Review: Perfect Stranger by Jake Cross

Perfect Stranger by Jake Cross really started out good. I was hooked. But, around the middle it really started to drag. In all fairness, it may have been entirely my fault. When I am working through a book and find that I have short car trips or 15 minute windows here and there to read, I find myself wanting to cut to the chase.

I gave Perfect Stranger 3 stars. The ending got really dark for me and I felt that the middle of the book was full of new characters, new crimes, and I really had a hard time putting all of the pieces together. At the end, the way the story played out, I could not justify and believe all of the coincidences and parallels. I also couldn't decide if the main character was a good guy or a bad guy.

There's a video that is viewed repeatedly in the book, and it's described many times. There were many times that I felt the story was dragging. I felt like I was introduced to many characters that kept showing back up in the book but they weren't significant. It was hard for me to discern that from the amount of time and emphasis placed on describing them. Additionally, there were so many jurisdictions, police officers, and geographies that I really couldn't recall which thing occurred where.

I was disappointed in this one, overall.  Have any of you read this one, yet? What did you think? Am I crazy? What am I missing here?

I'm thankful to @Netgalley and @Bookouture for the chance to get my hands on it for an honest review before the rest of the world.


#netgalley #bookouture #perfectstranger #bibliophile #bookreviews #readgoodbooks #readmore #loveabook #oakcitybooks @oakcitybooks #finishedreading #thriller

Review: Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

I'm sure that you're wondering how in the world everything I've read lately is worthy of 5 stars. All I can tell you is that, YES, they've all been THAT good. That being said, I've met some phenomenal characters over the last few months. I have been giving books star ratings longer than I have been writing reviews here or on my instagram page. Goodreads is a great resource for keeping track of books and this is my second year using it. I especially like the way you can see your, "year in review." All I can say is that I hope the great books keep finding their way to me :)

Thrillers and mysteries are my jam. So, it's been quite a while since I've read anything else. I do have a few other genres that a few publishers have sent over via NetGalley that I am interested in reading. Many of them have peaked my interest due to recommendations and reviews by many of you, my favorite instagram bookreview friends. I think we are a special kind of species.

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson was a suspenseful book. It was very different than anything I've read in a while. I quickly found myself pulling for the teenagers at the beginning of the book. The overweight, teenage girl from a lot of money never felt good enough. The dirt poor, teenage boy with the brains with a guitar. Of course, they had a friendship that didn't need defining. Tragedy changes the course of both of their futures at the very start of the book. Secrets they paid their individual prices for as teenagers come back to haunt them years later as adults.

Amy has learned over the years that scuba diving is the only thing that allows her to release the feelings and secrets that haunt her. When she meets someone who says they have information the police may want, you can almost hear a clock ticking in the background. Amy stands to lose everything she has worked so hard and pushed so hard to feel deserving of in this cat and mouse chase.

5 STARS for this one. Joshilyn Jackson is a mastermind, clever, and fast-paced with lots of turns and unexpected details. She didn't forget anything with this one. I made my husband drive everywhere this weekend so that even while we were running errands, I didn't have to miss a beat. I finished this book in 2 days. I hated putting it down last night after reading into the wee hours of the morning but my eyelids couldn't keep up with the pace, and I wanted to treasure the details and not miss a thing.

As always, thank you to @netgalley for an amazing platform where all of my favorite publishers come together and give me the opportunity to do what I love best. And, thank you to @harpercollinsus for sending me this amazing summer read to review. We wouldn't have anything to discuss if it wasn't for @Joshilyn_Jackson and her dedication to building some amazing characters that I felt connected to from the very beginning.  #neverhaveiever #joshilynjackson #summerreads #booked #bibliophile #bookreview #5stars #thriller #bookworm #netgalley #harpercollins #readmorebooks

Review: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Friends. I've been waiting for this one to come out. Ruth Ware made a total fangirl out of me from the first 15 pages of The Woman in Cabin 10. From then on, I've purchased each book of hers on release day. Let me just tell you. The Turn of the Key gets 5 stars from me. And, it's really like a 5.5 out of 5.

