Book Review: The Shadows By Alex North. (The Shadow Friend)

Book: The Shadows

Author: Alex North

Publisher: MacMillan

Pages: 359

Read On: Kindle

How Long it Took Me To Read: 6 hours (I could not, would not put it down.)

Plot Summary: Twenty-five years ago, troubled teenager Charlie Crabtree murdered his friend and classmate.

For Paul Adams, it's a day he'll never forget.

He's never forgiven himself for his part in what happened. He's never gone back home. But when his elderly mother has a fall, it's finally time to stop running.

It's not long before things start to go wrong. A copycat killer has struck. Paul's mother insists there's something in the house.

And someone is following him.

Which reminds Paul of the most unsettling part of what awful day.

The fact that afterwards, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again . . .

Things I Liked:

1. I read The Whisper Man by Alex North last year and loved it. It was everything I expect in the thriller and then some. I can't believe I didn't do a full review for it, but I loved it so much, it was creepy and scary and so good. I highly, highly recommend you pick it up and give it a read. So when I saw that the writer had a new book out, of course I wanted to read it and I did just that! This book had me at hello, I mean it just sounds amazing and creepy and something about old crimes and teens doing despicable things always interests me (in fiction and not in real life!). So I knew going in that this would be a ride I'd enjoy and I did.

2. The book moves back and forth in time and I loved both time periods equally, I loved seeing what happened 25 years ago and how what happened then is effecting things in the present. Normally, in books with a split time narrative, I find myself enjoying one time period over the other. But it was nice to be just as invested in the lives of people in both eras.

3. The whole lucid dreaming thing was a trip. It was done so well, creepy and mysterious and it kept me wondering if what was happening was real, as in was there some supernatural or paranormal phenomenon going on or was it something far more mundane, albeit still evil but entirely human. I don't know about you, but I love book that make me question the direction in which things are headed. Especially when it comes to a genre like this, is it a thriller or is it a horror? And what do you, as a reader believe in?!

4. Charlie Crabtree, is our big bad. We are told this from the offset, so this is no spoiler. He is pretty darn dark and creepy. Enigmatic, he reminded me of cult leaders, wielding power and sway over a group and getting people to fall in line and do his bidding. He is an interesting character and his escape inspiring other enough to follow in his ghoulish steps was entirely believable.

5. Teenage friendships are often hard to understand when we look back, the dynamics and the things we got up to is pretty intense and in hindsight sometimes risky and plain stupid. Things we'd never do now, but back then, at age 15-16 they seemed so right, so harmless. We've all done things, said things we wish we could take back. To see this common place occurrence taken down this dark and seedy route was interesting to read. I love reading about friendships and group dynamics, it was the only reason I watched horrible shows like Bigg Boss (an Indian version of Big Brother) and it's the reason why I love reading about cults.

6. This book is very atmospheric, the woods, the dreams, the murders and even Paul's home seem to be brimming with dread and spooks.

7. This book has amazing pace, it just doesn't let up. I had the hardest time putting this book down. The book moves seamlessly between our two time lines and keeps you hooked.

8. Paul, will break your heart. It was unexpected how much I grew to care about him. He is someone who suffered through something pretty traumatic as a young adult and left his home, his small town and even his mother behind to run from this past, only to come back and find himself back to the old nightmare he's tried very hard to forget. He is clearly someone who hasn't lived up to his full
potential ,  someone who possibly believes he doesn't deserve a good life. What happened in the past has shaped his present in a significant way and he has always lived under the shadow of his past. I couldn't help but root for him and by the end of the book, I wished him well.

Things I Didn't Like:

I did for most part enjoy this book. I really did and I do recommend it.

However, I guessed the BIG twist very, very early on. It didn't exactly take away from my overall enjoyment of the book but it would have been nice to be surprised or shook by it. I also guessed several other plot points and little twists along the way.

Also, by the end of it, I felt like there was way too many things going on in this book.


Rating: 4/5 

Book Review: The Patient by Jasper Dewitt.

Book: The Patient

Author: Jasper Dewitt

Pages: 225

Read On: Kindle

How Long it Took Me Read: 6 hours with a couple of breaks.

Plot Summary: Parker, a young, overconfident psychiatrist new to his job at a mental asylum, miscalculates catastrophically when he undertakes curing a mysterious and profoundly dangerous patient.

In a series of online posts, Parker H., a young psychiatrist, chronicles the harrowing account of his time working at a dreary mental hospital in New England. Through this internet message board, Parker hopes to communicate with the world his effort to cure one bewildering patient.

