UNDER THIS RED ROCK By Mindy McGinnis

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

UNDER THIS RED ROCK By Mindy McGinnisUnder This Red Rock by Mindy McGinnis
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 3/19/24
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 331
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Neely’s monsters don’t always follow her rules, so when the little girl under her bed, the man in her closet, and the disembodied voice that shadows her every move become louder, she knows she’s in trouble. With a history of mental illness in her family and the suicide of her older brother heavy on her mind, Neely takes a job as a tour guide in the one place her monsters can’t follow—the caverns. There . . . she meets Mila. Mila is everything Neely isn’t—beautiful, strong, and confident. As the two become closer, Neely’s innocent crush grows into something more. When a midnight staff party exposes Neely to drugs, she follows Mila’s lead . . . only to have her hallucinations escalate.

When Mila is found brutally murdered in the caverns, Neely has to admit that her memories of that night are vague at best. With her monsters now out in the open and her grip on reality slipping, Neely must figure out who killed Mila . . . and face the possibility that it might have been her.

Short and Sweet Review

Neely has monsters and they don’t always follow her rules. There’s a history of mental illness in her family and she recently lost her older brother Lance to suicide. Neely decides to get a first job where her monsters won’t follow her, so she becomes a tour guide at the caverns. At the caverns she meets Mila who seems to understand her and give her a chance. When the employees have a staff party to get to know each other. Neely ends up trying drugs and her hallucinations seem to go from 0-100. When the staff comes back after the weekend Mila is found dead and Neely has no idea what happened or if she was even the cause of it.

Let me start by saying mental health is really important and our main character Neely is suffering from something that I can’t diagnose but I can tell you guys that she hears multiple different voices in her head, from the girl under her bed to the guy in her closet. It was interesting to see how Neely would deal with this and honestly she would just go with it and have conversations with these voices so she looked crazy to everyone around her especially her coworkers. I think because its a small town and people knew about her brothers suicide it didn’t make it any better that she would be in public having conversations with herself and doing different voices. Neely lives with her grandparents and they know something isn’t quite right with her but I wish they would have gotten her help sooner. I also think because Neely has been so isolated she doesn’t have great social skills so when she does start asking people questions about Mila’s murder she’s not so tactful. The setting of the caverns were pretty cool and I liked that Neely was somewhat okay while she was there. It’s there that she meets Mila and eventually gets a crush on her. I think on Neely’s side it was more of a crush and in her head it could go places but Mila really just saw their interactions as friendship. When Mila dies Neely kind of spirals and I think people take the fact that there’s something wrong with her to pin the murder on her. I think because of this we have a narrator we don’t know if we could trust or not which I liked because we have to think about what could have happened in the caverns that night.

Under This Red Rock, was a great book. I liked McGinnis’s portrayal of mental health and the plot of this book. Neely is a character you want to root for but there’s also seeds of doubt that make you question her. I definitely recommend this book, it was a unique and a captivating read!

A LONG STRETCH OF BAD DAYS By Mindy McGinnis

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A LONG STRETCH OF BAD DAYS By Mindy McGinnisA Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 3/14/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 366
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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A lifetime of hard work has put Lydia Chass on track to attend a prestigious journalism program and leave Henley behind—until a school error leaves her a credit short of graduating.

Bristal Jamison has a bad reputation and a foul mouth, but she also needs one more credit to graduate. An unexpected partnership forms as the two remake Lydia’s town history podcast to investigate the Long Stretch of Bad Days—a week when Henley was hit by a tornado, a flash food, as well as its first, only, and unsolved murder.

As their investigation unearths buried secrets, some don’t want them to see the light. When the threats escalate, the girls have to uncover the truth before the dark history of Henley catches up with them.

Short and Sweet Review

Lydia Cass has worked hard her whole life to be able to get into a prestigious journalism program and leave her small town of Henley behind, but that plan comes to a halt when an error at the school leaves Lydia one credit short of graduating. The school offers Lydia a chance to do a project and she decides to use this as a chance to cover the Long Stretch of Bad Days, which was a time in Henley where there was a tornado, a flash flood, and the town’s only murder. Lydia knows she needs to jazz up her regularly straight laced podcast so she recruits Bristal Jamison to help her especially since Bristal is in the same predicament as Lydia. The more Bristal and Lydia dig the more they realize the town has dark secrets that they don’t want coming out and maybe some things are better left swept under the rug.

