Review--What We Did to Survive by Megan Lally

 

A vacation in paradise turns deadly when four teens' sailing charter hits stormy seas in this propulsive new thriller from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Megan Lally!

Hannah is having an incredible spring break. A week at a resort in Mexico with her best friend Emmy and her family is perfect for de-stressing from senior year, even if it’s awkward being around Emmy's older brother, Jackson, who she’s had a crush on for as long as she can remember.

Still, the beach is gorgeous. So is the guy they meet in the surf. Except Hannah is now the third wheel in Emmy’s vacation romance.

Eager to impress Emmy, her wealthy new boyfriend charters a private sailboat to make the most of their last day in paradise, and Hannah and Jackson are invited along. As the clouds roll in and the skies darken, their boat is the only one leaving the marina. And the further they get into open water, the more unsettled Hannah becomes. A storm is brewing onboard that’s as deadly as the one racing toward them. Forget surviving graduation. Who will make it back to land alive?

I think it's safe to say at this point that I love Megan Lally's thrillers! They are so ultimately creepy and chilling and will forever have you second-guessing everything! Her latest one, What We Did to Survive definitely makes you want to rethink being friendly with others on vacation!

Hannah is enjoying her spring break of her senior year with her best friend, Emmy. Along with Emmy's parents and older brother, Jackson, who Hannah has had a crush on since forever. Things were going well and just as their days were coming to an end at the resort, the girls meet Ben, who charms his way into Emmy's heart. They decide that on their second-to-last day they would charter a boat and go on an ocean cruise/tour of the surrounding area.

And as you can imagine, everything that could go wrong, does. The first clue should've been the weather. Storm clouds were on the horizon and practically every tour boat and regular old sailor was staying off the water, but Ben manages to find a private cruise that was willing to brave the weather. The storm wasn't expected to hit until later that day, so there was plenty of time. But Emmy was insistent on going with Ben, Jackson, who also came along was going to keep an eye on his sister, so by default, Hannah decided to go as well.

It's not until later that everything goes south real fast. The storm gets closer to them and the waters turn rougher and it's basically the worst time possible to be on the ocean. And then that's when everything spirals out of control and becomes incredibly dangerous. Before we know it, the teenagers are on their own in open waters with no idea how to get back to shore.

This book was ultimately chilling and oh so twisted! I have a healthy fear of the ocean. I live in the Midwest, so I'm pretty safe from it, lol. But yeah, I grew up watching Jaws and no matter what anyone tells me I will not be getting into the water! Then there are all the other horror movies revolving around open water and sharks and movies based on true events that just have me terrified of it even more. The movie Cast Away gets mentioned quite frequently and in a sense, that's what this book turns into on the YA scale.

There were a few eyerollers in this one when it came to relationship drama. But honestly, coming from a YA novel, this fit the genre. Honestly, what kept griping me was why they went out on the ocean when everyone else with a boat was staying on land! I mean, that to me was the biggest red flag. Of course, there would not have been a story without them going out there, but I can almost overlook some of the other relationship dilemmas instead of this one. I mean if professional tour guides are staying on land, why would you go out to sea with an independent guy? But I digress. Lol.

There's not much of a whodunit to be solved. Scary stuff happens and you can easily pinpoint the perpetrator, but really, that's only the beginning. When we get to the end and all is finally revealed, I was flummoxed and yet...not. I was more smacking myself for not putting it together sooner. I had the clues and even questioned the evidence at the time, but for whatever reason I did not think of the answer! Which really, I should've because it fits with me and all the other "survivor" media I've consumed. 

Needless to say, Lally delivers yet another spine-tingling read that kept me on my toes and eagerly eating up the pages! If I hadn't have started this midday I could've easily read this in one day for sure! It was an on the edge of your seat page turner! Pretty much like Lally's previous novels. Needless to say, if you're looking for a summer thriller, What We Did to Survive is the way to go! 

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

Books from the Backlog #183

 

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. This is a fun meme hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books!

The New York Times bestselling Psychic Eye Mystery series continues with P.I. Abby Cooper facing the ultimate locked room murder...

Professional psychic and FBI consultant Abby Cooper has used her inner visions to get her out of many a scrape and solve many a crime but she s about to face a murder scene that will put all her powers to the test. Abby s husband Dutch has a side business providing security and building panic rooms for wealthy clients. One morning, one of Dutch s partners, Dave, goes missing on his way to meet a client. Abby s intuition tells her something terrible has happened to him.