We learn, as Parker did on his first day at the hospital, of the facility’s most difficult, profoundly dangerous case—a forty-year-old man who was originally admitted to the hospital at age six. This patient has no known diagnosis. His symptoms seem to evolve over time. Every person who has attempted to treat him has been driven to madness or suicide.

Desperate and fearful, the hospital’s directors keep him strictly confined and allow minimal contact with staff for their own safety, convinced that releasing him would unleash catastrophe on the outside world. Parker, brilliant and overconfident, takes it upon himself to discover what ails this mystery patient and finally cure him. But from his first encounter with the mystery patient, things spiral out of control, and, facing a possibility beyond his wildest imaginings, Parker is forced to question everything he thought he knew.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Self-Harm, Sexual Abuse and Suicide. 

General Thoughts: I honestly went into this book expecting one thing and ended up coming with something entirely different. And from I understand, solely based off some of the reviews I read on Good Reads, I was not the only one. Most people go in expecting a straight forward thriller/mystery novel and the book is not quite that. This slight twist, if you can call it that, was something I didn't mind, in fact it kinda made me love the book more. 

Things I Loved:

1. First up, this book has a few things that always, always draw me in.

Mental Asylum: Been There.

Rookie Mental Health Professional: Done That.

Enigmatic Patient: Kinda...not nowhere near this level of creepiness. (Thank God!)

My interest was piqued and then some. This book was everything and more I could want in a book and more. My background in Clinical Psychology always makes me lookout for books that deal with mental health, mental hospitals and psychiatry. Also, I read it at pretty much at the perfect time, during a thunderstorm. It made my whole reading experience so much more creepier.

2. The book is told in a confessional style, like a person sharing an experience on a Reddit-like forum. Fun fact: This book, well the original idea for it was first conceived on Reddit. The author shared a story idea and people seemed to love it and that's how he developed this whole book! Cool na?!

So back to the book, it's told via a psychiatrist sharing his story about a mysterious, undiagnosable former patient of his on a now defunct medical forum. We are also shown medical transcripts and therapy notes and some audio files (transcribed of course.) All of these elements move the story along nicely and add to the whole 'real' vibe of the story.

3. There are a handful of characters in the book, the doctors and nurses in the Asylum and all of them, brief as they might be are done well and come across as people you might meet in a place like that. Everything from a pill-pushing senior doctor to a kind and caring nurse, all of these side characters are done well.

4. Parker, our protagonist is the one who we spend most, if not all our time with. He is earnest, for most part, slightly eager to prove himself and slightly conceited in thinking he can cure a patient that so many other before him have failed to do. He is like so many young, fresh off the boat mental health professionals I've seen, the ones not yet jaded by the system, the eager to please and the ones sure they can magically make things better. Parker was relatable and likeable and for most part how he did things and reacted to things was pretty sensible.

5. Joe- our patient, is deliciously diabolical. I mean, you know that going in but to see him and his ways unfold in the book was a thing of joy. He is subtle, slow and so deliberate. To see Joe, both in the now, as when Parker starts his sessions with him and seeing in the past, as a child wrecking havoc was creepy but wonderful (as in it's terrible but its exactly what a book like this promises in the first place.)

6. The book treads this  fine line between a straight forward thriller and something with a supernatural bend. For the first half I kept trying to diagnose Joe, I was *this* close to reaching for my copy of the DSM and figuring out what was his 'condition'. By the end I was glad I had not gone rooting around my flat looking for my DSM :) For full disclosure, and this is not a spoiler, this is a HORROR novel. So if you're not a fan of the genre, like my poor sister, do not go for it. If you scare easily, this might not be the book for you.

7. The book is short read at 225 pages and it's a perfect book to read in one sitting. Also, given it's subject matter and its pace, it was the perfect length. I am glad it wasn't stretched for no good reason.

8. The mental asylum itself was so perfectly brought to life, having worked in a couple of these places, I can tell you it's exactly like this. Derelict, slacking in maintenance, sometimes sad and with their own kind of energy. This book really took me back to my days of working in these large government hospitals and wandering the halls in the psychiatric ward. It's very atmospheric and in the best way possible.

Rating: 4/5

If you are looking for a sufficiently creepy book this rainy season, this might be a good idea. 

Book Review: The Mothers by Sarah J Naughton

Book: The Mothers

Author: Sarah J Naughton

Pages: 288

Read on: Kindle

Read in: 4-5 hours

Plot Summary: Five Women.

