Always With a Book

k2reader March 17, 2025

My Friends by Fredrik Backman #bookreview

Thank you Atria Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of My Friends in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Atria Books Published: May 6, 2025 Summary: #1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a stranger’s life twenty-five years later. Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at…

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k2reader March 17, 2025

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne by Emily Critchley #bookreview #audibook

Thank you Libro.fm/Recorded Books for the ALC and Sourcebooks Landmark, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of The Undoing of Violet Claybourne in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark / Recorded Books Published: March 4, 2025 Summary: 1938. Gillian Larkin is used to going unnoticed, until she is sent away to school and befriended by her roommate, the vibrant and spirited Violet Claybourne. As the Christmas holidays approach, Gilly…

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k2reader March 17, 2025

Mini Reviews – Thrillerstyle #thrillers #debuts

Thank you Random House, #partner for the advanced e-copy of You Are Fatally Invited and Gallery/Scout Press, #partner for the advanced copy of Count My Lies, in exchange for my honest reviews. The countdown is on…⁣ ⁣ The weekend of April 10-13th, I’ll be attending one of my favorite bookish events of the year – the @hamptonswhodunit out in East Hampton, NY. ⁣ ⁣ In preparation, I read these 3…

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k2reader March 13, 2025

Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie #bookreview #series #readingchallenge

I purchased this book for my own collection. Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Published: October 3, 2011 (first published 1934) Summary: Sir Charles Cartwright should have known better than to allow thirteen guests to sit down for dinner. For at the end of the evening one of them is dead—choked by a cocktail that contained no trace of poison. Predictable, says Hercule Poirot, the great detective. But entirely unpredictable is that he…

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k2reader March 12, 2025

Remote: The Six by Eric Rickstad #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you to Netgalley/Blackstone Publishing for the ALC and to the author for the advanced copy of Remote: The Six in exchange for my honest opinion. Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Published: April 8, 2025 Summary: A serial killer is rampaging across the country, tying families to chairs–arranged in puzzling tableaus–then murdering them, without leaving a trace of evidence. FBI Special Agent Lukas Stark has been hunting the Tableau Killer for eighteen…

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k2reader March 10, 2025

A Mother’s Love by Sara Blaedel #bookreview #audiobook #series #translatedbooks

Thank you Penguin Random House Audio for the ALC and Dutton, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of A Mother’s Love in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Dutton Published: March 11, 2025 (first published 2020) Summary: Detective Louise Rick uncovers dark secrets swirling around an inn in a seemingly idyllic tourist town in this propulsive new crime novel from #1 Danish bestselling sensation Sara Blaedel. When innkeeper Dorthe Hyllested is…

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k2reader March 6, 2025

Follow Me to Africa by Penny Haw #bookreview

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark #partner for the finished copy of Follow Me to Africa in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Published: February 25, 2025 Summary: Historical fiction inspired by the story of groundbreaking paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey, FOLLOW ME TO AFRICA is a sweeping, dual-timeline story of intergenerational friendship, a meditation on the beauty of the natural world, and a celebration of the women who pave the…

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k2reader March 3, 2025

Month in Review: February 2025

February has come and gone in the blink of an eye! But for a short month, it sure was productive! I have managed to keep up with my goal of staying somewhat up-to-date with reviews – it’s still early on in the year, but I’m hopeful I can manage this all year long. March is a busy month with tons of new releases and me going away at the…

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k2reader March 3, 2025

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the advanced e-copy of The Queens of Crime in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio Published: February 11, 2025 Summary: The New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie returns with a thrilling story of Christie’s legendary rival Dorothy Sayers, the race to solve a murder, and the power of…

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k2reader March 2, 2025

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm/ HarperAudio, partner for the ALC of Famous Last Words in exchange for my honest review. I purchased a print copy for my own collection. Publisher: William Morrow / Harper Audio Published: February 25, 2025 Summary: From the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes an addictive thriller about a new mother’s world upended when her husband commits a terrifying crime. How well does…

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k2reader March 2, 2025

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh #bookreview #series

A friend gifted me this book. Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Published: April 23, 2024 Summary: They say the camera never lies. But on this show, you can’t trust anything you see. Stranded in the Welsh mountains, seven reality show contestants have no idea what they’ve signed up for. Each of these strangers has a secret. If another player can guess the truth, they won’t just be eliminated – they’ll be exposed…

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k2reader March 1, 2025

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins #bookreview #audibook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Atria Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Cross My Heart in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: January 14, 2025 Summary: She has his dead wife’s heart; the one she wants is his. The author of The Family Plot brings her signature prose to a twisty novel about a heart transplant patient…

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k2reader March 1, 2025

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie #bookreview #series #reread #readingchallenge

