Memorials is about a trio of college students: Billy, Melody, and Troy, as they start their group project about roadside memorials. They are faced with a dark energy that seems to be following them from town to town, memorial to memorial, as they travel through Appalachian small-town backroads. What begins as a journey to explore grief and commemorate loved ones becomes a tense and mysterious voyage into the unknown.

This is a book that has a slow, intense, and mysterious plot that takes place in the 1980s. I felt so immersed in the story that there were many times that the author would include a pop culture reference or mention something that would make me express, "Oh yeah, this is the '80s". The characters are pretty likable, and because the story takes place over the course of a road trip, I think it gives you a great chance to get to know that characters a lot better and see how their dynamic works, and it makes you all the more attached to them. This is a perfect read for spooky season!

Clown in a Cornfield was described by many online as a book that "reads like a slasher film". I wanted something lighthearted to read, so I gave it a shot. I will say that the descriptions are right: the book does read like a slasher film. A slasher film that would've fell thru the cracks, has a C-list cast, and easily outshined by others. While it was lighthearted read, I felt that the author could've expanded on the story just a smidge further.

I didn't really get the time to bond with the MC, Quinn. Her presence in the story was a very self aware one, that Quinn was essentially a spectator who observed the behavior and group dynamics of Cole, Ronnie, Matt, Janet, and Tucker. While the story was told from other POVs, Quinn is essentially the POV we experience in the story. The ending felt rushed and did a twist to satisfy that trope in horror, where it was someone you LEAST expected to be the killer. In fact, that twist didn't make any sense to me and I felt it was a little lazy. There were many aspects of the story that could have served a better purpose and would have helped build on the characters and motive.

Since this is the first book in the series, I will give the author a chance to build on the story and give more life to the characters, who seem like hollow shells of horror movie high school character tropes.

Allegedly follows Mary, a young teenager who was convicted of killing a three month old infant at the age of 9. Now, Mary is 15 years old living in a girls' group home trying to survive. She dreams of going to college and starting a new life, however, after becoming pregnant, Mary starts wondering if she could start a new life and become a mother. Mary won't let them take her baby away from her. It wasn't her fault what happened that night. Mary didn't mean to kill her. Allegedly.

This was a short read, but I was hooked immediately. Mary is a complex character who has already been through so much, even though she's only 15. Her dreams of taking the SATs and going to college and starting over is a relatable dream/goal to have. Hell, I had that dream. Except, Mary is a convicted killer and also pregnant. She's a ward of the state and every goal she has is a struggle. The author did a really good job showing the chaotic, messy side of the foster system. It made me root for Mary.

I would have given the book 5 stars, but the ending really threw me for a loop and I felt as if it wasn't earned. I feel that I understand the author's purpose of making an ending like that, but I think the book needed to be longer for the ending to really hit harder.

I actually gave this book 2.75 stars, FYI. Anyways...The Only Survivors follows a group of adults in their late 20s who meet up every year to commemorate...wait no....to reflect...no, not quite right yet...to make sure they aren't alone so they won't take their own lives after surviving a fatal car accident in high school that claimed the lives of their classmates and teachers. After the death of the second survivor and the disappearance of another, Cassidy and the others come together to deal with their trauma and to figure out where Amaya has gone.

I figured this story would be a quick, easy, and chill read. The premise is more interesting than the book actually is. I feel like the story was slow and we weren't given enough information about the characters to really form an attachment to them, relate to them, and/or root for them. The story tried to drum up suspense when it really didn't hit quite as hard. And, of course, the story dragged throughout the first half of the book, so by the time it got to the climax, it didn't hit or feel like the buildup paid off. It was an iight read and it was intriguing enough where it pulled me out of my reading slump.

Everywhere (online), I've seen people hyping up King Of Ashes, and having already read All The Sinners Bleed, I started to get hype myself. I searched up and down all the bookstores for it and finally got my hands on a copy.

King of Ashes follows Roman Carruthers, a financial mogul in Atlanta, who gets called back home because his father was involved in a shady car accident that left him in a coma. Returning home to Jackson Runs, he is faced with investigating his father's accident, reuniting with his estranged siblings, and facing the emptiness of his family since his mom disappeared years earlier.

This was a solid plot. I didn't feel a type of way about the main group of characters, except for Naveah. It wasn't until the final act of the story began after that REVEAL (omgggg) that I felt the story really start to pick up for me, and it really made me appreciate how the story really built up slowly. I would definitely recommend the book to a friend.