Tag: ya thriller

Book Review: Have You Seen This Girl – Nita Tyndall

Book Review: Have You Seen This Girl – Nita Tyndall

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release date: May 21, 2024
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 272
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Synopsis

Fans of Courtney Summers and Tess Sharpe will devour this standalone YA thriller following a nonbinary teen investigating a series of copycat murders targeting girls in their small town—murders based on their serial killer dad’s MO.

Another girl has gone missing in Cardinal Creek.

Sid knows their dad didn’t do it—this time. He’s currently serving a life sentence for the five girls he murdered ten years ago. Girls whose bodies he dumped into the lake. The same lake where June Hargrove was just found. And while Sid’s dad couldn’t have done it, suspicion is now directed at Sid. The only person who doesn’t suspect Sid is the new girl, Mavis—as long as Sid doesn’t let her find out about their past.

But Sid has another secret: They’re being haunted by the ghosts of the five girls their father killed. Except now there are six. And unlike the others, June isn’t content to just whisper in Sid’s ear. She wants them to find out who’s killing again, especially as another girl goes missing. If Sid wants any chance of solving the current disappearances, they’re going to have to face what their father did—or risk being haunted forever.

Review

Have You Seen This Girl is a really thought provoking YA mystery story that follows teenager Sid who spends their days alone because she is known throughout the town as the child of serial killer Dennis Crane. When girls start being murdered in exactly the same way ten years on, Sid must do everything they can to uncover who is behind it, before someone they love gets hurt.

This is quite a short book and I absolutely raced through it. It hooked me really early on with that fascinating premise and I really enjoyed the mystery of who was behind the murders. It kept me guessing right up until that very last reveal and the story came to a pretty satisfying conclusion. The story is complex and well written and while this is my first book from Nita Tyndall, it definitely won’t be my last.

While this is quite a fast paced story, it’s very much a character driven tale. Sid is going through so much in this story – they are dealing with being ostracized from the town and the friends she knew, they’re attempting to understand their own identity as well as trying to uncover the copycat killer. Sid also sees the ghosts of those who were murdered, something that added a slightly sinister, creepy atmosphere to the tale.

This is a really well executed YA mystery, one that I ended up reading in practically one sitting. If you’re looking for an engaging mystery that will keep you guessing to the end, this is one you don’t want to miss. If you’re a fan of YA murder mystery authors like Karen M. McManus and Courtney Summers, this one will be right up your street.

Book Review: The Last Girl – Goldy Moldavsky

Book Review: The Last Girl – Goldy Moldavsky

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release Date: April 15th 2021
Publisher: Electric Monkey Books
Pages: 430
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Synopsis

When it comes to horror movies, the rules are clear:
– Avoid abandoned buildings, warehouses, and cabins at all times.
– Stay together: don’t split up, not even just to “check something out.…
– If there’s a murderer on the loose, do NOT make out with anyone …

New girl Rachel Chavez turns to horror movies for comfort, preferring them to the bored rich kids of her fancy New York High School. But then Rachel is recruited by the Mary Shelley Club, a mysterious student club that sets up terrifying Fear Tests; elaborate pranks inspired by urban legends and horror movies.

But when a sinister masked figure appears, Rachel realises that her past has caught up with her. It’s time for the ultimate prank to play out…

Review

I’m a big horror movie fan so when I heard about The Last Girl I was immediately intrigued. The story follows Rachel, a young girl that attends a fancy school full of rich kids. Rachel finds comfort in the horror movies she loves, but when she stumbles across the Mary Shelley Club – a group of students who carry out clever pranks designed to make their classmates scream. But Rachel soon learns everyone in the group has secrets, including her.

This was such a fun read and is absolutely perfect for getting swept up in over the Summer. I loved the premise of this book, the idea of a group of horror movie fanatics getting together to design these spine-tingling fear tests. The tests were probably the bit of the story I enjoyed most, seeing the way the group pull of the pranks and get away with it. I really enjoyed the writing style in this and I found some of the scenes really quite scary. It’s a fast-paced read and one that will have you reading past bedtime.

The characters in this were really fascinating and I was so intrigued to find out who the masked figure was. Pretty much everyone in the group is not what they seem and there were a couple of twists that I guessed and a few I definitely did not. The Last Girl is an entertaining and creepy read and if you love books like One Of Us Is Lying or Harrow Lake this will definitely be your cup of tea. This is my first book from Goldy Moldavsky and I will definitely be picking up more from them in the future.

