{mini reviews} YA psychological thrillers and mysteries

Kacey is the new girl in Broken Falls. When she moved in with her father, she stepped into a brand-new life. A life with a stepbrother, a stepmother, and strangest of all, an adoring younger half sister.

Kacey’s new life is eerily charming compared with the wild highs and lows of the old one she lived with her volatile mother. And everyone is so nice in Broken Falls—she’s even been welcomed into a tight new circle of friends. Bailey and Jade invite her to do everything with them.

Which is why it’s so odd when they start acting distant. And when they don’t invite her to the biggest party of the year, it doesn’t exactly feel like an accident.

But Kacey will never be able to ask, because Bailey never makes it home from that party. Suddenly, Broken Falls doesn’t seem so welcoming after all—especially once everyone starts looking to the new girl for answers.

Kacey is about to learn some very important lessons: Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes when you’re the new girl, you shouldn’t trust anyone.

Monster Mash

I've decided to pit some of the characters I read this year, against a random assortment of monsters and paranormal activity to see just how well they'd survive. Or just how well I think they'd survive because this is in no way scientific. That said I did use a very scientific number generator to choose each characters monster just to stop myself from playing favourites.

Sawkill Girls; The Gorgeously Creepy Halloween Must Read

Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep.
He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.
Who are the Sawkill Girls?
Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.
Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.
Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.
Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires.
Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now.

A Guide To Movies & Shows For Halloween (for the scaredy-cats and horror fans alike!)

Creepy horrors, mysterious movies and supernatural tales are an essential part of October in our house... but who am I kidding??? These are my favorite movies all through the year, even during Christmas, which means that I'm pretty well-versed in these genres.

Thus, I thought it'd be useful for some of our readers - maybe you included? - to flood you with some recommendations! I made sure to include as many type of titles as possible - you'll find truly creepy horrors, gory movies, thrillers, mysteries and even animated movies and shows. Basically, I have something for everyone here, so I'm VERY excited to see your reactions! 

Titles link to IMDb. 

{mini reviews} adult psychological thrillers

Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems.

Halloween Recommendations For All Fear Levels

Do you love Halloween but don't enjoy horror so feel like you're missing out? Or do you just want more recommendations for books that you should not be reading at night? I've put together some of my favourite Halloween reads with a helpful fear rating out of five!! 

Authors We Would Love To Plot A Creepy Novel With

I am so darn excited to put out today's post, because this is our first official Spooky October post, and damn, Clare and I have been working hard on these, and it's NICE to finally put something out!! 

Well, okay, originally, this is a Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) topic, but we've put our own little spin on it, so it feels like its ours too. At least on some level. Maybe.

ALSO, if you're wondering what Spooky October is?? Fantastic - here's a link to our opening post where you can (1) learn more about the event, (2) enter our INT giveaway! ISN'T THAT AMAZING!? 

Khm, but now, we should finally get to today's post where we've shared 5-5 authors we'd love to plot a creepy novel with. There are authors from multiple genres here, so even if you don't like horror this list might be something you enjoy. 

The Official Start of Spooky October 2018 + INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY

It's the 30th of September when I'm drafting this post - yeah, I'm totally working on this last minute, which is KILLING the well-organized part of me, I tell you - and I couldn't be more hyped for it to go live on the 1st of October. Why?? Because this is the OFFICIAL OPENING OF SPOOKY OCTOBER 2018. 

Ah, how I adore this movie.

So, what exactly is this post if it's "just" an opening post -

(1) short summary of what Spooky October is 
(2) some info on this year's posts
(3) the giveaway link & details

See, short and sweet - there's literally no reason you want to miss this post, hmm?

Books So Wholly Unique We Can't Think Of Any Like Them (but we WANT more!)

When I think of fiction, the first thing that pops into my mind is endless possibilities. Throughout the years, there have been an unthinkable amount of novels written - you could bring up any genre + topic, and there would be people able to recommend something to you within those limits. Basically, were you to point to a book, and say "I want more like that!" you'd be hit with a ton of recommendations. 

That being said, Clare and I could easy think up some titles that are so special that we could not think of any like them... but we'd love to hear your recommendations if you have them. Without further ado, let's get into these. 

How To Read More Than Ever Before - Tips To Ace Your Reading Goals

Is your goal increase the amount you read? To read more than ever before? Fantastic, you came to the right place! Today, I'm going to share a couple of tips for reading more, hoping they'll be as helpful for you as they are for me. 

But before that, let me just clarify that the amount you read is entirely up to you - you can be an avid reader if you read 5, 10, 40, 100 or 300 books a year. The amount really does not matter as long as you're doing something that - hopefully - makes you happy, or benefits you in some way. SO, this post is in no way to make you guilty for not reading "enough" - what the fuck is enough anyway? - but to mention some tips that could help you in squeezing in some reading time. :)