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Book Review: Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

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Telling this story will be painful…..

PLOT SUMMARY

A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts. 
A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.
A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy. 
A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.
 
Welcome back to the Sinclair family. 
They were always liars.

GRADE: A-

REVIEW

We Were Liars – a book published in 2014 became a TikTok phenomenon in 2020, shooting it up to the bestseller’s lists. Since I received an ARC of the prequel – I ended up reading We Were Liars in a day, after the author warned that the prequel contained a major spoiler for book one. Now, I breathlessly tread through book one – We Were Liars. The mystery, the allure of the Sinclairs – it all aided in me needing to know answers right away. The prequel is set in the 80s and we meet the aunts as teens.

Although this book had more twists and secrets than the first one, I somehow wasn’t as compelled to rush read – but I still enjoyed the journey and spending time with the very wealthy but dysfunctional family Sinclair. I’d love to see another book but from another Sinclair, Yardley, the cousin whose family eventually falls out of touch with the rest of the Sinclairs in the first book.

If you loved We Were Liars, then you’re going to love Family of Liars. It has the same type of writing style and mystery and it’s basically just a very fun, dark time.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Review: Osea Essential Hydrating Oil

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What It Is: Hydrating Oil

What It Does: Age-defying oil for dry and sensitive skin

Active Ingredients: Seed Oil, Flower Oil, Lavender, Rosewood, Vitamin E, and Chamomile

Verdict: This hydrating oil smells sooo divine thanks to lavender and bergamot. I’ll be frank, this hydrating oil is one that you will want to use at night, because it wouldn’t do well beneath your makeup (as in it really makes your skin ultra glowy/oily). However, it really packs in the hydration that you wake up to incredibly soft and supple skin. It says that this oil works best for those with dry or sensitive skin, however, my skin is on the oily side and it doesn’t break me out, so I think it’s safe to say that even those with oily skin would benefit from using this hydrating oil. All you need is a dime size amount to spread along your face and neck. The scent is so calming that you’ll be sleeping your way to beauty in no time. If you’re looking for a cleanser to amp up your skincare routine, I highly recommend Osea’s Ocean Cleanser.

Price: $68

Where To Buy It: https://oseamalibu.com/

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Review: Kinship Brightwave Eye Cream

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What It Is: Energizing, brightening eye cream

What It Does: Brightens and hydrates eye area

Active Ingredients: Red Algae, Chaga Mushroom, and Vitamin C Ester

Verdict: There are three things I look at when judging an eye cream – Is it thick and nourishing? Is it hydrating? And most importantly, is it fast absorbing? Kinship’s eye cream hits all three of those requirements and exceeds my expectations. I love how hydrating and smooth this eye cream is but the fast-absorbing component makes it possible for this cream to be used during the day under concealer and makeup with no problems. If you’re looking for an eye cream that can multi-task as both day and night cream, then this perfectly fits the bill. Soft, rich, and incredibly restoring – you’ll easily find yourself grabbing this cream as your go-to for your skincare routine. Does it actually help with banishing dark circles? Well, I’m plagued with hereditary dark circles, so for me, I didn’t really notice a difference, but it probably works for everyone else out there that only has mild dark circles. But I’m not at mad about it because I still love how it feels on my skin.

Price: $34

Where To Buy It: https://lovekinship.com/

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Review: Ofra Liquid Lipstick in Canyon

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What It Is: Liquid Lipstick

Active Ingredients: Vitamin E

Verdict: Initially I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this shade because I’m incredibly pale and in the tube, the lipstick looked dark brown. However, I’m pleasantly surprised by the shade did not appear dark on me when I tried it on. In fact, it gives a very ’90s terracotta/brick feel to it and it actually flatters my skin tone. Now for the formula, it’s lightweight and non-drying, and long-lasting. However, it does leave lipstick traces on glasses when you drink or if you kiss someone. But it doesn’t bleed or smudge otherwise, and since it has a doe foot applicator, it means that the application is precise. For everyday lipstick, this is ace.

Price: $20

Where To Buy It: https://ofracosmetics.com/

Wearing the shade Canyon
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Review: Sunday Riley Pink Drink Firming Resurfacing Peptide Face Mist

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What It Is: A peptide-infused essence.