I purchased this book for my own collection. Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Published: October 3, 2026 (first published 1969) Summary: When a Halloween Party turns deadly, it falls to Hercule Poirots to unmask a murderer in Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery, Hallowe’en Party. At a Halloween party, Joyce—a hostile thirteen-year-old—boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no one believes her, she storms off home. But within hours her body is found,…

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k2reader March 1, 2025

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Libro.fm/Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio Published: March 4, 2025 Summary: From New York Times bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave—the hugely anticipated next installment in the fan-favorite Finlay Donovan series. Finlay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet . .…

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k2reader February 28, 2025

Their Double Lives by Jaime Lynn Hendricks #bookreview

Thank you ThrillerBookLoversThePulse #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Their Double Lives in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Scarlet Suspense Published: May 20, 2025 Summary: Living a double life always comes with a cost. A down-on-her-luck waitress at a posh New Jersey country club, Kim Valva couldn’t be living a more different life from the carefree socialites she serves. Her live-in boyfriend recently cheated on her, her social…

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k2reader February 28, 2025

Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson #bookreview

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Published: January 28, 2025 Summary: She gets people to confess their crimes for a living. He knows she’s hiding a terrible secret. It’s time for the truth to come out… Poe Webb, host of a popular true crime podcast, invites people to anonymously confess crimes they’ve committed to her audience. She can’t guarantee the police won’t…

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k2reader February 24, 2025

Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Hachette Audio, #partner for the ALC of Nesting in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Hachette Audio Published: February 18, 2025 Summary: On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, Ciara straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is…

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k2reader February 23, 2025

The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy by Andrea Dunlop, Mike Weber #bookreview #audiobook #nonfiction #truecrime

Thank you Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the advanced e-copy of The Mother Next Door in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio Published: February 4, 2025 Summary: A groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that investigates Munchausen by Proxy from the host and creator of the award-winning true crime podcast Nobody Should Believe Me. No bond is more sacred…

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k2reader February 23, 2025

Lie in the Tide by Holly Danvers #bookreview

Thank you ThrillerBooksLoversThePulse #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Lie in the Tide in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Severn House Published: June 3, 2025 Summary: Theirs is a reunion . . . to die for! Four friends are meeting at a beautiful Cape Cod beach house for a long overdue reunion. But before the trip is over, one of them will wind up dead . . .…

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k2reader February 17, 2025

The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop #bookreview #audiobook #backlistreview

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the advanced copy of The Girls of Summer in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio Published: June 6, 2023 Summary: “That place has been my whole life. Everything I thought I knew about myself was constructed in those few months I spent within touching distance of the sea. Everything I…

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k2reader February 17, 2025

Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb #bookreview #series

Thank you St. Martin’s Press #partner, for the finished copy of Bonded in Death in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Published: February 4, 2025 Summary: The #1 New York Times bestselling author spins an epic tale of loyalty, treachery, murder, and the long shadow of war… His passport read Giovanni Rossi. But decades ago, during the Urban Wars, he was part of a small, secret organization called…

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k2reader February 13, 2025

Blood Ties by Jo Nesbo #bookreview #audiobook #translatedbook #series

Thank you Penguin Random House Audio for the ALC and Knopf, #partner, for the finished copy of Blood Ties in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Knopf Published: February 11, 2025 Summary: FAMILY COMES FIRST. NO MATTER THE COST. Brothers Carl and Roy Opgard have succeeded in life. Or at least they’ve had as much success as is possible in a small town like Os, where they’ve killed their…

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k2reader February 11, 2025

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC of A Killing Cold in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Macmillan Audio Published: February 4, 2025 Summary: A woman invited to her wealthy fiance’s family retreat realizes they are hiding a terrible secret—and that she’s been there before, by the bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods. A whirlwind romance. When Theodora Scott met Connor—wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful…

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k2reader February 11, 2025

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena #bookreview #audiobook

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books / Penguin Audio Published: July 27, 2021 Summary: In this family, everyone is keeping secrets–especially the dead. Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there. And they don’t come much richer than Fred and Sheila…

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k2reader February 10, 2025

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez #bookreview #audiobook

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Ecco / Harper Audio Published: March 5, 2024 Summary: An epic novel of the construction of the Panama Canal, casting light on the unsung people who lived, loved, and labored there. It is said that the canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built.…

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k2reader February 9, 2025

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant #bookreview

Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of The Nature of Disappearing in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Minotaur Books Published: June 18, 2024 Summary: In this captivating novel of suspense, a wilderness guide must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago when the friend who introduced them goes missing. Emlyn doesn’t let herself think about the past. How she and her…

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k2reader February 8, 2025

After Life by Gayle Forman #bookreview #WRC2025

Thank you BookSparks #partner, for the finished copy of After Life in exchange for my honest review. I am thrilled to be a @booksparks ambassador for the Winter Reading Challenge! The theme this season is ‘The Art of Reading’ & the lineup of books is looking pretty good, if I do say so myself! Publisher: Quill Tree Books Published: January 7, 2025 Summary: “After Life is a masterful…

