The Running Bibliophile

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston follows Evie Porter, a woman with seemingly everything she could want, but there’s a shocking twist ... Evie Porter doesn’t exist. Her life is a carefully constructed identity. First comes the persona ... Evie Porter. Then comes the mark ... Ryan Sumner. Finally ... the job. Evie only knows her boss as Mr. Smith, and after a disastrous previous assignment, she can’t afford to fail with Ryan Sumner if she wants to leave this life behind and reclaim her real identity. Ashley Elston delivers a fast-paced, suspenseful story that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. First Lie Wins is full of twists, turns, and unpredictable moments that had me guessing throughout the book. While the story wraps up satisfyingly, the ending leaves room for a possible sequel, which I hope happens because I’m eager for more of Evie’s thrilling adventures. One of the most enjoyable aspects of First Lie Wins is how it reminded me of the TV show Alias . Elston ...

The House On Yeet Street by Preston Norton is a heartfelt and spooky middle grade novel about the friendship of four boys, secret crushes, and a one-hundred-year-old curse that refuses to stay buried. Aidan Cross throws his secret journal into the upstairs room of the infamous house on Yeet Street, hoping to keep his hidden feelings far away from his best friend, Kai. When the boys decide to have a sleepover in that very same, very haunted house, Aidan is horrified and knows he has to retrieve the journal before anyone else finds it. As he searches for it, Aidan encounters a ghost, and in doing so, unleashes an old evil upon the town once again. A big shout-out to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The House On Yeet Street by Preston Norton. I appreciate receiving a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion. When I first started reading this story, I found it to be a bit choppy and disjointed, which made it harder to settle in at first. Thankfully, th...

Stage Fright by Wendy Parris is a locked room mystery for middle grade readers. It opens with twelve year old Avery returning to her old neighborhood for two weeks to visit her friends only to realize they've changed and grown up. To prove that she's grown up too, Avery suggests holding a  séance  at their deserted theater that has a reputation of being haunted. It starts out as all fun and games ... until they get trapped in the building and realize they're not alone. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of Stage Fright by Wendy Parris. The eye-catching cover and compelling synopsis immediately grabbed my attention, and I was thrilled to be approved to read this book ahead of its release. After diving into the story, I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience it early. I received this ARC at no cost in exchange for my honest review, and all opinions shared are entirely my own. This book brought back a lot of memories from my c...

The Old Willis Place, A Ghost Story Graphic Novel is written by Mary Downing Hahn and adapted by Scott Peterson, Meredith Laxton, and Sienna Haralson.  The story opens with siblings Diana and Georgie spying on the new caretaker and his daughter Lissa moving onto the property. Diana desperately wants to be friends with Lissa, but making friends might unleash evil spirits. I was absolutely excited to be approved and receive an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion from NetGalley.  I first started reading books by Mary Downing Hahn in middle school and checked out every book by her that my school library had. The Old Willis Place was not available at my school, and my local bookstore didn't have it in stock.  So, this is the first time I've ever read this book. Right away, I knew that Diana and Georgie were ghosts. However, I'm not sure if I would have figured that out as a kid. I had a general idea of what would happ...

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne is about Lenny Marks who keeps the same exact schedule each day and plays Scrabble with her made up friend, Monica Gellar while watching the television show, Friends .  Lenny also doesn't remember much from the day her mother and stepdad disappeared.  But then a letter from the parole board arrives via mail and turns her world upside down. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for my honest review.  What drew my interest in this book was the synopsis, so I was happy to be approved to get a copy in my hands before the general public! At first, the main character, Lenny Marks, got on my nerves and was just super annoying.  It wasn't until I was approximately 3/4's of the way into the story that we find out her entire back story and why she is the way she is.  From that point on, Lenny wasn't quite so annoying, and I found myself liking the character a lot more....

Goblin Monday (Goosebumps House of Shivers, #2)  by R.L. Stine opens with Mario Galagos vacationing with his friends and their parents in Vermont.  When Mario finds an ugly stone statue and brings it into the house, he unknowingly starts a war with goblins. Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book.  I received it for free in exchange for my honest opinion. Growing up, I was a huge fan of R.L. Stine and his Fear Street series.  Having read the first book in this new series and enjoying it, I wanted to see if the second installment was as good as it's predecessor.  Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed and underwhelmed with Goblin Monday . Although the age range for this book is for children aged eight to twelve years old, I actually think it's more appropriate for kids aged six to eight years old.  As the story develops, I kept expecting something scary or suspenseful to happen, but neither of those things happen until the rea...

The Dare by Natasha Preston is a young adult horror novel centered on Marley and her friends Atlas, Lucia, and Jesse, all seniors in high school. What begins as harmless, lighthearted senior pranks quickly takes a dark turn when Rhett starts assigning dares that are far more serious and dangerous. As the stakes rise, the question becomes whether Marley and her friends will survive the consequences of playing along. A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced readers copy of The Dare by Natasha Preston. The last book I read by this author was well written and engaging, so I was excited to dive into her latest young adult horror story. From the start, the novel feels reminiscent of R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series, which instantly brought back a wave of childhood nostalgia. Unfortunately, that initial excitement didn’t last. Before long, the plot shifts into territory that felt eerily similar to the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer . At that point, my interest started ...

Darling Girls  by Sally Hepworth is a  story of love and secrets and what family will do to protect each other.  Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told over and over how lucky they are to be placed in such a loving foster home.  People on the outside don't realize that Miss Fairchild, their foster mother, is an absolute nightmare. Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth.  Hepworth is one of my favorite authors, so I was ecstatic to be approved to read this book.  I received it for free in exchange for my honest review. Hepworth's latest story is an interesting read told from different characters and alternates between the past and present.  I enjoyed the "past" chapters better than the "present" chapters because it lets the readers get a glimpse of who the main characters were as children and how they became the people they were today.  The different perspectives and timelines was done extrem...