“Emma in the Night” - Book Review -

“Emma in the Night”

Written by Wendy Walker

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

Emma in the Night is a well-known psychological thriller that was incredibly popular at its time of publication, with many bloggers and readers claiming it to be a five-star read. Today, I spent my time reading the entire novel in one sitting, and I have never been more disappointed in one novel. My expectations were far too high for this story, and they were absolutely dashed to bits on the rocks.

The story is told in two different ways. Our two main narrators are told in first-person by Cass and third person for Dr. Abby Winters. Cass and her sister, Emma, went missing three years ago, after a dramatic fight with each other and their mother. Dr. Winters worked on the case, attempting to find the girls safely. When she was unable to, her mental health declined. When Cass appears on her parents’ front porch, everyone is shocked. Where is Emma?

Cass’s narrative tells the story of what led up to the disappearance and what happened while the girls were gone. Cass portrays everyone around her as unstable, her mother being the most negative and toxic, with possible narcissism disorder. Abby has had experience in her own lifetime with her own narcissistic mother, so she begins to notice cracks in the stories that Cass may be telling. The plot continues as Cass selectively reveals important details after chapters of her complaining about people and rehashing details that we already spent far too much time on. This manipulative character is clearly hiding something. However, my fault lies with author, Wendy Walker, for creating such a frustrating and slow-moving story, where most of the time relies on a character’s thoughts and lies, reminiscent of The Woman in the Window and Gone Girl.

By the time I reached any major twists, I had completely lost interest in the novel. I understand that Walker’s intention might have been to create a seriously unstable individual, but it comes across as mental health misrepresentation and victim blaming. We begin to hate Cass so much, that we disbelieve everything she says. I am sure there is a lesson to learn or a satirical point about women, but slogging through this novel felt Dante’s journey through the circles of Hell. The final important plot twists were unimpressive and frankly, incredibly predictable.

In conclusion, I do not recommend this novel. I truly did not enjoy it. I had every high expectation for it, and the book failed. I rate this novel at 2 out of 5 stars. What is the point of making such an uninteresting and coldhearted fiction? I feel burned out from kidnapping stories in which the victim feels more like a villain. This needs to stop.

"The Outsider" - Book Review -

“The Outsider”

Written by Stephen King

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

The Outsider is a recent novel by the renowned horror and supernatural writer, Stephen King. The story begins with the finding of the body of young eleven-year-old boy, Frank Anderson. The murder itself was extremely gruesome; Frank was sodomized and then killed by bites to his many organs and then a lethal one to his neck. Fingers point at Terry Maitland, Frank’s baseball beloved baseball coach. The murder envelops the town in a dark shadow, with parents and children in an uproar, thinking they trusted Terry.

To continue, I enjoyed how the story developed, introducing many appealing characters. The main detective, Ralph, of the police department is wise and pleasant. We see him often, interacting with other detectives, his wife, and investigators. Ralph was such a happy surprise, since many of King’s police characters have been brash, crude, and just downright offensive. Ralph and his wife become embroiled in the investigation. Over time, we are introduced to a great investigator character, who hails from the Mr. Mercedes series, Holly.

The first third of The Outsider had me thoroughly invested, stuck in suspended animation, as I waited for more clues to be revealed. A major shock involving Terry was so well-executed, I was gob smacked. Unfortunately, the detectives begin to notice that Terry could not have been involved in Frank’s murder, because how could he be in two places at once? Hoping this to continue in an Agatha Christie-like mystery, I was excited. Sadly, it becomes apparent that the monster who committed the murder is supernatural, rather than human.

Personally, the scariest moments and characters in King’s work incorporate evil humans, rather than evil beings and entities. The Green Mile, Children of the Corn, The Shining, Carrie, 1922, Misery, Dolores Claiborne, and Under the Dome have evil characters. Although there are some supernatural baddies or evil influence from beings in these favorites of mine, the majority of the malevolence manifests in the humans. I have never been frightened in It, Pet Sematary, ‘Salem’s Lot, Bag of Bones, and The Stand. I would have loved this book if we just had a murder mystery, with a wicked serial killer walking around Flint City.

The villain, the “outsider”, was a completely different character to what I would have liked. A Mexican folklore villain who imitates the appearance and voice of others, who feasts on the fear of children? Did we need another Pennywise monster?

Lastly, my final disappointment was the audiobook. I have enjoyed Will Patton’s audiobook reading before, but his dark and gruff voice made the narration seem underwhelming, as he seems to overact each sentence. Less is more, in audiobooks for me. I stopped listening to the audiobook and switched to a print copy, because I was unhappy with his cadence and tone.