They meet at their NCT Group. The only thing they have in common is they're all pregnant.

Five Secrets. 

Three years later, they are all good friends. Aren't they?

One Missing Husband.

Now the police have come knocking. Someone knows something.

And the trouble with secrets is that someone always tells.

Things I Liked: 

1. The premise of this book is very interesting. Five mothers, who are part of a Mother's Club that meets up once a month or so to just drink, chat and decompress. One of their husband's goes missing. Each woman has a secret to hide. Very Big Little Lies kind of vibes and there is just something about the dynamics between friends and the secrets they keep for each other, which I find very interesting. 

2. The events in the book are narrated from six different perspectives- the five mothers (Bella- whose husband is the one that is missing, Skye, Chrissy, Jen and Electra) and the police detective investigating the case- Iona. Each of these women is battling their own issues and is facing different struggles, which make the individual chapters quite interesting as well. 

3. The book cover a gamut of issues concerning modern marriages and parenting- disconnect with one's spouse after the birth of a child, feeling overwhelmed with doing the best as a mom and a working professional, change in attitude of peers and bosses at the workplace, intimacy issues with spouse post delivery and so on- which makes this a very relatable read, I guess, for women everywhere. 

4. The characters are, largely, very relatable. We have Bella, whose husband, Ewan is missing, and who is in a fairly loveless marriage and is just trying to find her feet after a severe bout of postpartum depression. Bella struggles with body image issues and low self-confidence in her abilities as a mom as well as returning to the workplace after a three-year break. Her husband is no longer interested in being intimate and she blames herself and her postpartum weight gain on that. 

Then we have Electra, a highly successful editor, who has twins, one on the Autism Spectrum, who is struggling with managing motherhood, a relationship with her much-younger "baby daddy" and her job. 

Chrissy, a highly successful divorce attorney, is struggling to reconnect with her highly insecure husband after the birth of their daughter. 

Skye, a massage therapist, who survived rape as a teenager, is reluctant to form real relationships with heterosexual men, clinging on instead on her openly gay baby daddy. 

Jen, the youngest member of the group, actually lost her baby at childbirth, but she still is part of the Mother's Club and also babysits Bella's son. She desperately wants a baby, but is afraid of passing down her recessive genetic condition to her second child, just like she did to her first stillborn daughter. 

Things I Didn't Like: 

1. The narrative moves a bit awkwardly between present day and what the author labels 'Before' (Bella's husband goes missing), which is actually in 3-4 different time periods. So, the narrative structure is a bit inelegant and unwieldy and that is why I found myself putting the book away and picking it up after a while. I wish there was a better way to organise the narrative. Between 3-4 different 'Befores' and 6 narrators and one 'After' timeline, it got a bit tiresome! 

2. The big twist was kinda obvious, but it didn't stop me from reading the book. So, that's not really a negative. If you pay enough attention to the characters, you'll also guess what could've transpired. 

Rating: 3.75 / 5 

Book Review: The Guest List by Lucy Foley.

Book: The Guest List

Author: Lucy Foley

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 319

Read On: Kindle

How Long it Took Me To Read: 1 day

Plot Summary: The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner  – The bridesmaid – The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast. 

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

Things I Liked: 

1. This is my second read from the author, I previously read The Hunting Party...I think last year and quite enjoyed her writing and the premise and treatment of the book. This one too drew me in with the plot. A secluded island, remote and stark. A lavish wedding. A bunch of people pushed together. And an underlining sense of dread. All of these make for some very interesting plot points and in this book to they come together to keep the pace and intrigue alive. I enjoyed the writing and character building and I enjoyed the structure of the book, its told from a couple of perspectives and each of these narrators add to the quick pace and keep the mystery going.

2. This book is told from a handful of different perspectives- the bride- Jules, the best man- Johnno, the plus one- Hannah, the bride's half sister and maid of honour- Olivia and the caretaker and wedding planner- Aoifi. Each person tells their side of the story, adds to the drama and building dread and each person...well some of them even add their backstories and make for perfect red herrings. I loved reading from each person's bit and wasn't favouring one over the other (something that happens often with books like this). I especially like Hannah and Olivia. They were some of my favourite characters in the book and ones I really liked. Even Julia, the bride, slightly flawed and imperfect as though she maybe, won me over by the end. She was so well-written and crafted with such humanness.

