Fun City Heist

 

What if your last encore… was a crime? 

I’m a sucker for a good heist novel. And Fun City Heist by Michael Kardos really delivers.

Mo used to be the drummer in a high school rock band that kind of made it. When the band imploded, so did Mo’s momentum. Years later, he’s coasting. He’s renting beach chairs & umbrellas to tourists, while his drumsticks are long retired. It’s not a bad life. It’s just stalled.

Then his old bandmate Johnny blows back into town with devastating news. Johnny’s been diagnosed with ALS. He has one last wish—to reunite the band for a 4th of July show at Fun City, the boardwalk amusement park where it all began.

And Johnny has another idea. While the band plays their big comeback gig, they’ll rob the park.

What makes this story work isn’t just the caper (though the planning and execution are half the fun). It’s the heart underneath it. Mo’s evolving relationship with his teenage daughter Janice is a tender thread running through the book. As the heist plan ramps up, so does his chance to finally show up for her. That emotional undercurrent gives the story depth. 

I really enjoyed the offbeat humor and the brisk pacing. The nostalgia for teenage dreams and boardwalk summers is palpable, but it never gets too syrupy. The characters are a little flawed and messy, but I was  rooting for them all the way. Fun City Heist is a summer read with a rebellious streak.

Rock on. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: what band or singer would you love to see in concert? 

#funcityheist #michaelkardos #heistnovel #crimefictionlover #summerreading

About the Author

Michael Kardos is the Pushcart Prize-winning author of four previous novels, including Fun City Heist andBluff, as well as the story collections Quick Change and One Last Good Time. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he co-directed the creative writing program at Mississippi State University for over a dozen years before moving with his family to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

February Wrap Up

 

I read 12 books in February — and two of them made me consider lowering my standards.

Kidding. (Mostly.)

Overall, this was a strong reading month. Nine solid four-star reads, one five-star knockout, and two that just… didn’t hit the way I hoped.

Let’s start with the standout:

⭐ Adrift — the only five-star of the month.

Claustrophobic, brutal, and completely absorbing. I was tense the entire time. This one earned its place at the top.

The steady four-star stack? They’re impressive and really good. It was mix of that kept me entertained and turning pages. No regrets there.

And then the two three-stars:

They weren’t bad. They just weren’t memorable.

One was heavier than I expected.

One had a premise I loved but didn’t fully deliver for me.

I’m a generous reader. If I’m not enjoying something, I usually stop reading. So if it made it to the finish line, there was something there.

Still… not every book can be the one that takes over your brain.

February stats:

📚 12 books

🎧 6 audiobooks

📱 5 ebooks

📖 1 print 

⭐ Average rating: 4 stars

Overall verdict? A good month, but I’m greedy. I always want more five-star magic.

QOTD:

Did you have a book this month that should have been amazing but just wasn’t?

#mysterybooks #thrillerreads

#audiobooklover #bookwrapup

#februaryreads 

Thriller Tropes I’ll Never Get Tired

 

I know these tropes are everywhere, but I just never get tired of them. 

There's something about a good unreliable narrator or an isolated setting that just WORKS. And don't even get me on the reluctant hero-a character who doesn’t want to get involved but steps up anyway. 

What about you? What thriller trope is your favorite? Are there any you're completely sick of?

#thrillertropes

#fiveforfriday

#mysteryandthriller

#bookstagramcommunity

#darkandtwisty

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. 💙