Pleasant Nights

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

This book was really preposterous, which was really disappointing. Georgia is blamed for her sister’s murder, and her recently-discovered separated at birth twin comes to her rescue. Georgia is in the locked ward of a psychiatric hospital, and her twin, Mandy, has to figure out what really happened since Georgia says she didn’t commit the murder.

I never believed Mandy was willing to help, given that Georgia makes it clear the situation is dangerous. Twin or not, why would anyone risk their lives for a stranger? And what if Georgia really is the murderer? Mandy has complete faith that what Georgia tells her is true. I sped through this book, mostly because I just wanted it to be over.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

This true-crime book was unlike any I’d read before. The murderer wasn’t wrongfully convicted. There wasn’t much of a police investigation because the sheer volume of evidence left at the crime scene led right to the killers. However, Paula Cooper, the fifteen-year-old girl who was sentenced to death for the crime, was forgiven by a family member of the victim.

Paula was just a child when she was found guilty, and being sentenced to death was shocking. The victim’s grandson, Bill, takes it upon himself to get Paula’s sentence commuted to life in prison or even less. Because of her age, he has completely forgiven her and has begun writing her. They exchanged hundreds of letters over the years. Bill also works to help others on death row.

This book was well-researched and beautifully told, telling Paula’s story while honoring Bill and his grandmother. I learned to much and really enjoyed this one.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I own a couple of Brom’s books, but I’ve never actually read one. I had no idea what type of writing to expect other than horror. But this book was excellent. For a man, Brom captured feminine rage well.

Set in 1666, Abitha’s husband loves her, but when he dies, she’s left to be overseen by his hateful brother. Slewfoot, the forest demon, comes to her aid if she promises to be loyal to him. He has forgotten who he is and swears he isn’t the devil, but who really knows?

Their pairing causes havoc for the town, but Abitha has always been looked down upon by the townsfolk for being a strong woman. At one point, she fully unleashes herself, and the result is glorious. This book was really great, and I definitely plan to read more of his books.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

BA Paris has been on my radar for a while, but this is the first of hers I’ve read. I thought this book was really great and look forward to reading more of hers. She pulls off the present/past timeline shift between chapters, which is tough to do.

Amelie is 19 and struggling. She’s desperate to go to college, so when her wealthy boss offers to marry her, divorce her within a month, and pay her $100,ooo she takes him up on it. How bad can it be to be married to him for a month? I’ll give you one guess.

Amelie is then kidnapped with no idea why or by whom. As the reader learns more about her past in the flashback chapters, we learn of the messes her husband has made. Amelie was a great character. Even though she is young, she was strong and fought for everything. She also had a good moral compass. Highly enjoyed this one.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Lemon’s family is keeping a huge secret. “Old Lucy,” the monster of their lake, isn’t real. The sightings are simply one of them in a latex suit swimming around the lake. But the town depends on the money the tourists spend to come and try to see Lucy. But when a real monster begins attacking people, it’s up to Lemon and her friends to uncover the truth.

I love a good cryptid story, as long as the cryptid doesn’t turn out to be just a big alligator or some nonsense. And I LOVED the big reveal of what the monster actually was. The payoff was totally worth it. Lemon is a delightful character, and her best buddies are a great source of support. There was a bit too much “young adult” ” Does he like me or does he LIKE ME?” about it, but I really enjoyed this book. Absolutely worth reading.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I really love middle-grade horror. These books are so charming and sweet, and they usually explore themes of acceptance and friendship. This was definitely right up my alley. And I did like it, but the good stuff didn’t really come until halfway through the book.

Will’s mom is the executive director of a giant cemetery. He keeps this underwraps because the other 7th graders will make fun of him. But when his school takes a field trip to the cemetery, his cover is blown. He ends up making friends with a couple of other kids, but when the school bully pressures him into letting him in after hours, Will is left to pick up the pieces.

It seems like the bully disturbed something he shouldn’t have and unleashed a ghost. Will and his new friends have to solve the mystery and help the ghost rest. This book was a lot of fun, and I definitely recommend it to any spooky middle school kid.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Queen Rachel Harrison has never let me down! I’ve loved every one of her books and only have The Return left to read. See other reviews here: Play Nice, So Thirsty, Black Sheep, and Cackle. She’s just such an outstanding writer and every one of her books features a badass female character.

Rory returns to her hometown to be with her twin, Scarlett, because Scarlett is pregnant. However, upon her return, Rory is attacked and bitten by a werewolf. Rory is in disbelief at her attack, but all the signs point to her being a werewolf (it literally says this on the cover…no spoiler). As Rory navigates this new life, she’s also falling for her old friend, Ian. Scarlett has also been hiding some secrets of her own, but together the twins can confide in and support one another through tough times.

I loved this book. The body horror is pretty extreme, given the transformations, but it was so worth seeing what Rory goes through to understand how bad this is for her. The secret of who bit her is pretty fun, too. This book was just so much fun. Definitely recommend it.