March and April ended up being a pretty eclectic reading mix for me: attachment theory, disturbing true crime, survival thrillers, literary fiction, and some books that completely caught me off guard. I read six books total over the last two months, and while my ratings were a little all over the place, I never really felt stuck in a reading slump. A couple were genuinely memorable, a few had fascinating concepts that carried me through, and one left me sitting there with a lump in my throat after the final page. Overall, a really solid stretch of reading.Genres:
Sources: Library (4) ◦ Kindle Unlimited (2)
Average Rating: 3.7 stars
Yearly Goal: 13 / 100
📖 Book Reviews
The Last Party
Author: A.R. Torre
Genre: Fiction ◦ Thriller
Publication: 2024
Format & Source: Print ◦ Library
Rating: ★★★★☆
Perla Wultz seems to have the perfect life with her husband and daughter in an upscale Pasadena neighborhood, but she is fixated on a notorious child murder case from decades earlier. As a doctoral student begins interviewing the convicted killer, long-buried secrets start rising to the surface, and the line between past and present begins to unravel.
What a delight this one turned out to be! The story hooked me right away and quickly became much darker than I originally expected, which ended up being a really interesting surprise.
I especially enjoyed the true crime style elements and the dual narration. The format worked well and added tension as the story slowly peeled back more and more twisted layers. Just when it seemed like things were settling into place, another reveal would shift everything again.
The twists were genuinely shocking and reminded me of the kind of bold reveals Freida McFadden is known for. It made the whole book incredibly fun to read.
I had a great time with this one and will definitely be picking up more of A. R. Torre’s books.
⚡ Quick Take: A dark, twisty thriller with a true crime feel and plenty of shocking reveals.
The Family Next Door
Author: John Glatt
Genre: Nonfiction ◦ True Crime
Publication: 2019
Format & Source: Print ◦ Library
Rating: ★★★★☆
This true crime book tells the story of the Turpin family, whose outwardly ordinary suburban life concealed years of severe abuse. Behind closed doors, David and Louise Turpin subjected their 13 children to prolonged neglect, starvation, and torture, until one of the children made a daring escape that finally exposed the truth.
I had heard of this case before going into the book, but I didn’t know many of the details, and honestly, what I found was horrifying.
The level of abuse these kids endured for years is almost impossible to wrap your head around. What stuck with me most wasn’t just what happened, but the how. How do two people agree to something like this? Where does that even start? Who pushes it forward? And why doesn’t the other stop it?
It’s one of those cases that doesn’t just shock you... it leaves you sitting there trying to understand something that doesn’t really make sense.
I’ve read several of John Glatt’s books at this point, but this one solidified him as one of my favorite true crime writers. He has a way of laying everything out so clearly that you feel like you fully understand the case — every detail, every layer, every piece of history behind it. It’s incredibly well researched, with a lot of insight from people connected to the case, which makes it feel even more real.
By the time I finished, I had already added the rest of his books to my list.
⚡ Quick Take: Disturbing, detailed, and impossible to forget.
The Correspondent
Author: Virginia Evans
Genre: Fiction ◦ Literary
Publication: 2025
Format & Source: Print ◦ Library
Rating: ★★★★★
Told entirely through letters, this novel follows Sybil Van Antwerp, an older woman who has spent her life making sense of things through writing. Her daily correspondence spans everything from family and friends to authors she admires, but as letters from her past resurface, she’s forced to confront a painful chapter she’s long avoided — and consider whether she’s ready to finally let it go.
This book was really amazing. It’s quiet, but somehow still hits like a gut punch. It managed to be my first five star read of the year.
The story follows Sybil over several years, all through letters, and it works so well. She felt completely real to me: her quirks, her voice, her way of seeing the world. I felt like I actually knew her.
I also really connected to that feeling of being a little outside of everything… like you don’t quite fit, but you’ve made a life anyway. The love of reading, writing, observing — it all felt familiar in a way that snuck up on me.
It’s funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful all at once. The kind of book that doesn’t scream for attention but stays with you after you finish it.
I was genuinely sad to say goodbye to her, and I closed the book with that quiet, heavy feeling sitting in my chest.
