Author: Christina McDonald

Crazy Love You by Lisa Unger A twisted tale about a graphic artist with a lot of unresolved childhood issues, Crazy Love You explores, through a fog of haze and desperation, the things that are real and the things that aren’t. With pitch-perfect pacing, a dark psychological heart, and deeply moving flashbacks, I couldn’t put…

Pines by Blake Crouch Very M Knight Shamalayan or Dean Koontz, but with spies. Lots of scenes that were pretty gruesome, intense, blood, torture. In fact, the first 3/4 of the book is all about the protagonist being beaten, then he’s running, then he’s tortured, running, climbing, then beaten again. There seems to be little…

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb My rating: 5 of 5 stars Profoundly moving, charming, and thoroughly absorbing, I’m not even exaggerating when I say Lori Gottlieb’s memoir resonated with me deeply. There were so many parts that left me in awe or questioning…

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger My rating: 5 of 5 stars Smart, textured and unsettling, Confessions on the 7:45 may just be my favorite Lisa Unger book yet. With a deep dive into human psychology and a fascinating character study, this one explores the gritty behind the gorgeous, the human behind the façade,…

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone Anyone who reads this should know it’s heavily laced with magical realism. I do enjoy a little magical realism, it was to the extent that I really struggled with the first 50% of the storyline. It did pick up and I’m glad I finished, as I really enjoyed the ending. While…

The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn Oof! This one is…dark. The story is basically about means girls doing mean things to a nice girl and ruining said nice girl’s life. Mental abuse, bullying, social climbing, backstabbing, these are the sorts of themes we cover. But without the protagonist having any…

In the Deep by Loreth Anne White My rating: 5 of 5 stars Smart, compelling and flawlessly plotted, with red herrings sprinkled in like little dashes of chilli, In The Deep is seriously entertaining. And that ending! I’m still running it through my mind the next day! We start with a woman’s murder trial after…

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth My rating: 5 of 5 stars An enchanting, enthralling, and utterly beautiful women’s fiction novel with a twist of domestic suspense, The Good Sister is that rare story that manages to hit all the right buttons. Rose and Fern are fraternal twins who survived a traumatic childhood with a…

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo My rating: 5 of 5 stars Holy hell this book was fun! Set within the old-boys-club world of academia, They Never Learn is unsettling, smart and absolutely riveting. Scarlett is an English professor who murders men who abuse and/or rape women for sport. But when the college decides to…

The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood A compelling, twisty psychological thriller in which a much-adored boyfriend gaslights a vulnerable, naïve woman, leading us to ask: does anyone really have a perfect life? Vanessa gets a thrill out of viewing houses she can’t afford. After her mother died when she was young, she’s longed desperately for…