If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember me going down the rabbit hole last month and binge-reading a whole bunch of psychological suspense novels by an author named Freida McFadden. I dove into Freidaβs buzzy suspense novel THE HOUSEMAID earlier this summer on a whimβand quickly found myself hooked on the authorβs deliciously binge-worthy popcorn thrillers. My August 2022 reading list ended up being dominated by Freida McFadden books, and I realized itβs about time I documented my journey with her work so far! The next time I find myself falling into a reading slump and just need something lighter and binge-worthy to pull me out of it, I can almost guarantee Iβll be turning to a Freida McFadden book for the perfect βpopcorn readβ solution. Without further ado: read on for my ranking of the Freida McFadden thrillers Iβve read so far!
Read MoreRanking Freida McFadden Thrillers
CBTB'S RECOMMENDED "POPCORN THRILLERS"
We all know how much I love a dark, disturbing crime novelβbut sometimes, even I need something lighter and more escapist. Enter what I like to call βpopcorn thrillers.β Binge-worthy as a bowl of popcorn and brimming with as much entertainment value as your favorite movie, a βpopcorn thrillerβ is one of those irresistible, lighter suspense novels that make for the perfect escapist, one-sitting read. This is an entirely arbitrary category of thriller, but itβs one that youβve probably heard me refer to a lot here on CBTBβand itβs a category that (based on conversations Iβve had with folks in this community!) so many of you seem to really enjoy. Todayβs blog post is exactly what its title says: a place for me to collect my recommendations for βpopcorn thrillers,β and a resource for you to return to when youβre looking for your next read in this category! Iβm keeping this blog post simple: there arenβt any bells & whistles here, simply a running list of βpopcorn thrillersβ that I personally love. Under each bookβs listing, youβll find the publisher-provided descriptive copy for the book, and a buy link so you can check it out for yourself.
Read MoreBook Review: SHIVER by Allie Reynolds
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of spending my Sunday doing just about nothing aside from reading. My book of choice? SHIVER by Allie Reynolds, a compulsively readable, superbly entertaining locked-room mystery perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley. SHIVER is pure βpopcorn readingβ material: lighter on violence but heavy on entertainment value, this engaging, relentlessly suspenseful mystery begs to be devoured in one or two sittings. In SHIVER, readers travel to the French Alps, where a group of friends are arriving for a reunion. Ten years ago, the group met while training for a snowboarding competition. That fateful winter, things took a tragic turn, and one of their own went missing. Fast forward ten years, and each member of the group has tried to move onβ¦ but this reunion is poised to bring old tensions, rivalries, and secrets back into the light. As the group settles into the resort where their reunion weekend is set to take place, they discover that things arenβt quite right. The resort is abandoned, with not a soul in sight. Then their phones go missing. And when they discover that the person they each believed invited them on this trip didnβt actually plan this getaway, things take a dark and deadly turn. Who called this group together? And who is behind the increasingly sinister events of the trip? Moving between present-day locked room mystery and flashback chapters that illuminate the dynamics and relationships between our central cast of characters, SHIVER is deliciously readable and delightfully chilling mystery fun. This book thoroughly exceeded my expectations and left me wishing it were even longer, just so I could spend more time with its engaging, endearing characters. SHIVER had me, the least-athletic person I know, ready to throw it all away and move to the mountains to take up snowboarding. If thatβs not saying something, I donβt know what is. Readers who love the modern-day locked room mysteries of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley wonβt want to miss Allie Reynoldsβ chilling debut.
Read More