The reason this book is so good is because you feel like you're in the main character's shoes. Rowan (no spoilers here, okay?) truly bonds with the little girls she is a Nanny for. She has no choice but to bond with the littles and make the best of it all when she's left the day after arriving to this big, locked up, secure, "smart," mansion out in the sticks.

Ruth tells the story using one long letter from jail and a few follow-up letters at the end of the book. You'll forget it's a letter. And, you'll find yourself immersed with Rowan in the dark, drafty hallway when the lights all go out. You'll find yourself wincing as you read about the technology that is not so, "smart," after all. You'll hold your breath as the key turns.

It felt a little bit like a game of Clue was unfolding as I met new characters. I was suspicious of them all, like a true fan of thrillers. But, then there are the girls. They will melt your heart. You'll feel for them. You'll want to look out for them the way she does.

Then, the twist. I mean, I knew it was coming. But, I didn't expect the one that came. And then, like a grand finale, one after another the fireworks started.

I finished this book in my car because I had to step away from it with 10 pages left. I sat in silence for a good 5 minutes when I swiped the last page.

Some books stay with you. This one will.

Thank you to @Netgalley @ruthwarewriter @gallerybooks @pocket_books for this advanced copy. I've never been so excited to tell others about a book they couldn't read yet. I'll have to wait until after release day,  8/6/19 to discuss it with all of my friends. Friends, do yourself a favor and order this one now.  It isn't like other things you've read.

#bookreviews #theturnofthekey #ruthware #thriller #readgoodbooks #ilovepageturners #weekendisbooked #5stars #netgalley #gallerybooks #pocketbooks #sendmeallthebooks #lovetoread #bibliophile #bookworm #readnext #justfinished

Review: Beneath The Attic by VC Andrews

I read my first VC Andrews book when I was a teenager. I'd guess I was 16 and I clearly remember it was Flowers in the Attic. Perhaps my love of reading started with VC Andrews. She has a way of roping you in, telling you secrets, and somehow you become so entangled with the characters, you lose all judgement for the decisions they make. Flowers in the Attic is the only book I remember vividly reading from VC Andrews. I am sure I read others, after Flowers in the Attic was so difficult to put down. But, as the years passed and I grew more and more busy with things other than reading, I haven't picked up one of her books since then.

When I saw Beneath the Attic by VC Andrews posted on @netgalley s website, I couldn't believe it. What did this book have to do with the characters from Flowers in the Attic? Was VC Andrews still alive? Had I missed other books she had written in the last few years? Would I even still be interested in her type of writing?

Well, I ravenously finished this book in 2 days. I think that speaks for itself. The book quickly transported me back to imagery akin to the Gatsby days with grandiose staircases and shiny chandeliers. Wealth, prestige, secrets, and desire are all woven into the story with artistry.

In all honesty, the book was predictable for the most part. Until the end. No spoilers here, but as the reader, you will be left hanging. And, you will be so caught up in the oddities and peculiarities of wealth that you won't be concerned that you think you know what is going to happen.

I give this book 5 stars. You don't have to be a fan of VC Andrews to be a fan of this book. Additionally, the book is crafted in such a way that you don't need to know anything about the other books that VC Andrews has written. This is a fantastic summer read. A great distraction and easy to fly through.

A huge thank you to @gallerybooks @netgalley @pocket_books for allowing me to review this amazing book that was ghostwritten by @neidermanandrew . The expected release date will be 8/27/2019.

#netgalley #gallerybooks #pocket_books #andrewneiderman #yournextread #summerreading #suspense #nerdlife #mustlovebooks #readmorebooks #oakcitybooks @oakcitybooks

Review: The Silent Ones by KL Slater

"The girls backed out of the room and had just stepped into the kitchen when they heard it...a scuffling sound, like the movement of feet."

