Hello hello!

I’m off my posting schedule this week. I’m still exhausted and recovering from last week, so bear with my erratic posting for this week. June has been a crazy hectic month for me – extremely physically and mentally taxing. Which also meant that I didn’t get a lot of time to sit down and read. I managed to only read 2 books this month and DNF-ed 1 book. If you’ve been keeping up with my monthly reads, you’ll know I’m on a mission to read every single thriller book that there is. This month all the books I picked up were thrillers.

So what did I read this month?

Layla by Colleen Hoover (DNF)

Starting off with the book that I decided to give up on after reading 60% of it.

Plot: Leeds, a musician, meets Layla and falls crazily in love instantly. They quickly move in together and can’t get enough of each other until Layla is fatally wounded in an gruesome accident. As Layla recovers physically and mentally, Leeds whisks her off to the BnB where they first met and fell in love. As he feels a little distant with Layla, he soon bonds with only other guest at the BnB – Willow – a ghost. Can Leeds help Willow find answers? Till what extent will he go to do that and at what cost to Layla?

Review: I hated this book so much that I couldn’t bother finishing reading it. The main problem is how despicable the main character, Leeds, is. He’s the lead of a romantic book but technically should have been the villain. He puts Layla’s life at risk and still claims to love her a lot. He suffers from hero syndrome and was overall just the most annoying character ever. There is literally no acceptable justification for his abusive actions. I felt so angry while reading as much of the book as I did. Definitely skip this one.

Verdict: Booooo.. 1/10 (the one mark is for Colleen Hoover’s other books)

Disclaimer by Renee Knight

I picked this book up on the recommendation of a fellow blogger and also, since it was compared to Gone Girl.

Plot: Catherine Ravenscroft is surprised to find a random book in the new home she shares with her husband. As she starts reading ‘The Perfect Stranger’ she realises that the book is actually based on a real life incident, an incident that she thought had long been forgotten as the only other person who knew was dead. As her life starts spiralling, Catherine has to figure out who else knows about the incident and has to stop them from destroying her life.

Review: I’m just going to start by saying that the book isn’t as good as Gone Girl. But then Gone Girl is a masterpiece that is hard to live upto. I enjoyed reading the book and I went through a lot of emotions as the story progressed. The story jumps between different timelines and perspectives which was very confusing. I also wasn’t a fan of how characters throughout the story almost suddenly had a switch of heart. But overall the book had me hooked and the ending had me gasp. Was it a masterpiece? No. But it’s definitely worth a one-time read.

Verdict: 6.5-7/10

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

My best friend recommended this book to satiate my thriller lust.

Plot: Alicia Berenson is a leading painter married to Gabriel, a leading photographer. They lead a seemingly perfect life until one night she shoots him 5 times in the face and then never speaks a word again. Theo is a psychotherapist who has for long wanted the opportunity to work with Alicia and years later, he finally gets a chance to treat at the hospital she’s been in, ever since the fateful night. Will he be able to help Alicia or will he get sucked into her madness?

Review: The best thrillers are those which leave you confused about which narrative to trust as you read on. This book was exactly that. The characters were all written brilliantly – there isn’t a reason to not trust them but yet, the reader is forced to be suspicious of them all. I was glued to the book and kept wanting to know more. The ending was also a bit of a shocker although not very well explained. But overall this was my favourite read of the month.

Verdict: 8.5/10

Half year reading update: I’ve read 15 books so far which means I’m on track for my 30 book target.

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books? Do you agree with my verdict?

Check out my other recent posts –

• Things I Haven’t Been Liking About Myself This Year
• February 2023: Reads & Update
• Working Title
• Why Am I Scared?
• January 2023: Monthly Book Reads and Reviews