I recommend this book if you find King’s monsters to be scarier, but I do not recommend if you like evil humans to be scariest. I will not be keeping this book in my collection, nor watching the television adaptation of the novel.

I rated this novel at three of five stars, because King still delivers an interesting plot with great characters, but I would have hoped for so much more.

The Paper Wasp - Book Review -

“The Paper Wasp”

Written by Lauren Acampora

Review written by Diana Iozzia

 

The Paper Wasp is a fiction novel that has small elements of psychological thriller due to its theme of ambition, jealousy, and warped female friendship. Unfortunately, the novel disappoints in its execution, making it feel more like a novel about a woman who moves to Los Angeles and can never find happiness. The style of the novel is very artistic and full of figurative language that feels to be a bit much.

 

In the story, Abby has no sense of direction and feels lost in her life. At a high school reunion, she seeks out her old best friend, Elise, who has begun her rise to fame as a young film star and model. Abby has a slight obsession with Elise, we learn, as she pressures Elise to meet her for lunch. Although Elise feels uncomfortable at first, the two strike up a friendship. In a similar vein of Ingrid Goes West, Abby launches herself into Elise’s life and flies out to Los Angeles, appearing on Elise’s fabulous, sunny mansion. The story progresses to show Abby creating messes for herself, as she becomes too heavily involved in Elise’s business. Unknowingly, Elise hires her as a personal assistant, giving Abby access to everything. Rafael, the boyfriend of Elise, is charming and handsome, appearing in many sordid dreams of Abby’s. He’s not a great person, and instantly changes into the devil when Elise falls pregnant. Abby eventually leaves, feeling like she is no longer wanted, but she returns and kidnaps Elise’s baby once it’s born. This kidnapping felt so out of place, because I could not understand how Abby could be thaaat crazy. There are not enough indicators into warped mental health that would allude to this behavior.

 

I did not like this story for many reasons. I felt that the two lead characters floated around and gave long winded monologues about art and life, while not much actually happened in the story. I was sure that Abby was going to be much more unhinged, so the slow burn would pay off in a great way, but it did not. I felt that the story was a waste of time for me, because it did not have an interesting plot execution. The story fell flat, unfortunately, like most of the dialogue and characters. There were no lessons to be learned. Although this story was about a darker side of Hollywood, I cannot believe it to be a fable or cautionary tale. The motives of each character seemed great at the beginning. Abby wanted everything from Elise, and Elise needed someone who she could trust and use as a protector. Perhaps there could be a bit of a metaphor, in which the novel mirrors the emptiness of Elise, but I just think it was a lackluster book.

 

In conclusion, I do not recommend this novel. I do not know if I will read more by Acampora. I rate this at three out of five stars. I think it was better than some books about Hollywood, but I would highly recommend watching Ingrid Goes West or reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for a more insightful look into dark Hollywood and superficial characters. For books about ambition and negative female friendship, I recommend Necessary People, Genuine Fraud, or A Simple Favor.

 

I received a complimentary advance review copy from Grove Publishing. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review the novel.

"Sleeping Beauties"

Sleeping Beauties

Written by Owen King and Stephen King

Review written by Diana Iozzia

The famous and infamous Stephen King and his son, Owen, wrote Sleeping Beauties in 2017, but I feel that its premise rings true in 2020 and will be relevant for years to come. This science fiction novel from the two of them asks the question, “What will happen to the men of Earth if women died or vanished?” The Kings create a bit of interesting satire in their cautionary tale about men and women. In today’s society and in the past, we have always seen a divide between men and women. Women, like myself, often ask when angry with their husbands, “where would you be without me?” Sleeping Beauties answers that question, by portraying chaos, insanity, and crime.

In Sleeping Beauties, Eve Black is an ethereal and mystical being, who has chosen, with the elements of nature, to cause all females, women and children, to enter a cocoon once they fall asleep. This phenomenon is named “Aurora”. As the females attempt to stay awake as long as possible, using drugs and coffee, the men being to panic. We are introduced to an ensemble of characters throughout the small Appalachian town, Dooling. The characters span from plain old citizens, news reporters, police, and especially the prisoners and guards from the town prison. Great and caring men hide the cocoons, once realizing that attempting to break the women out of the cocoons cause them to react like wild and rabid animals and murder their ‘prince’. Horrible and evil men burn the cocoons, killing the women. A burst of moths appears and vanish when each woman was killed. Moths also often appear whenever Eve is using her ‘magical powers’, as well as rats.

The plot continues in a fun and interesting way, as in Part 2, we see the women wake up in an alternate reality of their own town. The men are absent and so are their bodies. The women begin lives of purity and more simple ways of living. We see a favorite character, Tiffany, ride wild horses as she believes she can finally be happy. Two of the more prominent characters are Lila and Clint Norcross. In the other world, called Our World by the women, Lila becomes one of the leaders and attempts to help the other women return to a life of normalcy. In the true world, Clint attempts to protect the women and stop the ones who are causing pandemonium. Frank Geary is a caring father but a hothead and possibly abusive husband, who spends his time keeping his daughter, Nana, safe. He also, with other characters, plan to attack the prison to get to Eve.

The climax and the conclusion of the story feel similar to Needful Things by Stephen King. The characters descent into “good vs. bad” as they allow their true intentions to come to the surface. We have many showdowns and murders, as the good characters protect Eve and the tree entrance back into the new world, while the bad characters attempt to destroy the tree and hurt Eve. We readers draw lines, based on our own opinions, to decide who we agree with, which the Kings use to show us our own morality through this lens.

In conclusion, I personally believed this to be one of the better Stephen King books, and I loved Owen’s contribution. In the later years, I feel Stephen’s work to have mellowed, using less violence and cruelty towards women. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in trying a King book. I felt this wasn’t gruesome, and it could not even be considered horror. The only scenes I felt particularly scary were the ones in which women awoke from their cocoons.

Unfortunately, I believe that readers should carefully consider the format of which they choose to read this book. I do feel that with my listening to the audiobook, I felt that I easily lost track of certain characters and needed to remind myself who each were. I felt that I also became bored, due to the long listening time of 22 hours, when I know I would have accomplished the reading faster on paper. However, Marin Ireland proved to be an incredible narrator, with many voices and accents that brought each character to life in a way that a print copy wouldn’t. I hope that Owen and Stephen create more work together, because I was highly impressed. This is definitely a bestseller that deserves its praise.

"Crave" - Book Review -

"Crave" Book Review

Written by Tracy Wolff

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

Crave is the first installment of a new series, written by Tracy Wolff, about a teen human, named Grace, who begins the school year at a secluded, fancy boarding school in Alaska. Reeling from the accidental death of her parents, Grace feels welcomed by her uncle Finn, the school's headmaster and her cousin and new roommate, Macy. All too quickly, Grace becomes caught up in a strange mystery around the school, bordering on the supernatural. She soon discovers that many of her peers are vampires, witches, dragon shifters, werewolf shifters, and even gargoyles. Although supernatural and romance stories with these archetypal characters are not new to teen readers, the story feels familiar, like an old friend. To many, Crave is reminiscent of many popular installments, such as Twilight, Riverdale, Sabrina, The Vampire Diaries, Jennifer's Body, and even Harry Potter. Though there is an abundance of literature, television, and film surrounding this type of story, I still think that Wolff brings nuance and a new, fresh take to the genre. Let's elaborate.

Grace's character is familiar. The beautiful yet mousy girl who has had a great deal of family tragedy falls in love with a movie monster. She is a cocktail, combining many of the famous and well-loved characters so much like her. We spy Elena Gilbert's spirit and vigor, Bella Swan's sweet and literature-loving personality, and Sabrina Spellman's eye for adventure. She isn't meek and mild; she is bold, funny, and interesting. Grace feels so incredibly fleshed out, that she is jumping from the pages to become a well-loved and inspirational heroine. Her willingness to put others before herself but her unwillingness to back down and stand up for herself shines. The folklore and history of each supernatural being excited me. I always find in books and media like this, that I look for creative, new biology for each being. Vampires are physically shocked by crystals, dragon shifters breathe ice and fire, and many cool types of telekinesis. Although I found many parallels to previously established mediums from this genre, I enjoyed the similarities. Certain scenes felt similar, such as a snowball fight, action sequences, and conversations. I personally enjoyed deciding which romantic interest I would choose for Grace, like I have enjoyed with Team Jacob or Edward and Team Damon vs. Stefan. I think it can be quite difficult to read a new supernatural teen romance without comparing it to its predecessors, but I think that many of us who have enjoyed the predecessors would love Crave. For those of you concerned with the healthiness of the main relationships in this genre, I found the love between Jaxon, lead vamp, and Grace to be extremely healthy, with some lies of omission but no clear manipulation tactics or gaslighting, as previous vamps have exhibited. In a few important, intimate scenes with Grace and Jaxon, consent was approached and executed well.

