I did a bit of speed reading the last week of 2022. I was fully engrossed and finished two pretty twisted thrillers - one I highly recommend and the other not so much.

Highly recommend — Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Two different timelines and they merge together so wonderfully. Kya is abandoned as a little girl and is left to fend for herself in the marsh. The marsh is her home and she grows up learning about birds, insects, water currents, the soil and much more over the years - things that people from the nearby town wouldn’t even remotely know about. The second timeline takes place a couple of years later and is of a supposed local accident where Kya is the suspect.
Probably the fasted I’ve read a book; it’s such a page turner. It’s part coming-of-age, part romance and mystery story - such a unique combination and impossible to put down. In just 384 pages, the author does such a brilliant job of setting the scene, enlivening the marsh, bringing the characters to life, their relationships, and the mystery surrounding the local accident. Felt so many emotions over the course of reading. Do not want to give away any spoilers so please read!

Do not recommend — Verity by Colleen Hoover. Broke author, Lowen Ashleigh, gets the deal of a lifetime - world famous author Verity Crawford’s accident renders her unable to finish the remaining books in her series, so her husband hires Lowen Ashleigh to complete the last books. Lowen finds herself in the Crawford mansion to sort through Verity’s notes. The more time she spends in the house, the more she realises that Verity is not what everyone thinks she is, and the more Lowen develops feelings for the husband Jeremy Crawford. Quite a disturbing thriller. And a few plot holes around Verity’s condition. I didn’t feel anything towards the protagonist Lowen, or Jeremy. I was disappointed about the ending which would basically undo everything you’ve read. Not one for me.

What am I currently reading? Picked up The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka and I AM LOVING IT.

Also, where did 2022 go!? Probably best left for another post...