Thanks to NetGalley and their Victory Editing Co-op, I had a chance to read a fun dark comedy/thriller instead of my usual horror.

This was a fun, escapist read involving mysterious beautiful French people, secret societies, and a metaphorical fountain of youth as Courtney, traveling to celebrate her 31st birthday with her old roommate and frenemy in Paris, is invited to the country by a woman called Salomé, and for reasons, decides to go.

Part of the fun of Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir is that Unner feels like a real person. She is a likeable narrator overall even though she doesn't like cats and is sleeping with a married man - though that almost makes her more sympathetic as she seems to sincerely believe "their marriage is over" and that "it's complicated" because of the kids.

I was never a big Peter Pan fan; I could never really understand the desire not to grow up; that’s all I ever wanted. But the homage to the Peter Pan story in Catriona Ward’s Nowhere Burning is effective and evocative, as we are introduced to Riley and her little brother Oliver, who are wards of a relative they call Cousin. He forces them to live a meager existence, under feeding them and enforcing punishment on them lest they should succumb to demons. 

Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang joins the chorus of media that takes a satirical look at influencers with the intent of showing they’re not what they seem - but she has a unique take on the modern trope that makes her novel feel fresh.

Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson wasted no time building tension as we realize within the first lines that something is wrong.

Poe witnessed her mother’s murder when she was 13 years old, and now she hosts her own true crime podcast where she invites criminals to, as anonymously as they like, confess their crimes.

Atlas of Unknowable Things by McCormick Templeman has the two things  I want from a mystery novel: a snarky narrator and clues that build to an exciting and meaningful conclusion.

Just when I thought I knew what was going on, I did not know what was going on - and I loved it!

No Rest for the Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams is a thrilling mystery full of unresolved trauma, family issues, and small-town drama.

How Bad Things Can Get was hard to put down, especially as secrets started being revealed and the action stepped up and is a perfect thriller for anyone who finds themselves scrolling social media or listening to true crime podcasts - or is just looking  for an exciting, engrossing read. 

The Ghostwriter is not only a compelling mystery for mystery-lovers and true-crime fans, as we pick up clues alongside Olivia - but also get a special insight through chapters told through the eyes of the three siblings in 1975 - it is also about the ways families can hurt each other, sometimes by trying to protect them - or themselves - and about how those hurts can be mended.

The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline had everything I look for in an engaging gothic thriller - a relatable heroine, a mystery, romance, a surprise inheritance, and, as a bonus, a touch of the supernatural.

Put Mira Grant’s science in T. Kingfisher’s fantasy folk horror, and you’ll get something that approximates Wendy Wagner’s Girl in the Creek, which follows Erin who finagles a work trip to a forest in the Pacific Northwest so she can look for her missing brother.

This book may have suffered from over-hype as I felt like I saw it being recommended everywhere, and, even at its modest length, it dragged at times.