To continue, I did not see many issues with the novel, except the terribly cheesy chapter titles. They did grow on me, but I found it amusing to compare them to pop punk songs, like ones from the music groups, Fall Out Boy or Panic! at the Disco.  Many scenes felt cinematic, so realistic and so well-written. The quality of Wolff's work impressed me, as I expected a parody or the quality level of fan-fiction. Her dialogue is superb. The scene pacing was impressive. The war between species was so interesting, and I loved how the history of each character played out into the war. Additionally, the scenery of a dark, elusive Alaskan school felt atmospheric. The tunnels, the cold, and the Northern Lights brought a curious, new element to the setting.  I was grateful to find that although the majority of this novel was establishing the characters and world-building, that all other elements were still written well, without sacrificing in any category. The final reveal of the major villains was so exciting, allowing the climax to breathe and truly grip the audience. Lastly, I appreciated that while this is a teen romance, there were no obnoxious or smutty sex scenes, just a whole lot of hot kissing. Woohoo!

In conclusion, the series will be continued in Wolff's next installment, Crush, and boy am I excited for it. I enjoyed this novel so much more than I thought I would, and I highly recommend it to all reading this review. I think there's something for everyone. Even that I am now a twenty-four year old, I do believe this novel can appeal to those my age, without it seeming too modern and trendy with its texting, pop culture references, and slang. It takes me back to when I was a teen, and I like the feeling of that nostalgia. I eagerly anticipate works from Tracy Wolff in the future.

I rate this novel at 5 stars out of 5 stars. I absolutely believe it will be a new classic and a new favorite of mine.

Thank you to Entangled Teen at Entangled Publishing for the advance proof and all of the fun PR goodies, such as salted caramel marshmallows (I now get the fun reference), a great coffee cup, a bookmark, and a few other goodies. I appreciate the opportunity and cannot wait to represent Entangled again.

"Jane Anonymous"

Jane Anoynmous

Written by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

Jane Anonymous tells the fictional yet realistic tale of a girl possibly named Jane, who has changed the names, places, and dates surrounding her kidnapping. Calling herself Jane Anonymous, Jane has chosen to process and heal from her abduction, by using writing as her medium. A lover of books and poetry, Jane’s words feel rhythmic and eloquent, while also sounding natural from a teenage perspective. Her narrative is written in two halves: Then and Now, referring to her capture period and then during her healing period.

Jane was kidnapped by a young attractive man, who kept her in a small dark room. She writes that he provided her with food and materials that she requested, if she completed chores and tasks that he required of her. She also tells of how another captive, Mason, would climb through air ducts to visit her daily, bring her presents, and plan their escape.

Jane’s “Now” period consists of her reluctantly interacting with her friends, family, police officers, and therapists after escaping and returning home. She feels confused by the identity of her kidnapper, her leaving Mason behind, and why she was chosen. Her family and friends badger Jane to learn details and bring her back to her normal routines, although she is incredibly resistant. Her behavior now recalls the learned behavior from her captivity.

For the most part, I found the entire book to be a bit messy. In trying to tell the story of Jane, author Stolarz quite obviously wanted to make this interesting, a bit exciting, and shocking, while making this story appeal to teens. I think that if this was told as a fictional memoir without plot twists and manipulative narration, this book would have succeeded more in my mind. Stolarz has a pattern of writing books about serious topics but making them slightly exploitative and inappropriate. The content is appropriate and is important for teens to read, but she made this a little too ‘fun’. There are melodramatic moments where Jane feels sad to see her first crush, when she overhears mean girls talking about her in the bathroom, and when her mother harasses her selfishly. I find that this book feels more like a Degrassi / Beverly Hills 90210 teen drama special, than a thought-provoking and serious book like Room.

If you are looking for an inspiring narrative with nuance and important messages about abduction, I recommend you look elsewhere. Read and promote memoirs of true kidnapping survivors, rather than support a cheap teen drama. If you’re looking for an easy read that you don’t need to think about on the beach, then fine, read this. As a long-time fan of Stolarz’s series, Touch and Blue is For Nightmares, I was strongly disappointed in Jane Anonymous’s content. There are some moments that shine a necessary light on survivors, but I recommend looking elsewhere and supporting real survivors.

I rate this novel at three on a five star rating scale.

I received a complimentary copy of Jane Anonymous to read and review. Thank you to Wednesday Books at St. Martin’s Press (love you) for the opportunity.