3. I read this book in pretty much one sitting, it's just one of those books you fall into headfirst and have a hard time setting it aside, real life be damned. So if you're looking for a fully engaging and engrossing thriller, something in the vein of Agatha Christie (in treatment and theme) this one is a good bet.

4. I also read this book at the perfect time..weather wise. Rainy days and thrillers are a match made in heaven and this one was read on a rainy day in July and it added so much to my reading experience. A stormy island off of Ireland and the raining coming down outside my window. Add a cup of coffee to the mix and life is set.

5. Will, our groom is a total prick and is so brilliantly written and brought to life. We all know men like this, charming, way too good looking and suave for their own good and full of charisma. Slightly, ever so slightly smarmy but you can see why women like men like this. Will is a textbook narcissist and the writer has done a bang up job on writing him.

6. There is a also a whole posh boarding school background to the story and the whole camaraderie and bond that exists in those place, as well as the slight competition and jealously and everything else that exists in close friendships, even male friendships is very well depicted.

7. This is a cleverly done book. I will give it snaps for that, the whole story and the mystery is very tight and the writer hold the cards very close to her chest for most of the book and for most part she manages to keep things pretty neat and tight with slight twists here and there.

8. I liked the ending....not giving any spoilers but I found it very satisfying.

Things I Didn't Like: 

1. Picking from the last point, this is a clever book...perhaps it tried being a tad too clever. For most of the book and I mean like 70%...or even more we have no clue who the murder victim is. Like it's kept completely under wraps. And honestly, from 23% onwards this began to bug me. Like just tell who died for God's sake! Why keep the identity of the victim a secret?!

2. A lot of the twists were beyond easy to guess.

3. There were far too many coincidences and connections amongst these gathered guests. Farrrr tooo many. I get the whole suspension of disbelief when it comes to fiction and thrillers but this felt too convenient.

4. The killer was easy to guess too.

Rating: 3/5

Net-net not the best thriller I've ever read but certainly not the worst. The whole I don't know who the victim is till the very end was very frustrating to me personally, but if you don't mind that bit you might actually enjoy this book. 

Series Review: Indian Matchmaking (on Netflix)

So, last night we binged watched Indian Matching,  a new reality TV series on Netflix focused on the grand institution of arranged marriages and how they happen in today's Indian society and diaspora, especially, amongst the very, very wealthy.

We, of course, were recommended this series by Netflix when it premiered on July 16th, but, honestly, we ignored it because it did not seem like something that would interest us. So, we let it be and scrolled past it to watch other things.

We ended up watching it because Swati Daftaur was live-Story-ing her reactions to the episodes on Instagram and her evocative commentary got me and my sister fully intrigued! What was this show all about? Why did it sound like it could be totally cringe-worthy but also a lot of fun? So, on Sunday evening, we thought we'd give it a whirl!

Going in, I had no idea what to expect from the show in terms of a format. So, to help you decide on whether you ought to watch it or not, let me give you a tiny summary of what show's premise and overall format.

This show is centred around a high society matchmaker from Mumbai called Sima Taparia (the woman with the prime real estate on the poster above!), whose calling (and profession) in life is to help find rich boys and girls their perfect life partners. So, in terms of format, we follow Sima (from Mumbai) around the world as she meets her new clients, get to watch her process of finding them potential matches, follow around these clients on some of their first meetings with the potential bride/ groom candidate and see what happens. With me? Okay. So, having given you some idea of what this show entails, let's get into our review of it.

Our Thoughts: 

1. Oh boy! Where do we even start? First of all, I am so grateful that this is not my life! I am extremely privileged (thank you God and parents and extended family), who've let me be and have given me the space to live my life without pressurising me to get married. So, all of the events depicted in the series are very unrelatable to me. I haven't had to sit through an awkward first "date" with a total stranger and talk about big, personal issues like how many kids I'd want and whether I'd be okay to homeschool them etc.! It sounds like a right nightmare to me!

However, anxiety inducing as these awkward rishta dates may be, they are nothing compared to the harsh realities of the arranged marriage mart in India, where women (to be fair, also men) are grossly commoditised. Like the first episode's name says it all- slim, trim and fair! Women are only rated on their appearance and their willingness to be "flexible" and to "adjust and compromise". All her achievements, her personality, her interests don't matter beyond just starting conversation topics and looking good on paper! 

The series minimises these issues with our arranged marriage system completely, glossing over them and using testimonials from older married couples, who've "adjusted and compromised" to show that those are the values to aspire for, else, your marriage will "break like biscuits" (also another episode title!)!

