Recent Reads [January 2021]

 Happy Monday friends! I hope you had a great weekend. Most of ours was spent at home because it was SO cold. I'm looking forward to some warmer weather coming our way this week! We have been gradually starting to pack. Even though our house won't be done until late April/early May (hopefully) we figure while the weather is crummy it's a good time to get some packing done!

I have been reading like crazy since the start of the year and even though it's a little late, I wanted to share with you guys some of my favorite books from January. If you like thrillers/mysteries then these are all for you!

1.) The Stranger In Our Home by Sophie Draper: This book had been sitting on my nightstand since last year and I finally got around to reading it. It tells the story of Caro who is somewhat estranged from her family and recently went through a bad breakup. After her stepmother passes, she returns to her childhood home where strange things start to happen and painful memories start to resurface. I'm not going to lie the first half of this book dragged on for me a little and there were parts of it I found really strange. The second half of the book REALLY picked up and kept me on the edge of my seat however, I do think the ending was pretty predictable. Overall rating 3.5/5

2.) The End of Her by Shari Lapena: If there is one book from this post that you do read, it should be this one! I FLEW through this book and was hooked right from page one. Stephanie and Patrick are your average couple coping with being new parents to colicky twins & juggling their day-to-day life. Their lives are turned upside down when a woman from Patrick's past turns up with a startling accusation about his first wife and the circumstances surrounding her death. I truly had no idea how this book would end, there were so many twists and turns throughout. Shari Lapena is one of my favorite authors so you really can't go wrong with any of her books but this one has to be my #1! Overall rating: 5/5

3.) Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker: I will say this was a very close 2nd for me from this list and another new favorite from the crime/thriller genre. Molly Clarke and her family have a strained relationship after tragic passing of her youngest daughter; so when Molly doesn't return home from visiting her son at college one rainy night, the question is did she leave or was she taken? Her oldest daughter Nicole hasn't given up the search & returns to the small town where her mother went missing only to realize that this town harbors more secrets than most. This book was so fast-paced and anxiety-inducing. I love the way it was written and the ending will not disappoint! Overall rating: 5/5

4.) The Last Flight by Julie Clark: I closed out the month with yet another psychological thriller about two women whose desperate circumstances intertwine their lives in the most unexpected way. Clare is married to an abusive politician and Eva is a dropout turned drug-dealer. They don't have much in common except that they want to escape their lives. When they happen to meet at JFK airport they decide to swap identities and needless to say, it isn't smooth sailing. I really enjoyed this book although it wasn't quite what I was expecting. While I found both of the characters a little frustrating, the story itself was interesting and definitely kept my attention! Overall rating: 4/5