"The Wife Stalker"

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“The Wife Stalker”

Written by Liv Constantine

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

“The Wife Stalker” is the fourth book I have read by the two sisters that use the pen name, Liv Constantine. Their first book, “The Last Mrs. Parrish” is a phenomenal psychological thriller, and unfortunately, none of their later books have never held up to “Parrish’s” gold standard. I anticipated “T.W.S.”, because of its plot premise. The premise boasts a scorching thriller about Piper and Joanna, two wives of Leo, the second and the ex respectfully. Piper found Leo, enticed him with her wiles, which stopped his attention for Joanna. However, Joanna refuses to let her husband leave without a fight, choosing to terrorize him and Piper and stalk them. The wife stalker becomes the stalked. In a final, maddening but satisfying twist, we learn about who Joanna really is and her final intentions.

 

I admit, I enjoyed this more than I originally anticipated. The plot was intriguing and certainly entertaining, however, because this was a slow burn story, the reading experience dragged in some areas. The suspicion and the blame alternates between characters, as you desperately hope for the safety of the children. What’s in those green smoothies? Why is the nanny taking suspicious phone calls? When the final reveal came forth, I was ecstatic for a plot twist that finally made sense. I chose to re-read certain passages in the new light, seeing how there were certain clues. This reminded me much of my experience with “The Sixth Sense”, “The Wife Between Us”, and “The Silent Patient”. The dramatic turn reminded me of what I loved so much about “The Last Mrs. Parrish”. The Constantine sisters went back to the roots of what made their first novel so excellent and created a great new one.

 

There’s always a ‘but’, so here it is. Due to the twist, a new character was implicated as the villain the whole time. Because of this, the characters’ intentions in certain dramatic moments were left unexplained. So, there was nothing in the smoothies? Sometimes, when we have certain reveals, they are remembered through the perspective of the villain or the character with new understanding, like in “The Sixth Sense”. However, there were too many unanswered questions for me to find this book to be as perfect as “The Last Mrs. Parrish”.

 

I eagerly recommend this to my readers and anyone reading this review, even if thriller is not often the genre you enjoy reading. You can read this with a critical eye, or you can lazily read it by the beach with a cocktail. I think that this book has many sides and edges to it, that can appeal to anyone. Naturally, I also recommend the Constantine sisters’ first book. Their two in the middle were flat and unimpressive, and please feel free to read my reviews on them: “The Last Time I Saw You” and “The Network”.

From me, this book receives a four-star rating out of five stars, due to its occasional slow pace and unanswered questions.

 

I received a complimentary finished copy from Harper Books in exchange for reading and reviewing. Thank you to the publishing house for the opportunity.

"More Than Words" by Jill Santopolo - Review -

“More Than Words”

Written by Jill Santopolo

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

 

“More Than Words” is Jill Santopolo’s second fiction novel. Both of her novels fall into a very specific realistic, heartwarming, and heartbreaking modern romance category. Similar authors who I believe to write this way are Josie Silver and Taylor Jenkins Reid. I have not loved many modern romance novels, but every novel by these authors have become a favorite. Santopolo’s first novel was a bestseller and an ideal modern romance novel, hitting on every emotion in wonderful ways. If you are on the fence about reading this or her first, “The Light We Lost”, I enthusiastically recommend both.

 

In “More Than Words”, we meet Nina. Through a third person omniscient narrative, we begin her story with the death of her father, Joseph. Nina is a hardworking, caring, and amusing individual, with great characteristics and dialogue. A speechwriter for a mayoral candidate, we learn more about the world she lives in through her job, which is an interesting aspect. I personally find it disappointing when we read modern romance or contemporary novels and the character’s career is glossed over. We should see and learn how Nina is hardworking and compassionate, rather than just read that she is. With the loss of her father, Nina learns family secrets. Unlike the book’s blurb, I do not think this secret is ultimately groundbreaking. A bit of mis-marketing allows you to think the book will be about the secret, when the true plot follows Nina’s grief and her newfound love triangle. Nina loves her best friend and boyfriend, Tim, and has since was a child. However, Nina now has been spending too much time with her boss, the mayoral candidate. Her friendship develops with him, Raphael, as he comforts her over Joseph’s death.

 

In all, I absolutely adored this book. I think the portrayal of each character was flawlessly executed. Nina’s emotions felt very realistic and hard to read at times. The death of Joseph evoked many poignant emotions and played out beautifully. I often find with love triangle storylines that I resent the character who falls out of love with a partner and falls in love with someone knew, but the way that Santopolo implemented this plot was divine. I felt that Nina wasn’t manipulative or exploiting the situation. She acted like an adult who knew that she needed to make a decision, even if it might break her heart to do so. She did not feel disingenuous or heartless.