I just finished The Silent Ones by KL Slater. It's described as "a gripping psychological thriller," and I would say, I 100% agree. Two little girls are seen leaving the scene of a crime, covered in blood and are pegged for the murder of an elderly woman and family friend in their village. When they're arrested, as the title alludes, they are speechless. Wound in knots, they appear to have made a pact with each other not to say a word. The pages that follow took me down a curvy road of questions, darkness, family secrets, and one twist after another. There are definitely a few psychos and creeps as characters! I don't know how KL Slater did it, pulling it all together so nicely at the end. But, wow, wow, wow, you need to add this one to the top of your priority read list. The characters you want so badly to trust will leave your head spinning. 5 Stars!!

A huge thanks to @KLSlaterauthor @bookouture and @netgalley for the opportunity to get a tight grip on this page-turner for a few days.

Review: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Well, after 3 recommendations from friends in 3 different circles of mine over the last month, I decided to crack this one open. A "book like this," is atypical for me. I'm not a big fan of dystopian books. And, part of that is probably self-preservation. I feel that reading is my one true escape, drowning out the noise, chaos, and connection to this overwhelming world. Many days, I find I have more questions about what is going on with humanity. And, I'm often left with no answers :) Reading helps me not worry about it. It allows me to think all it will all be okay. And, each ended book is a small victory, a journey neatly tied with twine. 


But this one. This book sucked me right in. I'm telling you, I honestly think that 15 years ago, it wouldn't have been as great a read. But, because (unfortunately) of the way things have been going lately, it's incredibly easy and likewise frightening that this book could be a lot closer to really happening than it was when written so long ago.


Each time I stopped to put this one down, I found that I was able to talk to others about it. And, that's another reason that I probably loved it so much. This book begs to be a topic of discussion. And, can we just agree that anyone who dreamt up this book more than 30 years ago and it just happens to be this relevant is either a psychic or a visionary unlike any I've ever heard of. 

It took me awhile to get the Marthas straight and understand the hierarchy of the society. And, it really impressed me the way that Atwood wove religion and faith into the writing in a way that you could dissect in a book club for weeks on end. Fascinating!


If you have read this book before, I wonder if you read the foreward that was added by the author in 2017. If not, you really should see if you can borrow it from a friend or view it online. 

Cheers to book recommendations, borrowed books, friends that know my heart, and dystopia.

Also, Margaret Atwood has written a SECOND book to follow this one. It's going to be called The Testaments and according to Amazon, it's going to be someone besides June as the narrator. It comes out in September and will be one of the books I'll review and post here. 

Review: The Ash Family by Molly Dektar

I gobbled this book up in about 2 days. The Ash Family showed up in my instagram account one day as a must-read by one of the accounts that I follow. After reading the intro, seeing a few references to NC and ASHeville, and hearing that the main character decides to leave mainstream life and join a "family," on a farm, I was all in.

It didn't take me long to fall in love with the descriptive words that Molly strings together. I could practically hear the crickets and goats while I was growing closer to Berie. I found myself underlining many passages, sentences, and words that created images for me that I thought I'd like to revisit someday. Maybe I'm the only one that has thought about what it would be like to live away from the rest of the world with my family, self-sustained and shut-off from the shackles of day to day life. Berie doesn't have it easy on the farm with her new family, and she quickly learns that she's faced with choices that have an impact on many of the things she has left behind. 

Being a NC native, I loved her references to Asheville, Duke Gardens, and the mountains. I think there's a lot more to this book than meets the eye and there's a lot of symbolism and truth that could easily be overlooked.

When I turned to the last page in this book, I was pretty sad to think that it was over. I felt I knew and had grown to relate and love Berie and didn't want the story to be over. This is Molly Dektar's first book. I selfishly hope she's in her cutesy Brooklyn apartment writing more books. And, when she does, I'll be one of the first to line up for them.

