Every year I set a reading goal for myself. In 2019, my goal is to read 100 books. As I’m writing this post right now, I’m 12 books closer to reaching that goal. As the end of February is quickly approaching, I’ve decided to go back and pick out my favorite reads from 2019 so far. Some of these books aren’t necessarily brand new, but I wanted to include them anyway. If you’ve read any, are looking forward to reading them, or have any suggestions or reviews, feel free to sound off in the comments below! Xo
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Book Description:
The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into something of notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him…
Rating: 5/5 STARS
This book completely blew me away! Told through Theo’s POV, we dive into the world of a psychotherapist. Once the plot is laid out within the first few chapters, we dive into a dark, twisted tale. This book is all about love, murder, and revenge. The author uses psychology, Greek tragedies, and artistic metaphors throughout. Suspense bubbles and crawls underneath the surface, building and building until you’re hit with a twist towards the end that’ll have you reeling and asking yourself “WTF just happened?!” This book and plot twist is written and executed beautifully.
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Book Description:
Seeking women ages 18-32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed. When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave. Question #1: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt? But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as thought Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking… and what she’s hiding. Question #2: Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about? As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear she that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly. Question #3: Should a punishment always fit the crime? From the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us comes an electrifying new novel about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone.
Rating: 5/5 STARS
I finished this two days ago and I am still REELING from that ending!!! I personally didn’t enjoy the authors’ debut novel, The Wife Between Us, but this book has me sold. I will be patiently waiting for the next novel from these two talented authors. I simply could NOT put this one down!
This book takes you on a fast paced, heart pounding, adrenaline filled ride. It was so refreshing to read a book that didn’t have an “in-your-face” twist that made no sense and had no payoff. Told in two alternating POV’s, we get unreliable and unlikable narrators, we get an unsettling story about obsession. This one was one massive chess game. And I loved it. This book was incredible, and the writing is beautiful. By far one of my favorite books of 2019.
The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham
Book Description:
An unlikely friendship between two pregnant women asks: how far would you go to create the perfect family? Agatha is pregnant and works part-time stocking shelves at grocery store in a ritzy London suburb, counting down the days until her baby is due. As the hours of her shifts creep by in increasing discomfort, the one thing she looks forward to at work is catching a glimpse of Meghan, the effortlessly chic customer whose elegant lifestyle dazzles her. Meghan has it all: two perfect children, a handsome husband, a happy marriage, a stylish group of friends, and she writes perfectly droll confessional posts on her popular parenting blog—posts that Agatha reads with devotion each night as she waits for her absent boyfriend, the father of her baby, to maybe return her calls.
When Agatha learns that Meghan is pregnant again, and that their due dates fall within the same month, she finally musters up the courage to speak to her, thrilled that they now have the ordeal of childbearing in common. Little does Meghan know that the mundane exchange she has with a grocery store employee during a hurried shopping afternoon shopping trip is about to change the course of her not-so-perfect life forever…
Rating: 5/5 STARS
Oooh, this one completely took me by surprise! This story is told in first person POV by both Agatha and Meghan. The chapters alternate between each character. I loved each of these two characters, they’re both unreliable and have done some very unlikable things, but that’s what’s so brilliant about this story—it shows the gray area of life. I found myself sympathizing for each character (especially Agatha), despite the horrid acts they each commit in their own lives, and to other people. I know an author is talented when they have the ability to make me physically feel sympathetic towards a fictional character. I devoured this dark page-turner of a novel.
The Au Pair by Emma Rous
Book Description:
Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother, Danny, were born in the middle of Summer at their family’s estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from the cliffs, the au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny in their circle.
Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is smiling serenely and holding just one baby.
Who is this child, and what really happened that day?
Rating: 4/5 STARS
The Au Pair is a slow burning novel told by two characters: Seraphine, one half of the Summerbourne twins; and Laura, the au pair who worked at Summerbourne many years ago. Alternating from past to present, the narrators untangle a web of family secrets, ultimately bringing us to the books’ shocking conclusion. Despite the fact that I had almost all the pieces of the puzzle figured out (whether or not that’s just from simply reading many thrillers, I’m not sure), there was still one piece I couldn’t quite figure out, and it surprised me at the end. Though not a psychological thriller in the typical sense, it is still well written, easy to read, and most definitely a page turner. Perfect for fans of gothic novels. If you enjoy Agatha Christie, or devoured Ruth Ware’s The Death of Mrs. Westaway, then this book is for you!
