Powerful story of self-authorship, grit, resiliency, and the diaspora that can be created within a family due to the choice to live your truest and most authentic life. For most or all first-generation students, you may find a lot of yourself reflected in some of the challenges that are addressed in Dr. Westover’s account. The journey to self-understanding is a long and hard road and Educated makes that journey a little easier.

Honestly this was dark and weird and heavy and hard to digest, but also a decent read. I had a friend let me borrow this book a while back but I never got around to reading it. I gave it back to them and recently decided to pick up my own copy.

Glad I did, because this was just out there enough to make it an enjoyable end of year read.

3.5 ⭐️

I wanna start by saying there is no knife unless you’re talking about the backstabbing and downright dirty behaviors of several of the characters.

The actual murder weapon: jealousy, an inability to manage emotions, and lack of conversation between characters. Not to mention a MC that just….. the scandalous relationships.

It was a fast read, but predictable. I picked this up think “oh this sounds like it would be interesting and kinda like ML Rio’s “If We Were Villains” I was kinda right, but this wasn’t as captivating.

Enjoyed this book as my first of the dark academic/spooky season journey.

"Family is not whose blood runs in your veins; it's who you'd spill it for."

Take your typical mystery novel with a reunion, being stuck in close proximity to each other, a murder, and a boatload of people who could be suspects. Mix in breaking the fourth wall (I love it when this happens, especially if done well) and a dark sense of humor (I love this more), and you have entirely encapsulated this book.

It took me a little while to warm up to the book, writing style, and narrator's Australian accent, but once I settled in, I was fully committed.

In the beginning, the narrator tells us (the reader) that most novels have an unreliable narrator and that he was striving to be the opposite (Call me a reliable narrator. Everything I tell you will be the truth, or, at least, the truth as I knew it to be at the time that I thought I knew it). He gave us details in advance that gave him some credibility; however, I do not think I fully trusted him. Let's face it..... why would I?! The title of this book is "Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone," for Christ's sake! no one can be trusted!

I had run reading and listening to this book! I recommend it if you want a light mystery novel with a few giggles thrown in here and there.

I Was a Teenage Slasher was quite the unexpected read for me, as it fell outside of my usual genre. I picked it up based on a strong recommendation from a local bookseller at my favorite bookstore, and I'm so glad I did! The book has all the vibes of a classic slasher movie, but in written form, which made the genre way more appealing to me. Seeing the chaotic thrills play out on the page really shifted my perspective on slashers.

I thoroughly enjoyed the raw and unfiltered description from the main character’s point of view. This tell-all narrative really immersed me into the mind of a teenage serial killer turned slasher. The breakdown of what makes a person turn into a slasher was perhaps the most fascinating aspect—it fed into my need to know how everything happens, putting a chilling twist on the psychological development of the character.

And, of course, the gore was on point! It was perfectly gruesome, never overdone but just enough to keep the tension high and the story more enticing. The ending left me asking for more, though. Just like every slasher needs a sequel, right? There’s no way this teenage killer got full closure.

So I leave you with this: Who is your final girl?

Monika Kim’s The Eyes are The Best Part is a visceral and unsettling journey into the mind of its deeply disturbed protagonist. For novels like this, I often ask myself, “where did the hurt begin?”—and in this case, it’s all too clear for the main character. As for the author, Monika Kim, I need answers.

The way Kim describes eyes is both captivating and unnerving. Their eventual consumption left me feeling physically ill—I had to force myself to push through those parts. The balance between attraction and revulsion in her writing is masterful.

George and Geoffrey, two of the most disturbingly obnoxious characters, somehow manage to land on opposite ends of the creep spectrum. Despite their differences, both succeeded in making my skin crawl for completely different reasons.

The protagonist should have definitely listened to her professor and sought out the on-campus counselor. Watching her spiral was both frustrating and haunting, but in a twisted way, I couldn’t help but think, “good for her.”

This is a novel that will stay with me long after the last page. Monika Kim has etched disturbing images, sounds, and—unfortunately—tastes into my subconscious. I’m going to be thinking about The Eyes are The Best Part for a while, and probably avoiding significant eye contact in the process.

I was a few chapters in and realized this book is full of characters with secrets and they are all messy!