What It Does: Visibly firms and resurfaces the skin while supporting its natural microbiome.

Active Ingredients: Fermented honey, green tea, sea water, kelp, chlorella, and botanical extracts.

Verdict: It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of Sunday Riley skincare products. There’s something about these products that are both effective and feel so luxurious when applied to your skin. You don’t have to wait long to see results. After using the Pink Drink for a couple of days I could quickly notice how my skin’s texture vastly improved and has helped with keeping any acne spots away. I know the intended purpose of the Pink Drink is to be used as a spray, but I found it to work best for me as a toner, and then once I go about completing the rest of my nightly skincare routine, I’ll then also spray the mist too. If you’re looking for a face mist that will control the level of germs/bacteria on your skin and help support your natural microbiome, then you absolutely need this in your skincare routine.

Price: $48

Where To Buy It: Sephora, Ulta, or https://sundayriley.com/

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Book Review: Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer

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A Chicago cul-de-sac is about to get a new neighbor…of the demonic kind.

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Release Date: August 30, 2022

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Price: $17 (paperback)

PLOT SUMMARY

   Amy Foster considers herself lucky. After she left the city and moved to the suburbs, she found her place quickly with neighbors Liz, Jess, and Melissa, snarking together from the outskirts of the PTA crowd. One night during their monthly wine get-together, the crew concoct a plan for a clubhouse She Shed in Liz’s backyard—a space for just them, no spouses or kids allowed.
 
    But the night after they christen the She Shed, things start to feel . . . off. They didn’t expect Liz’s little home-improvement project to release a demonic force that turns their quiet enclave into something out of a nightmare. And that’s before the homeowners’ association gets wind of it.
 
    Even the calmest moms can’t justify the strange burn marks, self-moving dolls, and horrible smells surrounding their possessed friend, Liz. Together, Amy, Jess, and Melissa must fight the evil spirit to save Liz and the neighborhood . . . before the suburbs go completely to hell.

GRADE: A

REVIEW

If you love your horror with a pinch of comedy, then Suburban Hell is the book for you. Written in a manner that’s evocative of Grady Hendrix, the pace is fast and hella funny. Amy is convinced her good friend Liz is possessed after a hole in the other woman’s yard unleashes a foul odor and brings about unexplained incidents. The possession is slow, and at times one can’t tell whether it’s true or if Amy is overreacting, as she herself questions if she’s jumping the ship like in the 80’s Satanic Panic. But after a pivotal incident, Amy now knows that something sinister and supernatural has overtaken their suburban lives and she is dead set on proving her suspicions to her friends Melissa and Jess. Often while reading the book I wasn’t sure what was more hellish, having a possessed friend living next door to you or dealing with the ridiculous suburban wives that Amy had to deal with on a daily basis. The writing flows well and is pressed on a fast tempo, only slightly slowing down for a few moments to only pick up right away. The winning point of this novel is that sure, it’s a fun read, but when the horror sets in, it doesn’t disappoint, as it is dark and extremely creepy!

I recommend this book if you love your horror to have a dash of comedy to it. This book is a mashup of The Exorcist and Desperate Housewives.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Review: Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner

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What It Is: Toner for Dry and Combination Skin

Verdict: Skincare is my jam and nothing gets me more excited than to try out new skincare products. This toner is a staple in K-Beauty. I’m really picky when it comes to toners because I want them to be both gentle and yet feel like they’re cleansing and leaving my skin feeling thoroughly free of any leftover gunk or oil. I’m happy to state that this toner does precisely that. Plus, it smells softly flowery (I despise toners that have a rubbing alcohol scent that makes one feel like your face would be highly flammable if you got too close to a match). I really recommend this toner if you have dry, combination skin, or acne prone skin.

Price: $19 (for 200-ml)

Where To Buy It: https://pyunkangyul.us/

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Book Review: We Can Never Leave This Place by Eric LaRocca

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When you’re given a gift, something else gets taken away.

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Release Date: June 24, 2022

Publisher: Trepidatio Publishing

Price: $12.95 (paperback)

PLOT SUMMARY:

A precocious young girl with an unusual imagination is sent on an odyssey into the depths of depravity. After her father dies violently, young Mara is surprised to find her mother welcoming a new guest into their home, claiming that he will protect them from the world of devastation and destruction outside their door.

