How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates

 

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson is exactly the unhinged genre mashup you didn't know you needed.

Picture this: speed dating, a masked killer, and a heroine who's essentially a walking encyclopedia of both romantic comedies and horror films. Jamie is, frankly, the most qualified person to handle this situation, and watching her navigate a frantic chase scene one moment and slow-burn flirtation with Wes the next is an absolute joy.

Thompson's writing is sharp (and yes, that pun is very much intended.) She takes every trope you love from both genres (the final girl! the meet-cute! the red herrings!) and weaves them together with genuine craft and a confidence that makes the whole thing sing. It should not work. It absolutely works.

Narrators Stefanie Kay and Patrick Zeller, whose performances, paired with some perfectly deployed sound effects, make this audiobook feel genuinely cinematic.  I was cackling, then tense, then sighing over the romance, sometimes within the same chapter.

If your reading diet needs something that goes down like Scream meets The Proposal, consider this your official recommendation. This one has been shelved firmly in the "trust me" section. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks Simon & Schuster for the gifted listen! Out now!

QOTD: What two genres would you mash together for your dream book or movie?

📚 #BookstagramLibrarian #HowToKillAGuyInTenDates #HorrorRomCom #AudiobookReview #LibrarianApproved

About the Author

Shailee Thompson is a writer and educator based in Brisbane, Australia. She’s always had a penchant for women with smart mouths, soft hearts, and strong wills going up against extraordinary odds. How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is her debut novel. 

Saoirse

 

🎧 Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise is a character-driven novels that quickly pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

When we first meet Saoirse, her art career is about to shine on bright spotlight on her life.

But a decade ago she was Sarah, a frightened teenager desperate to escape danger and a childhood spent in trauma. In a split-second decision, she steals a passport and flees to Ireland. She reinvents herself with a new name and a carefully hidden past. For a while, it works. She builds a life. She finds love. She becomes an artist and a mother. 

But fear is a stubborn thing.

Eventually the walls of her new identity start to crack. The very success she’s worked so hard for threatens to expose the truth she’s been running from. And when the past refuses to stay buried, it’s not just her secret at risk — it’s the people she loves.

Hurtubise tells this story through a shifting timeline, moving between Sarah’s traumatic beginnings and the fragile present she’s built. The prose is atmospheric and emotional without ever tipping into melodrama. Ireland feels lush and grounding, almost like a character itself — a place of refuge, but never quite of safety.

At its heart, Saoirse is about identity, survival, and the cost of reinvention. It asks hard questions: Can you truly become someone new? Is freedom the same as escape? And how long can you live in the shadow of who you used to be?

The audiobook is beautifully done. Narrator Roisin Rankin delivers a nuanced, emotionally rich performance that brings both the raw vulnerability of teenage Sarah and the brittle composure of her adult self vividly to life. The setting, the tension, and the heartbreak is all on display. 

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted listen. Saoirse is out now.

QOTD: Do you enjoy stories about reinvention and hidden identities, or do you prefer a more straightforward narrative?

#macaudio2015 #bookstagram #audiobookreview #charleenhurtubise #characterdrivennovel

The Fall of Iris Henley

 

I just flew through the audiobook The Fall of Iris Henley by Jennifer Graham. This YA thriller had me hooked from the first chapter.

Iris seems to have it all. She's smart, popular, and the head cheerleader. She's finally piecing her life back together after the devastating murder-suicide deaths of her boyfriend Rocky and former best friend Lynette. But when an anonymous social media post accuses Iris of killing them, her carefully rebuilt world crumbles. Vicious rumors spread through school like wildfire. Gossip consumes the entire town. After all, who doesn't love watching the girl at the top of the pyramid fall?

Graham weaves in classic YA elements—sibling rivalry, love triangles, mean girl drama, questionable decisions, social media chaos, an inept police investigation, and parents who are nowhere to be found when you need them. But somehow it all works together to create this propulsive, twist-filled story about grief, reputation, and how quickly public opinion can turn.

The pacing keeps you turning pages (or in my case, unable to stop listening). Eva Kaminsky's narration is chef's kiss. She captures teenage heartbreak, raw grief, and mounting fear perfectly. You feel every emotion right alongside Iris as her life spirals.

This is a bingeable, tension-packed thriller that explores how easily a life can be destroyed by lies and how hard it is to prove your innocence when everyone wants to believe you're guilty.

Thank you Macmillan Audio or the gifted early listen! The Fall of Iris Henley is out today. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: Could you survive being at the center of a viral rumor?

#audiobookreview #thrillerbooks #yathriller #macaudio2025#thatssohighschool 

Adrift

 

Can we talk about how Drew from Will Dean’s Adrift is one of the most terrifying villains I've encountered? 🚩

He's not a masked killer or a mysterious stranger. He's a husband. A father. And that's what makes this book so chilling.

Will Dean masterfully shows how abuse isolates, manipulates, and traps its victims. Watching Peggy and Samson navigate life under Drew's control was suffocating and heartbreaking. The audiobook narration by Emma Wilkes and Luke R. Francis captured every ounce of tension and desperation perfectly.

Swipe through for the 5 red flags that made Drew absolutely contemptible. 👉

If you love psychological thrillers that feel uncomfortably real, Adrift is a must-read (or listen!).

