The Killer in Me

While most 17 year old girls have nightmares about showing up unprepared for a test or being stood up at their prom, the things Nina Barrows sees when she closes her eyes at night are a little more substantial …and a lot more terrifying. 

Ever since she was a little girl Nina's dreams have been haunted by "The Thief", a sociopath serial killer who stalks and kills at random, and then disposes his victims' bodies in an abandoned

mine in the deepest, most desolate part of the desert. Yet, no one except Nina has ever heard of him.  Joined by her former best friend Warren, who is not sure what to make of her obsession (or maybe delusions?), Nina decides to hunt the Thief down.  But once they get to the to the deserts of New Mexico – the Thief's hunting grounds –  the man who awaits them there seems to be the exact opposite of the brutal killer Nina had come to know through her dreams, and she soon begins to doubt everything that she had once been so sure of.  

While the gripping and brilliantly twisted plot of  Margot Harrison's debut novel make it a book that you can't put down,  it is the atmosphere that really sets it apart from other thrillers.  The setting – a captivating  mix of eerie and beautiful – is so vivid that it almost competes with the characters themselves. Yet, the story never gets lost in descriptions that slow down the plot. The writing is always sharp, on point, and at times even "noir-ish".  And even though I pride myself  in my deductive skills I found myself questioning them a little more with every chapter  – just like Nina herself.  

If you enjoy a gritty mystery, with dark and disturbing revelations, and a hint of romance, then mark July 12 in your calendars or preorder "The Killer in Me" now. You definitely won't regret it …except for the increase in your electrical bill because it may want to make you sleep with the lights on (if you dare to sleep at all, that is).

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura  

Advanced review copy provided by Net Galley 

Look For Less: Emma Roberts

Instagram has slowly become my go-to source for book recommendations, and if there's one celeb who is always on top of the literary game, it's Emma Roberts. I particularly like that her choices are always very broad, one day it's Drew Barrymore's memoir Wildflower, the next she posts a summer reading list that is topped of by Rousseau's Social Contract: 

Teen Vogue

So if you visit her instagram, chances are that you will find at least two or three books that you'll want to put on your own reading list.  

But of course the bookish actress, also has a knack for putting together great book shopping looks. Like this cozy (it's cold in those book stores!) but still summer appropriate ensemble:

Sweater / Jeans 

Coach X Disney Saddle Bag / Matt Nat Faux Leather Bag

Loeffler Randall Shoes / Kiomi Shoes 

Happy (book) shopping!  

Peace, Love and Lobsters
Laura

Tic Toc Nic…

Even though there is a ferris wheel on the cover, All The Missing Girls  is more reminiscent  of a roller coaster ride – and just like a roller coaster ride it's impossible to get off once you're on it.

Ten years ago Nicolette's (Nic) best friend Corinne disappeared from Cooley Ridge, their small North Carolina  hometown. Now, Nic is back in Cooley Ridge to help her brother fix up their old family home – and it does not take long until her past catches up with her and old wounds that she thought had long been healed start to itch again …especially when Annaleise, Nic's neighbor, disappears, in the middle of the night– just like Corinne did ten years ago.  

Small towns and missing girls are hardly an original premise – but it's the way this story is told that  makes it one of the most original books I've read in years, because author Megan Miranda  is telling it backwards. That's right, after the set up the story jumps ahead 15 days and then counts down – day by day, until we reach the night in question and find out what really happened to All The Missing Girls.

My first thought was that this sounds like a really confusing concept, but Miranda uses this to her advantage, and the result is an extremely immersive reading experience that messes with  the readers' minds in the best possible way:  The confusion – and most importantly the distrust – that is haunting the narrators flies of the pages and makes you feel like you're actually right there in Cooley Ridge, trying to solve the case yourself instead of just reading about it.  

Preorder "All The Missing Girls"

All The Missing Girls hits the shelves on June 28, and is guaranteed to keep you up during those long summer nights – sleep is overrated anyway.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura  

Advanced review copy provided by Net Galley 

Summer Reading (Play)list

First of all, thank you for all the nice Birthday wishes!  

And now on to the regular blogging:

I know that some people hate listening to music while they read, but I think a good playlist makes everything better.  So here's my beach book playlist  (don't worry it also works on a balcony, or even on your couch):

Summer Reading (Play)list on Spotify

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura