WE ALL FALL DOWN By Natalie D. Richards

July 21, 2022 by Leave a Comment

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.

WE ALL FALL DOWN By Natalie D. RichardsWe All Fall Down by Natalie D. Richards
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 10/3/17
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Theo's always been impulsive. But telling Paige how he feels? He's obsessed over that decision. And it's time. Tonight. At the party on the riverbank, under the old walking bridge, site of so many tales of love and death.

Paige has had a crush on Theo since they first met, but she knows her feelings are one-sided. She's trying to move on, to flirt. A party at the river is just what she needs. Except a fight breaks out, and when Paige tries to intervene―Theo's fist lands in her face.

All Theo and Paige want to do is forget that fateful night. But strange events keep drawing them back to the bridge. Someone, something is determined to make them remember...and pay for what they each did.

Sweet and Short Review

Theo and Paige used to be best friends until there was a physical assault at a party and then they went their separate ways. Now Paige is taking a college course checking water sources and Theo is working with his uncle on the bridge where the altercation took place, Theo and Paige cross paths and now they’re both being haunted by memories of that night.

This book was a hot mess like I don’t even have words to describe how ridiculous this book is. Theo and Paige both have something going on, he has ADHD and Paige has severe anxiety and she sleep walks and they both blame these things on why they’re hearing things on the bridge. Paige and Theo both like each other but Theo is basically forced to stay away and Paige just makes things awkward by always bring up how bad they are for each other and she does it every time they’re around each other and it gets pretty old. Eventually Theo meets a kid Gabriel who seems to know about the bridge and who can try to help him figure out why he’s hearing. fragments of the argument from the night he got in the fight at the party. At this point Paige is losing her grip on reality and Theo just wants to believe what he wants so Gabriels input is basically irrelevant. The ending was welcome because I didn’t know how much more I could take. The explanation of the haunting made absolutely no sense. It would have been better if it was just a haunted bridge and the two characters had to figure out what happened, but no apparently Paige just carries around so much bad energy that she feeds the bridge its power to haunt people. That would have made more sense maybe if Paige was into voodoo but no she’s just a girl with bad vibes. Wouldn’t recommend this book and I’m just glad I don’t have to look back because these characters offer nothing but one more hummingbird in the cuckoo’s nest vibes and the haunted bridge plot didn’t work.

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SEVEN DIRTY SECRETS By Natalie D. Richards

July 16, 2022 by Leave a Comment

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.

SEVEN DIRTY SECRETS By Natalie D. RichardsSeven Dirty Secrets by Natalie D. Richards
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 11/2/21
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 267
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

I know seven dirty secrets:

One caused the fall. One did nothing. One saw it all.

One didn't care. One used their head. One played the hero.

One was left for dead.

On her eighteenth birthday, Cleo receives a mysterious invitation to a scavenger hunt. She's sure her best friend Hope or her brother Connor is behind it, but no one confesses. And as Cleo and Hope embark on the hunt, the seemingly random locations and clues begin to feel familiar.

In fact, all of the clues seem to be about Cleo's dead boyfriend, Declan, who drowned on a group rafting trip exactly a year ago. A bracelet she bought him. A song he loved. A photo of the rafting group, taken just before Declan drowned. And then the phone calls start, Declan's voice taunting Cleo with a cryptic question: You ready?

As the clock on the scavenger hunt ticks down, it becomes clear that someone knows what really happened to Declan. And that person will stop at nothing to make sure Cleo and her friends pay. Can they solve the hunt before someone else winds up dead?

Short and Sweet Review

Last year on Cleo’s 17th birthday her and a group of friends went on a rafting trip where her ex-boyfriend Declan drowned. This year on Cleo’s 18th birthday someone sends her a scavenger hunt which insinuates that someone knows that something more happened on that trip than Cleo and her friends are admitting.

The book starts off on Cleo’s 18th birthday and she discovers a mysterious gift that none of her friends have given her and in the gift is clues it’s basically a long scavenger hunt. This scavenger hunt sets Cleo on edge because the clues are places that were important to her and Declan. We see flashbacks and learn a lot about Cleo and Declan’s relationship, unfortunately there was domestic violence. It was interesting to see Cleo and her friend Hope follow the clues and try to figure out who could be behind everything. This book reminded me of I Know What You Did Last Summer, where someone dies and someone saw and wants revenge. Cleo was an okay character she was kind of naive, but I did like how determined she was to solve the mystery and keep her friends safe.

