Tag: Book review

Book, Book Reviews, Review

Book Review: The Woods Are Always Watching

Stephanie Román

Hi guys! It’s been a while but I’m back with a book review, this is one of the few I’ve read in the past year. A thriller/horror book written by Stephanie Perkins and released in 2021.

Summary from GoodReads

Bears aren’t the only predators in these woods.

Best friends Neena and Josie spent high school as outsiders, but at least they had each other. Now, with college and a two-thousand-mile separation looming on the horizon, they have one last chance to be together—a three-day hike deep into the woods of the Pisgah National Forest.

Simmering tensions lead to a detour off the trail and straight into a waking nightmare; and then into something far worse. Something that will test them in horrifying ways.

The book is written in a viewpoint narrative, where we know the main character’s thoughts and feelings. I had a hard time reading the book because it’s slow-paced but picks up speed mid-book. Even though I found the main characters well-developed and explained, as far as their actions, feelings, and thoughts go. There was a love/hate feeling because there was no way I was always agreeing with either of them. It also had an open ending which I’m not a fan of.

I liked the book enough to finish reading it, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I’m kind of disappointed. Any book you recommend that’s amazing? Let me know in the comments.

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Book, Book Reviews

Book Review: The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter

Stephanie Román

Hello guys! Welcome back to the blog, today I have a book review. I finished reading this book last month and started reading another one (but that’s for another time). When searching for the book’s synopsis, I found there are at least three books with the same title. Those other books are on my ”To Read” list. Here’s the synopsis for the novel by Karin Slaughter.

Atlanta, Georgia. Present day. A young woman is brutally attacked and left for dead. The police investigate but the trail goes cold. Until a chance assignment takes GBI investigator Will Trent to the state penitentiary, and to a prisoner who says he recognizes the MO. The attack looks identical to the one he was accused of eight years earlier. The prisoner’s always insisted that he was innocent, and now he’s sure he has proof. The killer is still out there.  

As Will digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the original case in order to reach the truth. Yet nearly a decade has passed—time for memories to fade, witnesses to vanish, evidence to disappear. And now he needs medical examiner Sara Linton to help him hunt down a ruthless murderer. But when the past and present collide, everything Will values is at stake.

synopsis from author’s website

My thoughts on the book are the following:

  • The chapters are written in the past and present tense, I guess to recall all the details needed to understand the story.
  • The pace is a bit slow for me, so it took me a few months to finish reading this book.
  • I had to stop reading for a while and then continue reading.
  • After the book’s first half, the story got interesting enough for me that I had to finish it.
  • There are hints throughout the book pointing to who the killer is and at the end it all makes sense.
  • Love the main character, Will Trent, it’s a very relatable one.

It’s a really good book, even though it has a slow-paced narrative when you start connecting the dots between past and present the book gets interesting. If you like a psychological thriller and don’t mind the back and forth, this book will be great for you.

If you have any recommendations, let me know in the comments.

Book, Book Reviews

Book Review: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Stephanie Román

Hi guys! Welcome back to the blog. Today I have, as the title says, a book review. I read this book like a year ago and I wrote some notes about what I thought about it, but never publish the review. So now that I’m back, you’re getting this review.

The genre for this book is mystery/thriller/psychological thriller, and the summary is:

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.

Summary from https://stonory.com/

My thoughts on the book are the following:

  • This book is a page turner, it keeps you on edge wanting to know more.
  • It has a good narrative.
  • It has an unexpected ending, but it hints you through the narrative.
  • Kind of confusing at the beginning but takes form.
  • Characters are well developed.
  • Every character seems guilty.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The story was interesting and kept me on edge, just wanting to know more because everyone looked guilty with every new detail that surfaced.

If you like psychological thrillers, this book will be a good addition to your collection. If you have any book recommendations, let me know in the comment section and I’ll be sure to add it to my ever-growing reading list.

Book Reviews

Book Review-The Surgeon: The Luke Titan Chronicles #1

Stephanie Román

Hi guys! Hope you’re all doing good. Don’t forget to follow me on social media:

During this quarantine I thought I’ll be reading more, but that hasn’t quite worked out. Although, I’ve been doing other things instead of sitting down to read. I’ve finished two books and here is one of them.

The Surgeon is the first book of The Luke Titan Chronicles series by David Beers. Here’s the book’s description on Amazon:

I really enjoyed reading this book, the story is intriguing and the characters are well thought. It’s a gruesome triller, it gives you details of the crimes so run the other way if you’re not up to that.

I was hooked from the beginning and read it quite fast. I love that you can “hear” some characters’ thoughts and kinda see the reason behind their actions. The story reminded me of the TV show Hannibal. If you enjoyed that show, you’ll like this book.

All that’s left to say is that I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the series.

Book Reviews

Book Review: the woman in the window

Stephanie Román

For spanish version, click here.

