Good evening! This post has been in my drafts since September haha. I mentioned a long while back on my Instagram that I had started reading a few books over the summer and would do a book review. Well I've read 5 and summarized them here - it's about time!

1. The Breakdown by B.A. Paris


I'm listing this one as #1 because it was SO good! This author is fabulous - I can't wait to read her other novels. This thriller follows a woman, Cass, through her mental breakdown as she struggles to piece together answers following a night she drove past a woman in the woods on a dark, rainy drive home....a woman who was found dead later that same night. Cass fears she may be developing early-onset dementia and is unsure about everything, including her involvement with the victim's murder. This story kept me turning pages until the very end where the truth is revealed. In hindsight, I feel a little silly that I didn't put it together earlier. My mom read it after me and guessed the end fairly early on in the book, so maybe I am just a little gullible! ;)

2. The Lying Game by Ruth Ware


This book isn't listed #2 because it's my second favorite - it's actually my least favorite. In fact, I didn't even finish it because I just couldn't get into the story. I don't exactly remember what it's about, except that 4 high school friends reconnect in their 30s for a trip and wind up discovering something gruesome and mysterious. I've heard lots of good things about this author, so I'd like to try another one of her books instead.

3. The Safest Lies by Megan Miranda

On a brighter note, this one pleasantly surprised me. It's a young adult novel, but it didn't seem like it at all. It totally held my interest, and I liked the story and the characters. Kelsey and her mother live in a remote location, far from any potential harm - or so they thought. Kelsey has been raised to always anticipate danger, as her mother escaped kidnappers as a teen and hasn't left the house in nearly two decades. Although Kelsey lives under the radar, everything changes when she drives off a cliff, is rescued by her heartthrob classmate Ryan Baker, and winds up all over the news. A few days later, Kelsey returns home to find her mother missing - something highly unusual. Someone is after Kelsey too, and the suspense of it all is quite captivating! It has innocent romance as well, which makes the book all the more worth the read.

4. The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle


If you're looking for a more mature mystery novel, I would say this is it. Iris and Will are very happily married in Atlanta and are ready for their first child. Iris works at a school, and Will is a high-tech genius - both of which who live pretty low-key lives. Iris's world is turned upside down when she learns of a plane crash that killed all on board, including Will, who was en route for a business trip. The strange thing is, Will was supposed to be on a different plane to Orlando, not to Seattle. Which plane was her husband on? Was he dead or alive? As she searches for answers, she finds that Will may be an entirely different person after all. While this was a good read, for some reason it just wasn't my favorite book. PS - it has a couple of mature scenes if that's something you'd like to be warned about.

5. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell


You HAVE to read this book!! I will say that it took me quite a while to get into it. I think I read about 75 pages before I started feeling like I couldn't put it down. It's very wordy and highly descriptive - I would often drift off and get to the end of the page without having any idea what I had just read. However, once the story really started to unfold, I got hooked on it real quick! The book is set amidst the Civil War, and Mitchell incorporates a captivating love triangle throughout the rich history of early America. Scarlett O'Hara is a spoiled, narcissistic southern belle who always gets what and who she wants, until it comes to Ashely Wilkes. Ashley is marrying Melanie, despite Scarlett being certain he's actually in love with her instead. Rhett Butler comes into the picture and is enamored by Scarlett's outspoken nature, since all other ladies follow protocol and never speak their minds. It's unfair to say that the book is about this love triangle, because there is so much more to the story. However, Scarlett's calculating, selfish mind and back-and-forth relationship with Rhett really keeps the book moving along, and I ended up absolutely loving it.

I'm dying to get my hands on some new novels. One of my favorite things to do is read book reviews and then check out book after book. I get through books in a couple of weeks, and once I finish one I can't wait to get the next one! I've been meaning to read some new mystery novels, but I just haven't had the time. I'm going to make a point of picking out some new reads this week :) Happy Monday!