 

To conclude, I recommend that you read this book as soon as possible. It will absolutely be a new favorite, even though it took me quite a while to pick it up. What a gorgeous story.

 

Thank you to G.P. Putnam and Sons for sending along a finished copy for me to review. Thank you again for the opportunity.

 

 

“Something She’s Not Telling Us”

 

“Something She’s Not Telling Us”

Written by Darcey Bell

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

“Something She’s Not Telling Us” is the first book that I have read by Darcey Bell, but I am familiar with her work from seeing the adaptation of her first book, “A Simple Favor”. “S.S.N.T.U” is her second work within the psychological thriller genre, and frankly, I enjoyed the read. However, most books have their faults, but the faults within this story were glaring.

 

The story is separated into three perspectives. Charlotte’s third person omniscient was told in a great way, but I felt disappointed instantly that seeing all of the perspectives are told in the present tense. I appreciated that there were some past tense during the flashbacks, but I abhor books that use the present tense, “she says”, “he walks”, “they run”. The other two perspectives are told of Ruth and Rocco.

 

The story begins in a flash forward, as we meet Charlotte. She’s a bit uptight, concerned, and proper, but she is a highly likeable, relatable, and responsible character. We learn that she believes her brother, Rocco’s girlfriend, Ruth, to have kidnapped Charlotte’s daughter, Daisy. As the story continues, we meet Rocco and Ruth. Ruth is a bit more of a free spirit, with a strangely bossy attitude and some major quirks. The story sets up to frame Ruth in a very negative light, with her being caught in lies and acting bizarrely around Daisy.

 

I enjoyed the story for the most part. This thriller felt like a fun guilty pleasure, with appealing characters, plot devices, and realistic dialogue. Unfortunately, there were major problems that I cannot overlook. Although the plot was enjoyable and I did like this book, I wonder about the author’s intent. Why create characters who are so blatantly racist, the entire time they are in Mexico, on vacation? The characters are not called out on their behavior or meant to be disliked any less. This felt very unkind to the audience, rather than just to portray a negative behavior. Additionally, the entire location of Mexico was described terribly, highlighting negative behaviors of locals, including language that might be deemed offensive, and portrayed bad stereotypes. Next, I was highly unhappy with the representation of mental illness, by characters’ choices and dialogue. Charlotte speaks about the ex-girlfriends of Rocco, using unkind words to describe people who self-harm. If this was just to show that Charlotte is not a great judge of character and is flawed, there are many other ways we could have learned this.

 

If we can push past the negative sides of this novel, then I can rate it at three and a half stars out of five. If you personally cannot look past the racism and flawed cultural representation, as well as the mental health representation, then I do not recommend this book for you. Yes, Bell may use these characters as a lens, to examine and judge their personality and behaviors, but it feels slightly exploitative. I think that in 2020, we need to be more careful the way we portray characters. Also, we cannot always excuse authors’ poor decisions as a literary device.

 

In conclusion, the story is enjoyable. The development of the characters was interesting, especially once we learned who the true villain is. The villain’s decisions and manipulative tendencies were interesting, but also slightly disappointing. I think I would have liked a little more meat on the bones of this plot.

 

Thank you to Harper Books for sending along a finished copy for me to review. Thank you again for the opportunity.

"A Good Marriage"

“A Good Marriage”

Written by Kimberly McCreight

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia 

“A Good Marriage” is the first book written by Kimberly McCreight that I have read, but it will be the first of many. McCreight’s piercingly clever writing style allowed her to creative a precise and intelligent novel. For some time, I have loved books within the psychological thriller genre, so I was delighted to pick this up, learning of this new author. Her stylish yet realistic prose and dialogue acted as sharp tools to help perfect this masterpiece.

 

The plot centers around a woman named Lizzie, who decides to be the lawyer of her old friend, Zach, who has been accused of killing his wife, Amanda. “Don’t they always blame the husband?” Lizzie, Zach, and Amanda’s flashbacks complete a narrative unparalleled to other authors within this genre. I found myself absolutely glued to the book, which truly has not happened with many thrillers. We also begin to wonder why Lizzie’s alcoholic and strange husband Sam has been behaving so bizarrely.

 

As I continued to read, I enjoyed the red herrings, the constant switch of suspicion, and the doubt we readers cast over every character. Reminiscent of “Sharp Objects”, it became entertaining to eliminate each character after their innocence was proven. Long have I been a fan of mysteries and thrillers. Unfortunately, I have never liked the type of mystery that provides no hints to the true villain. I find it incredibly unsatisfactory to have the true murderer revealed, but only because other characters figured out the information by talking to other people. Lizzie’s solving the murder was a disappointing deus ex machina. The true murderer’s motive and choices fell flat, because only the writer anticipated it.

