"Looker"

"Looker"
Written by Laura Sims
Review Written by Diana Iozzia



"Looker" is a highly enjoyable, unsettling psychological thriller compacted into only 180 pages. We are introduced to our unreliable narrator, who has become utterly obsessed with her neighbor, 'the actress'. We see an incredibly fast plot, with disturbing and uncomfortable scenes as interest turns into pure obsession.

This book would be enjoyable for people who enjoy unreliable narrators. For example, Ruth Ware's books, Paula Hawkins's books, Gillian Flynn's books, and the recent hit, "You" by Caroline Kepnes.

Half the book is just in our narrator's mind as well, which leaves us wondering what actually was real, and what our narrator imagined, fueled by insanity. We do not often read psychological thrillers, in the case that the character completely spirals down mentally and physically, so this is a rare treat. I highly recommend this fun and impulsive read. I did not want to stop reading until I reached the fever pitch.

Personally, the only thing I disliked about this book was the pacing. Because it was so compact, I still had a thousand questions, but I guess the point is to leave the reader wanting more? I most certainly do.

I received this advanced reader's copy for reviewing purposes. Thank you to Scribner and Simon and Schuster.

"No Exit"

“No Exit”

Written by Taylor Adams

Review written by Diana Iozzia

“No Exit” was a surprising thriller for me. I have not read a thriller in a while in which I felt my heart pounding and my eyes wanting to shut to hide from the horror. Let’s begin.

Darby Thorne is a young woman driving home to see her mother who is very ill in the hospital. A major, dangerous snowstorm forces her to pull over, into a quiet rest stop, in which four other people are holed up: Susie, Ed, Lars, and Ashley. She feels apprehensive to all the people in the rest stop, but she tries to ignore her niggling suspicion. Outside in the parking lot, she notices that one of the trucks has a little girl kidnapped in the back. Darby kicks into super hero, action speed and decides she will fight to save this little girl, Jay.

Once Darby discovers who the kidnappers are out of those in the rest stop, she begins to fight for her life and Jay’s. In many fantastic and cinematic action sequences, we see Darby protect herself and the others, while kicking some butt. She’s tough physically, but she is also very clever. Now, she is a new role model for young adult women. Be like Darby.

I have to say, there are some gruesome, grotesque parts. Although this is an action-packed thriller, do not be surprised by the horrific parts. This book reminded me a bit of Stephen King’s writing style, the loud and vivid and gross imagery. Do we need to know what everyone’s breath smelled like? No. Do we find out? Yes. I read this all in one night. It was pretty dang good. I could imagine this as a fun suspense film, certainly helped by the great dialogue and vivid descriptions. I have to say, I would have hoped for more of a psychological thriller type mystery, but this action payoff was a breath of fresh air.

We are absolutely rooting for Darby and Jay at all costs. I have to say, I’d love to see more of Miss Darby Thorne. Cool gal.

I received this book as a complimentary advanced review copy for honest reviewing purposes. Thank you to William Morrow and Harper Collins.

"Necessary People"

“Necessary People”

Written by Anna Pitoniak

Review written by Diana Iozzia

Ambition is a powerful thing. So powerful that it can become consuming, but it also can manifest in ways that we do not typically expect. This psychological thriller is first and foremost about ambition and jealousy, but not in the way that we usually find in this genre. This book is eviscerating; it consumes everything you could possibly imagine and the fire just keeps spreading.

We meet Violet, our ruthless protagonist and antagonist. She is tired of being eclipsed by her beautiful, outrageous, exciting best friend, Stella. Violet is becoming successful in her position at a popular newsroom. We see almost a relationship similar to Nick Caraway and Jay Gatsby: that loving admiration hiding a secret jealousy and judgment. We see cracks form early on, especially through memories and secrets that the characters taunt each other with. Violet is extremely likeable. We feel for her. We encourage her as she continues to stand up for herself. She receives better promotions, makes more money, builds new and healthy relationships, while Stella has remained the same immature woman she always was. Stella holds money and power over Violet’s head. Dangling like a mobile. We hate her for Violet, as if we want to protect Violet from Stella’s malevolent friendship.

