Paperbacks – Page 4 – Lyndsey Hall

YA Thrillers That Will Give You Chills

Fantasy might be my one true love, but I also have a soft spot for thrillers. Crime and domestic thrillers are my usual jam, but recently I’ve read some absolutely brilliant, gripping YA thrillers, so I wanted to share some recommendations with you! I know, I’m good like that.

So, if you’re looking for a gripping thrill-ride that’ll keep you up at night turning the pages and leave you gaping at the final line, you’re in the right place. Here we go…

One of Us is Lying & One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus

Now a Netflix Original series! I read One of Us is Lying a few years ago when it was released, and I really enjoyed it and bought the sequel straight away when it came out, but I never got round to reading it. That is, until the Netflix adaptation came out, and whilst it was a fun watch, I knew I remembered things differently in the book. It prompted me to pick up One of Us is Next and finally read it, to see what happened after Simon. Well, I flew through it in a couple of days, I think I actually enjoyed book two and the new generation of Bayview students even more than the first book! I even went out straight away and bought Two Can Keep a Secret (another book by Karen M. McManus, but not in the same series) so I’d have another thriller by the same author to read when I get the craving again.

I highly recommend these books if you like shows like 13 Reasons Why, and of course, the recent One of Us is Lying Netflix adaptation! There’s a third book, titled One of Us is Back, coming out next year, so there’s plenty of time to get caught up with the Bayview Four.

This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher

I grabbed this book off the shelf when I bought Two Can Keep a Secret – it was sitting right next to it, I’m fairly sure there was some kind of two for £7 deal, and I mean, look at that cover? It looked like exactly what I was craving in my post-One of Us is Next rush. And I wasn’t wrong. Like a cross between Cluedo (that’s Clue to my American friends) and Riverdale, this book had me up late and reading on my lunch break at work to find out what happened and who did what to who, when and why.

This one is somewhat darker than the One of Us series, with strong Pretty Little Liars and Riverdale vibes (that dolls house in PLL is pure This Lie Will Kill You, and Ruby, one of the MCs, is a total Cheryl). It dances on the line between thriller and horror, but without the gore, so if you’re in the mood for a chilling and suspenseful read, then this one’s for you.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

This is one I haven’t read yet, but I’ve heard good things and can’t wait to dive in! Here’s the blurb:

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

The blurb reminds me a bit of Sadie, which I absolutely adored, so this will be jumping up to the top of my TBR!

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Speaking of Sadie, I listened to the audio book last summer and was blown away by this incredible book! Told through the POV of Sadie, who is hunting for her younger sister’s killer, and a podcast hosted by an investigative journalist who is trying to find Sadie, it’s layered and complex but so gripping and tense.

If you can, I highly recommend listening to the audio of this one, as it really does show the whole podcast format in the best way. But there is a lot of very triggering content in this one, so please do be aware before diving in, if you’re likely to be triggered by themes of sexual assault and child abuse.

Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

This is another one I’m yet to read, but I loved Lauren Oliver’s Delirium series, and the blurb for this one is just too good to pass up.

It’s been five years since Summer Marks was brutally murdered in the woods.

Everyone thinks Mia and Brynn killed their best friend. That driven by their obsession with a novel called The Way into Lovelorn the three girls had imagined themselves into the magical world where their fantasies became twisted, even deadly.

The only thing is: they didn’t do it.

On the anniversary of Summer’s death, a seemingly insignificant discovery resurrects the mystery and pulls Mia and Brynn back together once again. But as the lines begin to blur between past and present and fiction and reality, the girls must confront what really happened in the woods all those years ago—no matter how monstrous.

Now, some of the reviews have called it predictable, but I’m actually okay with that. I love a shocking twist as much as the next girl (Gone Girl, I’m looking at you) but I really enjoy the journey towards the truth and even if I call the killer in the first few chapters, I probably can’t guess every element of what went on, so there’s still plenty to discover. Plus, I really like being right, so there’s that.

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

Last, but not least, is this from the author of Anna Dressed in Blood (my FAVOURITE YA horror) and Three Dark Crowns. Kendare Blake is an incredible author, so this 1950s set, true crime inspired thriller with a potentially supernatural twist (Kendare calls it “true crime with a vampire”) sounds like my dream read. Here’s the blurb:

Sixteen bloodless bodies. Two teenagers. One impossible explanation.

Summer 1958—a string of murders plagues the Midwest. The victims are found in their cars and in their homes—even in their beds—their bodies drained, but with no blood anywhere.

September 19- the Carlson family is slaughtered in their Minnesota farmhouse, and the case gets its first lead: 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is found at the scene. She is covered in blood from head to toe, and at first she’s mistaken for a survivor. But not a drop of the blood is hers.