This book works and I think it was the characters that really brought it to another level, Lydia and Bristal are polar opposites, but the more we read we see that Lydia is more like Bristal than she would like to admit. Lydia is a rule follower and likes things to be a certain way so when she decides to do the podcast in a way that could upset the town her parents are worried. It doesn’t help that her dad is a defense lawyer who just took on a case people are pretty upset about, so when the threats start rolling in they don’t know if they’re for Lydia or her dad. Bristal is a Jamison and they have quite the reputation in town. Bristal is rough around the edges but she honestly has a good heart and I loved her dialogue because she was mostly the comedic relief. When Bristal and Lydia team up they start doing some research and find out that during that time of the tornado not all of the missing people were found and this is what really gets the wheels turning. So now we have a missing person, a murder, and maybe some treasure. The girls are good at finding people in town who would remember important things about that time, but they also have to be careful not to ruffle any feathers. This is a small town and like most towns this one has its far share of dark secrets and watching them get revealed was so satisfying. I did appreciate the clips of the podcast that we got to read and see what exactly the girls were saying to piss everyone in town off. I will say the ending made my jaw drop but it was so well executed.

A Long Stretch of Bad Days was amazing, its probably one of my favorites for the year of 2023. The way Lydia and Bristal were able to bounce off of each other and have such an easy way of conversing, I loved it. The plot was captivating and will really keep you reading from the first page until the very end. Definitely pick this book up and enter the town of Henley where the Long Stretch of Bad Days was actually more than anyone bargained for.

THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES By Mindy McGinnis

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES By Mindy McGinnisThe Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 9/20/16
Genres: Contemporary, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 348
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.

Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence.

While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.

As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

Short and Sweet Review

Alex Craft is known as the girl who has a dead older sister. Alex’s sister Anna was murdered and the killer walk free and that’s when Alex learned how to kill somebody and she doesn’t feel bad about knowing this. Alex’s crime has gone unpunished but she knows she can’t be trusted around other people, but eventually she becomes friends with Jack the star athlete and Peekay the preachers kid. Over time more of Alex’s violent nature comes out and it sets these three teens down a road they never thought they’d be on.

When I first started reading this book I wasn’t really sure what to expect but I liked each of these characters. We get to read from the POVs of Alex, Jack, and Peekay. Alex is different from a lot of characters I’ve read before, she’s smart and she hasn’t had a lot of human interaction so she’s a bit awkward but in an endearing way. Alex’s violent nature is one that could be compared to an animal in the wild, if she feels threatened or if she feels that her friends are in danger she’ll attack. Peekay is the preachers kid and she meets Alex at the animal shelter and they become friends, Peekay is caring and she is good but sometimes she wants to be bad, and that’s where Alex usually brings her back to Earth. Jack likes Alex but he’s a typical teenage boy and he sometimes thinks with other extremities instead of his head.

We see Alex act on her violent nature a few times and it throws people off about how casual she is about it, on one hand people are for it and the other people are concerned about what else she could do. There’s a lot of tough topics discussed in this book and a lot of stereotypes that are tackled. I enjoyed this book and the ending is one that is bittersweet but I get it.

This book was powerful and one I’ll think about for a long time, its just so fascinating and a book I recommend!

THE LAST LAUGH By Mindy McGinnis

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE LAST LAUGH By Mindy McGinnisThe Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis
Series: The Initial Insult #2
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 3/15/22
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 382
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Tress Montor murdered Felicity Turnado—but she might not have to live with the guilt for long. With an infected arm held together by duct tape, the panther who clawed her open on the loose, and the whole town on the hunt for the lost homecoming queen, the odds are stacked against Tress. As her mind slides deeper into delirium, Tress is haunted by the growing sound of Felicity’s heartbeat pulsing from the “best friend” charm around her fevered neck.

Ribbit Usher has been a punchline his whole life—from his nickname to his latest turn as the unwitting star of a humiliating viral video. In the past he’s willingly played the fool, but now it’s time to fulfill his destiny. That means saving the girl, so that Felicity can take her place at his side and Ribbit can exact revenge on all who have done him wrong—which includes his cousin, Tress. Ribbit is held by a pact he made with his mother long ago, a pact that must be delivered upon in four days.

