Mini Reviews – July 2023

Oh boy, it’s been a busy week! Lots of reviews up on Instagram and not enough time to sit down and finally get them shared on here. I always do my best, but it seems like there’s always something popping up after work!

Thanks to the mentioned publishers for any gifted copies this month in exchange for my honest reviews

Mini Reviews – July 2023:

LAY YOUR BODY DOWN – Amy Suiter Clarke (Released June 27th, 2023 – Thanks to William Morrow for the copy)

A young woman returns to her rural Minnesota hometown, where a radical evangelical pastor has poisoned everyone’s minds—and may be covering up a murder. After Del Walker fled her small hometown and its cult-like church, she vowed to never return. The man she loved, Lars, left her to marry the local golden girl Eve, and their romance is now the focus of Eve’s viral blog espousing the pastor’s conservative philosophy about women and marriage. But six years later, Lars is suddenly killed, and she’s convinced it couldn’t have been an accident.

When Del returns to her hometown for the funeral, she discovers the now mega-church—and the insidious, patriarchal teachings of Pastor Rick Franklin—has grown not only in size but in influence. Eve was clearly discontent in her marriage, despite the carefully constructed “Noble Wife” positivity of her blog posts, and Del knows better than anyone just how far she will go to get what she wants. Del is determined to cut through the church’s lies and corruption to find out who killed Lars—even if it means confronting the religious trauma she’s spent years trying to bury.

Mini Review: 4.5/5 stars – A book that takes place in Minnesota?? And it’s a thriller AND involves a cult-like church? These are all the things I need in a book.

As someone who lives in a more rural area in Minnesota, this was a breath of fresh air having a new setting for a book. The cult following of the church in the town she fled is intense. As if the cults aren’t intriguing enough in a book, you add in a potentially covered up murder to the plot, and I’m sold! I had my guesses for the ending, and I’m pleased I wasn’t completely correct, and I enjoyed the different POVs in the book with the varying formats. I plan on picking up more from this author!

SUCKER – Daniel Hornsby (Released July 11th, 2023 – Thanks to Anchor Books for the copy)

Succession meets Bad Blood in this sharp-toothed satire of Silicon Valley and the 1 percent • The black-sheep son of an industrial tycoon starts working for a tech pioneer who’s running a biomedical startup selling nothing less than immortality, only to uncover the horrifying truth at the heart of her sublime promises.

Chuck Gross would like nothing more than to prune himself from his family tree. He’s already clipped his name, turning Charles Grossheart, Jr.—son of a billionaire labor exploiter, weapons manufacturer, and climate change denier—into ordinary good-guy Chuck, the “self-made” proprietor of an up-and-coming punk label. But when Daddy threatens to cut him off, Chuck is forced to get a “real job”—and conveniently, an old college friend has just swept back into his life with the perfect opportunity. 

Famed Harvard dropout and biotech darling Olivia Watts says she is on the verge of totally reinventing the field of medicine, but when Chuck signs on, he soon discovers that things at the vast Kenosis campus are not quite how they appear. Secret labs, vanished employees, and mutated test subjects seem to be as impossible as they are sinister. Is Olivia simply a scammer, or does her technology threaten to usher humanity toward a far bloodier fate? Moreover, does Chuck—who has never accomplished anything without the aid of Daddy’s money—stand a chance of stopping her? Daniel Hornsby hilariously skewers the insatiable hungers of the ultrarich in a novel that no one will be able to resist sinking their teeth into.

Mini Review: 3/5 stars – I wanted to love this more than I did. I already know this will divide readers. The writing style and all of the pop culture references won’t be for everyone. My main issue was that I wish the plot picked up a little earlier in the book. I still found the story and characters compelling enough – I did enjoy the book but it’s not quite what I was expecting. There is plenty of gore to keep the vampire fans happy and definitely a good book for summer.

CAMP DAMASCUS – Chuck Tingle (Released July 18th, 2023 – Thanks to Tor Nightfire for the copy)

A searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community faces in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.

They’ll scare you straight to hell.

Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.

Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.

Mini Review: 5/5 stars – More horror for July, and I’ve been loving it! This quick little read has a more YA feel to it, but it certainly packs a punch with the creepy vibes. I’m talking some body horror. There’s a part in chapter one that is still in the back of my mind, and then the real-life horrors of these conversion camps. 

This story is full of just as much heart and soul as it is horror. The author brings us straight to the wilderness of Montana with Rose as she finds herself at Camp Damascus. There’s more at play behind the scenes than just a God-fearing community wanting to try and rid the world of sin.

I loved how fast this moved, the way the author approached the topic, and the body, demonic, and religious horror elements. I highly recommend this one to those looking for some new books for the spooky TBR!

THE BLOCK PARTY – Jamie Day (Released July 18th, 2023 – Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the copy)

This summer, meet your neighbors.

The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.

On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.

But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold—discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.

My Thoughts: 3.5/5 stars – As someone who grew up on a cul-de-sac and attended their fair share of block parties, this was a fun little thriller! The annual block party is underway, but this year, it ends in murder. Who was killed and who was the killer are all slowly revealed as the book progresses. Everyone on the block is a possible suspect!

While I did enjoy this book, I felt that there were a lot of side stories that took the focus away from the main plot. Some of them didn’t feel incredibly necessary, but I did like the character development that came along with it. Otherwise, this was a nice little popcorn thriller that’s perfect for the summer! 

A TWISTED LOVE STORY – Samantha Downing (Released July 18th, 2023 – Thanks to Berkley Publishing for the copy)

From the bestselling author of My Lovely Wife comes a reckless, delicious thriller about a young couple that gives a whole new meaning to the dangers of modern dating.

Wes and Ivy are madly in love. They’ve never felt anything like it. It’s the kind of romance people write stories about.

But what kind of story?

Because when it’s good, it’s great. Flowers. Grand gestures. Deep meaningful conversations where the whole world disappears.

When it’s bad, it’s really bad. Vengeful fights. Damaged property. Arrest warrants.

But their vicious cycle of catastrophic breakups and head-over-heels reconnections needs to end fast. Because suddenly, Wes and Ivy have a common enemy–and she’s a detective.

There’s something Wes and Ivy never talk about–in good times or bad. The night of their worst breakup, when one of them took things too far, and someone ended up dead.

If they can stick together, they can survive anything–even the tightening net of a police investigation.

Because one more breakup might just be their last…

Mini Review: 5/5 stars –

Another win from Samantha Downing! She quickly became an auto-buy author for me after My Lovely Wife and I cant recommend her books enough. Another compulsive read. I made a rookie mistake, I started reading because I had some free time at work then was mad I had to put it down when it was time to do things. Always make sure you have a chunk of time before starting one of her books because you won’t wanna put it down.

If you want madness and twists, if you like the multiple POVs and characters making questionable decisions, short chapters that keep the pace flying, and something perfect for a weekend read, then look no further. The dysfunction, the emotional rollercoasters, and the suspense of the impending investigation kept me glued!