Blog Tour What Beauty There Is – Cory Anderson

Blog Tour What Beauty There Is – Cory Anderson

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 7 Comments


Release Date: 8th April 2021
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Pages: 368
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review

Synopsis

An exhilarating, emotionally powerful and superbly written thriller that’s Winter’s Bone meets The Road

Winter. The sky is dark. It is cold enough to crack bones.

Jack Morton has nothing left. Except his younger brother, Matty, who he’d do anything for. Even die for. Now with their mother gone, and their funds quickly dwindling, Jack needs to make a choice: lose his brother to foster care, or find the drug money that sent his father to prison. He chooses the money.

Ava Bardem lives in isolation, a life of silence. For seventeen years her father has controlled her fate. He has taught her to love no one. Trust no one. Now Victor Bardem is stalking the same money as Jack. When he picks up Jack’s trail, Ava must make her own wrenching choice: remain silent or help the brothers survive.

Choices. They come at a price.

Review

What Beauty There Is is a stunningly beautiful story that follows Jack Morton who will do anything to look after his brother Matty. With their mother gone and their father in Prison, Jack will do whatever he can to stop Matty being taken into foster care. Jack has only one choice: find the drug money that put his father in Jail. But Jack isn’t the only one looking for the money.

This book was completely not what I expected. Going in I thought this would be a quick mystery thriller but what I found was a really heart wrenching story of a boy fighting to protect his brother. It was an incredibly compelling story with really engaging prose. I raced through this story in a couple of hours because I was so completely wrapped up in the story of Jack and Ava.

Anderson has a lovely writing style that is really lovely and this multi-layered story is well crafted. Cory Anderson does a terrific job of creating a tense atmosphere as the story races to the end. It’s rare you find a book that breaks your heart and has you on the edge of your seat, but that’s definitely how I felt with What Beauty There Is.

The thing I liked most about this story was the fascinating characters. Jack is a really likeable protagonist and I was rooting for him so much. Ava was really interesting too and I loved seeing the characters get to know each other and grow. What Beauty There Is is a dark and enthralling read full of atmosphere and well crafted characters. I enjoyed this one a lot and this is definitely a book you will not want to miss out on.

Blog Tour: The Island – C. L. Taylor

Blog Tour: The Island – C. L. Taylor

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 2 Comments


Release Date: January 21st 2021
Publisher: HQ Stories
Pages: 384
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher sent me an E-ARC to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Synopsis

Lost meets The Hunger Games in the thrilling new young adult novel from C.L. Taylor, the Sunday Times and million-copy bestselling author.

Welcome to The Island.
Where your worst fears are about to come true…

It was supposed to be the perfect holiday: a week-long trip for six teenage friends on a remote tropical island.

But when their guide dies of a stroke leaving them stranded, the trip of a lifetime quickly turns into a nightmare.

Because someone on the island knows each of the group’s worst fears. And one by one, they’re coming true.

Seven days in paradise. A deadly secret.

Who will make it off the island alive?

Review

The all new addictive YA thriller from C. L. Taylor, the story follows six families who holiday together every year. This time they’re in Thailand and the six teenagers are taking part in a week long survival trip on a remote island. When their guide dies suddenly the teenagers are stranded and the trip quickly takes a dark turn. As the group attempt to survive they quickly learn someone on the island knows their worst fears – but who is making them come true?

This was such a fast paced read and I raced through it in just over a day. I always love C. L. Taylor’s books and this one is no exception. Full of twists and turns, I didn’t guess the ending until it was revealed. Taylor has such a great writing style that it’s really easy to get absorbed in the story. I really adored the premise of this one – the idea of a once in a life time trip gone horribly wrong and the sinister notion of whether they are in fact the only people on the island.

The characters were well developed and I liked some of them and hated others. They made for a fascinating group and it was really interesting seeing the dynamics change as they fought to survive and grew suspicious of each other. Like the other C. L. Taylor books I’ve read there’s a tense, unsettling atmosphere that continues to climb right to the very last page.

If you’re a fan of C. L. Taylor or you love compelling YA thrillers, this is absolutely a must read. This is my fifth read by this author and I cannot wait to see what she does next.