A grotesque and thrilling dark fantasy, We Can Never Leave This Place is a harrowing portrait of inherited grief and familial trauma.

GRADE: A-

REVIEW:

I’m still trying to make sense of this fever dream that reads like a horror induced Alice in Wonderland tale. Mara has just lost her father, and she lives with her abusive mother who’s expecting a baby, while an unexpected visitor shows up and wreaks havoc in their lives. We’re frequently told that Mara is an expert storyteller throughout the novella (or liar as her mother likes to chide), so take what happens within the pages of this novella with a grain of salt. What is real and what is fantasy? And ultimately, does it really matter to know the difference? LaRocca weaves a dreadful tale soaked in trauma and grief that is easily gulped in one sitting, but that leaves the reader feeling a bit disorientated. If you’re a fan of Kafka, I think you might enjoy this horror novella very much.

*Thank you so much to Nightworms & the author for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Book Review: The Reyes Incident by Briana Morgan

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What really happened in that bunker?

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Publisher: Self-published

Price: $11.99 (paperback)

PLOT SUMMARY:

A local legend gone haywire.

A small-town cop.

An impossible eyewitness testimony.

Which is easier to believe—that killer mermaids exist, or that one person is worth risking everything for?

For fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Into the Drowning Deep comes a chilling horror story steeped in urban rumor.

GRADE: B+

REVIEW:

Killer mermaids is one of my favourite tropes, or in general, any story or film that has a mermaid already feels instantly cool so once I found out that this book had killer mermaids I knew I had to read it asap. In film form, I’m usually not a fan of found footage, but I do like the format in book form better (or at least ones I’ve read like World War Z or The Living Dead were awesome).

Having read the play Unboxed, I enjoyed the little Easter egg that the author placed in this book. The premise is pretty simple, a group of friends who have a YouTube channel decide to investigate an old military bunker in Georgia. What the group finds when going into the bunker is killer mermaids – and only one girl (Liv) survives to tell the tale. The police officer whom Liv is telling her story to Andie begins to catch feelings for her and readily believes her story. Although I don’t know if she believes Liv’s story because she’s blinded by her feelings rather than actually believing in the existence of mermaids. I don’t know why, but it seemed kind of unlikely that someone would readily believe such a far-fetched story, let alone someone in law enforcement.

We find out that the mermaids were being experimented on by the military, but I would’ve preferred the journal that they found to reveal a bit more as in a how they acquired the mermaids and how the military knew of their existence in the first place. I would really love a prequel to this novella to know the history of what actually went on in the bunker prior.

The story is very fast-paced and delivers all the slasher/gore needs a horror book should. I did like that the ending is ambiguous, but wasn’t a fan of everyone spilling their feelings for one another while they’re being killed (I can understand one person doing this, but then another does, and then the same person a couple of days later suddenly has feelings for another person, for a book so short, it just feels like they’re catching feelings way too fast). But other than that, the book is a fun, wild read and I recommend it for fans of horror who like gore.

*Thank you so much to Nightworms & the author for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Book Review: The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson

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Who killed Brooke Donovan?

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Release Date: May 3, 2022

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Price: $17.99 (hardcover)

PLOT SUMMARY:

Last summer, Alice Ogilvie’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. She’s not talking, so where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . .
 
Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke’s grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter’s whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn’t so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory.
 
In order to get the reward and prove Steve’s innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need—the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there’s anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery it’s the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they’re about to walk into. 

GRADE: A

REVIEW:

Fans of Agatha Christie will rejoice at rookie detectives Alice and Iris. Last summer Alice went missing for five days much like her favourite author – after she finds out that her ex-boyfriend and ex-bestfriend become a couple. Halloween night – Alice’s former bestfriend Brookes goes missing. Alice with a penchant for mystery decides to join forces with her tutor Iris and convinces her that they can solve this mystery. Much like an Agatha Christie novel, the twists and turns this novel takes are outrageous – almost too preposterous – however it’s a fun wild ride and I loved the unlikely duo, Alice and Iris are perfect teen protagonists.

I don’t know if this will be a series, but the ending pretty much alludes that there might be a sequel and I am here for it.

Check this one out if you love Agatha Christie and her oddball characters Miss Marple and Poirot.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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