The story builds as each character fights to be more successful. We reach an absolute fever pitch when one of them makes a decision they can finally not take back. How we see our characters continue afterwards changes how we think of ourselves, in fact. We excuse a heinous crime, because we would do the same. We are manipulated in this story, to excuse something so horrible. We do not feel guilt, as the character feels happier after. We do not want a consequence; we want the character to be free. This was a twist that floored me, halfway through.

My favorite part of this thriller was the characters. We enjoy the side characters. They’re fun. We support them. We hate them. We wish they were out of the picture. But we also are sympathetic in the worst ways. Have you ever read a book where you should not want someone to win? That we like them so much we excuse their horrific acts? We understand them, because we have thought the same way.

I really cannot reveal anymore information. This is a thriller unlike anything I have read in a very long time. We not only have a character study, but we have ambition at its peak, in the high-speed, cutthroat setting of a newsroom. This book is so much more than I expected. I will be waiting with bells until Anna Pitoniak writes her next book. I cannot praise this book anymore than I already have.

I received a complimentary reader’s edition for reviewing purposes.

"In Paris With You"

“In Paris With You”

Written by Clémentine Beauvais

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

“I hear two tambourines pounding faster, shaking and vibrating inside their chests”.

“In Paris With You” is a modern romance told in a poetic, airy style. We are treated to a funny, charming, mysterious, sad, and bittersweet story. This romance is reminiscent of many other more realistic romances that I have enjoyed, like “Once”, “The Last Five Years”, “Where She Went”, “The Light We Lost”, and “Bridges of Madison County”. I have always held a candle for romances in which characters find each other after some time has passed. The “one that got away” theme is prevalent through many of the love stories I have enjoyed. I am also a fan of limited time romances. The chance encounter in which characters only have so little time to reconnect and fall back in love again. For example, in “Where She Went” by Gayle Forman was special for me, because we meet the characters and see their love lost, over the span of twenty-four hours.

When we meet our characters in Clémentine Beauvais’s love story, we are introduced to them by an omniscient first-person narrative. Now, this narrative was an interesting experience for me. It felt a bit strange, in the sense where I felt that we should have eventually found out who this narrator was. Is it Paris personified? Is it just for stylistic purposes? The unseen narrator reminds me of the narration from “Matilda”, by Danny DeVito. Half of the book I read in Danny DeVito’s voice.

Now, there were parts of this book I absolutely fell for. Then, there were parts that were so uncomfortable and disagreeable that I just could not let go of. I absolutely love our character, Tatiana. She is beautiful, kind, interesting, and all around a lovely character. I was interested in her art thesis and fell in love with the artist she is writing her thesis about. She is passionate, but she is ambitious about her career. She does not seem to want this reconnection and romance again. She was only fourteen when she had developed her crush on him. They only crushed on each other as young teens; this was not a crazy, beautiful, epic love story that went wrong. Eugene had kissed her sister at a party and then like teenagers, it ruined everything. As adults, surely you would not think passion and love and epic romance would surface out of the dregs of their young teenager years.

Eugene is another story. At first, I like him, because he’s honest and sad and a bit mixed up currently. But then we constantly experience his lust and craving for Tatiana’s body and her attention. He is so much more interested in her again, and she is just more focused on her career. So much of his side of the story is just lamenting that she could be sleeping with her professor and that she focuses too much on things that are not him. I was so disappointed in his character. I can understand that his feelings may remerge for her, but it is so quick and sweeping and at times, unsettling.

I did love the narrative style, even if the narrator was a bit hokey at times with parentheses, asides, and jokes about the characters. I would not have minded if the narrator did not exist. However, I absolutely love the lyrical prose. There are so many gorgeous lines that sound that they belong in soft ballads.

Personally, I love how this story ended. The ambiguous “perhaps, someday” ending absolutely felt right for this story, although it was bittersweet. This is the type of story that I will look back on and read again, wondering how these characters would eventually live their lives.