Don’t Close Your Eyes by Holly Seddon
Book Description:
Twin sisters Robin and Sarah haven’t spoken in years. Robin can’t leave her house. A complete shut-in, she spends her days spying on her neighbors, subtly meddling in their lives. But she can’t keep her demons out forever. Someone from her past has returned, and is desperate to get inside. Sarah can’t go home. Her husband has kicked her out, forcibly denying her access to their toddler. Sarah will do anything to get her daughter back, but she’s unraveling under the mounting pressure of concealing the dark secrets of her past. And her lies are catching up to her. The novel takes readers back in time to witness the complex family dynamics that formed Robin and Sarah into the emotionally damaged, estranged young women they’ve become. As the gripping and intricate layers of their shared past are slowly peeled away, the shocks and twists will keep readers breathless long after the final page.
Rating: 5/5 STARS
As said in the book description, this story is unveiled to us by presenting the sisters, Robin and Sarah, in the light of their lives and the way they live in the present, by going back in time and showing how they grew up, and how they became the women they are today. I really enjoyed this about the book. I was talking to my boyfriend the other day, and we were both saying how in some way, shape, or form, our parents and childhood can really shape us into who we become as adults. We repeat the behaviors we know subconsciously. The tension ricocheted as Robin and Sarah told us their story, alternating from past to present. The author displayed how one small decision can change the fate of our lives forever. Despite each characters’ flaws, the author still manages to tug on our heartstrings with the turn of every page. This complex family drama is psychological suspense at it’s finest.
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Book Description:
Pay close attention and you might solve this. On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing. Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher. And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.
Rating: 5/5 STARS
Karen McManus’s debut novel gave me massive Pretty Little Liars vibes, and I absolutely loved it! This book may be classified as a YA read, but don’t let that sway you from picking this one up! I flew through it!
This book definitely had a traditional sense and plot of “who-dun-it”, but the characters were so fleshed out, raw, and real that that the characters themselves became the center focus of the story, and the solving of the big mystery faded slightly into the background. Each character has separate chapters, and the story unfolds through each of their perspectives. The author did a phenomenal job of showing how each troubled teen perceived and dealt with the aftermath of the murder of one of their classmates. I’m a sucker for reading a story from multiple POV’s. I feel like it really gives the reader a sense of how each character is feeling, and helps us understand the reasoning behind their actions. I felt myself sympathizing with each of the characters in this book.
This book DOES deal with the topic of mental illness. While I thought the author did a good job of writing about such a difficult subject, there may be some readers out there sensitive to this topic and may want to sit this one out. With that being said, I believe this book transcends all age gaps and is an emotional, raw story that both teens and adults alike can dive into and devour.
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
Book Description:
Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery’s never been there, but she’s heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.
The town is picture-perfect, but it’s hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone has declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was give years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.
Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she’s in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous—and most people aren’t good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it’s safest to keep your secrets to yourself.
Rating: 5/5 STARS
Okay, I’ll admit it, Karen McManus has me hooked. Which is totally fine by me, because I absolutely adored her sophomore novel Two Can Keep a Secret. Every time I picked up this book, the Pretty Little Liars theme song wound up playing on an endless loop in my head.
While this isn’t a sequel to McManus’s first novel, I would definitely recommend reading One of Us Is Lying first. By doing that, the reader will get a better sense of the author’s writing.
Anyway, the saying “two can keep a secret if one of them is dead” may be 100% true, but no one ever talks about the fact that secrets like to be shared. Even Alison from PLL said: “friends share secrets, that’s what keeps us close.” (Sorry about more PLL references, they’re just so fitting for this one!) This novel was just a bottle full of secrets just dying to get out. No one does YA suspense quite like Karen McManus. This novel was far from predictable with exciting plot twists laid out neatly throughout. You could literally feel the suffocating, creepy atmosphere of the small town of Echo Ridge. The big reveal at the end completely took me by surprise and I finished this book feeling completely satisfied. Once again, I’d highly recommend this to anyone at any age!