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k2reader February 8, 2025

Audio Book Roundup #Bookreviews #Audiobooks #Thrillers

Thank you PRH Audio, partner for the ALC of Trust Issues & Dead Money, in exchange for my honest reviews. I have been leaning heavily into audiobooks lately, especially for thrillers. There is something so exciting about listening to a story that’s fast-paced, thrilling & one that keeps you guessing…& both of these do just that.⁣ TRUST ISSUES by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan & Greg Wands Published: January…

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k2reader February 4, 2025

Into the Fall by Tamara L. Miller #bookreview

Thank you to the author/Netgalley for the advanced copy of Into the Fall in exchange for my honest opinion. Publisher: Thomas & Mercer Published: February 1, 2025 Summary: From debut author Tamara L. Miller comes a suspenseful psychological thriller tracking the mysteries of a seemingly mundane life as they come to light in the vast, unforgiving Canadian wilderness. For better or for worse, Sarah Anderson has it a thriving career,…

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k2reader February 4, 2025

River of Lies by James L’Etoile #bookreview #series

Thank you to the author for the advanced copy of River of Lies in exchange for my honest opinion. Publisher: Oceanview Publishing Published: January 7, 2025 Summary: Detective Emily Hunter must be the voice for the voiceless The homeless camps spread throughout the city of Sacramento are a topic of heated debate among residents. They’ re considered undesirable— a nuisance— an eyesore. But when the camps fall victim to a…

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k2reader February 3, 2025

Carolina Moonset by Matt Goldman #bookreview #backlistreview

Thank you Forge Books #partner, for the finished copy of Carolina Moonset in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Forge Books Published: May 31, 2022 Summary: Both suspenseful and deeply moving, Carolina Moonset is an engrossing novel about family, memories both golden and terrible, and secrets too dangerous to stay hidden forever, from New York Times bestselling and Emmy Award-winning author, Matt Goldman. Joey Green has returned to Beaufort, South Carolina, with its…

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k2reader February 2, 2025

Month in Review: January 2025 #readingupdate #favoritereads

And finally, January is over! Was it not the longest month ever? At least it was a productive one…and I hope moving forward, every month is as productive! I have made a few goals for myself concerning the blog and my reading and so far, so good! Here they are: Keep up with reviews! Keep up-to-date with Goodreads tracking Balance new ARC reading with my own books and some…

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k2reader January 30, 2025

Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Penguin Random House Audio for the ALC and Berkley Books, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Mask of the Deer Woman in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Berkley Books / PRH Audio Published: January 21, 2025 Summary: To find a missing young woman, the new tribal marshal must also find herself. At rock bottom following her daughter’s murder, ex-Chicago detective Carrie Starr has nowhere to go…

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k2reader January 29, 2025

Penitence by Kristin Koval #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Celadon Books #partner for the advanced copy of Penitence in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Celadon Books / Macmillan Audio Published: January 28, 2025 Summary: For readers of Ann Patchett and Celeste Ng, Penitence is a poignant exploration of love and forgiveness. It’s a suspenseful, addictive page-turner filled with literary insight that compels readers to consider whether each of us is…

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k2reader January 28, 2025

Head Cases by John McMahon #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm/ Macmillan Audio, partner for the ALC of Head Cases in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Macmillan Audio Published: January 28, 2025 Summary: Head Cases follows an enigmatic group of FBI agents as they hunt down a murderer seeking his own justice in this electrifying—and commercial—series debut. FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He also has a blind spot on…

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k2reader January 27, 2025

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie #bookreview #series #readingchallenge

I purchased this book for my own collection. Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Published: August 27, 2024 (first published 1940) Summary: In Agatha Christie’s classic, Five Little Pigs, beloved detective Hercule Poirot races to solve a case from out of the past. Beautiful Caroline Crale was convicted of poisoning her husband, but just like the nursery rhyme, there were five other “little pigs” who could have done it: Philip Blake (the stockbroker), who…

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k2reader January 27, 2025

Cross Down by James Patterson, Brendan DuBois #bookreview #series

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Published: June 5, 2023 Summary: Alex Cross is gravely injured. Only his partner and friend John Sampson can keep him safe . . . and get justice. For the first time, John Sampson is on his own. The brilliant crime-solving duo of Washington, DC’s, Metro PD and the FBI has a proven Detective Alex Cross makes his…

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k2reader January 25, 2025

The Lost House by Melissa Larsen #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of The Lost House in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio Published: January 14, 2025 Summary: In Melissa Larsen’s The Lost House comes the mesmerizing story of a young woman with a haunting past who returns to her ancestral home in Iceland to investigate a gruesome murder in her family. Forty years…

