The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

The rules are simple:
1. Tell a lie.
2. Stick to your story.
3. And never, ever get caught...

With a hook like that, how are you not already reading this one? This book had everything; great characters, settings that match the mood of the story, mystery, and danger. I LOVED this one.

Do yourself a favor and read it.

Five huge smiles.

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

Miss. Peregrine's, Book 3

I genuinely enjoyed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. The original tale took old photographs and an interesting idea for a story and weaved them together into something unique that I devoured.

Since then the books that followed have left me wanting some of that initial spark. The characters are still great but think somewhere along the way I started to feel like the pictures became a thing he felt like he needed to include. Forced instead of flowing with the story.

The results is 2 smiles for this one from me. If you are a fan of the series you may as well give it a go. Then let me know what you thought!

End of Watch by Stephen King

Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm strange. I can pick up a book in a series and read it no matter how many books technically came before it. I KNEW End of Watch was the third book in the series that began with Mr. Mercedes. I knew it and yet I read this one first anyway.

The book is thrilling. It has enough of the supernatural to make me love reading it. I wondered what was going to happen next and if I was right about what was going on. I loved the characters and I enjoyed the plot.

I even added the first two books to my wish list.

I know, I'm strange.

4 smiles for this one.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

I don't normally go for this type of book, which is usually the first thing I say before negatively reviewing a book. I love YA, I'm down with contemporary books, I even like the beach novels. But this seemed questionable to me when reading the back. In fact, when I started it it seemed cliche. Auden has a great name, but otherwise she started with a "oh I've read about her before" kind of feel. She's an overachiever who doesn't really know how to have fun. She's going to go spend the summer at the beach. Got it.

Then something happened. Characters broke out of a few cliche molds, just for a second. Auden started to realize that people can be more than one thing. One character just sucked me in. I don't know why, but I just loved the way he was written. He was the classic you-think-you-know-him character.

I ended up devouring this story in one day. I can't argue with that.

Five smiles.

Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen

Andrew Yancy #2 (they don't have anything to do with each other except for the same main character, you don't have to read them in order)

Carl Hiaasen's books are hilarious. It's my opinion this guy must take the classic detective novel and then roll a set of dice to decide what strange antics he will challenge himself to come up with next. It keeps me reading, and laughing, even while trying to solve the case along with Yancy.

This book delivers (again) on a lot of incredibly strange characters and situations. You'll learn what a Razor Girl is, whether you want to or not. You'll meet a guy who plays a redneck on reality TV. You'll get something strange hidden in the humus. You'll get a mob hit man and even a fake service dog.

These books are great fun. Recommended for anyone who can take a joke and isn't easily offended by off-beat humor.

Four smiles.

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Let me start by saying, READ THIS ONE.

Let's back up. The story is starts at a dinner party and quickly morphs into any parents worst nightmare. While at the dinner party, next door, their baby goes missing. What follows next is a page turner, leaving you wondering where is baby Cora?

The book itself is getting mixed reviews, which I understand. Some readers hate the characters. I'll be honest, none of them are perfect (are any of us?) and they make a lot of mistakes (some of them stupid) leading to a lot of dirt hiding in their family. But, arguably, these things are what gave the thriller a little mystery.

I'm of the opinion that this book was awesome. Worth the read, worth the time.

Five smiles.