⚡ Quick Take: A quiet story that lingers long after the final page.
Safe: An Attachment-Informed Guide to Building More Secure Relationships
Author: Jessica Baum
Genre: Nonfiction ◦ Self Help
Publication: 2025
Format & Source: eBook ◦ Library (Libby)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
A guide to understanding attachment theory and how it shapes your relationships, this book explores how early patterns influence the way you connect with others, and offers tools and exercises aimed at helping you build more secure, trusting relationships.
I’ve been really interested in attachment theory for years, especially after realizing I lean pretty heavily anxious. It’s something I’ve spent a lot of time reading about, and it continues to feel like one of the most accurate ways to understand relationship dynamics.
Jessica Baum is someone I already respected going into this. I’ve followed her for a long time and always find her insights thoughtful and spot on. I also really liked her first book, Anxiously Attached, so I was genuinely looking forward to this one.
Overall, this one didn’t land the same for me. It took me over a month to finish because it dragged quite a bit. While I appreciate the advice and the intention behind it, a lot of it didn’t feel especially actionable in real life. There were quite a few exercises throughout, and I’ll be honest... I skipped most of them. I read through them all but didn't participate in any. They felt a little hokey to me and didn’t really match how I prefer to process or learn.
That said, I still think Baum is incredibly knowledgeable, and I’ll absolutely keep following her work. This just didn’t quite click for me the way her first book did. Part of that is probably on me —I wasn’t willing to fully engage with the exercises— but even so, the format and pacing didn’t really suit me.
⚡ Quick Take: Insightful, but heavier on theory and exercises than practical takeaways.
Conditioned
Author: Amanda Russo
Genre: Fiction ◦ Thriller
Publication: 2025
Format & Source: eBook ◦ Kindle Unlimited
Rating: ★★★★☆
After being abducted by a man she once thought was just odd after visits to her coffee shop, Tori wakes up trapped in a disturbing, meticulously recreated version of her workplace, part of a larger underground world her captor has built. As she’s forced to follow his rigid routines, she realizes she’s not the first victim — and that survival may depend on resisting the slow pull toward compliance.
I’m always drawn to stories about kidnappings and missing people, so this was right up my alley. What made this one stand out was the premise: a wealthy man creating his own underground world by abducting people. It’s such a strange, unsettling concept, and it immediately pulled me in.
I was intrigued pretty much the entire time and had a hard time putting it down. The story itself is genuinely compelling and keeps that tension going throughout.
That said, the writing wasn’t the strongest. The biggest issue for me was the dialogue which felt really stiff and overly formal in a way that didn’t sound natural at all. A lot of “I am” and “it is” phrasing that just doesn’t match how people actually talk, and it pulled me out of the story more than once. It felt like it could have used another round of editing to smooth that out.
Even with that, I can’t deny how much the story worked for me. The concept alone carried it, and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.
⚡ Quick Take: A gripping, unique premise that outweighs its clunky dialogue.
Death Row Games
Author: Shade Owens
Genre: Fiction ◦ Thriller
Publication: 2024
Format & Source: eBook ◦ Kindle Unlimited
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Six death row inmates are given a chance at freedom, if they agree to compete in a deadly survival game on a remote island. Last person standing walks free. For Brooklyn Winters, it’s a choice between certain execution or fighting to survive in a brutal, high-stakes competition.
The premise of this hooked me immediately. It gave strong Hunger Games vibes, but with convicts, which felt like a really interesting twist.
The story delivered for me. It’s told through dual narration, following two of the inmates, and I liked how their perspectives alternated. Their voices felt distinct, and I thought the character development was done well enough to keep me invested in both sides.
It’s also a fast read, with a steady pace and several bigger twists that kept things interesting throughout. I wouldn’t say I loved it, but I was definitely entertained the whole way through.
Overall, it’s a solid, well-written thriller with a compelling concept, and I’d be interested in reading more from this author.
⚡ Quick Take: Fast-paced and twisty, with a concept that’s hard to resist.
🎖️ Favorite Book of the Month
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
That’s a wrap on this month’s reads — here’s to another great chapter! 📚