This book was okay it was kind of predictable and Cleo found herself in some dangerous situations. The ending was okay everything was wrapped up and explained and it really did remind me of the book I Know What You Did Last Summer, there were a lot of similarities.

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FIVE TOTAL STRANGERS By Natalie D. Richards

September 30, 2020 by Leave a Comment

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.

FIVE TOTAL STRANGERS By Natalie D. RichardsFive Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 10/6/20
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Mira needs to get home for the holidays. Badly. But when an incoming blizzard results in a canceled connecting flight, it looks like she might get stuck at the airport indefinitely.

And then Harper, Mira's glamorous seatmate from her initial flight, offers her a ride. Harper and her three friends can drop Mira off on their way home. But as they set off, Mira realizes fellow travelers are all total strangers. And every one of them is hiding something.

Soon, roads go from slippery to terrifying. People's belongings are mysteriously disappearing. Someone in the car is clearly lying, and may even be sabotaging the trip―but why? And can Mira make it home alive, or will this nightmare drive turn fatal?

Short and Sweet Review

All Mira wants to do is get home for Christmas, but that plan is stopped when all flights are cancelled. But Mira’s seat mate from her flight from California, Harper, offers Mira a ride home. Mira says yes but now she’s stuck in a car with four strangers on a snowy road, that’s not even the worst of it everyones belongings start to go missing and everyone seems to be hiding something.

Mira is our main character and she’s with Harper, Josh, Brecken, and Kayla. These four are all college students and they think Mira is one too so she doesn’t correct them. Harper seems nice enough, she basically looks out for Mira the whole time, because Mira reminds her of someone. Josh is a med student and he’s also on crutches so he’s harmless. Brecken is a rich kid and he’s the worst he’s a little unhinged and the comments he makes are unnecessary. Kayla, is just weird she’s asleep most of the time and when she’s awake she’s off, she laughs at things that aren’t funny and she seems a little psychotic.

While on their dangerous trip everyone starts to notice that their belongings are going missing and it’s at this point when they all start to point fingers at each other. It’s hard to know who to trust, these people aren’t Mira’s friends, they’re strangers. At almost every turn it looks like something else happens to this group even when it looks like things can’t get worse than they already are. There were a lot of suspenseful moments that just kept me wanting more. I had no idea who could be behind what was going on mainly because everyone had something to hide. There are some letters that we see addressed to Mira that seem to be coming from a stalker which was also interesting. I was worried for everyone when they came across a gas station owner and his son, this part of the book had me on the edge of my seat.

I enjoyed reading this book! It kept me guessing until the end. I was not expecting the culprit to be who it was! There were a lot of plot twists and they were good it added more to the story. If you want to read a suspenseful book that takes place around the holidays check this book out!

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BELLE REVOLTE By Linsey Miller

February 5, 2020 by Leave a Comment

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.

BELLE REVOLTE By Linsey MillerBelle Révolte by Linsey Miller
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 2/4/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, LGBT, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Emilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician. But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome work.

Annette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.

Emilie and Annette swap lives―Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician's assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.

But when their nation instigates a terrible war, Emilie and Annette come together to help the rebellion unearth the truth before it's too late.

Short and Sweet Review

Emilie would rather be a physician than a noble lady and Annette would love for the opportunity to be trained in magic. So when Emilie approaches Annette and suggest that they switch lives she accepts. But when their nation decides to go to war the girls decide to help the rebellion find out the truth before it’s too late. Belle Revolte is a Prince and the Pauper retelling, both girls are swapping lives to pursue their passion. In a world that has magic women are supposed to learn midnight arts which include scrying and divination while men learn daytime arts which include medicine and weaponry. I was very confused for most of the book there’s two POVs Annette and Emilies and a lot of characters that they interact with, and it was hard to follow at times. Annette and Emilie are great in their own ways and I loved how determined Emilie was to succeed as a hack and to become a physician. Annette was also determined to succeed in the arts. Both girls end up taking part in a revolution to save their country. I wanted to like this book but I thought it was hard to get through. I found myself rereading parts because I didn’t understand what was happening. I did like the ending though. This isn’t a book that I would reread mainly because of how I was struggling to understand what was going on with the plot and characters. I wanted to like this book it sounded interesting, but unfortunately this wasn’t the book for me.