 

To conclude, I did really enjoy the story, until the ending was revealed. I enjoyed the twists and turns, but I could not help myself feeling disenchanted by the true villain. The motive was not strong enough to be acceptable. On the bright side, I absolutely loved the author’s writing, in its style, dialogue, plot creation, and characters. I highly recommend this story, because the reveal did not ruin the story for me. I will be racing to read McCreight’s next novel and previous ones soon.

 

I rated this book at four out of five stars.

 

Thank you to Harper Books for sending along a finished copy for me to review. Thank you again for the opportunity.

"You Are Not Alone"

 

“You Are Not Alone”

Written by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

“You Are Not Alone” is the third book that the bestselling authors Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks have created in collaboration. Their other collaborative works are “The Wife Between Us” and “An Anonymous Girl”, two psychological thrillers that I loved. Although I was slightly disappointed with “An Anonymous Girl”, I was absolutely delighted to hear of this newest work.

 

“You Are Not Alone” follows our main character, Shay, who has befriended a group of mysterious women after feeling anxious and scared resulting from her witnessing a suicide. The secretive group is spearheaded by Cassandra and Jane, two enigmatic sisters. Cassandra and Jane, along with the others from the group, believe that Shay is more involved in the life of the dead woman, Amanda, more than Shay lets on. The other women in the group assist the sisters in digging up details, spying on, and manipulating Shay. In the great way of Alfred Hitchcock, divulging too much detail about this thriller would be a cause of ruin.

 

In the true fashion of these stellar writers, the story feels incredibly developed, with every sentence, character, and scene created with incisive flair. Every moment evokes an emotion: fear, anxiety, worry, love, warmth, kindness, and anger. The complete story that the writers have written is penetrating and fascinating, almost magnetic. In only part one, the book has already been set up in an incredible way, in a cinematic matter. Part two twists every moment from one on its head and changes the course in a brilliant fashion. The motives of each character become sharper and even further scintillating than before. I found that the last final twists in the climax just blew my mind in a wonderful way.

 

In conclusion, this is a new favorite thriller of mine. I am absolutely astounded at how brilliant this is, created with such intriguing nuance. Hendricks and Pekkanen pull you into a gravitational pull and refuse to let go. Absolutely brilliant. I highly recommend it to any psychological thriller, no matter your preferences. Read it; it’ll win you over, and you’ll never forget it.

 

I rate this novel at five of out five stars.

 

I thank St. Martin’s Press for an advance proof. Thank you for the opportunity.

"The Safe Place"

“The Safe Place”

Written by Anna Downes

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia of Bookworm Banter

For its emergence as Anna Downes’s first novel, “The Safe Place” succeeds as one of the best thrillers I have read this year so far. Mind you, I’ve been quite busy, as most of us have been. However, I do feel that this novel will cement into most readers’ minds. Feeling similar to a V.C. Andrews novel meets “The Girl Before” and “Parasite”, the thrills in “The Safe Place” also strike me as nuanced. Downes creates realistic characters, dialogue, and plot devices and unfolds them in extremely natural ways, creating an entertaining yet clever and calculated guilty pleasure.

The novel follows the perspective of two of its main characters: Emily, a poor actress, and Scott, a businessman who hires Emily to be his at-home personal assistant. Emily is desperate to make ends meet, but she is also lazy. Scott hires her, but the third person narration allows us to think that he has dark intentions for her. Emily is whisked off to his fancy French home, where she meets Nina, his gorgeous yet strange wife, and his sick, possibly disabled daughter, Aurelia. Emily soon realizes that she naively assumed a dangerous position as she starts to unveil secrets about the bizarre Denny family.

Although I think some plot elements could have been written more completely, “The Safe Place” provided interesting plot devices, including many that are not usually incorporated into books of this genre. I believed that knowing from the beginning that there are dark secrets allowed for the suspense to build even more, even though I usually do not enjoy plots that take this approach. The story plays out in a satisfying way, with a few different twists and turns, making this feel similar to a few famous true crime family headlines, in a way that does not feel exploitative. The final climax and conclusion of the story were executed in a flawless way, leaving no questions or open-endings, which I felt to be effective.