2. The cast of this show contains some real specimens. I think that's entirely on purpose! There is a lot of variety and representation in terms of some of the typical issues and concerns that people seeking to arrange their marriage may face.

For instance, we have the highly and unapologetically successful lawyer, Aparna, who is labelled as stubborn and difficult for having high standards in terms of what she expects from her life partner. Then, we have the hilarious and sweet school teacher, Vyasar, whose father went to prison for 10 years on a conspiracy to commit murder charge- a blot on the family izzat (respectability), which is easily a deal breaker when it comes to arranged marriage. We have a gorgeous Guyanese Indian American woman, Nadia, who is treated as not fully Indian as her ancestors left the motherland in the late 19th century to work in the plantations in Guyana. We have a divorcee with a young child, who is looking for a second chance at love and companionship. We have a mother vapidly and cruelly pressurising her clueless, insipid son (Akshay Jakhete) to get married by the end of the year so that his elder brother and sister-in-law can proceed to have kids the following year!

Still here? So, yeah, these are but some examples of the kind of candidates/ Sima Aunty's clients that you can expect to find on the show and each of their journeys is cringe-inducing and weirdly hilarious at the same time.

3. Since this morning, Indian Matchmaker has inspired many to create memes and jokes (and rightly so!), given some of the dialogues, characters and incidents are, indeed, satire-worthy. However, if you look beyond all the memes and jokes, you will realise that this show holds up a not-so-flattering mirror to our current Indian society.

It shows us that even in the second decade of the 21st century, we are still holding on to the regressive values and ideals of the 18th or even 16th century and that, when it comes to marriages, nothing much has changed!

The perfect wife candidate still has to be slim-trim-fair and be willing to "adjust and compromise" to make the marriage work. The perfect groom candidate still needs to be a provider with having interests and being kind to animals a bonus.

A girl with a CA and MBA is only expected to have and raise kids. Her having any career ambitions are shocking and frowned upon, with one insipid groom dude exclaiming, "But if you work who will look after the kids and all?" Really, dude? Wake the f*ck up! This is the 21st century! A woman can do both! Or whatever the heck she wants to do!

4. The show also glosses over the very blatant casteism and regionalism that are the cornerstones of the arranged marriage system in India. The whole institution of arranged marriage exists to maintain the sanctity of the caste system, but in this series, Sima Aunty totally glosses over caste saying, "No one cares about caste."

No, Sima Aunty. People care about caste even today. How else do you explain the slew of honour killings in India that happen when a girl or a boy marries outside of their caste?! Why else would wealthy families opt for arranged marriages for their kids if not to maintain the sanctity of their caste and marry within the community?!

I refuse to believe that NRIs are so open minded and so cool that they don't care about marrying outside of their caste and region? Would a Sindhi girl really be cool about being arrange married to a Tamil boy? Really? I don't think so!

This also begs the question- who is the intended target audience for this show? It can't be Indians living in India because this is not new news to us! 

Is it then targeted at the NRIs/ Indian diaspora abroad? To help Sima Aunty get more clients? I highly doubt it because her lack of due diligence and recommending matches from different castes and regions is not going to sit well with them.

Then, I have to assume that this is a show targeted at non-Indians. To attempt to showcase the wonders of the arranged marriage system along with a few palatable flaws. To make it seem less like a weird, outdated method of matrimony. To show that it actually works. How else do you explain those saccharine sweet testimonials of people with 30+ years of blissful arranged matrimony?

It is so blatantly transparent, I want to scream! We are not morons!

5. Finally, there was little to no due diligence done by the matchmaker on her clients or their prospective life partner candidates. Sima Aunty seems like a nice enough lady, but she does take whatever her clients tell her at face value.

I cannot stress enough on the importance of due diligence when it comes to one's prospective partners' backgrounds!! It is critical! People lie all the time! Hire a private detective! Get that pre-matrimonial verification package and get the dirt on the dude/ woman and his/ her family! It can save lives!

Rating: I can't even! This is weird train wreck that you can't take your eyes off of. Watch it. Laugh. Be afraid. Roll your eyes. Rant. Call your best friend and discuss. It'll be fun! 

Monday Moods: The Days of July.

July has been full of..

Lilac Skies. 

Re-reading old favourites. 

Being back in the bedroom after 3 months of sleeping on the floor in the living room. 

It's so good to be back in my own bed.

My soft, pillow and plushie filled bed. 