5 Stars. 

Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

I can't put this book down. I picked it up at the GW last week, with the intention of selling it to the used bookstore for more fiction. But, it has showed up so many times on my IG feed as a must-read that, I decided to give it a go. Y'all. Gripping. Full of despair with eqaul-parts hope. 

It's based on a true story. I'm smackdab in the middle and already give it 5 stars because I have this hope that these 2 are going to be okay in this war and devastation. But, we know how the story ends, don't we?  

The writing is superb. Detailed. You're going to be pulling for these characters from the very beginning. Then you're going to try to wrap your head around how this really happened. 

Disclaimer: Adding older posts from my insta while I'm finishing my current read. Stay tuned for that :)

Review: The Woman In Our House by Andrew Hart

I finished The Woman In Our House last week. It was another Kindle Unlimited find. I finally broke down and upgraded my 2012 Kindle Paperwhite for the new one. It's waterproof and holding to its hype this week while I'm on a staycation. 

The Woman in the House was a good one. I gave it 5 stars because it had a few really good and unexpected twists. The main character is a girl who stole her friend's identity when she found out she was heading out of the country for 2 years. Then, she used the fake ID become a NANNY for a couple in Charlotte with 2 young girls!!!! As the reader, you are taken down this path, questioning her motives and mental stability. You will worry constantly about those 2 little girls. In the big twist, you will see why she was acting so questionable, and it isn't anything you could dream up.

 I loved that it was based in Charlotte and felt like this one would be an awesome movie because it was so well- written. And, because I wasn't sure I would be casting Reese Witherspoon as the lead lady or as the questionable Nanny.   #5stars #thewomaninourhouse#loveagoodNCsetting 

Books give you somewhere to go when you have to stay here. So, pick a good book and a good here.

What am I doing here?

I think it's probably time that my love of books had a special place. This new blog will mirror a lot of the same information found on my new insta account @oakcitybooks.  I've always found it easier to spill my heart and thoughts out on a good blank document page so I expect that this blog will have more gusto and umph than my instagram account. 

I have a few reasons that I felt I needed to get a little more serious about book reviews. Stay tuned for those in a future blogpost. :)

Please be patient and check back frequently as I begin to drag some of my recent reviews over from Instagram with perhaps a little more color and passion. And, understand that it's constantly a battle for my free "me" time. Read? Write? Instagram? Amazon? 

As a creative person, like all other creatives, I find that I go through periods of time I am extremely inspired and driven to write and externalize the sunshine I have inside. Other times, I just want to read and be in a cozy nook with a hot tea or coffee. So, I would expect that I will have periods with lots of posts and periods with not so many. I will do my best, as I find the more books I read and blog about, the opportunity I have for more advanced reader copies and reviews. Which means, MORE BOOKS!

We all have different things we like to read. I bounce back and forth between fiction and non-fiction but prefer fiction because I like to read to escape the realty of the troubling and trying times we all face. Reading non-fiction requires me to really be in a place of peace and typically drains me in a way that causes me to need to take a few days or week breaks between my next book. Non-fiction stirs me because I usually feel really invested and connected to the writer and their battles/plights. However, fiction allows me to escape and dive in to a mystery that I can tell myself isn't real. It's a fine balance between the two. So, I think you'll find a pretty good mix of books here. 

I used to read a lot of romance chic-lit books. I loved a good love story from Nicholas Sparks and still do wait for his new books to come out. But, they can be so predictable and cliche' that I don't feel like I connect to them the same way I do to the more recent books I've read over the last few years. 

I hope that you find this blog refreshing and resourceful. A place you can come to see what I've been digging into. And, I hope you don't take offense if I hated something you loved and I won't take offense if you don't feel the same way about the books I love or don't love. I think that's one of the most fascinating things about books. They all move us in different directions and leave us differently. 

Happy reading, friends!

All my admiration,

Kim