Then two of Dutch s clients are found brutally murdered...inside their brand new panic room, and most of the evidence points to Dave as the killer. With the authorities racing to find and arrest him, Abby's got to use all her intuitive prowess to get to Dave first, discover the real killer, and save her husband's business. This is one case where Abby is positive there s far more to this mystery than meets her inner eye.

I added Victoria Laurie's A Panicked Premonition to my TBR pile in December of 2017, according to Goodreads. It released in July of that year, so I likely had it around then and forgot to add it to my GR list! I think this is where I stalled on the series. I do truly love this series, it's so cute and fun. Not sure how I fell behind on it. Probably trying to get caught up on other series! Lol.

 

Can't Wait Wednesday #245

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Half-blooded Wren escapes her old life among humans to go live with the fae. After a warm welcome, Wren slowly begins to accept herself for who she is, until she encounters a more sinister court that would rather see the child of their enemy dead.

When an unexpected attack on the nearby village effectively renders Wren homeless, she encounters the wild and frightening Thain, who would take her to the Wyldes: the land of the fae creatures. As a half breed raised among humans, Wren was shunned for her non-human half and taught to fear the fae. Now that she's living among them, she has to face her fears and accept her own heritage in order to live among them. But as the mystery of her parentage begins to unravel, Wren might find herself in more danger than she could have ever imagined.

I still need to finish her first series but I did enjoy the first book! This one sounds like it will be a good mysterious kind of read so I'm pretty much adding it to my list!

TITLE: Half Wylde
AUTHOR: Sabrina Blackburry
PUBLISHER: Wattpad Books
GENRE: Fantasy Romance
RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2026

They matched on a dating app. Then the universe dropped them into a magickal fire kingdom.

Amanda Ward has a five-step manifestation routine, a ritual kit in every purse, and a dating profile designed to reflect the version of herself she wishes she could be: grounded, glowing, and in total alignment. In reality, she's overwhelmed, under-satisfied, and one passive-aggressive email away from a full-blown meltdown.

When a sext thread with her in-app temptation, Declan Thorne, leads to an invitation she can't resist, Amanda finds herself face-to-face with the man behind the messages—a devastatingly hot, emotionally constipated venture capitalist. And the moment she tries bringing a bit of magick into their night, a tarot-triggered portal yanks them both into another realm entirely.

Now stranded in the Kingdom of Wands with an aggravating, broody CEO-turned-reluctant-bodyguard and zero clue how to get home, Amanda's facing nightly on-stage performances, suspicious queens, and magick that refuses to cooperate.

What's worse is that her biggest issue might not be the kingdom—it might be catching real feelings for the one man who makes her want to drop the act.

To survive and find their way back home, she'll have to ditch the affirmations and the carefully controlled persona she's been clinging to and learn how to wield something way more powerful—her truth.

Even if it burns everything down.

Another series I still need to start which makes me feel like I better do that before I add any more to my TBR pile! lol.

TITLE: Fortune
AUTHOR: Kristin Cast
PUBLISHER: Bloom Books
GENRE: Fantasy Romance
RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2026

Random Discussion: Novellas

 

So I had a random thought the other day and thought let's do one of my now very rare discussion posts! Seriously think I got a little burnt out over the last few years when I was doing the actual challenge, so I am taking things easier this year at least! But still don't mind writing up the occasional post when something occurs to me and I don't think I've discussed it...or at least not recently. I don't think. Lol.

Anyway, my prompt today is: 

Do you ever read the novellas that come in between books in a series? Do you have any kind of process you follow to decide to read it or not?

For me, as usual, it just depends! Now when I saw novella, it can be actual novella length like within the vicinity of 100+ pages or less even. I guess short story would be the one for like 1-100 pages maybe? Not sure where we draw the line or where we personally draw the line.

Anyway, way back when I pretty much always read them! Whether it's 50 pages or 150! If it was in a series I enjoy, I would read it! You sometimes never really knew if the novella would be a bridge in between books and it would be beneficial to read the novella before diving into the next novel.

These days, well I can go either way. I guess first it depends on my level of enjoyment of the series. There are series I love and would read whatever extra scraps I could get! Then there are some that I enjoy, but am fine with just reading the novels themselves. 

If the novella has more "vital" information towards the series, I am more likely to read it...possibly. I remember one series I read the first novella and it ended up being a prequel, but it really confused me, so after that I just stuck to the novels and skipped the novellas.