With time ticking down and an enemy she considers a friend lurking in the shadows, Tress’s grip on reality is failing. Can she keep both mind and body together long enough to finally find out what happened to her parents?

The Last Laugh picks up right where the Initial Insult left off. Tress just finished leaving Felicity behind a brick wall and walked away leaving her to die. But now Tress is starting to feel guilty but if the guilt doesn’t eat away at her, the infection in her arm will. The only thing Tress cares about before the infection takes her is finding out what happened to her parents. Ribbit Usher Tress’s cousin has been in a humiliating video that gives him his 15 minutes of fame but he’s tired of being the butt of everyones jokes. Ribbit plans on finding Felicity and having her be his and then exacting on everyone who has done him wrong including Tress.

In the Last Laugh we get the POVs of Tress, Ribbit, and Rue (the orangutan). I liked Tress’s POV the most the girl is on a mission and some how not dead even with the infection in her arm giving her fevers and hallucinations. Ribbit on the other hand is a momma’s boy he’ll do anything to please her and he plans on doing exactly that in four days. Honestly Ribbit is messed up in the head he may not show it often but the kid is off his rocker. Rue’s POV I feel like was unnecessary it just felt like nonsense.

I enjoyed this book more than the first book mainly because there’s a lot more at stake for the characters. Tress is doing a little digging on what happened to her parents and she learns more than she bargained for and there’s still the panther running around town that she has to take care of. Ribbit plans on doing something he should have done years ago. This book was just crazy but it worked and it added a level of intensity. I didn’t like Tress in the first book but in this one I was definitely rooting for her.

The Last Laugh was hard to put down and it delivered. I didn’t know what to expect from this sequel but it was amazing! Check out this duology if you’re into darker YA reads!

THE INITIAL INSULT By Mindy McGinnis

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE INITIAL INSULT By Mindy McGinnisThe Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis
Series: The Initial Insult #1
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 2/23/21
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Tress Montor’s family used to mean something—until she didn’t have a family anymore. When her parents disappeared seven years ago while driving her best friend home, Tress lost everything. The entire town shuns her now that she lives with her drunken, one-eyed grandfather at what locals refer to as the “White Trash Zoo.”

Felicity Turnado has it all: looks, money, and a secret. One misstep could send her tumbling from the top of the social ladder, and she’s worked hard to make everyone forget that she was with the Montors the night they disappeared. Felicity has buried what she knows so deeply that she can’t even remember what it is . . . only that she can’t look at Tress without feeling shame and guilt.

But Tress has a plan. A Halloween costume party at an abandoned house provides the ideal situation for Tress to pry the truth from Felicity—brick by brick—as she slowly seals her former best friend into a coal chute. Tress will have her answers—or settle for revenge.

Short and Sweet Review

In Amontillado, Ohio, your last name means more than how much money you have. Tress Montor used to be important until her parents mysteriously disappeared while driving her best friend, Felicity home. Now Tress lives with her grandfather Cecil at his trailer with a wild animal attraction in the back that the townsfolk like to call “White Trash Zoo.” No one knows what happened the night Tress’s parents disappeared and Tress knows that the only person who would have answers is Felicity. So at a party Tress gets Felicity to go with her into the basement and Tress ambushes her and puts her in a coal chute, because Tress will get the answers she wants even if it means sealing Felicity behind a wall.

Tress and Felicity are our main characters. They used to be best friends but after the night Tress’s parents went missing things changed. After their friendship ended Tress is more worried about making it, her life with Cecil is way different than how it was with her parents. Tress ends up taking care of the animals, struggling with money, and sells drugs to the other teens. Felicity on the other hand has the looks and the money and she has to keep her social standing, but she also has a secret she keeps from everybody. We get both of these girls point of views and the point of view from the panther that escaped from the zoo (I’ll get into that later.)

