Thank you Libro.fm and Macmillan Audio for the ALCs and William Morrow, Minotaur Books, Simon Element and St. Martin’s Press #partner for the physical copies in exchange for my honest reviews.
Thrillers are definitely my jam…and these are all ones I highly recommend for one reason or another!
KILL YOUR DARLINGS by Peter Swanson
Published: June 10, 2025, Willam Morrow / Harper Audio
Summary:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders comes an inventive, utterly propulsive murder-mystery in reverse, tracing a marriage back in time to uncover the dark secret at its heart.
Thom and Wendy Graves have been married for over twenty-five years. They live in a beautiful Victorian on the north shore of Massachusetts. Wendy is a published poet and Thom teaches English literature at a nearby university. Their son, Jason, is all grown up. All is well…except that Wendy wants to murder her husband.
What happens next has everything to do with what happened before. The story of Wendy and Thom’s marriage is told in reverse, moving backward through time to witness key moments from the couple’s lives—their fiftieth birthday party, buying their home, Jason’s birth, the mysterious death of a work colleague—all painting a portrait of a marriage defined by a single terrible act they plotted together many years ago.
Eventually we learn the details of what Thom and Wendy did in their early twenties, a secret that has kept them bound together through the length of their marriage. But its power over them is fraying, and each of them begins to wonder if they would be better off making sure their spouse carries their secrets to the grave.
My thoughts:
I am such a fan of this author, and this latest book was just so unique – it’s written in reverse! I loved how it was told — it really kept me on my toes and wondering where it was headed – but it’s also the type of story that requires patience. Make no mistake about it – it is very clever, but it’s not one to rush through as you will certainly miss key plot points if you do.
I love character-driven stories, and this one hit all the right notes for me. I loved watching the secrets slowly being peeled back to find out just why this couple has stayed together for so long when it’s quite clear theirs is a toxic love story. Tense, twisty and oh so clever, this is one book I’ll definitely be picking up again.
Audio thoughts:
This was impeccably narrated by Steven Weber…he always brings his A-game and I just love listening to him!
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THE BACHELORETTE PARTY by Camilla Sten
Published: June 10, 2025, Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio
Summary:
Scream meets The Guest List in this wickedly compelling and compulsively page-turning thriller of friendship and murder from the author of The Lost Village, Camilla Sten.
On a remote, craggy island nestled off the coast of Sweden, four friends—Tilly, Anna, Linnea and Evelina—meet every year. Best friends since childhood, the idea is to drink beer, dance by the water, and shake off the weight of life’s expectations. The location of the island is a secret to everyone but them. One night of reckless fun and secret-sharing, and then they return to their normal lives.
Ten years later. Ever since she was a teenager, Tessa Nilsson has been consumed by the story of four friends who disappeared on their annual trip to a remote island together. As her true crime fervor turned into a wildly popular podcast, Tessa urgently covered Sweden’s most gruesome cases, but could never find the answers behind what happened to these women who disappeared, leaving a few maddening clues but no concrete answers. Now Tessa’s podcast has crashed and burned, any chance she had at uncovering the truth vanishing with it.
Anneliese is Tessa’s best friend, and before she walks down the aisle, she wants to have a bachelorette party. The Baltic Vinyasa, a sleek, sophisticated yoga retreat on a small island off the coast—one with such similar characteristics to the tragedy years ago that it raises the hair on Tessa’s neck. The idea is to drink gallons of cava, do sunrise yoga, and get in their last chance to bond with the bride. Tessa will not pass this up. It’s her last chance to find out what happened to the four women, once and for all.
And it’s someone else’s last chance to get revenge.
My thoughts:
This one ticked off all the boxes for me! A locked-room mystery, missing women, a podcast element, atmospheric and a bit of a slow-burn that keeps you fully invested! I loved the dual-timeline because pieces were revealed ever so slowly, begging you to keep reading until you could make sense of it all!