Chai and Biscuits. 

Being Brave and Lebu Cha :) 

It's been an odd month so far. 

Feels too long.

Going by too soon.

I am reading, re-reading quite a bit. 

Drinking more tea than usual. 

Listening to music.

Watching strange Reality TV. 

Making Reels. 

Just trying to navigate another month in lockdown. 

Hope you are doing well...well enough I guess. 

Quarantine Comforts: What to Binge on Netflix this Weekend!

Hello, hello,
Another weekend in the Lockdown! Since most of us are staying home, I thought I'd share a few movies and series that I've been enjoying recently, in case some of you are at a loose end in terms of what to watch!

1. The Baby-Sitters Club 

Whether you grew up reading the books or not, The Baby-Sitters Club (streaming on Netflix)  is guaranteed to make you feel warm and fuzzy and make you miss your childhood friends! 

Especially, for those of us, who grew up in the simpler times of the 80s and 90s, the bonds between a gang of girls and the simple things that bring them joy will warm the cockles of your heart! Seriously, this is such a wholesome (without being corny) and heartwarming show! Watch it! Show it to your kids! Just watch it!

2. Desperados 

In the mood for watching something hilarious? Look no further! Desperados on Netflix is a laugh riot!!! 

After Wes drunkenly sends an angry email to her new, perfect boyfriend, she convinces her two best friends to accompany her to Cabo to delete said email from her hospitalised boyfriend's devices! All kinds of comic capers ensue! 

This movie is so, so funny and even has some of our beloved actors from New Girl! Bonus! 

3.  The Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga 

What do you get when you take an unsuccessful band from a tiny fishing village in Iceland to the biggest music contest in Europe? Much, much hilarity!! 

This movie is so cute and funny! Plus, there are songs with really bad, hilarious lyrics, so that is a bonus! Will Ferrell is a laugh riot and so is Dan Stevens (the Beast from The Beauty & The Beast). 

4. Unsolved Mysteries 

We've already watched and raved about this series on Netflix right here. You simply have to watch this series and then call your friends to discuss suspects and theories! It is so interesting and well made! 

5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Okay, so, watching something apocalyptic may not be the best thing right now, given the state of the world, but this latest instalment of Jurassic World is fast-paced and insane and will, at least, distract you from all pandemic-related concerns! 

Plus, wasn't something in the news recently about scientists finding a way to clone dinosaurs from their DNA? So, um, watch and be afraid? *grin* 

Also, if you haven't watched it already, may I also recommend Dark? The whole world is raving about it and it is a very gripping, intense show. So, if that is the kind of stuff you enjoy, then do give it a whirl. 

Have a great weekend, guys! 

Book Review: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.

Book: Home Before Dark

Author: Riley Sager

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Pages: 400

Read On: Kindle

How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days

Plot Summary: What was it like? Living in that house.

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism. 

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father's book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father's death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction. 

Alternating between Maggie’s uneasy homecoming and chapters from her father’s book, Home Before Dark is the story of a house with long-buried secrets and a woman’s quest to uncover them—even if the truth is far more terrifying than any haunting.

Things I Liked: 

1. The premise had me at Hello! I mean, come on, a haunted house, a famous book written about it, lies and a woman back to figure things out! HIT ME UP! Plus, I've enjoyed 2 out of 3 of the author's previous works. So, picking this book up was a no brainer!

2. This book is a not-so-subtle hat-tip to the Amityville Horror movie franchise/ true story, which made it even more interesting to me! If you don't know about the Amityville case, then do Google it before you read this book, you'll find it quite interesting! The constant pull-push between was the house really haunted? Or did the family make it up to make a quick buck? Who is telling the truth? All of that dynamic is very interesting and is really nicely captured in this book as well. Maggie is almost 100% convinced that the events in her dad's book are all lies. She doesn't remember the trauma or the haunting outlined in her father's best selling book. So, her trying to reconcile what she thinks she remembers with what is written in her dad's book is an interesting journey.

3. The writing is good. It is evocative yet fast-paced and there is never a dull moment in the book!

4. The narrative switches between Maggie's present day efforts to renovate Baneberry Hall and her trying to piece together the events of the 20 days that her family lived in the mansion and the chapters of the book- The House of Horrors- written by her dad, which is supposed to be a "true story"/ factual account of the same twenty days. So, on the one hand, you have a story that's rich in horror/ supernatural elements and another story (Maggie's present day journey), which is more of a classic thriller/ whodunnit saga. Both of these together make the book gripping and unputdownable. If you love horror as a genre or crime/ thrillers as a genre, then this book is for you!

