Kill Show by Daniel Sweren-Becker (★★★☆☆)
Print • Owned (Amazon) • Fiction • 2023
Short synopsis: Sara Parcell disappeared without a trace on a crisp April morning in Frederick, Maryland. Her tragic story was a national obsession and the centerpiece of a controversial television docu-series that followed her disappearance in real time–but is it possible that everyone missed the biggest secret of all? Ten years after these events, the people who knew Sara best are finally ready to talk.
This book has been getting a ton of buzz lately, and I thought for sure it was going to live up to the high expectations I had for it. Unfortunately, I finished the book feeling rather let down by the novel. The book is told as an oral history, which is a format I usually like, but I don’t think it worked well for a novel like this. For one, it meant revealing key plot points upfront (like what actually happened to Sara). There was a huge reveal even in the character bible on the first page! I think this book would have worked much better as a traditional novel with just a few points of view, perhaps Sara’s father, the producer of the docu-series, and one of the neighbors or friends. Then, things could have been revealed in a more organic way that would have made the novel feel more exciting. I appreciated what the author tried to do here, but it just didn’t work for me.
Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory (★★★★☆)
Print • Owned (gifted) • Contemporary Romance • 2022
Short synopsis: Margot just had the best night of her life: She picked up a sexy stranger at her local bar and had a night of mind-blowing sex. And then she finds out that the guy she just had sex with is her new employee, Luke. She’s determined to keep things professional, but the chemistry between them is sizzling and it’s hard to keep her hands to herself.
Jasmine Guillory isn’t an author that works for me, but I was given this book in a book swap so I decided to give it a try. And it was actually pretty good! Better than some of the other books I’ve read from her, but it’s still not at the level that I want my romances to be at. For example, the phrase “burst out laughing” was used approximately 1,000 times. And it was still way too long (nearly 400 pages). She needs a better editor. (There was one scene in the book where Margot hears a knock at her door and we all know it is Luke, but Margot spends two paragraphs contemplating who it could be. We don’t need all of that!) All that aside, this romance was pretty fun and I really enjoyed the banter between Margot and Luke. They had such a sweetness to their relationship and I love the way they communicated. It’s not a romance that will blow your socks off, but it’s a good way to pass the time.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (★★★☆☆)
Print • Owned (Barnes & Noble) • Mystery • 2020
Short synopsis: In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.
I had high hopes for this novel, and I can’t say that this novel lived up to them. While I enjoyed the banter between the four retirees and thought the premise was clever, there was just something missing. Perhaps it was the array of characters that were introduced and it was hard to keep them all straight and figure out if they were important enough to the story to remember. Maybe it was the convoluted way the killer was revealed that had me rereading pages to make sure I understood it all. I may try the second book on audio (although I worry I’ll be even more lost with all the characters in that format!), but alas, this book was a bit of a lackluster read for me.
What are you reading?
I tried to read The Thursday Night Murder Club a couple of years ago; it seemed right up my alley from a mystery and humor perspective… However, I couldn’t get through it. I just couldn’t connect to anyone enough or care enough to power my way to the end. Life is too short for meh reads; my plan is to try it again in a few years, haha! I’m waiting on a couple of holds from the library: The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.
I feel like The Thursday Murder Club would work really, really well as a TV miniseries! But I just struggled with it as a book. I expected to love it so much more than I did!
Oh, wow! We are book opposites. I thought Kill Show was so smart. The format was absolutely spot on for me and I wouldn’t change anything about it. But I’ve not read a Jasmine Guillory book that I thought was anything other than meh yet, although I haven’t read this particular one. Sorry that Kill Show didn’t work for you.
I’m reading Love at First by Kate Clayborn right now and am considering DNFing. I do not like enemies-to-lovers trope and I had it when it just one miscommunication after another. But I’ve LOVED the other two Clayborn books I’ve read, so I’m sticking with it for now.
I’m glad you enjoyed Kill Show! It just wasn’t for me – womp, womp.
That was the first Jasmine Guillory novel I actually liked! I’ve read others by her and feel the same way as you.
At least now we can see how much Kate Clayborn’s writing has improved since her earlier days!
I really do love the Osman books, but I get that they are not everyone’s cup of team. I usually do not love Guillory either, but I’ll give this one a shot!
For Jasmine Guillory, it wasn’t bad! But I have a very low bar when it comes to her novels, haha.
I liked Kill Show more than you did. I liked the oral history format. It is a unique format since some things are revealed early on. But overall it was a unique and successful read for me. I usually do like Jasmine Guillory but I haven’t read a book by her in a long time! In general I’ve been reading less romance lately because the conflict that tends to happen before the HEA STRESSES ME OUT TOO MUCH!
Right now I am reading “Caretaker” which is a quiet, historical fiction novel set in the 1950s. A soldier goes off to fight in the Korean war, leaving his pregnant wife at home. His family never approved of the marriage and decisions are made that make me SO ANGRY. But it’s been an interesting book and I’ll probably give it 4 stars.
You should try Lucy Parker’s romances – she doesn’t do a dark moment in her books and it’s so refreshing!
Ok I am going to try her then! I love romances so would like to read more. Going to request some of her books now!!
I adore the Thursday Murder Club books, but I do agree that they are told in a unique and kind of intentionally opaque way. (The style holds over, book to book, in case you are thinking of trying another.)
Jasmine Guilleroy is a name I have seen for YEARS and have never read any of her books! Maybe I need to give one a try!
Interesting – I may try the second one (I did love the characters!) but I got so confused by the ending, lol. I felt like I missed something!
Everyone LOVES the Thursday Murder Club and I wanted to love it, but I was pretty meh about it. Nothing against it, because I’m not the biggest fan of mysteries, so I am filing it under that. It was fine, but I’m not going to read any of the other ones.
I may try the second book, but I’ll probably put some space between them. I love a good mystery, but this one felt so convoluted!
I just read In Love by Amy Bloom, about when her husband is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s and decided he does not want to live that decline. It is heartbreaking, as you might imagine, but also so very beautifully written. I had read about it on a couple of different blogs and decided I had to give it a try, and it was well worth it despite the sadness.
I’ve heard of that book! I would have to be in the right headspace for that. I’m glad you loved it!
Everyone loves the Richard Osman books, and I like mysteries so I keep thinking I should try them, but something always holds me back. Maybe I’ll just go with your impression and skip them.
Right now I’m reading A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute, highly recommended by Birchwood Pie, and I’m loving it!
I really expected to like The Thursday Murder Club so much more than I did. Such a disappointment!