My thoughts on all of the books I read in May! Everything is linked below if you're looking for a description!

Intercepts - Oh my! I knew I would like this one before starting it, but I didn't realize just how much I would. Absolutely terrifying, solid story telling, and even had some emotional parts. My only downfall is that some of the characters didn't feel fully fleshed out but overall I loved this book. This goes in my "Scariest books" and "best body horror" hall of fame. 4.5/5 stars

The Wife Before - Shanora Williams can write a freakin thriller. This takes a very popular thriller trope and gives it a spin that you won't be expecting. I thought I had read a book like this before, but I was wrong. She writes flawed characters that you end up rooting for anyway. My only issue with it is some of the couplings felt so rushed it didn't make a lot of sense to me but overall I thoroughly enjoy everything she writes. 4/5 Stars

The Butchers Daughter - This was such a miss for me. The pacing was very slow and if I didn't request this through netgalley, I would have dnf'd it. It began to feel like a chore to pick it up. If you're a big Sweeney Todd fan, you may enjoy this more than I did. 2/5 stars

The Woman in Cabin 10 - I really didn't know if I was going to like this one when I first started, I wasn't the biggest fan of The Turn of The Key by the same author. In the beginning, the dialogue felt choppy and it felt like the author didn't know which direction to take the story. I either got used to it or the author figured it out because I ended up loving it. One of my favorite thrillers I've read this year. 4/5 stars

Count My Lies - This was entertaining but I found it very predictable. I enjoyed my time reading it and will recommend it but over all it was an average thriller. Which I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, but not as outstanding as I was hoping. 3.5/5 Stars

Retreat - A book I wasn't expecting anything from but ended up pleasantly surprised by.. I think this is the perfect summer read. It's very easy to get into and a one or two sitting read. 4/5 Stars

My Darlings - I LOVED this crazy story! Fans of The Last Party by A.R. Torre will love this one! Serial Killer trad wife. Of course I loved this one! It's messy, disturbing, and almost funny at times. I loved it. 4.5/5 stars

You Killed Me First - I did end up enjoying it in the end but the journey getting there was confusing. The paranormal element only makes sense in the end and overall it just made the story hard to follow. If you're already a fan of John Marrs, you'll probably enjoy this but I don't think this is where you should start with his work. 3/5 Stars

My Sweet Girl - Starting, I did enjoy this one. The pacing felt off in the middle and I noticed about 30% in that there was an "F" bomb every other sentence. Which normally doesn't bother me but when it happens as often as it does in this book, the word loses its weight. The last 20% was phenomenal, I was completely hooked. Probably one of my favorite thriller ends that I've read in awhile. 4/5 stars

The Perfect Marriage - At the risk of sounding repetitive, I hated the way a twist was revealed but not actually revealed by saying "Someone" did this and then not revealing who the someone was until the very end. The scene wasn't even needed so it felt like it was just added to explain why the ending was the way it was. I don't know why that bothers me as much as it does but it almost feels insulting to the reader. This is definitely a popcorn thriller with pretty solid pacing but I don't see myself picking up anything from the author going forward. 2/5 Stars

So Happy Together - I love an obsessive delusional main character, I also love a solid thriller that I'm able to read in 1 sitting. Also also I love a book that has an ending that makes you really think long after finishing. This gave me all of that. I don't have a single negative thing to say, my only 5 star read of the month! 5/5 stars

No Exit - I think this one falls victim to the hype of it all. I loved The Last Word by this author and so many love this one but I found it really underwhelming. Flat characters, issues with pacing and really didn't age well so reading in 2025 was a bit jarring. 2.5/5 stars

Freak - I will read and recommend everything Jennifer Hillier writes! I don't know if this sequel was needed but still very entertaining. If you loved Creep, you'll love this one too. I think she's a very consistent author and she always delivers in my opinion. 3.5/5 stars

You Know What You Did - What an unexpected surprise especially as this is a debut novel. The story creeps up on you until you're spiraling along with the main character. It's not going to be for every person but if you like weird speculative "wtf did I just read" kind of thrillers. You will love this one. 4.5/5 stars

The Secrets of Us - What I think is Lucinda Berrys most underrated novel. It has perfect pacing, flawed characters that you root for, and the twist had me completely shocked. This is a solid solid thriller. 4.5/5 stars

The Widows Husbands Secret Lie - What a blast this book was! It read like a real thriller and it wasn't until they started talking about the dress or Nickelback that I was like "Oh right! I forgot what I was reading" I really enjoyed this and think it's perfect if you need a palate cleanser or to cure a reading slump. 4/5 stars