Michael Jensen, son of the local sheriff, yearns to become a journalist and escape his small-town. He never imagined that the biggest story in the country would fall into his lap, or that he would be pulled into the investigation, when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to.

As Marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to Michael to find the truth: What really happened the night that the Carlsons were killed? And how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies?

Right? Right?? I’m off to buy and read this book immediately.

Happy reading friends,

Lyndsey x

Ten books my mum would love

It’s Mother’s Day this weekend, and whilst thinking about what to write for this week’s blog post I stumbled across a post I wrote back in 2017 for Father’s Day sharing ten books my dad and stepdad would love. So, I thought it would be a nice idea to complete the circle and share ten books my mum would love this Mothering Sunday!

My mum loves a good thriller, but she’s also a romcom fan, and she always passes any good books she reads on to me. So let’s see what new and upcoming releases my mum might be getting for Mother’s Day!

Verity by Colleen Hoover

My mum is definitely not on TikTok, and I don’t think she’s read any Colleen Hoover books, but as they’re so popular right now, I think they’d be right up her street. We both loved Gone Girl, and this one is supposed to be like Gone Girl meets Rebecca, with a shocking twist you won’t see coming – me and mum’s favourite kind!

Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson

Mum and I absolutely adored Nashville when it was on TV, and we actually went to see the cast perform on stage, too. Plus, who doesn’t love Dolly Parton? She’s an icon. We watched Steel Magnolias whenever it was on when I was a kid. Combine that with one of the greatest thriller writers of our time? Match made in heaven.

I’ll probably advise one of my darling brothers to get Mum this for Mother’s Day, there’s a gorgeous special edition in Waterstones with sprayed/stencilled edges and pretty end papers that I’m eyeing up. I don’t mind letting the boys get the credit for choosing this one, as long as I get to borrow it after!

Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes

This is the seventh book in Keyes’ Walsh Family series, but as most of the books follow different main characters, this is the first sequel, returning to our original protagonist from Rachel’s Holiday, twenty-five years after it was first published.

Marian Keyes is one of those authors everyone has read at least one book by, and I know Mum has Grown Ups on her shelf right now, although I don’t think she’s read it yet. But at least I know another Marian Keyes book would be a safe bet!

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

I started taking my little boy to the mobile library in our village just before Christmas, and I rediscovered my love of domestic thrillers amongst the shelves. I’m usually drowning in fantasy novels, whether it’s my own writing or my friends’ and other authors within my main genre, so it was really refreshing to delve into a few completely gripping, quick reads as a bit of a pallet cleanser. As my mum is also a fan, I chucked The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley at her after I’d finished it, and she enjoyed it just as much as me.

Foley’s most recent book sounds just as tense and thrilling, and it’s set in exciting Paris, so I reckon this is a good choice for a Mother’s Day gift that I’ll benefit from too!

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell

The Family Upstairs was another library book we both loved, and while the sequel may not actually come out until July, I know it’s one Mum will be really excited to read. This one may have to wait until her birthday!

Because of You by Dawn French

I feel like this one is pretty self explanatory. Dawn French. Enough said.

I’m a huge Dawn French fan, I rewatch the entirety of Vicar of Dibley at least once a year, usually in the run up to Christmas. I didn’t even know she wrote fiction until a couple of years ago when I saw my mother-in-law reading one of her books. I’m yet to try them, but I just know they will be hilariously heartfelt, like everything Dawn does, so when I need a good book to make me laugh and cry with every page, she’s the author I’ll be turning to.

As this book is about motherhood and all of the heartbreak and anguish that comes along with it, it would be a perfect choice for Mother’s Day.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This book was absolutely everywhere last year, and I was a bit put off by the amount of hype – I hate being disappointed, and I’m not usually a fan of mainstream literary fiction. But the blurb, and the fact that with over 1m reviews on Goodreads this book has 4.5 stars, have me convinced.

It’s both a murder mystery and a coming of age story, two of my favourite things, and despite the fact that YA is my cup of tea but not so much my mum’s, I can tell from the description and reviews that this isn’t aimed at young adult readers and has universal appeal. (I mean, over a million Goodreads readers think it deserves 4+ stars? That’s almost unheard of!)

Us Three by Ruth Jones

If you weren’t aware, Ruth Jones is the absolutely hilarious actress and writer from such televisual delights as Gavin and Stacey and Stella. She’s funny, warm and down to earth, and if her novels are anything like her screenplays then they’ll be a definite hit with my mum.

This one follows three childhood friends as they grow up and face all of the harsh realities of life, and events that put their lifelong friendship into question. I’m intrigued already!

Neighbors by Danielle Steel

I remember Mum reading loads of Danielle Steel when I was growing up, and sneaking the odd one to my room to read, hoping she wouldn’t notice! Neighbors came out in 2021, so I can be fairly sure she hasn’t already read it, but I think she’d love to revisit one of her first favourite authors.

