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I love reading books as much as I love writing them. My passion for literature is so voracious that I try to read at least one book each week. So if you’re looking to catch my picks in the mystery, thriller, romance, and self-help genres (my favorite categories), I encourage you to follow me on Goodreads where I post my thoughts on every book I purchase as well as recommend my favorites to everyone in my circle.

Here are two of the reviews I posted this week. You can also find some of them on my Twitter feed if you’re not yet a Goodreads member.

Until next time, grab a night light and keep reading!

A Review of Janelle Brown’s Pretty Things

BEWARE. If you’re expecting this year’s Girl on a Train or Something in the Water, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, this book is excellent for what it is on its own merits, but it has been marketed incorrectly. I was given a copy by a friend who thought it was a heist thriller turned psychological suspense, which it is for the first 50 pages or so. But overall, this book blends the poetic language of literary fiction with the “finding yourself” conceit often found in women’s fiction. So trust the reviews that note this is a character study where two women attempt to course correct their lives under the deeply rooted (and highly convoluted) set of circumstances created by their intertwined family histories.

But even with that knowledge, the pacing felt too introspective for me. There were whole chapters with no dialogue where we’re told what happens rather than shown. Each woman explains her side of the story, so the insertion of multi-tiered flashbacks often stifle the narrative flow at points where the story should blast off. Plus, many of the plot points seem to hinge on a series of odd coincidences (e.g. someone talks about the combo to their family safe in the middle of a crowded coffee shop) and unlikelihoods (e.g. an old blackmail letter still hangs around 12 years later or the dairy of someone not known to have one is found). And yet, the point of view the writer gives our heroines is so visceral that in most instances the plot-based faux paus, exposition, and clunky clues pay off in the end.

Even still, it doesn’t add up to an ending that is as gasp worthy as the book expects. Instead, it simply feels as if the author is more concerned with giving us a shocking twist than creating a conclusion that feels authentic. Not to mention, the final chapters are the one place where it might have been interesting to hear how the characters felt about what was done, but we get nothing except a surprisingly tidy Hollywood ending.

Would I recommend the book? Absolutely! The writing is excellent, and the lesson learned is noteworthy: Take responsibility for your own actions. Don’t let other people define who you are or what you become. Or to steal a line from The Terminator, “We have no fate but what we make.” BUT even with a four-star review, my warning remains: Those looking for a thrilling read are better off picking up The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (see review below).

A Review of Simone St. James’s The Sundown Motel

Who says you can’t judge a book by its cover? In fact, the only reason I picked up The Sun Down Motel was because the front page art looked oddly similar to the movie poster for the brilliantly twisty Bad Times at the El Royale starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, and the phenomenal Cynthia Erivo. (That’s yet another story I picked up without prior knowledge, but I digress). Of course, the similarities between the movie poster and book cover were probably intentional on the part of the publisher as both works are thrillers, but I am relieved to report that like its cinematic cousin, The Sun Down Motel is a deliciously eerie haunt that I’d gladly revisit again and again.

Don’t get me wrong, The Sun Down Motel and Bad Times at the El Royale have no similarities except that they both center on some shady sh*t going down at dangerously dated hotels. I only brought up the film to say that if you liked one you might like the other. But to be clear, The Sun Down Motel is a paranormal thriller, which may be off-putting to some—I’ll admit if I’d known spooks and specters played a role, I may not have read the book. However, the ghostly elements are handled in a manner that feels real (i.e. played more for gravitas and historical significance than horror) and thus gives the novel’s otherwise straightforward plot some much needed heart.

The main tale centers on Carly, a young college co-ed who has recently lost her mother to cancer, so she goes on a quest to explore her family tree by digging into the disappearance of her mother’s sister. The trip down memory lane takes Carly to Fell, New York, where she inadvertently adopts the same life her aunt had back in 1982—the audience knows this tidbit because the book alternates chapters between Carly and her Aunt Vivian. Of course, multiple POV is a well-worn literary technique at this point, but I have to admit this is where the novel shows its brilliance since the author seamless intertwines the two women’s adventures so that we feel as if we’re reading about one person with extremely high stakes. There’s even a hidden women empowerment message embedded within, so if you don’t like ghosts or scary stories, this is still well worth the read. The novel strikes the perfect balance between mystery, mischief, and morality with a conclusion that’s surprisingly heartwarming considering the demands put on modern thrillers to have some gruesome twist ending.

Five stars. I recommend you grab your blanket and a cup of cocoa because this is the type of book enjoyed by firelight (or nightlight).