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k2reader January 25, 2025

The Kennedy Girl by Julia Bryan Thomas #bookreview

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark #partner, for the advanced e-copy of The Kennedy Girl in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Published: January 14, 2025 Summary: From esteemed author Julia Bryan Thomas comes a novel for readers who loved the fashion and glamour of The Second Life of Mirielle West and the clandestine intrigue of The Secrets We Kept, showcasing a journey to France through the eyes of…

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k2reader January 24, 2025

Desperate Deadly Widows by Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, Cate Hollahan and Vanessa Lillie #bookreview #audiobook #series

I purchased this audiobook for my own personal collection. Publisher: Audible Originals Published: March 19, 2024 Summary: The widows are back! Big hair and bigger lies collide in the highly anticipated follow-up to Audible’s best-selling Young Rich Widows, where nothing’s more dangerous than a widow with nothing left to lose. Set in neon-drenched Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1987, just two years after a plane carrying four mafia-affiliated law-firm partners exploded…

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k2reader January 24, 2025

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of Something in the Walls in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio Published: February 25, 2025 Summary: Newly minted child psychologist Mina has little experience. In a field where the first people called are experts, she’s been unable to get her feet wet. Instead she aimlessly spends her days…

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k2reader January 24, 2025

Backlist Review & Sneak Peak at Upcoming Read: Stolen & Punished by Ann-Helen Laestadius #bookreview #upcomingread #translatedbooks #series

Thank you Scribner Books #partner, for the finished copy of Stolen and the advanced copy of Punished in exchange for my honest reviews. One of my reading goals this year is to fit in some backlist books throughout the year & with the upcoming release of Punished by Ann Helen Laestadius, I figured it was the perfect time to finally read Stolen. STOLEN by Ann Helen Laestadius Published:…

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k2reader January 23, 2025

The Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Penguin Random House Audio for the ALC and G. P. Putnam’s Sons, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of The Last Room on the Left in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons / PRH Audio Published: January 14, 2025 Summary: The caretaker at an isolated mountain hotel finds herself fighting for her life—and sanity—in this twisty, addictive thriller. Kerry’s life is in shambles: Her…

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k2reader January 23, 2025

The Perfect Home by Daniel Kenitz #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Dart Frogg Communcations / Scribner Books #partner, for the finished copy of The Perfect Home in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Scribner Books / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: January 7, 2025 Summary: Fixer Upper meets Gone Girl in this suspenseful and witty domestic thriller set in the world of home renovation TV—featuring a woman who becomes public enemy #1 after a…

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k2reader January 21, 2025

Dark Pines by Will Dean #bookreview #audiobook #translatedbook #series

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. I purchased the audiobook via my Audible subscription. Publisher: One World Publications / Audible Audio Published: Print – July 5, 2018 (Originally Published January 4, 2018) / Audio – February 18, 2018 Summary: An isolated Swedish town. A deaf reporter terrified of nature. A dense spruce forest overdue for harvest. A pair of eyeless hunters found murdered in the woods.…

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k2reader January 20, 2025

When She’s Gone by Rea Frey #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC and Thomas & Mercer / Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced copy of When She’s Gone in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Thomas & Mercer / Brilliance Audio Published: January 14, 2025 Summary: In this haunting story that spans three decades, a young gymnast escapes a kidnapping. Years later, she’s forced to face the past when her own daughter disappears. Cora Valentine has…

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k2reader January 20, 2025

The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Harper Audio for the ALC and HTP / Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of The Paris Widow in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Park Row Books / Harper Audio Published: June 11, 2024 Summary: A dream vacation turns deadly when secrets from the past catch up to a married couple in Paris in this new edge-of-your-seat thriller from USA Today bestselling author, Kimberly Belle. When…

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k2reader January 15, 2025

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell #bookreview #upcomingthriller

Thank you Atria Books #partner, for the advanced copy of Don’t Let Him In in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Atria Books Published: June 24, 2025 Summary: From #1 New York Times bestseller Lisa Jewell—three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller. Restauranteur Paddy Swann was the life of the party until the day a man pushed him in the path of an oncoming train, leaving his…

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k2reader January 13, 2025

The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang #bookreview

Thank you HTP Books #partner, for the advanced copy of The Lotus Shoes in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Park Row Books Published: January 7, 2025 Summary: An empowering, uplifting tale of two women from opposite sides of society, and their extraordinary journey of sisterhood, betrayal, love and triumph. 1800s China. Tightly bound feet, or “golden lilies,” are the mark of an honorable woman, eclipsing beauty, a rich…

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k2reader January 12, 2025

Sweet Fury by Sash Bischoff #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Simon & Schuster #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Sweet Fury in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: January 7, 2025 Summary: When a beloved actress is cast in a feminist adaptation of a Fitzgerald classic, she finds herself the victim in a deadly game of revenge in which everyone,…

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