Hello!  Welcome to another talk about a book I finished reading.  The book is title “the woman in the window”, wrote by A. J. Finn and was published on January 2018.

Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside.  She spends her days drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times…and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son.  The perfect family.  But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real?  What is imagined?  Who is in danger?  Who is in control?  In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one-and nothing—is what is seems.

If you liked “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn or “The girl on the train” by Paula Hawkins, then this book is right up your alley.  *If you haven’t read those books, you NEED to do it because they’re amazing*.

Obviously, I thought the story would be good, that’s why I bought the book in the first place.  But I didn’t expect it to be this awesome.  I felt so invested in the story and the characters that I had to force myself to stop reading and go to sleep (because it was 3am).  That’s how intense this story was for me, I wanted to keep reading non-stop, but I didn’t want the story to end.

The storyline is well developed, the main characters are complex and wonderfully constructed.  You have a woman named Anna Fox who drinks a lot and passes her days at her window watching the world around her go by.  Then, new neighbors arrive (the Russells) and the story gets more interesting.  Anna tells the reader everything she sees, with so many details that one start to feel that is all real.  But then, things start to get more and more complicated, so I started to doubt from every character.  And you don’t even know what is real anymore.  The ending was so unexpected, because they had me believing one thing, then they change the story a bit so now I’m like “Yeah, that makes sense.”  But as the story unraveled, I was like “Oh hell no, that’s awful!” and then “What in the hell is happening?”  And after that the rollercoaster didn’t stop, it just started to go faster, and more things happened (again).

Overall, I loved this thriller because is full of suspense, a complicated storyline and characters (you won’t get lost, I promise).  A must-read for anybody.  It has suspense, drama, and action; it’s packed with emotion and there’s something happening on every page you read.  So, if you haven’t read it, go get it now and thank me later.

Let me know your thoughts on this book.  Also, leave your book recommendations in the comments section.

Book Reviews

Reseña de libro: una mujer en la ventana

Stephanie Román

¡Hola! Bienvenidos a otra plática sobre el libro que terminé de leer recientemente.  El título del libro es “la mujer en la ventana”, escrito por A. J. Finn y fue publicado en enero 2018.

Anna Fox vive sola—una confinada en su casa en New York City, incapaz de aventurarse afuera.  Pasa sus días bebiendo vino (tal vez demasiado), viendo películas viejas, recordando tiempos felices…y espiando a sus vecinos.

Entonces, los Russell se mudan en la casa del frente: un padre, una madre, su hijo adolescente.  La familia perfecta.  Pero cuando Anna, mirando por su ventana una noche, ve algo que no debía, su mundo comienza a derrumbarse—y sus impactantes secretos se ponen al descubierto.

¿Qué es real?  ¿Qué es imaginario?  ¿Quién está en peligro?  ¿Quién está en control?  En este thriller diabólicamente apasionante, nada ni nadie—es lo que parece.

Si les gustó “Gone Girl” de Gillian Flynn o “La mujer en el tren” de Paula Hawkins, este libro es perfecto para ustedes.  *Si no han leído estos libros, NECESITAN leerlos porque son increíbles.”

Obviamente, pensaba que esta historia sería buena, por eso fue que lo compré.  Pero no esperaba que fuera así de increíble.  Me sentí tan involucrada con la historia y los personajes que tenía que obligarme a dejar de leer e irme a dormir (porque eran las 3am).  Así de intensa fue la historia para mí, quería continuar leyendo, pero no quería que la historia terminara.

La historia está bien desarrollada, los personajes principales son complejos y grandiosamente construidos.  Tenemos una mujer llamada Anna Fox que bebe demasiado y pasa sus días en su ventana mirando el mundo a su alrededor pasar.  Entonces, llegan vecinos nuevos (los Russell) y la historia se pone más interesante.  Anna les cuenta a los lectores todo lo que ve con tantos detalles que uno comienza a sentir que todo es real.  Pero entonces, las cosas comienzan a ponerse más y más complicadas, por lo que comencé a dudar de cada personaje.  Uno ya no sabe qué es real.  El final fue inesperado porque me tenían creyendo una cosa y luego la historia cambió un poco por lo que estaba como “Oh claro, eso tiene sentido”.  Pero a medida que la historia se desarrollaba, mi impresión era “¡No puede ser, eso es terrible!” y luego “¿Qué demonios está pasando?”.  La montaña rusa de sucesos no se detuvo, sino que comenzó a ir más rápido, y otras cosas pasaron (de nuevo).

En general, me encantó este thriller porque está lleno de suspenso, personajes y una historia complicada (no se perderán, lo prometo).  Una lectura necesaria para cualquiera.  Tiene suspenso, drama, y acción; está llena de emoción y algo sucede en cada página.  Así que, si no lo han leído aún vayan a comprarlo ahora y agradézcanme luego.

Déjenme saber sus opiniones sobre este libro.  También dejen sus recomendaciones en la sección de comentarios.