The more I read the more I knew some of these characters were sick and twisted, while others were just a product of circumstance. As I read the confession letters of Ruby, it felt very Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which was a little off putting because no one and I mean NO ONE can do Evelyn Hugo like TJR.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love and hate Cam, Jules, and Ruby. I hate hate hate Libby, Nelle, and Ben (you’ll see why if you read)

For Ruby I must say it at least once: FUCK!

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson delivers a hilarious and thrilling second installment featuring our quirky, "reliable narrator," Ernest Cunningham. The novel amplifies the tension by placing Ernest, a writer himself, on a train packed with other mystery authors—creating the perfect setting for rich, witty dialogue and plenty of humor.

Like its predecessor, the book follows Ernest's habit of breaking down the famous "rules" of crime writing. However, with so many other mystery writers on board, those rules are constantly challenged, making for a clever exploration of the genre. Watching these literary minds try to outsmart each other while wrestling with their egos to solve not one but two murders was fun.

The proposal scene? Let’s say it might be the longest and most cringe-worthy one ever written but in the best way possible! Ernest certainly knows how to dig himself into a hole, which only adds to his charm as a character.

Disclaimer: Vampirism doesn't excuse toxicity.

In A Dowry of Blood, S.T. Gibson takes readers on a dark journey into the life of Constanta, one of Dracula's brides, weaving a tale of blood, obsession, and manipulation. This gothic retelling of Dracula is hauntingly beautiful, but we must address the elephant in the room: the relationship was toxic AF, and there’s no sugarcoating that.

The novel unfolds as a confessional letter from Constanta to her master, the nameless Dracula figure, recounting centuries of life and their twisted relationship. What begins as gratitude for being saved from death soon spirals into something much darker—control, possessiveness, and manipulation. Gibson’s writing is masterful, drawing you in with its descriptions, but beneath the beauty lies an unsettling examination of power dynamics and emotional imprisonment.

Let’s be clear: just because these characters are vampires doesn’t mean their toxic relationships should be excused. Immortality doesn’t justify gaslighting or domination. The way Constanta’s master gradually isolates her, keeps her in a gilded cage, and manipulates her love is straight-up abuse, and the novel doesn’t shy away from showing how even the strongest bonds can become prisons when control is involved. The fact that these are “immortal beings” only makes the situation more terrifying—they’re trapped in this cycle for centuries.

Another key theme Gibson explores is the fluidity of love and desire when you're not bound by human mortality or societal norms. When you’re a vampire or vampire spawn, I guess it makes no difference who you love, marry, or do the horizontal tango with. You exist outside the boundaries of what human nature dictates, so love becomes more about power and survival than anything else. Constanta shares her “marriage” with Magdalena and Alexi, her fellow consorts of Dracula, and their relationships become this complicated web of affection, resentment, and dependency.

While the book is short, Gibson excels at building tension between the characters. The relationship between Constanta and her fellow brides/grooms, Magdalena and Alexi, is filled with jealousy, passion, and solidarity. Yet, despite their closeness, each of them remains bound to their master in different ways. Watching Constanta slowly wake up to her own agency and begin to challenge her oppressor is the novel’s emotional core. It’s a story of reclaiming autonomy in a world where freedom seems impossible.

A Dowry of Blood is a mesmerizing exploration of love, control, and liberation in a world where immortality complicates everything. While the romance may seem seductive on the surface, make no mistake—this is a story about toxic relationships and finding the strength to break free, even if it takes centuries. Gothic, dark, and deeply human in its emotional core, this book is as beautiful as it is brutal.

Everything the Darkness Eats is a dark and unsettling novel with significant connections to themes of grief, trauma, and the evil things/secrets found in small-town America. This novel introduces deeply damaged characters dealing with various personal traumas (mainly loss), which makes the book's atmosphere thick and dreadful. LaRocca developed and built tension that followed you throughout each page.

Because this book contained a significant amount of trauma, I would suggest potential trigger warnings at the beginning. However, those were lacking. I struggled with how some of the scenes painted for the reader were addressed and how long they carried out on the page, especially the scenes with Malik and Brett.

Based on the description, I was excited to dive into Everything the Darkness Eats. Unfortunately, some traumatic scenes were mishandled, and the story was disjointed and lacked a clear direction. As a result, I found myself struggling to connect with the overarching plot.

Truthfully, it was not until the final two chapters that the pieces started to fall into place, but by then, I was already lost as a reader. It almost seemed too much like a coincidence that some of the pieces fell into place, which took away from this novel.

As much as it pains me, this book just failed to deliver.