Mystery Thriller

Yellowface by R.F Kuang

October 15, 2023 Leave a Comment

Lol, how did Rebecca get this published? She is eating the publishing girlies up in this biting critique of the publishing industry, bookish social media, and cancel culture. Yellowface follows June Hayword, a flop debut author who steals an Asian American woman’s work and becomes a literary star.

Audiobook Narrator Helen Laser understood the assignment. Her performance truly encapsulates the self-important NWL ‘I’m a liberal, so I can’t be wrong’ energy coming off of June.

For the past decade, I’ve casually observed the publishing industry from the sidelines and it definitely influenced my perception of this book. I’ve seen the sort of online book discourse/drama June gets mixed up in play-out IRL. I think this is uncanny look at online book culture is why this book has been so popular with book influencers.

I’m curious what the average reader who is not plugged into the bookish internet will think of this book. Will they think the Twitter beefs, think-pieces, and clapbacks are inventions of Kuang’s?

Personally, I don’t think this is a complete parody. I am sure Kuang has seen and heard some of the outlandish things June thinks and says IRL.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

June 28, 2023 8 Comments

Reese, I don’t know about this one. I randomly selected this book on Scribd and was immediately pulled in as a visitor shatters Hannah’s seemingly perfect new life.

40-year-old Hannah has moved from NYC to scenic Sausalito, CA to be with her new husband and his moody teenage daughter Bailey. Now her husband has disappeared and it’s up to Hannah and Baily to find the truth

The book takes kind of a strange turn as Hannah and Bailey head to Austin, Texas for answers. At first, I enjoyed reading about them finding clues and putting the puzzle together, but the ending comes out of left field and didn’t match the vibe of the first part of the book.

There are a slew of side characters that pop in and out of the story. These characters have no real impact on the story except maybe to be red herrings. All of the characters felt kind of thin, especially the husband who we only ‘see’ in flashbacks. He’s constantly put on the pedestal by Bailey and Hannah–but as a reader, I didn’t find him to be likable.

The narration by Rebecca Lowman was pretty solid.

Side Note

The MCs live in Sausalito, CA which is a very specific San Franciso enclave. I mean Sausalito is even on the cover–yet the book barely takes place there. They spend more time in Austin, Texas.

Jess’ End of The Year Mini Reviews

December 28, 2022 2 Comments

No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfeld

A vicious murder-suicide at an idyllic lake house leaves a small town reeling. and a society housewife on the run.

I found this to be an enjoyable quick read. It’s a study in class and the choices afforded to those with money and privilege. Rosenfeld does deep dives into her characters, which can sometimes leave the plot wanting.

I hate to be that person but I clocked the twist in this book by the 4th chapter. I read this on audio and print– the print makes the twist very obvious. I think the author is somewhat aware of this and the ‘reveal’ actually comes in the middle of the book instead of the end.

Now that we are firmly in the 2020’s I’m finding more books are having to consider social media when delving into the character’s past. If a character is between 18-30 years old you can’t talk about their high school experiences without considering what their high school Facebook or Instagram looked like.

Heartbreak Symphony by Laekan Zea Kemp

My first impression of this book was wow…this feels like it could be a prestige television show. It was this down-to-earth and character-driven book with an ominous narrative twist. Aspiring DJ Aarón Medran embarks on a series of clandestine humanitarian missions around his small barrio at the behest of La Maquina, a celebrity DJ and hometown hero Aarón is never alone on these missions as La Maquina’s 7-foot-tall robot mascot has been following him since his mother’s death. This seemingly friendly robot has a foreboding nature and leads to some of the more poignant and moving parts of the story. I liked this strange aspect of the story. I always enjoy YA books that go for a high or unusual concept.

We also follow Nina, a high school senior whose self-doubt has kept her from pursuing her dreams and performing the trumpet she loves dearly. Her story honestly felt like it could have been a companion book. I felt like both stories could have stood on their own.

Kemp masterfully balances grief, hope, and forgiveness in this emotion-packed read.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

March 15, 2022 3 Comments

On a wild secluded Irish island, friends and family gather for an exclusive celebrity wedding. As the big day approaches, secrets are revealed and one person won’t make it off the island alive.

I picked up The Guest List because all the marketing described Foley as a modern-day Agatha Christie. I went in expecting a parlor room whodunit mystery but that wasn’t what I got. Instead, it plays out more like a modern-day grip-lit thriller.

I was kind of annoyed that all the women’s stories are rooted in motherhood or their relationship with men. Meanwhile, the men’s stories focused on their ambitions and careers.

The setting is key to this story and Foley nails the ominous and desolate setting of the island. It’s very foreboding.

This book is character-driven and therefore lends itself well to audio. Each of the narrators embodies their characters. Narrator Olivia Dowd in particular nailed Jules–the cold, determined, and successful bride–who accounted for everything when planning her perfect wedding except murder.

Overall a gripping slow-burn mystery with a twist I didn’t see coming.

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

March 6, 2022 Leave a Comment

One of my favorite book settings is small New England beach town (bonus points if it’s an island) brimming with secrets, class anxiety, community, and melancholic unease. Littleport, Massachusetts fits this to a tee. Littleport is a tourist town run by the hard-working residents but it’s the wealthy Lowman family–and their real estate empire–that truly runs things. When The Lowman’s daughter, Sadie, is found dead on the bluffs it’s up to her best friend Avery to unravel the Lowman family’s darkest secrets.

Through flashbacks, we learn how Avery, the former town screw-up, was pulled into the Lowman’s orbit. The way this book moved through time and played with class reminded me of one of my favorite procedural TV shows Cold Case–which handles the subject of class quite often. This book was filled with cliffhangers and thrilling moments but the mystery is rather predictable for avid mystery/thriller readers.

I feel like this book could easily be categorized as New Adult. The main characters are all under 25 and are just starting out in their careers while figuring out adulthood and relationships. I think Miranda nailed writing from this point-of-view.

I listened to a portion of this on audio and narrator Rebekkah Ross is a good fit for Avery and did a great job crafting voices for all the townsfolk.

The Last House Guest was my introduction to Megan Miranda and I can’t wait to check out more of her work.

Side Note

There is sort of an “I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE” moment when you realize why this book is called this. Very clever.

The Dry by Jane Harper and One Little Mistake by Lucinda Berry

November 15, 2021 Leave a Comment

I read more thrillers!

The Dry by Jane Harper

Finance investigator Aaron Falk hasn’t visited the struggling farming community of Kiewarra in over 20 years—not since he was run out of town for his association with a dead girl. But when his childhood best friend commits a grisly murder-suicide Aaron is called to attend the funeral and gets roped into the investigation.

This was a solid crime novel, to quote one of the blurbs on the back; it has twists on every page. My favorite thing about Jane Haper’s books are her endings–she writes revelations right up to the last word on the last page.

I’ve been experimenting with crime thrillers this year and this is one of my favorites. I liked that it had a character-driven angle with Falk’s past.

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