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WHAT YOU HIDE By Natalie D. Richards

November 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment

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.

WHAT YOU HIDE By Natalie D. RichardsWhat You Hide by Natalie D. Richards
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 12/4/18
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Mallory didn't want to leave home, but it wasn't safe to stay. So she sleeps at her best friend's house and spends the rest of her time at the library, doing her online schoolwork and figuring out what comes next. Because she's not going live in fear like her mother.

Spencer volunteers at the library. Sure, it's community service for a stunt he pulled, but he likes the work. And it's the perfect escape from his parents' pressure to excel at school, at ice hockey, at everything. Especially after he meets Mallory.

Then there is a tragic death at the library. Suddenly, what was once a sanctuary turns sinister. Ghostly footprints, strange scratching sounds, scrawled messages on bulletin boards and walls... Mallory and Spencer don't know who or what is responsible, but one thing is for sure:

They are not as alone—or as safe—as they thought.


Short and Sweet

After Mallory leaves her home because it wasn’t safe she splits her time between her friends house and the library. Spencer volunteers at the library after a stunt he pulled required him to do community service. But when someone is found dead at the library, what seemed like a safe haven may be the exact opposite.Spencer and Mallory know that something strange is going on in the library, considering the unexplained footprints and writing on the library walls.

Characters

Mallory: Mallory has a difficult life and she decides to leave home to be safe and away from her stepfather, Charlie. Charlie isn’t abusive but he is controlling and likes to keep tabs on Mallory. Despite all that she’s going through Mallory is a strong character and I like that she cares about her mother and her safety even though she had to leave her behind. Mallory is pretty resourceful and I felt bad about the situation she was in.

Spencer: Spencer was a good character he usually tried to defuse situations by using humor. Spencer may seem like he has the perfect life but lately his grades have been slipping and he did end up breaking a window at the library which led to the community service. Even though it is community service Spencer enjoys being at the library it gives him time away from his parents talking about college and the pressure of ice hockey.

Romance

Mallory and Spencer: I liked the pacing of this relationship it wasn’t instant. Mallory was wary of Spencer at first and trying to figure out why Spencer would want to help her, and she did have her guard up. I appreciated how patient Spencer was with Mallory and that he genuinely cared about her and wanted to make sure she was safe.

My Thoughts

~  I felt bad for Mallory she really had no place to go and she knew she couldn’t stay away from home that long, but she needed to find an alternative or try to convince her mom to finally leave Charlie.

~ Spencer feels a lot of pressure at home his parents want him to go to a good college but Spencer hasn’t spent time thinking about where he wants to go or what he wants to do.

~Mallory has been staying with friend but when she realizes that she can’t anymore desperation kicks in and she begins to stay at the library.

~ When I got the book I thought that the focus would be on the mystery surrounding whats going on in the library but that isn’t the focus and doesn’t get solved until 80% through the book.

~ In the end I liked that Mallory finally realized that she had to do what was best for her considering time was running out on her making a decision about going back home or not.

~ The book kept my interest mainly because I wanted to know what was happening in the library but in the end I wasn’t as satisfied as I thought I would be.

Overall

I enjoyed this book but I wasn’t really fond of the ending I wanted a better ending for Mallory but oh well. There was a lot of suspense around what was going on in the library but the answers to what was going on fell flat for me. I finished this book feeling like I wanted more.

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ONE WAS LOST By Natalie D. Richards

September 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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.

ONE WAS LOST By Natalie D. RichardsOne Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 10/4/16
Genres: Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Damaged, Deceptive, Dangerous, Darling. When a group of teens wake up in the woods, these words are inked onto their skin. Are they labels? A warning? They must find the truth before a killer finds them.

