Pleasant Nights

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

A slasher like none other, given that the main characters are in a retirement home. Our heroine, Rose, is spry of body and mind, but when her friends start dying, most are chalked up to natural causes or accidents, but Rose has her suspicions. Yes, they are older, but too many people are dying in too short a time frame.

When the deaths become more obviously murder, Rose and her buddy, Miller, work with the police to uncover the mystery. This book was tons of fun. As a reader, we know the people are being murdered, so watching Rose realize the magnitude of the situation and refuse to turn away was great. She’s a fantastic main character. I really enjoyed this book, and the murder-y reveal was a great payoff.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

When five friends go into the woods, and only four come out, the remaining four will never be the same. They find a staircase in the middle of nowhere, and when Matty climbs to the top, he disappears, never to be seen again. As adults, decades later, they try to live the best they can, but Matty is always on their minds.

The staircase has reappeared, so the friends try to find him. After climbing the stairs, they enter a house that has many surprises in store for them. They must solve the mystery of the house to escape, and hopefully find Matty after all these years.

This book was great, and the house was definitely horrifying. The friends must all confront their demons while in the house to discover who they are and all their faults. Another great book by Wendig, who is a must-read for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Absolutely wonderful, heartbreaking memoir of a Black boy adopted by a white Pentecostal family, and how he is never truly a part of that world because his family never understands him. Harrison tried his entire childhood to be who his parents wanted him to be. He was desperate for their love and acceptance, but his parents “didn’t see color,” so he was never truly seen for who he was. He was even mocked and derided for being Black.

Harrison’s story is unfortunately not uncommon. Plenty of white people adopt Black children with a savior’s heart, especially within the Christian fundamentalist community. Stories like Harrison’s need to be told and digested so this pattern can end. The way his mother, especially, treated him just gutted me. How she could say the things she did to her child was unbelievable. By the end of the book, Harrison meets his West African birth mother, which forges a new bond, but also a new complication. This book was beautiful and should be on required reading lists.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Naomi works with clients who are victims of domestic abuse. Her client, Jacob, is dealing with an abusive wife, so when he decides to leave his wife, Naomi crosses boundaries and offers him a flat she and her husband own and rent out. Another client, Anna, also needs help, so Naomi lets her and her children stay in her home for a while. Naomi’s husband is in the dark about most of this.

This book was so bad. It was as if the author wrote 85% of the story and left the rest with gaping holes. Naomi was the dumbest character. She literally made the worst decisions. I hated her and her stupidity. The character motivations were never explained. Why would her husband of 17 years jump to the conclusions he did? Why did Naomi, after years of being a psychologist, help these two clients? Nothing made sense. It was such a terrible book.