What I Read: February 2024

Thriller books were the name of the game in February. I read four pretty good thriller books this month. I wasn't blown away by any of the books I read, but they were entertaining nonetheless.

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
Summary: A husband is charged with murdering his mistress and his wife, a very successful lawyer, takes his case and defends him in court. 
Review: I had high hopes for this book since it had been on my TBR for over a year, but it kinda let me down. While reading the book, I kept thinking about how the wife's reactions to this horrible situation didn't quite line up. She was very stoic and levelheaded, which you want in a lawyer, but doesn't seem like a typical reaction to this situation. There is a pretty wild plot twist, but not even that could save this book for me. 
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

The Teacher by Freida McFadden
Summary: Addie is a high school student who was involved in a student-teacher affair her sophomore year. When junior year comes around, she is treated poorly by her peers and has no friends to turn to for support. Enter Mr. Bennet, the school's token hot teacher, who takes Addie under his wing and before you know it they are making out in the photo lab after school hours. Meanwhile, Mr. Bennet's wife teaches at the same school. Let the chaos begin!
Review: I was very excited about McFadden's new book and I read it in two days. The morning I finished it, I could not stop thinking about the ending. The last 40 pages were a wild ride. This book was a page-turner filled with lies, deceit, mystery, and murder.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs
Summary: A strained mother-daughter relationship like no other. Nina and her mother Maggie have been through a tough 20+ years. Maggie, a doting mother, thinks she's doing what's best for her daughter, but Nina doesn't see it that way. Each chapter switches between the present and the past perspective of both characters and slowly the horrible truth about the past comes to light in this twisted thriller. 
Review: This was another book that I was really looking forward to reading. I heard so many good reviews about this book, but I am not sure I agree with all of them. This book was a bit slow-paced for me, but the story still kept me intrigued from start to finish.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Layla by Colleen Hoover
Summary: It starts out with Leeds meeting Layla at her sister's wedding at a bed & breakfast where he and his bandmates are gigging. They instantly fall for each other and their love story begins. After a tragic accident, the couple goes back to the bed & breakfast where they first meet at the wedding to relax and mend their relationship. At the bed & breakfast, strange things start happening and Leeds finds himself communicating with a ghost. 
Review: Yep, a ghost. I was not expecting this book to go the paranormal route.  I will say this was a quick and easy read, just not my favorite CoHo book. Overall, it was good, but not great. Of all the CoHo books I've read, I wouldn't recommend this one. If you are looking for a spooky CoHo thriller, read Verity.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