snugglesandpages's reviews
246 reviews

"𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧?"...
"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙?"

I know we are only in April, but Dark Mode is by far the best book I've read this year. Seriously, if this isn't on your radar yet, it needs to be!! 

I read 90% of this book in a day. Every time I put it down to do something, the scenes played out in my mind and I found myself gravitating back to it. 

From the first page to the last, this book had me in a chokehold. It's dark, eerily confronting and oh so f*cking possible, I had literal chills. I think I can count on one hand the number of books that have made me feel that way. 

Young Reagan could have been any one of us. As a teenage girl in the 00s, my friends and I would constantly chat with strangers online. MSN Messenger, ICQ, mIRC.. gosh just how young and fearless we were. Funny thing is, even back then we used to be obsessed with crime docos on Foxtel, yet failed to heed the warnings of our online escapades thinking stalkers and serial killers only existed in movies or in America 🫣. 

But now... Now the world is so much darker and more violent. Now our entire lives can be tracked online. Where every other month some company we trust with our private information gets hacked or held for ransom, sold to sickos who sit behind their screens on the dark web plotting unspeakable things. 

That's what makes this book so frightening... 
The reality of it all. 

Dark Mode will undoubtedly unnerve you, but it will also satisfy the inner creeper who loves reading unsettling books about stalkers and serial killer, like me. 😂

The Hike is a tense and atmospheric destination thriller that will keep you flicking through the pages with hightened anticipation. 

📖 Liz, Helena, Maggie and Joni have been best friends since middle school. Now in their 30s and each with their own secrets, they emarke on their annual girls trip. Only this time, Liz insists on foregoing their usual sandy beaches to lead them on a Hike up the Norweigan mountains. A route with no phone reception and where a year ago, a young women mysteriously went missing. Emotions run high and friendships are tested when they are thrown off track and stumble upon something they shouldn't have, leading them up the mountain with a killer on their trail. 

🏔️ 🥾

💭 Thoughts:
I loved the multiple POVs from each of the women. They were well thought out and provided the right amount of background and character development to invest in each of their internal struggles. 

The Hike had me completely captivated with its short chapters and a creepy isolated setting. I've never been hiking before and now I probably never will. 🫣 The tension really builds towards the last third of the book, when a vicious storm rolls in, directing the story down more of an action/survival path. While one of the main reveals wasn't all that shocking to me, there were plenty of other twists that raised my eyebrows, and an ending that I did not predict. 😱
 
Thank you to @harpercollinsau for an ARC copy of The Hike, which is available now!

Dying to know kicks off with a pulse racing prologue that will keep you turning the pages with utter compulsion.

📖12 years after her sisters (Amber) disappearance, Geneva is doing all she can to support Hugh in raising her niece and nephew. When the search for Amber comes to a heartbreaking end, Gen refuses to give up without answers. Now her reignited determination and misguided guilt has her risking it all to find out the truth.

💭 Thoughts:
Dying to Know is a well paced crime thriller set in Sydney with plenty of family drama, lies and corruption. I also found the bikey elements to be an interesting addition to the plot, and not something I've read much about in the past.

I really liked Gen, our kickass MC who isn't afraid to jump into a dangerous situation if it means getting the intel she needs. Her undying devotion to her sister's children and the romantic subplot will have you rooting for her to succeed.

Thank you to @harpercollinsaustralia for an ARC copy of Dying to Know, available NOW!

• 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 | The Wedding Crasher
By:  Mia Sosa
Genre: Romance
Pub: April 2022
Rating: 4 / 5  ★★★★

"𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄'𝙢 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣. 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙙𝙤."

>>swipe for blurb>> 

As the followup to The Worst Best Man, the side story of Solange and Dean is just as juicey as Lina and Max's. 

Read if you
- Fake Dating 
- Opposites Attract 
- One Bed
- Dual POV 
- POC representation 

Fake dating is one of my fav romance tropes. 
Solange is holding out for real love, and Dean declares he will never fall in love. This makes for some great sexual tension between the two as they get to know eachother. 

I loved that there was more of a family dynamic in this one with hilarious telanovea vibes. Solange's extended family make for great entertainment and I kept picturing a Jane the Virgin style if the series ever made it to the silver screen. (The first book has been picked up for a movie)

Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me an ARC back last year, sorry it too soon long! So many books, so little time! 

"𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜"

Her Greatest Mistake is April's pick for our grpup buddy read, but I rushed through this one over a few sittings way before most of my ladies even started, and I ain't sorry about it! 🤣

This one has a bit of all! 
🫶 Childhood Best Friends
🫶 Second Chance
🫶 Friends to Enemies to Lovers 
🫶 Fake Dating 
🫶 Hockey Romance
🫶 Spiceeeee 🔥
🫶 Doggies 🐕

I definitely have a thing for Hockey Romances. Maddox Hutton is as swoony as they come, but honestly, I adored our FMC Braxton. Self professed 'chubby' girl (yes give me more of this rep pls) she's got snark and isn't afraid to speak her mind. Oh and did I mention she is a Vet! 🥰 So if you're a dog lover, then you will feel right at home with this one 🐕 

I loved the storyline and the fact there was no third act breakup or eye rolling drama. The Soulmate energy between Braxton and Hutton will melt your heart and the sexual tension was off the charts 🔥

Her Greatest Mistake is a second generation series, and based on some of the appearancea of Maddox's dad, Oakley I am without a doubt reading that series next!

So if you can't tell, this is an absolute M͎U͎S͎T͎ read if you loved "Icebreaker" or hockey/sports romances in general and is available on #KindleUnlimited to binge read NOW! 

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙. 𝙉𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚."

I went into this one completely blind on the instance of a friend, and while I had mixed feelings about it for the first third, I came around and ended up really enjoying it. 

Similarly, Knox was not my cup of tea in the beginning. His obnoxious and instantly obsessive alpha male energy just did not float my boat. But as the story unfolded and Naomi breaks through Knox's hard exterior, I started to warm up to him. 

I think my favourite aspect of this book was the character development and relationship between Naomi and Waylay. I also really liked that there was a suspense element as well, even if the whole evil twin sister situation was a little eye-rolly.

Overall it was a heartfelt and layered read, but at nearly 600 pages, perhaps a tad on the long side. Though I am looking forward to reading the second in the series, Things We Hide From The Light, hopefully, this month. 

𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙛, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙬. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚."

The Soulmate is another Sally Hepworth banger, filled with chaotic domestic suspense, a side of humour and cleverly plotted twists. But that's not all, Sally handles topics such as mental illness, and infidelity by highlighting the impact it has on those closest in a tender way.

There is a reason Sally is an auto-buy author for me. She has nailed the formular of bringing out the dark and fractured reality of the everyday person in ways that just resonate. 

I loved the multipule POV on this one. Having chapters narrated Amanda was very unique and kept me reading to find out what secrets she would unvail. 

The Soulmate was one of March's Thriller picks for our Book Club and I enjoyed reading it along side some of my faves 🤍