I used to read a lot more short story collections and novellas. I still have a few collections on my TBR pile that I would like to read at some point! But I remember enjoying the collections as it does let you get to know other authors in a small format. So they definitely are nice!

For novellas that tie to series...it will really just depend on how I feel about the series. And naturally what the novella is about and how long it is and what my schedule is looking like. Little things, but I am definitely not opposed to reading them though!

What about you? Any thoughts on novellas that tie into series?

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"He manages to move before I slam it on his hand but I still catch his teasing laugh and his parting words: 'You'll love me someday.'

The next day is not that that day." p 104

TITLE: Butcher & Blackbird
AUTHOR: Brynne Weaver
PUBLISHER: Slowburn
GENRE: Dark Romance
RELEASE DATE: August 15, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic is: April Showers: Top Ten TBR Books I'd Read on a Rainy Day

*in no particular order

10. THE GRAVEWOOD by Kelly Andrew--naturally, I'm thinking more April 2027 when I can have the sequel at the ready, but yeah, why not! Lol.
9. THE VERDANT CAGE by Jess Lourey--you'll see a theme with my picks here!
8. WHAT WE DID TO SURVIVE by Megan Lally--maybe possibly save this for the cruise I'm hoping to take next year because I am weird like that...but then again...maybe not as I scare easily! lol.

7. CURSED CRUISE by Victoria Fulton & Faith McClaren--see reasoning #8
6. THE CALL HER REGRET by Channelle Desamours
5. A DEADLY INHERITANCE by Kelley Armstrong

4. LET'S SPLIT UP by Bill Wood--love a good Scooby Doo-esque book! Need to read this soon!
3. THE HAUNTING OF PAYNES HOLLOW by Kelley Armstrong
2. LOST GIRLS OF HOLLOW LAKE by Rebekah Faubion--because thrillers are always a good idea!

1. THE STORM by Rachel Hawkins--because I like irony! Of course, I'm Midwest, so no hurricanes but we do get the other cyclone that I am super afraid of. So yeah...maybe not a good idea either. Lol.

Review--Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

 

The viral friends-to-lovers dark romantic comedy full of murder, chaos, and sizzling chemistry―unlike anything you’ve read before―now available in all bookstores

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, they find something elusive―the friendship of two like-minded, pitch-black souls who just happen to enjoy killing other serial killers.

From small-town West Virginia to upscale California, and from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.

But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love.

Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves?
Or have they finally met their match?

I picked up Brynne Weaver's Butcher & Blackbird randomly during a book sale somewhere down the line! It sounded edgy, dark and a little bit funny (from some of the reviews I read) and I am happy to say that all of these things were true! If the series Dexter was a rom-com, it would look something like this!

Rowan and Sloane meet by chance when he finds her locked in a cage in a basement with a serial killer dead on the outside. Turns out, Sloane and Rowan are both serial killer killers. So like Dexter, they decide to kill the truly depraved and evil who manage to stay under the law's radar. I love a good "revenge" styled novel, I think ever since I read The Count of Monte Cristo, I could not get enough of revenge stories! Lol. While the Count played a long game, Rowan and Slone are on a looser schedule.

Apparently, the serial killer killers' circle is pretty well known in the darkest parts, if you know where to look. Rowan has heard of Sloane, The Orb Weaver and Sloane has heard of Rowan, The Butcher. It's at a diner they decide to have their own sort of competition. They'll have a third party give them the name of the next ne'er-do-weller who needs to be taken out and it will become a race to see who can track them down and get the job done. And it becomes an annual thing over the years.

I wasn't really sure what to expect in this one. I was hoping for some bloody good times and we do get that. There was also some of the norm of what you'd expect from a romance novel, the who-falls-first vibe and the who-has-emotional-issues that need to be overcome situation. Both Sloane and Rowan have their dark pasts, it's why they do what they do. So in a sense, this book does have some very dark themes, more than you'd expect from a romance novel. It's not a light and fluffy happy story, that's for sure. But I am sure compared to other "dark romances" that I have not read, this one falls pretty low on that scale. That's just from what I gather over the whispers or this or that book. Honestly, couldn't even give you a title, because they don't hold the same kind of interest for me.

This one, I took a chance on. And oddly enough, it was just about my kind of read! Yes, some of the romance scenes were a little overdone a little too much of the time, but at least it took awhile for Rowan and Sloane to get to that moment with each other. Add in the fact, that the first part of the book spans about 4 years or so, so it took a really long while for any move to be made!

