it and ends up kidnapping Gwen's twin.
Jake freaks out and calls Alice and they come up with the plan that she needs to make it look like self defense....and she ends up killing him.
the cops arrive, harry arrives and he rescues the twin.
so Jake takes all the blame buuuuuuuuuuutttttt he's dead so yea.
(and this all happened in the condo where he first started conditioning Alice. woah)
in the end, Alice think she gets away but in reality, Gina's parents show up and abduct her. (she was in Jake's apt)
they knock her out, put her on a boat, and in the middle of the ocean the mom tells her that she knows that it was her that killed her daughter so she should just come clean.
Alice continues to deny any of it and in the end, the boat sinks and they die together by drowning. (the mom has cancer and only had a short amount of time so she chooses to go in the water where her daughter died and decides to take Alice with her) ....and in that sense, that's why it reminded me of the girl with a clock for a heart or whatever.
and so yea.
a lot is left out and i probably butchered it but its soooo goood!
give it a go!
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