While on a mandatory senior field trip, a flash flood cuts off Sera and three classmates from their group with no way to call for help. But they're not as alone as they thought...


Short and Sweet

Six students and two teachers go on a senior camping trip. Soon a storm separates four students and a teacher from the other two students and teacher. Separated by a river the two groups decide to set up camp and reunite the next day. Everything should be fine until the group wakes up the next afternoon, to find their stuff missing and words written on there wrist. The only way they’re going to survive is to find out who’s behind this and work together.

My Thoughts

~Sera, was our main character and she was in the group with four students. Overall I thought Sera was an okay character, we didn’t find out much about her.

~I liked the other students too, but it was hard to know who to trust because the culprit could be anyone.

~The words written on their wrist was interesting: damaged, deceptive, dangerous, and darling. It changed the way the students looked at each other and made them suspect each other and it had me wondering why those specific words were chosen for each person.

~Everything that happened kept me guessing at who could be behind this, there were so many twist and different outcomes I was thinking about.

~I didn’t think the romance was necessary. It wasn’t working for me. Sera was indecisive about liking Lucas or not liking him.

Overall

The ending was okay. I didn’t guess who the killer was. I still don’t understand the motive behind all of this, but I guess being crazy is motive enough. I liked the book and would recommend it if you like mysteries and thrillers, its also a fast read.

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THE CABIN By Natasha Preston

August 30, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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 CABIN By Natasha PrestonThe Cabin by Natasha Preston
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 9/6/16
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

They think they're invincible.
They think they can do and say whatever they want.
They think there are no consequences.
They've left me no choice.
It's time for them to pay for their sins.

A weekend partying at a remote cabin is just what Mackenzie needs. She can't wait to let loose with her friends. But a crazy night of fun leaves two of them dead-murdered.

With no signs of a forced entry or struggle, suspicion turns to the five survivors. Someone isn't telling the truth. And Mackenzie's first mistake? Assuming the killing is over...


Short and Sweet

Mackenzie and her friends go away for the weekend to stay at a Josh’s parent’s remote cabin. All of the fun the teens were expecting to have ends short when two friends are found murdered. The police suspect one of the five survivors is the culprit, because they can’t find signs of forced entry. Mackenzie not believing one of her friends could commit murder decides to start an investigation of her own.

My Thoughts

~ Mackenzie was a decent main character. She tried to see the positive in things that would happen. She was also very loyal to her friends. The only problems I had with Mackenzie was that her inner monologue was dramatic and at times I felt like she wasn’t using common sense.

~ Mackenzie decides to do her own detective work, because she thinks the police have the wrong suspects. She had these thoughts for half the book and it got ridiculous because literally no one was in the cabin besides the group of teens! Anyway while doing her detective work she learns secrets about her friends, which then has her questioning if one of them could actually be a murderer.

the office eye roll stanley hudson

~ I just found Mackenzie’s friends annoying of course you’re not going to point the finger at yourself but to blame someone just because they’re new to the group bothered me.

~ During her investigation Mackenzie starts to fall for Blake, the brother of one of the victims, the relationship between these two was definitely insta-love.

~At the end we find out who the murderer is and I wasn’t expecting it to be who it was.

Overall

I did not like the ending at all! I thought things would be resolved, but that wasn’t the case. I hope there’s a sequel just so I can have some peace of mind.

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WILD SWANS By Jessica Spotswood

April 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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.

WILD SWANS By Jessica SpotswoodWild Swans by Jessica Spotswood
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 5/3/16
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

The summer before Ivy's senior year is going to be golden-all bonfires, barbeques, and spending time with her best friends. For once, she will just get to be. No summer classes, none of Granddad's intense expectations to live up to the family name. For generations, the Milbourn women have lead extraordinary lives-and died young and tragically. Granddad calls it a legacy, but Ivy considers it a curse. Why else would her mother have run off and abandoned her as a child?

But when her mother unexpectedly returns home with two young daughters in tow, all of the stories Ivy wove to protect her heart start to unravel. The very people she once trusted now speak in lies. And all of Ivy's ambition and determination cannot defend her against the secrets of the Milbourn past...