The only issue I have with this story is that the plot felt a bit rushed with its pacing. We are introduced to the house in the introduction, then are tossed back before Emily met Scott properly. Then, we continue the story, with details revealed through a third perspective, of Nina’s. The actual thrills and mystery could have been told in a much slower and suspenseful way. I felt that the small number of red herrings and suspicious actions from the main characters led to a little absence felt. I usually like a few more strange moments and eerie scenes.

I highly recommend this novel. I think it also reminded me of a few other enjoyable thrillers, including “The Girl in the Rearview Mirror”, “Angel of Mine”, and “Mind of Winter”. I would love to see this adapted into a film or mini-series. I will be seeking out Anna Downes’s work in the future, because I believe her writing skill to be fantastic. Again, I loved the nuances that she brought to this genre.

I rate this novel at four of out five stars.

I thank Minotaur Books at St. Martin’s Press for an advance proof. Thank you for the opportunity.

"Love, Unscripted"

“Love, Unscripted”

Written by Owen Nicholls

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia of Bookworm Banter 

“Love, Unscripted” is a romantic comedy in which Nick, a person obsessed with film and pop culture, experiences an extremely difficult break-up. Nick fell in love with our second main character, Ellie, at the beginning of the Barack Obama presidency campaign in 2008. The story splits when Ellie breaks up with Nick. We have a small third person narrator that explains some details about the two, similar to the narration in “500 Days of Summer”. The other two perspectives are told by Nick: one in real time and one in a fictional film world in which Ellie and Nick are still happily together. All too soon, Nick grows and realizes that in neither world would he be truly happy without Ellie, so he makes conscious efforts to win her back.

The story is told in a typical Nora Ephron-type romance novel, which is a quite enjoyable format. The characters have faults, flaws, make quite a few modern jokes, and spend time with their families. We find out early on that Ellie experienced a tragic death involving a family member when she was very young, so Nick’s reaction to this news was a great response, and it showed a positive element to his character.

As far as the characters, unfortunately, Nick is insufferable for nearly every chapter. We understand his plight, but he comes off in a bit of an obnoxious way. “Why doesn’t she want me? We were so great. I’m so great”. He just cannot possibly fathom why they do not work as a couple, when nearly every example of love he knows from films is doomed. He does not take time to look retrospectively at his relationship, only to look forward and try to fix what he doesn’t think is broken. Ellie is only told in a third person, which I felt was a choice that could have been different. I like Ellie. She’s smart and she’s funny, but her character is heavily limited by what Nick thinks of her, like “500 Days of Summer”. We do not know how to understand her or truly like her, because everything is told secondhand to us. She’s idolized, which allows for no room to criticize her. I feel this happens all too often in romances told through the man’s perspective, so I felt disappointed by this portrayal of Nick.

Additionally, a very difficult glaring element of this novel was the pop culture references and film references. I understand that this story is about two characters with a strong love for film and television, but my God, the threshold for “too much” was stomped over numerous times. We received about 7 references to “It’s a Wonderful Life”, one of my favorite films of all time. If I’d like to hear about it that often in one piece of work, I’d rather just watch the film. Nearly every page has at least one to two references. This overabundance of nods to films and actors felt far too difficult to overcome. It absolutely impacted my liking for this book and ruined it a bit. It seemed that it made the characters quirkier but to the point of causing annoyance, not nuance.

To continue, the plot was not as well-executed as I would have liked. I felt that it took far too many chapters to kick off. Most of the novel is told in memories and flashbacks. There are many chapters that do not provide any interesting plot elements or details about the characters and feel more like filler than interesting content. The real and the imaginary perspectives are told one after the other, which can blur the lines and cause confusion. Also, I am highly confused as to why the Obama campaign is used to mark time, since neither character cares much for politics. The only time we see the characters interacting with anything Obama-related is the two parties to announce his winning term. I felt that it detracted from the story just slightly, disconnecting us. I felt if the story just used November 2008 and time-marked it without including the campaign, it would have made just the same amount of sense.

Lastly, although this was not a favorite book of mine, I did enjoy most of the elements. I wish however that Nick was a little more interesting and that Ellie was more than two dimensional in character. I do recommend this novel, because although Nick was not a favorite, there are interesting enough moments, side characters, and a few great chapters. I find this novel similar to: David Nicholls’s work, “The Two Lives of Lydia Bird”, “Maybe in Another Life”, and many other slightly fantastical romantic comedies from which the novel seems to draw inspiration.

I rate this novel at three out of five stars.

I thank Ballantine Books at Penguin Random House for an advance uncorrected proof. I also received a corrected proof, which I plan to compare for any small changes. Thank you for the opportunity.