I’m not sure when it happened, but with my reading I’ve seemed to have made the switch from “romantasy” (romance fantasy) back to thrillers again. I’ve always loved a good mystery and appreciate a well-thought out twist, so it’s not the most surprising trend!

March’s reads included four thriller/psychological suspense novels (some of which were SUPER disturbing) and two non-fiction picks:

• The Maid’s Diary by Loreth Anne White
• Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian
• The Brain’s Way of Healing by Norman Doidge, MD
• Dear Child by Romy Hausmann
• Raise Your Game by Alan Stein, Jr.
• The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

Let’s get into the reviews!

The Maid’s Diary by Loreth Anne White

Kit Darling is a self-admitted snoop. She works as a house cleaner and has a bad habit of going through her clients belongings. But when she’s assigned to clean the home of a former Olympic skier, things go downhill quickly. She knows she should quit, but she doesn’t want his secrets to stay secret any longer.

The ending of this one gets quite elaborate! I’m not sure if you can have too many twists, but this was getting close.

Rating: 7/10

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian

Chloe Sevre is one of a small group of students taking part in a study at a university in the Washington D.C. area in exchange for free college tuition. Only the study isn’t what you would expect. It’s a study on psychopaths. And Chloe isn’t there for the money, she’s there to get revenge on a fellow student, Will. But as she stalks Will, it becomes clear that someone is stalking (and killing) the study participants. Can this small group trust each other enough to work together to catch the killer?

This novel had a very interesting world of characters, but I felt like there was a lot of waiting around and researching, which didn’t always make for the most exciting reading.

Rating: 7/10

The Brain’s Way of Healing by Norman Doidge, MD

This was an interesting read if you enjoy neuroscience and related studies! (Otherwise, it’s quite long and detailed).

Dr. Doidge looks at various health conditions, like Parkinson’s, and dives into new treatment options using the power of neuroplasticity. It’s basically the idea that you change how your brain functions through hard work, consistency, music/sound, light and more. Some of the stories felt almost unbelievable! The brain really is an amazing thing.

Rating: 7/10

Dear Child by Romy Hausmann

After being forced to play family with her abductor and his kids, a woman finally makes a break for it, only to be hit by a passing car. She wakes up in the hospital with only vague memories. Meanwhile, a set of parents have been hoping for answers years after their daughter, Lena, suddenly disappeared. When they get the news that a woman is claiming to be Lena, they rush to the hospital. That’s where things get confusing. This woman definitely isn’t their daughter. The truth slowly comes out.

I won’t give any spoilers, but this story didn’t go the way that I had expected it to.

Rating: 7.5/10

Raise Your Game by Alan Stein Jr

This was very sports-centric, but I enjoyed it!

Alan Stein breaks down what makes top leaders in sports and business so successful and how you can use their strategies in your own life when it comes to managing yourself, managing others, and working as a team.

Like a lot of self-help books, there are familiar themes of hard work and consistency, but it always nice to hear it with new stories and a fresh take.

Rating: 8/10

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

This book was deeply unsettling and stressful!

“Rachel” was kidnapped by a serial killer who locks her up in his shed for years. But when his wife dies, he’s forced to sell the house and move Rachel to a new location. To hide his secret life from his daughter, he pretends that Rachel is a friend who has hit some hard times and needs a room to rent in their new house. After five years in captivity, Rachel is afraid and plays along. Slowly, she begins to plot her escape.

So, I’ve seen some reviews describing the story as slow, and I agree that it is. However, I think the pacing fits the story perfectly and allows the stress and tension to really build. It also had a slight literary feel to me similar to the vibes in Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka (my review is here), but I liked this one better.

Review: 8/10

Want more book reviews? Check out what I read in February 2024!

As always, I want to know what YOU are reading. Leave a comment below with some of your recent favorites.