Thank you @simon.audio for the gifted early listen. Adrift is out now! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: What book villain made YOUR blood boil? 

#thrillerbooks #darkreads#psychologicalthriller #domesticsuspense #audiobookreview 

CW: This book deals with domestic abuse, child abuse, bullying, financial abuse, emotional manipulation, and gaslighting. Please take care if these are sensitive topics for you. 💙

Forget You Saw Her

 

She thought adoption meant safety and happiness. She was wrong.

I flew through Noelle W. Ihli’s Forget You Saw Her in a way that only happens when a story grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go. It’s sharp, emotional, and impossible to read “just one more chapter” of. Ask me how I know.

Sabina made the most painful decision of her life at sixteen: she placed her infant daughter for adoption, believing she was giving her a better future. Seventeen years later, that fragile peace shatters when a detective in Utah contacts her, requesting a DNA sample to help identify the remains of a deceased teenage girl.

That letter changes everything.

Sabina always assumed her daughter grew up with loving parents. Instead, when she arrives in Utah, she uncovers a truth that is far darker than she ever imagined. What follows is a relentless, heart-pounding search for answers—and justice. Sabina is not a passive bystander in her own story. She is determined and willing to tear through every lie put in her path.

The pacing is fast. The tension keeps climbing. Just when you think you’ve found solid ground, Ihli pulls it out from under you with another twist. But what really makes this thriller hit hard is the emotion. This story aches. Sabina’s guilt, hope, rage, and grief pulse through every page.

Themes of motherhood, identity, and the lasting consequences of past choices are woven throughout the narrative. There’s also an unsettling exploration of how systems meant to protect children can fail them. And knowing the story is inspired by a real-life case—one that even has a Netflix documentary—adds another layer.

This is the prequel to Ask for Andrea, but it stands completely on its own. Whether you start here or there, you’re in for an edge-of-your-seat ride.

I buddy-read this one with my librarian friend Cindy, and we both tore through it at record speed. That alone should tell you something.

If you love emotionally charged thrillers, true crime–adjacent stories, and fierce mothers who refuse to back down, put this at the top of your tbr list. This is a book that snaps you out of a reading slump faster than you can turn a page. 

Five stars. No hesitation. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

QOTD: What’s the last book you read that completely wrecked you emotionally?

Five for Friday: Friday the 13th edition

 

It’s Friday the 13th, so naturally I’m thinking about books that felt doomed from the very first page.

You know the ones.

The atmosphere is heavy.

The setting feels hostile.

The tension hums before anything even happens.

These five give out that “oh no… this isn’t going to end well” feeling almost immediately — and you love every minute of it.

Sometimes you don’t need jump scares.

You just need that slow, creeping sense that something is off.

Maybe it’s the day talking, but I’ve always thought there’s something fun about leaning into a little superstition now and then.

QOTD: What’s a superstition you still kind of believe in?

#fridaythe13th

#thrillerbooks

#gothicreads

#bookstagramrecs

#superstitions

They Call Her Regret

 

What if the scariest thing isn’t a monster—but your own regret?

They Call Her Regret by Channelle Desamours is a creepy, smartly layered YA mystery. The audiobook pulls you straight into the uneasy world of high school senior Simone, a sharp, feisty narrator who’s holding far more inside than she lets on.

Simone keeps parts of herself hidden from everyone—her dad, her best friend Kira, even from herself at times. When tragedy strikes, Simone is forced to make a deal that could lead to more tragedy & regret. 

What makes this story work so well is how real the characters feel. The teenage characters sound like actual teenagers—messy, funny, defensive, & vulnerable. That authenticity isn’t an accident. The author teaches high school science & clearly understands how teens talk & think. The dialogue never feels forced or try-hard. 

The atmosphere is where this one really shines. It’s more creeping dread than jump-scare gore. There’s an unsettling undercurrent running through the entire book—an “is this really happening?” kind of chill. Readers who want something scary but not bloody will be right at home here. It’s eerie without tipping into slasher territory.

There are also mysteries layered throughout-some obvious, others simmering in the background. A touch of romance slips in, but never hijacks the story. It adds texture without overwhelming the central tension.

The narration by Kristolyn Lloyd is excellent. She really captures Simone’s mix of confidence & anxiety, and her pacing keeps the tension constant. The eerie moments are scary without being overdone.

This book explores guilt, identity, friendship, & the ripple effects of the choices we make. It asks what regret can do to a person—and whether facing the truth is more terrifying than avoiding it.

I genuinely enjoyed this one. If you’re looking for a book that delivers chills without buckets of blood, this is an easy recommendation. Just don’t be surprised if every doll suddenly looks suspicious.

Thanks Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen. Out 2/17 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: Do you prefer your scary reads creepy and atmospheric or full-on slasher?

#yathriller #yafiction

#creepyreads #macaudio2025 

#bookstagram

About the Author 

Channelle Desamours is a high school science teacher from Atlanta, Georgia who loves writing tales about magical Black girls. When she’s not napping to recover from her five a.m. writing sessions, she can be found building tiny homes on The Sims 4 or tending to her house plants. Needy Little Things is her debut novel.