Book Review | Girls Save the World in This One by Ash Parsons

Girls Save the World in This One is a YA horror comedy by Ash Parsons.

June’s whole life has been leading up to this: ZombieCon, the fan convention celebrating all things zombies. She and her two best friends plan on hitting all the panels, photo ops, and meeting the heartthrob lead of their favorite zombie apocalypse show Human Wasteland.

And when they arrive everything seems perfect, though June has to shrug off some weirdness from other fans—people shambling a little too much, and someone actually biting a cast member. Then all hell breaks loose and June and her friends discover the truth: real zombies are taking over the con. Now June must do whatever it takes to survive a horde of actual brain-eating zombies—and save the world.

Girls Save the World in This One was a really cute read. Three best friends spend the day at a zombie convention (ZombieCon!) which turns out to be the real start to the zompocalypse.

I love the fandom in this book. There's a long set up here for the zombies to arrive, but the set up walks you through what it's really like to hang out with friends at a fan convention.

While there are flesh eating zombies, Girls Save the World in This One is still a great book for those who don't care much for horror. The zombies are an awesome backdrop to a story of friendship and fandom.

I know I often tout YA horror that works well for adults, but I want to stress how well I think this book works for teens. I'm trying to get my son to read it but at (almost) 11 it's too pink and girly for him at the moment. I'll keep trying! He's the one I bring with me to conventions, and I think this book is a perfect first zombie book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★

Review copy provided by publisher

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Book Review | The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train is a psychological thriller from Paula Hawkins.

EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Why did I read The Girl on the Train?

It's the holiday season, and I have a billion things to do. A billion things that would be so much better with an audiobook in my ear. I happened to have The Girl on the Train on my Overdrive so I went with it.

The Strengths

What a perfect audiobook for someone as distracted as me right now! This is one of those Gone Girl type of compulsive reads. I was glued to this book. Like Gone Girl, the people in The Girl on the Train are truly awful - all of them, but I couldn't look away.

The Weaknesses

I was confused at first. The POV switches between three different women. These women are all married to and/or seeing different men and then "the girl on the train" also has nicknames for some of them. It took me a while to figure out who was who. Once I got the cast of characters down, though, they were rock solid. Even though they were all unreliable, it became very easy to follow.

Would I recommend The Girl on the Train to others?

I would! In a weird, weird way I want to be able to say I hated this book. The characters were so unlikeable and there were some underlying messages I didn't care for, but I can't deny not being able to put this one down. If you enjoy the Gone Girl type of compulsive read, I definitely recommend giving The Girl on the Train a go.

7/10: Recommended Read

Book Review | The Widow by Fiona Barton

The Widow is Fiona Barton's debut thriller.

For fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, an electrifying thriller that will take you into the dark spaces that exist between a husband and a wife.

When the police started asking questions, Jean Taylor turned into a different woman. One who enabled her and her husband to carry on, when more bad things began to happen...

But that woman’s husband died last week. And Jean doesn’t have to be her anymore.

There’s a lot Jean hasn’t said over the years about the crime her husband was suspected of committing. She was too busy being the perfect wife, standing by her man while living with the accusing glares and the anonymous harassment.

Now there’s no reason to stay quiet. There are people who want to hear her story. They want to know what it was like living with that man. She can tell them that there were secrets. There always are in a marriage.

The truth—that’s all anyone wants. But the one lesson Jean has learned in the last few years is that she can make people believe anything…

Why did I read The Widow?

I'm fascinated by the concept of women who are unknowingly married to monstrous men. How could they not know what their husbands are up to? Do they ignore the signs? Are their husbands that chillingly deceptive? Stephen King explored this concept in a story called The Good Marriage (Full Dark, No Stars) where the wife finds a box hidden in the garage while her husband is away. (Great story!) This concept is also explored in the BBC series Broadchurch. When I heard that The Widow is based around this concept as well, I knew I had to read it.

The Strengths

The Widow is what I classify as a "compulsive read". Gone Girl is a good example of what I mean. I wasn't really a fan of Gone Girl generally speaking, but I love books that make me read compulsively. I couldn't wait to get back to this book each time I had to put it down.

The Weaknesses

I expected to get to some shocks or twists, but the story basically unfolded without any profound revelations that I didn't see coming. That was OK. I don't have to have those crazy twists thrown in, but I was amped up and ready for them.

The unreliable narrator wasn't solid enough for me. There was a bit of being unreliable for the sake of being unreliable.

Would I recommend The Widow to others?

Yes. If you looking for a book that will keep you reading, The Widow fits that bill. It might be a good choice to break a reading slump.

7/10: Recommended Read

Review copy provided by publisher