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Christina McDonald
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Category: Book reviews

Book reviews

Welcome to my little book nook, where I keep my book reviews. I only review books that I rate 4* or 5*, because why would I waste time on books I don’t enjoy? Besides, my mama taught me, ‘If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all’.

Book reviews

You Are Not Alone - Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

by Christina McDonald January 31, 2020 12 comments

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks My rating: 5 of 5 stars With friends like these, who needs enemies? That should be the caption of this book! It’s my first by this writing duo, and I absolutely loved it! Skillfully plotted and absolutely chilling, the story centers around Shay, a super-lonely woman who wants…

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Book reviews

The Two Lila Bennetts - Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

by Christina McDonald January 17, 2020 0 comments

The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton My rating: 5 of 5 stars A dazzling, Sliding Doors-esque suspense novel in which a woman must face the person she’s become and choose who she wants to be. The Two Lila Bennetts is mind-bending, twisty, and unputdownable, asking questions like can one small decision shape your life,…

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Book reviews

The Dilemma - B.A. Paris

by Christina McDonald January 17, 2020 0 comments

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris This was quite a different book from B.A. Paris’s usual thriller, and this was particularly confusing as it was marketed as a thriller, which I found a massive mislabeling of genres. It just isn’t. It’s maybe women’s fiction/family drama, all of which is centered around one main dilemma. For me,…

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Book reviews

The Playground - Jane Shemilt

by Christina McDonald January 15, 2020 0 comments

Little Friends by Jane Shemilt My rating: 3 of 5 stars Marital affairs, shocking violence, bullying children – it does sound a little like Big Little Lies, although I didn’t really find it was like that at all. While the writing and setting is vivid, the characters are pretty self-absorbed. The story is about three…

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Book reviews

Behind Closed Doors - B.A. Paris

by Christina McDonald January 11, 2020 0 comments

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris My rating: 5 of 5 stars Creepy, chilling and utterly, utterly compulsive! Wow! Reading Behind Closed Doors was like getting sucker punched in the brain over and over again. But, you know, in a good way. 🙂 It’s a devious, dark and incredibly tense psychological thriller that basically just…

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Book reviews

The Good Widow - Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

by Christina McDonald January 10, 2020 0 comments

The Good Widow by Liz Fenton My rating: 5 of 5 stars Gorgeously emotional and deftly written, this beautiful suspense story is about a woman who finds out her husband’s darkest secrets after he dies in a car accident. A perfect summer read with twists and turns and a profoundly shocking ending, The Good Wife…

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Book reviews

Little Secrets - Jennifer Hillier

by Christina McDonald December 29, 2019 27 comments

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier My rating: 5 of 5 stars Cleverly plotted, absolutely riveting and utterly stunning, Little Secrets is a story of a mother whose son goes missing and her subsequent disintegration into depression. But when the PI she’s hired to try to find her son tells her that her husband is having…

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Book reviews

Eye For Eye - J.K. Franko

by Christina McDonald December 28, 2019 0 comments

Eye for Eye by J.K. Franko Not sure this book was for me. While the theme and premise of this book really intrigued me – is revenge justified when the justice system has failed you? – it felt more like a dryly told documentary than a thriller. The story begins with a scene that really…

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Book reviews

The Other Mrs. - Mary Kubika

by Christina McDonald December 20, 2019 1 comment

The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica My rating: 5 of 5 stars Sinister and unsettling, with a dark, atmospheric heart, Mary Kubica’s new thriller is absolutely captivating. With an elegant, cinematic style, you can easily see why The Other Mrs is being made into a movie. The page-turning plot keeps you glued to the page,…

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Book reviews

Darling Rose Gold - Stephanie Wrobel

by Christina McDonald December 18, 2019 0 comments

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel My rating: 5 of 5 stars “They say a grudge is a heavy thing to carry. Good thing we’re extra strong.” Utterly unpredictable and deliciously disturbing, Darling Rose Gold is a smart, chilling thriller you definitely won’t want to miss. It’s a story about revenge. Revenge in all its…

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Book reviews

That Night - Chevy Stevens

by Christina McDonald December 11, 2019 0 comments

That Night by Chevy Stevens A deeply atmospheric, tense novel of murder, secrets, betrayal and heartache. That Night follows Toni, an angsty teen with a whole plethora of problems, accused of murdering her sister with her boyfriend. She’s convicted and set to prison for 15 years. But when she’s released, still grieving, she decides to…

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Book reviews

Before The Fall - Noah Hawley

by Christina McDonald December 10, 2019 0 comments

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley Put aside your idea that this is a thriller. It’s marketed as such, but it just isn’t. It’s maybe some sort of literary thriller blend, or maybe just lit fiction. Ok, now that you’ve done that, this is an enjoyable, even memorable read that revolves around the investigation of…

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About Christina

christina mcdonald
Christina McDonald is the USA Today bestselling author of the Jess Lambert series, Do No Harm, Behind Every Lie and The Night Olivia Fell (Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books), which has been optioned for television by a major Hollywood studio.

Books

the stranger at black lake


what lies in darkness


these still black waters


do no harm


do no harm


do no harm

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Christina McDonald
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