Short and Sweet

Ivy plans on having the time of her life before her senior year starts. But things don’t always go as planned. Ivy is struggling trying to find her calling in life and feeling the pressure of the Milbourn legacy in her family. Ivy’s mother left when she was young, so she was raised by her Grandad. When her mother returns, with two young children or Ivy’s half sisters, her life is turned upside down.

What I liked

~Ivy, she wasn’t perfect (who is?) but she was a strong character and stood her ground.

~Connor, he’s Ivy’s love interest and he was honestly so sweet and supportive.

~I liked how most of the issues in the story were resolved.

~Ivy’s best friend Claire she’s funny and a feminist who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. (Look at the quote below)

~Also liked getting to know the background on some of the characters like Ivy’s mom and some of the other Milbourn women.

~ It touches on gender identity and feminism and body image.

What I didn’t like

~The ending I mean it was good I just wish we got to know more. An epilogue would have been nice.

Quotes

“When it comes to the family legacy – that it’s a gift, not a curse; that the Milbourn women were extraordinary, not doomed.”

“And that better be the only wiener you put in your mouth. We do not give blow jobs so that boys will like us!” Claire roars, and Connor nearly chokes on his beer.

Overall

Wild Swans is a  feel-good book with realistic friendships, romance, and family. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA coming of age stories and contemporaries.

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THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS By Marieke Nijkamp

December 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment

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.

THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS By Marieke NijkampThis Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 1/5/16
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 288
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told from four perspectives over the span of 54 harrowing minutes, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.


This Is Where It Ends follows four characters; Sylv, Autumn, Claire, and Tomas. It’s the new semester of school at Opportunity high school and when the principal finishes her speech everyone is expecting it to be a regular day but they realize they’re locked in the auditorium and the terror begins. What I really liked about this book is getting to see the four POVs because Sylv and Autumn were in the auditorium but Claire and Tomas were outside of the school and getting to see how each character is going to deal with the situation was interesting to me. We also get to see text, tweets, and blog post from kids who were either in the auditorium or at home. I didn’t like the shooter I thought there would be more of a motive there but there wasn’t.

In the beginning I had a hard time keeping track of the characters in this book mainly because their were four of them. After I got into the book I figured out the connection between the characters. The book is short and easy to read. The ending was okay but not what I was expecting, so I was caught off guard.
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MY SECRET TO TELL by Natalie D. Richards

September 24, 2015 by Leave a Comment

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.

MY SECRET TO TELL by Natalie D. RichardsMy Secret to Tell by Natalie D. Richards
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 10/06/2015
Genres: Contemporary, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

One promise changed her life. One confession could end it.
There was blood on his hands. Where was the guilt in his eyes?
Emmie's had a crush on her best friend's brother forever. Deacon is the town bad boy who's always in trouble, but she sees his soft side when he volunteers with her at the local animal shelter. She doesn't think he's dangerous…until he shows up in her bedroom with blood on his hands. Deacon's father has been violently assaulted and Deacon is suspect number one. Emmie's smart enough to know how this looks, but she also knows Deacon's biggest secret—he's paralyzed by the sight of blood. She's sure he didn't do this. Or did he? Because even Deacon's own sister thinks he's guilty…


Well to be honest I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this book because I didn’t enjoy Gone too Far by Natalie D. Richards but the premise of the book intrigued me so I decided to give it a shot. I can defiantly say I liked this book more than I thought I would.  It took me a while to get into it, like halfway through the book. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Emmie she was bossy, whiny, and indecisive. She just kept changing her mind, “Is Deacon guilty or not? Should I help him or not?” things like that.  If I was in this book and my friend was in this situation I would trust them because they’re my FRIEND! What are friends for right??? I liked the whole whodunit aspect because when I found out who it was I was pretty shocked.  Emmie’s parents also got on my nerves.  They were smothering her so much that even I could feel it. I think the first half of this book was pretty slow at least for me but it started picking up towards the end. What’s really funny to me is the fact that the ending was like a game of clue “I think you did it because you’re just really suspicious to me.” Anyway the other characters were sub par, I was over them. Get some better friends would be my advice haha. In the end I would say this book was good enough that I’d read Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards. I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries and if you’ve read other books by this author.

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