There is an emotional depth to this psychological thriller that I was not expecting and I could not have loved it more. The mystery is balanced with themes of grief, guilt and friendship. We see our main protagonist, Tessa, struggle with all this, adding a depth that you don’t always see in thrillers making this one really stand out. This is why I keep coming back to this author – she delivers every time!
Audio thoughts:
This was narrated by a new-to-me narrator, Laura Jennings and I thought she did such a great job bringing the story to life. She infused just the right amount of tension and emotion into her voice as needed.
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YOU BELONG HERE by Megan Miranda
Published: July 29, 2025, Marysue Rucci Books / Simon & Schuster Audio
Summary:
A decades-old secret that drove a mother from her hometown now threatens her college-bound daughter in this twisty new thriller.
Beckett Bowery never thought she’d return to Wyatt Valley, a picturesque college town in the Virginia mountains steeped in tradition. Her roots there were strong: Beckett’s parents taught at the college, and she never even imagined studying anywhere else—until a tragedy her senior year ended with two local men dead, and her roommate on the run, never to be seen again…
For the last two decades, Beckett has done her best to keep her distance. Then her daughter, Delilah, secretly applies to Wyatt College and earns a full scholarship, and Beckett can only hope that her lingering fears are unfounded. But deep down she knows that Wyatt Valley has a long memory, and that the past isn’t the only dangerous thing in town…
My thoughts:
An academic thriller with ritualistic ceremonies, yes please! This slow-burning, suspenseful story kept me fully engaged from start to finish. There was something just a bit unsettling with this one that I loved, and I also appreciated how the author explored complicated, sometimes messy relationships between mothers and daughters. This was deeper than I expected.
Audio thoughts:
When I saw that Cassandra Campbell was narrating this one, it was a no-brainer that I would be listening…I love Cassandra Campbell and she did an amazing job with the narration!
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HIGH SEASON by Katie Bishop
Published: August 12, 2025, St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio
Summary:
Never speak of that summer.
On a beautiful summer’s night twenty years ago, troubled seventeen-year-old Tamara Drayton was found floating face-down in the pool of her family’s idyllic mansion in the south of France, leaving her twin brother, golden-boy Blake, to pick up the pieces of their shattered family.
Also left behind was their sister Nina who, at six years old, became the youngest person ever to testify in a French murder trial. Because she’s the only one who saw what happened—who watched as her babysitter, Josie Jackson, pushed Tamara under the water, and held her there until she stopped breathing.
Didn’t she? Twenty years later, Nina’s memories have faded, leaving her with no idea of what really transpired that night. When a new true crime documentary about her sister’s murder is announced, Nina thinks this might be her chance to finally find out.
But the truth always comes at a cost. Who will pay the price?
Set over two unforgettable summers two decades apart, High Season is a dark, tense exploration of the nature of memory, the enduring power of truth, and all the gray areas in between.
My thoughts:
I cannot get enough of books that delve into the power of memory and this one delivered that and so much more! Yes, it’s a fun summer read, but it also tackles some big themes and gives us one enticing, engaging read that I haven’t stopped thinking about. Using a dual-timeline and mixed media, this takes on a mystery and plays with family dynamics giving you a story you think you might know but you don’t. The slow-burn just adds to the tension, making it so that once you start this one, you don’t want to put it down…at least that’s how I felt! And besides the exploration of memory and trauma – one of my favorite tropes lately, I was also into the way the book explored true-crime and the influencer culture – this has been quite a big topic lately and I’m all for it!
This is the second book I’ve read by Katie Bishop and she has consistently delivered entertaining, twisty thrillers that I am here for! Cannot wait for the next book!!
Audio thoughts:
This was narrated by Alix Dunmore, a new-to-me narrator, and I thought she was the perfect fit for the book. She really made the book come alive, adding just the right amount of emotion and tension to her voice as needed.
Have you read any of these books or do you plan to? Are you a fan of thrillers?
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