5. There are multiple red herrings in this book. There are loads of questions on which the book keeps you guessing, such as:
         > Is there a ghost? Who is this ghost? Is it more than one ghost?
         > Is it a ghost plus a human behind all of the events mentioned in the book? Who is the human?
         > Is it just a human? Does that fully explain all the happenings in the book?


Things I Didn't Like: 

1. In all of Riley Sager's books, there seems to be a common thread of eventual disappointment. It's like this- the ride and journey that the book takes you on is, usually, top notch. It keeps you engaged, interested, keeps you at the edge of your seat and sometimes even scares you quite a bit. However, the destination, the big reveal, always leaves a lot to be desired and is a tad disappointing! Don't want the spoil the book by giving more details, but a lot of times in books with a similar premise, it boils down to just communicating with one's parents to resolve the situation! The author ends up deploying all sorts of convoluted nonsense to make the book's premise work by making Maggie's parents absolutely refusing to tell her about the truth of the 20 days that they spent at Baneberry Hall.

2. The ending is a bit 'meh'.

Rating: 3.5/5 
Purely for the journey, the unputdownability of the book and the Amityville vibes! 

Weekend Reads: The Miseducation of Cameron Post & Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.

Hello! 

Do weekends really even matter anymore? 

I woke up yesterday convinced it was Saturday, only to find out it was only Friday. 

Eh.

Life lately..I guess. 

I had a very slow reading month in June, so in July all I want to do is read. 

Reading has been slow all lockdown long, which is sad because I thought all I'd do is read. But I've had a hard time focussing on things, especially books. I am doing better re-reading old favourites or watching films or TV shows. 

I started July with two books that I am so excited to be reading. 

So let's talk about that...

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth: I started reading this on the last day of June, a way to end Pride Month by reading a book about a young girl in Montana, who is sent to a camp specialising in Conversion Therapy. A girl dealing with not just the loss of her parents, but also trying to figure out her sexuality and how she can be true to herself in a world that wants her to be something else. I am a little bit in..like 75 odd pages and I see why people love this book so much and why it comes with such high praise. It's moving, beautiful and important. A book perfect for Pride Month or otherwise. 

Once I finish the book, I am curious to check out the film adaptation too. 

I did however take a break from it because one of my most anticipated books of the year released on July 1st and I absolutely haddddddd to read it. 

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager: Oh my God!!! 

Amityville meets family secrets and ghosts and spooks! 

Hit Me Up! 

I've wanted to read this book since I first heard about it a couple of months ago. 

I have read everything Riley Sager has ever written and 2/3 of his books made me all kinds of happy. 

Final Girls, his first book, wasn't my favourite. It is also one I read last. 

Lock Every Door is brilliant and I remember reading it in one sitting and being utterly unable to put it down. 

I reviewed it HERE. 

The Last Time I Lied was amazing too. Camp, friendships and secrets and good twists. 

Seriously, I cannot recommend them enough. So obviously, I absolutely had to read this book too. 

I reviewed this one too, you can find it HERE. 

Plot Summary: What was it like? Living in that house.

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism. 

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father's book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father's death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction. 

Alternating between Maggie’s uneasy homecoming and chapters from her father’s book, Home Before Dark is the story of a house with long-buried secrets and a woman’s quest to uncover them—even if the truth is far more terrifying than any haunting.

Doesn't it sound amazing?! 

My sister and I are buddy reading it and we are both completely invested in this world and it's people. 

The book is fast paced, scary enough and slips easily between the past and present. 

It is also perfect reading material for this rainy weekend. 

And even though, I am pretty sure I might have guessed the twist in the book..I am still enjoying the ride. 

What are you reading this weekend? 

Happy Reading Guys. 

Hope this weekend is a good one. 

:) 

Friday Favourites: Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you'll know that my sister and I, we, love crime/ mystery/ thriller as a genre. Not only do we read a lot of crime/thriller books, but we also listen to several popular true crime podcasts. So, it was a no-brainer when we read that Unsolved Mysteries, a popular true crime investigative documentary style show, is being revived on Netflix this month! We couldn't wait to watch it!

Long story short, we binged all six episodes quite rapidly and we LOVED it! Here's why we think you'll love it too!