So this book is a retelling of a Edgar Allen Poe story, and they both have interesting plots which is what drew me in. Tress wants answers and revenge and she’ll get them. You can tell that Felicity still cares about Tress and that’s probably why she was so trusting and met her in the basement. Tress also has some fond memories of when her and Felicity were friends but she also has somethings that she wasn’t so happy with. We get flashbacks from different points in the girls lives from the night Tress’s parents went missing, to when they first met, basically flashbacks from elementary school to high school. I’m glad we get both of the girls point of views because some things aren’t as they seem. There wasn’t one perspective I liked more than the other mainly because I wanted to know what happened so that kept me flipping pages. But there is one POV that I thought was totally unnecessary and it was of the Panther that escaped. Why did we even need it? It was strange and I feel like the book would have been fine with out it. We learn that the Panther escaped from the zoo and now its somewhere around town and funny enough it also ends up at the party and is talking about the kids in its weird POV.

I enjoyed this book. I felt like the ending left me wanting more so I’m interested to see what’s going to happen in the next book especially because this is a duology. Seeing Tress and Felicity go back and forth and slowly unraveling the events that happened seven years ago will have you hooked and invested in the mystery, it also gave a lot of background on how they got to where they are now. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat! Pick it up and get sucked into Amontillado!

THIS DARKNESS MINE By Mindy McGinnis

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THIS DARKNESS MINE By Mindy McGinnisThis Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 10/10/17
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Sasha Stone knows her place—first-chair clarinet, top of her class, and at the side of her Oxford-wearing boyfriend. She’s worked her entire life to ensure her path to Oberlin Conservatory as a star musician is perfectly paved.

But suddenly there’s a fork in the road in the shape of Isaac Harver. Her body shifts toward him when he walks by, and her skin misses his touch even though she’s never known it. Why does he act like he knows her so well—too well—when she doesn’t know him at all?

Sasha discovers that her by-the-book life began by ending the chapter of another: the twin sister she absorbed in the womb. But that doesn’t explain the gaps of missing time in her practice schedule, or the memories she has of things she certainly never did with Isaac.

Armed with the knowledge that her heart might not be hers alone, Sasha must decide what she’s willing to do—and who she’s willing to hurt—to take it back.


Short and Sweet Review

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My reaction after finishing this book, I literally had to calm myself down. This was not a good book, I will repeat This Darkness Mine was not good at all. I just don’t even know where to start with all of the problems I had but first I will just give you guys a synopsis of the book. Our main character is Sasha Stone, Sasha is a good girl, she’s on track to be valedictorian, she’s first chair and loves to play her clarinet, she has no time for nonsense. So when Sasha can’t remember giving her number to Issac or even going out with him at 3 in the morning she starts to get concerned. Then Sasha learns that her would be twin was absorbed in the womb by her and the only thing from the twin that survived is her heart which now lives on in Sasha. We come to learn that Sasha’s twin would have been named Shanna, and Shanna wants to come out to play and she wants to be bad, she wants to do what she wants and doesn’t care who she hurts in the process. So now that we learn all of this I initially was excited to read this book because I wanted to know what was wrong with Sasha and why she didn’t remember what she was doing and these chunks of time that were missing from her memory. It felt like it’d be a kind of set up for a mystery and then we come to find out about the twin she absorbed in the womb and then I was like okay so which twin is going to win the one thats controlling the heart or the one who’s controlling the brain? There’s also some scenes with Shanna communicating with Sasha and we see how angry Shanna is about being suppressed for the past 17 years. Now my biggest problem with this book was I honestly ugh, I don’t want to spoil anything but I feel like Shanna was an excuse for Sasha to act out, you know? Like, “Oh it wasn’t me acting out and throwing a fit it was my evil twin.” The problem with this was Sasha legit used this as an excuse every time she did something bad and at first I believed her, like could the twin she absorbed really have this much power? And the more we read I feel like the answer is absolutely not! I feel like Sasha just had some issues that she wasn’t dealing with properly. I felt bad for the other characters in this book that had to deal with her, especially Issac, she was definitely playing with that poor guys emotions. She would hang out with him and be like oh its not me Sasha who wants you its Shanna, and it was just like wow you’re really messing with this guys emotions with this nonsense. Honestly half way through the book theres an accident and I felt unnecessary to the plot or maybe it was because then we really learn how crazy this whole Sasha Shanna deal is. I just feel like things went to far in this book, Sasha/Shanna didn’t care who got hurt whenever they pulled one of their crazy antics and Sasha is cold blooded and mean even to the people closest to her, Sasha Stone is not a good person. I definitely would not recommend this book mainly because it mad me so mad especially the ending I feel like things just could have been executed better.

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