Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi

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Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi  was published on March 11, 2025 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam. It opens with Claire finding out that her fiancé, Noah, isn't working where he said he was and is now ghosting her. Claire must find out why. Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Claire Darling by Callie Kazumi for free in exchange for my honest review. I was absolutely thrilled when my request for a copy was approved because the synopsis was so good. From the beginning, I absolutely loved the main character of Claire and her work friend named Sukhi. Throughout the novel, we learn about Claire's past and how terrible her mother was towards her. I kept hoping that somehow we would learn who Claire's father was and would eventually connect with him. It's really no wonder Claire had no self confidence as an ad...
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Book Review: Those Girls by Chevy Stevens

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Those Girls A Novel by Chevy Stevens
Last week, I ran to the library on my lunch break to pick up a book for one of the book clubs I belong to. Having trouble finding it on the shelves, I happened across Chevy Stevens' Those Girls. Reading the synopsis, it intrigued me, and I decided to check it out.

Was I ever glad that I borrowed this book! It was so well written that I couldn't put down . . . I read the majority of the book in a day, staying up into the wee hours of the night so I could finish it. Even though I was exhausted the next day for work, I wasn't sorry that I stayed up to find out what happened.

Although Those Girls is considered a thriller, I would classify it more in the horror genre instead due to the horrific things the three main characters endure in the first half of the book.  The subject matter is very heavy and not suitable for tweens or young teens as it does deal with rape. 

The book had me rooting for the main characters (Jess, Courtney, and Dani Campbell) from the very beginning; my heart pounded for them, broke for them, and had me hoping for the best. They were so well developed. The bad guys weren't as well developed as the main characters, but that didn't really detract from anything because I still loathed them.

The pacing of the book was done well too with the first half being told from the perspective of Jess in the year 1997 and the second half being told from the point of view of Skylar in 2015. Chevy Stevens did an amazing job with the writing . . . it was very believable, and it has left me in a bit of a funk . . . but in a good way. I definitely recommend reading Those Girls by Chevy Stevens and give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis of Those Girls by Chevy Stevens:  The Campbell sisters are often left alone for weeks at a time at the house they rent on an ranch in Western Canada. Behind on rent and with little money for groceries, Jess, Courtney, and Dani help the owner of the ranch out to earn extra cash. Late one evening, their abusive father returns home and chaos ensues forcing the girls to go on the run. In the midst of being on the run, their pick up truck breaks down in the middle of a small town and an encounter with not so nice people leaves them in a horrific situation.

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