1. The Cases: The cases featured in this Volume/ Season of the show (yes! There is hope that we'll get another volume/ season eventually!) were varied, mysterious, puzzling and gripping! They ranged from missing persons to homicide to hate crimes to even some paranormal activities and each case will make you wonder how it happened and, in some cases, who the perpetrator is and how he/ she managed to get away with it! The cases are not restricted to the US alone, we also have a case based in Nantes, France. It also makes you, cynically, realise the that justice system is messed up everywhere! Where somethings that are clear as the day or could be damning evidence are inadmissible in court! Be prepared for long discussions with friends and also going down the rabbit hole for each of these cases on Reddit! *grin*

2. The Treatment: The series is extremely well-made! It is shot in documentary style and we get to meet the family and friends of the victims, who not only narrate the events leading to and after the crime, but also help in bringing the victim alive, which helps build empathy towards them, urging people to send in tips and information, if they have any, to the show's website or to the relevant investigative authorities. We recommend that you go check out the Reddit threads for some of these cases, there are lots of good theories!

3. The Mysteries: Each of the cases represented a truly baffling mystery! Take the first episode, for instance, a young man rushes out of his house in flip-flops on receiving a phone call. He doesn't return home, but when his body is found, everyone involved with the case is perplexed about how his body got to that place! Or take, for instance, the disappearance of Patrice Endres, which boils down to a 13 minute period! Each of these cases will make you wonder how so and such disappeared and how the perpetrator did what they did! In some cases, you think you know for sure who the perp is, but you'll still be left wondering the same things..

Rating: 5/5 

We highly recommend the show and are sure that you'll find it very interesting and gripping if you enjoy crime or true crime as a genre! 

Book Review: The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton

Book: The Last Train to Key West

Author: Chanel Cleeton

Pages: 320

Read on: Kindle

Read in: ~4 hours

Plot Summary: 

In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys.
 
For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape. 
 
After the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position, she agrees to an arranged marriage with a notorious American. Following her wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to her new husband, his illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life. 
 
Elizabeth Preston's trip to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles after the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own.
 
Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women’s paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys.

General Thoughts: I've read and enjoyed (for the most part) the previous two books by Chanel Cleeton. She writes, with a lot of heart, about the immigrant Cuban experience and memories of leaving Cuba. I have reviewed Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba. 

Things I Liked: 

1. The Last Train to Key West tells the story of three very different women, both in terms of their personalities and circumstances in life. So, it is almost like reading three different, but, sort of, interconnected short stories, which makes the book pacy and very interesting. The narrative unfolds via alternating chapters from each of the women's points of view. These stories are set against the Labour Day Hurricane of 1935, one of the worst storms to hit the South Eastern US coast. So, there is an impending sense of doom and urgency, which the author has captured really well in the book. Each of the women's stories hurtle towards danger against the backdrop of this awful storm. 

2. The writing, like always, is very good. It is evocative yet economical- a balance that very few authors manage to achieve! 

3. Loved the three women protagonists of this book. Helen, who is heavily pregnant and in an abusive marriage. After yet another beating, she, quite impulsively, decides to leave her husband and head to her aunt's B&B on one of the smaller keys along with John, a regular customer at the café where she works. Helen is neither very fierce or confident to begin with, but the journey of actually leaving her husband and becoming a mother all on her own makes her stronger and more determined to reclaim her life. 

Elizabeth is an heiress, who lost her fortune in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. She is in Key West to look for someone and is running away from a dangerous man in New York. Elizabeth is sassy, provocative and gutsy, but also vulnerable and unsure of what she wants to do with her life. 

Mirta is also an heiress, whose family has fallen on hard times after the 1933 Cuban Revolution. She has been married off to an American gangster and she is falling for him, much against her own expectations. She is trying to decide what kind of a wife she wants to be and if she is okay with her new husband's illegal businesses. Her journey is not the most interesting, but that is okay. I don't think such big decisions can be taken in a matter of days. 

4. The way these characters' lives interconnect is also nicely done. Some may say it is a bit too convenient in some cases, but, well, I put that down to literary license. I also liked how each of these women had a role to play in smoothing the path ahead for the other woman! Quite poetic! 

5. I liked the optimism and hope that embodied by this book! It's a very appropriate read for our world right now. We could all do with a bit of optimism and the promise of new beginnings and the belief that we can rise after this Covid-19 storm has done ripping through our world. 

Things I Didn't Like: 
1. I would've liked an epilogue to see what is happening in Mirta and Elizabeth's lives! That's pretty much it!

Rating: 4.5/ 5