Joyland by Stephen King

Synopsis:

College student Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark truths about life—and what comes after—that would change his world forever.

Stephen King novels are very hit or miss with me. I would love to say that I really enjoy them all and I can get into them right away, but that isn’t the case. When they hit – they hit hard, though. That is exactly what Joyland did. It hooked me from the very first page, and it didn’t let go.

I'm not sure what was so gripping about this novel. It had to be a combination of the amusement park mystique as well as the inner monologue of Devin. He is a very relatable character, and that fact made it easier to read through the book. I would read a sequel written from his point of view as well. He has a lot of insightful thoughts and an interesting personality.

Every character in this novel was really complex, and they all added to the intrigue of the story.

I was expecting it to be a little more in the horror genre, but I would call it more of a suspense novel. Nothing about it was really scary, but the mystery of it all kept me guessing and kept me holding on until the last page.

Also – I loved Annie and Mike, and the end of this book made me very, very sad.

5/5 Stars. Highly, highly recommend this one. This book touched me in ways I never would have expected. 

Memorable Quotes: “That first broken heart is always the most painful, the slowest to mend, and leaves the most visible scar.”

“Love leaves scars.”

“You think ‘Okay, I get it, I’m prepared for the worst,’ but you hold out on that small hope, see, and that’s what fucks you up. That’s what kills you.”

“The powers that be have a way of outlawing many beautiful things made by ordinary people. I don’t know why that should be, I only know it is.”

“The last good time always comes, and when you see the darkness creeping towards you, you hold on to what was bright and good. You hold on for dear life.”

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The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Synopsis:

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

I know this is supposed to be a mystery or thriller novel, but sometimes those can be very fun to read. If you pick up this book expecting it to be fun and exciting while keeping you guessing and on the edge of your seat, well. . . choose a different book because this one is not that.

Girl on the Train can best be described in one word as: FRUSTRATING. The plot is frustrating, the characters are frustrating, everything about it is frustrating. Every single character in this novel is a whole different level of crazy and I found myself just wanting to shake them back to reality!

The twist was a…twist, but I figured it out before the reveal. That isn’t the worst thing because I didn’t guess it halfway through the book. It still kept me guessing a little, but it became more obvious before the actual reveal.

I think, overall, I can say that I enjoyed this book. . . I think. I am still undecided on it. I am glad I read it, but I don’t know that I would recommend it to my best friend to read… If you are intrigued by the plot, pick it up. But it can be passed over and you won’t be missing much.

3/5 Stars

Memorable Quotes: “I have lost control over everything, even the places in my head”

“Maybe it was then. Maybe that was the moment when things started to go wrong, the moment when I imagined us no longer a couple, but a family; and after that, once I had that picture in my head. Just the two of us could never be enough.”

“I’ve always liked to drink. But I did become sadder, and the sadness gets boring after awhile, for the sad person and for everyone around them. And then I went from being a drinker to being a drunk, and there’s nothing more boring than that.”

“I don’t believe in soulmates, but there’s an understanding between us that I just haven’t felt before, or at least, not for a long time. It comes from shared experience, from knowing how it feels to be broken.”

“I want to drag knives over my skin, just so that I can feel something other than shame, but I’m not even brave enough to do that.”

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NYPD Red 4 by James Patterson

Synopsis:

When a glitzy movie premiere is the scene of a shocking murder and high-stakes robbery, NYPD Red gets the call. Traversing the city's highs and lows, from celebrity penthouses to the depths of Manhattan's criminal underworld, Zach and Kylie have to find a cold-blooded killer--before he strikes again.

ZACH, PICK A WOMAN!!!!!

That was my most common thought while reading the whole series thus far. Especially in this one though. The books always end promising for him and his relationship, but then he goes and messes it up.

‘4’ was full of action. There were 3 different things that Zach and Kylie were trying to take care of at the same time and it was a bit chaotic. I felt like the book wasn’t long enough for everything to get solved, but I was wrong. Of course, there was a cliff hanger at the end that leads us to the wait time for the 5^th book, but that was to be expected.

It seems like the cases are the most interesting in every other book. The first and the third were the best. The second book was definitely the worst so far. The 4^th was a solid installment in the series, but it left me wanting more. I’m not exactly sure what I felt was missing though.

This series, like many Patterson series, has a great supporting cast around Kylie and Zach. As strong and developed at the main two are, the supporting cast really keep the books going and keep pushing the series forward.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I can’t wait until the next one!

4/5 stars

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