The book sounds like a twisty, glamorous thriller, set in San Francisco during an earthquake, as a movie starlet now living as a recluse lets her neighbors take refuge in her beautiful mansion. It sounds right up mum’s and my street!

My books

And of course, Mum loves me, so she’d definitely love a copy of one of my books! She already has copies of all my current releases, but I’ll be treating her to my upcoming anthologies, Once Upon a Name and Enchanted Forests when they come out in April and July. Plus, they’re both raising funds for charity, so it’s a double good deed!

So there you have it! Ten books that would make the perfect Mother’s Day gift for mums who love romcoms, thrillers, or fantasy books by me!

What are you getting the amazing mother figure in your life this Mothering Sunday?

Lyndsey

Three Thrillers to Get Your Blood Pumping This January

I’ve read a few thrillers/suspense novels recently as a foil to my YA romantic fantasy edits (The Solitary King comes out 31 Jan!!), so I thought I’d round up all of my reviews into one post. After all, if you’re a thriller fan you’d probably rather read one post about three (very different) books to see which sounds like your cup of tea, than three separate review posts, right?

Great, let’s go.

The Cottage by Lisa Stone – 3.5 stars

Jan needs a fresh start, she’s just lost her job and split from her boyfriend, so when she sees an ad looking for someone to house sit a remote cottage and look after the owner’s dog while she’s working abroad, Jan jumps at the chance. But before long, strange noises start to disturb her at night, and when someone dismantles the fence she puts up to stop foxes getting into the garden, she knows it can’t be an animal.

The Cottage sucked me in with the creepy cover and blurb, but it didn’t turn out to be as dark and thrilling as I’d hoped. It was definitely tense and I wanted to know what was really going on, but it was one of those stories where there’s a reasonable explanation for everything, and I had gone in wanting something a bit darker.

I guessed a few of the plot twists (occupational hazard of being a true crime obsessive), but some of them were genuine surprises and the story did keep me reading just to see what would happen in the end.

I know the author also writes non-fiction/true crime books and this did read almost like a memoir, I could believe everything that was happening was possible, which did make it all the more fascinating.

I’d recommend it if you’re looking for an easy, lighter read with a really interesting premise and a few shock twists, but it won’t keep you awake at night.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell – 4.5 stars

Libby just turned twenty-five and inherited a multi-million pound property, but more importantly she’s just discovered the truth – her parents were found dead in very suspicious circumstances, and she is the baby that was found happy and healthy in the cot while three bodies lay on the kitchen floor. Desperate to know what happened, she finds the journalist who wrote a recent article about the unsolved murders and together they dig into a history that only becomes more twisted and shocking the closer they get to the truth.

The Family Upstairs is told from three points of view, Libby and Lucy in the here and now, and Henry describing the events that led up to the three bodies being found in the house he shared with his sister (the aforementioned Lucy), their parents, and another family who came to stay and never left.

I loved the slow build up of tension in this book, I couldn’t take my eyes of Henry’s chapters as the happy family life he enjoyed as a child became increasingly strange and frightening, under the oppressive control of David Thomsen, a house guest who gradually took control over the entire household.

Between unreliable narrators and the slow, drip feed of information building the suspense throughout the book, I was absolutely glued to my seat, especially for the final few chapters. I was a little bit disappointed by the conclusion, but now there’s a sequel coming this summer, The Family Remains (which can apparently be read as standalone) and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Without giving too much away, I highly recommend this book if you love true crime, particularly podcasts and documentaries about cults.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley – 5 stars

Seven friends go to a remote Scottish hunting lodge for New Year, and only six of them survive. Every single one of them is hiding something, including the staff, but who is the body at the bottom of the waterfall, and how did they end up dead?

Told over three days and five POVs, The Hunting Party is a fast-paced whodunit (and who-was-it-done-to) that kept me guessing until the very last page. Every character was a possible victim and a potential killer, they were all full-formed and believably complex (read: awful) people.

I flew through the last hundred pages, I desperately needed to know who had been killed and why, even more so than who had done it. Some of the red herrings Foley threw out to distract us and keep us off the right trail were so good, I did spot one of the reveals from early on, but I genuinely couldn’t guess the full truth until it was written on the page.

This is a definite five star read for me, and I’ll be snapping up all of Foley’s other domestic thrillers. I recommend this book to absolutely everyone who likes a good, twisty thriller, you won’t be able to see it coming, I can guarantee it!

There you go, I hope you liked the sound of one or all of these. I actually borrowed them from the library, and now I’ve got C.L. Taylor’s Strangers waiting for me when I finish my edits. Back to the edit cave, Batgirl!

Lyndsey