But at its heart, this is a romance story. A romance story for people who are a bit broken inside but come to find love anyway. I love that they worked through difficult issues and overcame their own personal demons as well. There's definitely something to waiting a series out because now I can pick up the next standalone installments of this series the next chance I get! Hoping to find them during the Indie Bookstore Day festivities this weekend, so I will have to turn to the TBR pile in the meantime! Lol.

If you're looking for that book with revenge, dark themes a la Dexter, but also with romance and some vague lightheartedness, Butcher & Blackbird might just be the read for you! It's definitely what you would call a dark romantic comedy and it was far better than I could've imagined and I cannot wait to read the rest of the trilogy!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore (3.5 stars)

It Came from Neverland by Cynthia Pelayo (ARC)--Review to come at a later date

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver--Review to come later today!

About to Start Reading:

A Dark and Wild Wood by Sarah Nicole Lemon (ARC)

What I Plan to Read Next:

The Other Side of the Mirror by Dana Evyn

Other Posts of Interest:

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday #244
Books from the Backlog #182
Book Blogger Hop #407
Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves

 

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Reading Reality.

Another great week! Granted, the first half was dull and boring but then on Wednesday I went to yet another book signing, this time to see Nikki St. Crowe! I really enjoyed her new Wizard of Oz book (and its sequel that releases in November!) so naturally, I had to go since she actually came to St. Louis! And then on Thursday Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss came to promote their new book they cowrote together! So it was exciting times and very, very little sleep after each event! Lol. I guess "luckily" this week I have no late nights ahead of me so hopefully I can catch up on sleep. I try sleeping in on weekends, but it never works out.

Here are the books I got this week:

West of Wicked by Nikki St. Crowe--SIGNED! 
The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss--SIGNED!
Across the Pressing Dark by Veronica Wolff--a kindle deal!

Then I signed up for yet another book box at least for a little while! I joined Allurial because I could not stop staring at their edition of Jordan Stephanie Gray's book! So it looks like I'll be collecting her books now too!

The Wicked Sea by Jordan Stephanie Gray--Allurial edition

Then for review from the publisher I received:

A Dark and Wild Wood by Sarah Nicole Lemon (ARC)

THANK YOU Harper Voyager!

And then when I saw Nikki post about sending a PoP for WoW, she'd send you a handwritten letter, so naturally, I had to send mine in:

THANK YOU Nikki!

Then I also got some cool swag from the Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss signing:

tote bag--which I got signed!
bookmark, postcard, sticker, and a pamphlet about the book's game!

And then my friend who let me buy her FL copy of Alchemy of Secrets also ordered the page overlays for me as well and those arrived this week as she had to wait for the second run. Never sure what to do with these but they were so pretty I had to have them, plus it's Stephanie Garber! Lol.

THANK YOU Shell!

And that was it for me this week! What did you get?

Book Blogger Hop #407

 

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

This week's topic is: Do you have any bookish habits or quirks you catch yourself doing again and again? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

MY ANSWER: Well, anytime I buy a book or receive one from an online order, I examine it with a close eye. I check out the spine, the corners, the dustjacket. If I remember I try to flip through the pages to make sure they are all there. I once had a book that repeated half a chapter...and it was a mystery and it was getting close to the solving of things and I was like WHAT IS GOING ON?! 

I've heard horror stories of a completely different book's pages being within another too, so that's frightening as well! But yes, new books get a full exam before bracing my TBR shelves.

Another "quirk" I suppose you could say is that I sometimes color coordinate my bookmark with the book cover. When possible! Obviously, I don't have endless colors of bookmarks, but I will try to choose one in the same color wheelhouse if I can. Or I might go rogue and choose my new bookmark that does not coordinate at all with whatever my current book choice is! Lol.

Books from the Backlog #182

 

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. This is a fun meme hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books!

Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.

In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.

Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.

But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.

I re-added The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell to my TBR pile in November of 2017. Yes, re-added! I remember I started with an eARC on my kindle and it was giving me such a migraine. I think because it was some pretty heavy worldbuilding and I don't do well with those on my kindle! I ended up picking it up again somewhere...maybe at Books a Million in the clearance section? I can't recall...it may have even been at a signing as I know I have the first two books signed by the author! So I decided I'd give it another try...but that has yet to happen! I still want to give it a go again at some point!