Pages

Showing posts with label Emily Arsenault. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emily Arsenault. Show all posts

Monday, December 27, 2021

Review: When All the Girls are Sleeping by Emily Arsenault

Author: Emily Arsenault
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: July 2021

Windham-Farnswood Academy is beautiful, prestigious, historic--the perfect place for girls to prep for college. But every student knows all is not as it seems. Each January, the Winter Girl comes knocking. She's the spirit who haunts the old senior dorm, and this year is no exception.


For Haley, the timing couldn't be worse. This month marks the one-year anniversary of the death of her ex-best friend, Taylor. When a disturbing video of Taylor surfaces, new questions about her death emerge. And it actually looks like Taylor was murdered.

Now, as Haley digs into what really happened last year, her search keeps bringing her back to the Winter Girl. Haley wants to believe ghosts aren't real, but the clues--and the dark school history she begins to undercover--say otherwise. Now it's up to her to solve the mystery before history has a chan
ce to repeat itself and another life is taken.

When All the Girls are Sleeping is another recent YA thriller that I really enjoyed.  There is a tale of a resident ghost, known as The Winter Girl.  She appears every winter ion a certain date in Haley's dorm.  Sometimes in white and sometimes in black.  Last year, Haley's former friend Taylor fell out of a window.  Did she jump or was there something more paranormal at play?  Now that Haley is a senior, she begins to believe that maybe Taylor didn't really jump.

As I said, I ended up really enjoying this one. The boarding school dorm setting made for a creepy atmosphere.  Not knowing if it was a paranormal event or something more going on made me want to keep reading to the end.  I didn't call the reveal at all. I definitely thought it was going in a different direction. There were some places that were kind of info dumps, but it didn't slow down the pacing.

 I liked the characters, especially Haley.  She was smart and methodical in her approach to figuring out what happened to Taylor.  I also liked that she was a scholarship kid  and not the stereotypical right boarding school student. The other characters were interesting and enhanced the story.  I definitely recommend this one!

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Review: The Leaf Reader by Emily Arsenault

Author: Emily Arsenault
Publisher: Soho Teen
Date of publication: June 2017

Marnie Wells knows that she creeps people out. It’s not really her fault; her brother is always in trouble, and her grandmother, who’s been their guardian since Mom took off is…eccentric. So no one even bats an eye when Marnie finds an old book about reading tea leaves and starts telling fortunes. The ceremony and symbols are weirdly soothing, but she knows—and hopes everyone else does too—that none of it’s real.


Then basketball star Matt Cotrell asks for a reading. He’s been getting emails from someone claiming to be his best friend, Andrea Quinley, who disappeared and is presumed dead. And while they’d always denied they were romantically involved, a cloud of suspicion now hangs over Matt. But Marnie sees a kindred spirit: someone who, like her, is damaged by association.

Suddenly the readings seem real. And, despite the fact that they’re telling Marnie things about Matt that make him seem increasingly dangerous, she can’t shake her initial attraction to him. In fact, it’s getting stronger. And that could turn out to be deadly.

The Leaf Reader was another random pick from my library that I ended up being pleasantly surprised with.  There is nothing like a book that keeps you guessing until the very end.  I did not call this one at all!  I haven't read a book in a while that has had me guessing for so long.  The characters were interesting, especially Marnie.  The story was well written.  Thankfully, there was no insta-love.  

It's a hard book to talk about without giving away key plot points.   Marnie and her brother live with their grandmother, G Clara.  On a whim, Marnie picked up a book about reading tea leaves.  Ever since then, she has read tea leaves for fellow students.  Some of them swear by her. Marnie isn't convinced she can really read anything in the leaves.  When a fellow student disappears, Marnie begins to see things in the leaves that may be connected.  That's all I am going to say other than to go read it.  I highly recommend it!

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Blog Tour: The Last Thing I Told You by Emily Arsenault


Author: Emily Arsenault
Puiblisher: William Morrow
Date of publication: July 2018

From the acclaimed author of The Evening Spider and The Broken Teaglass comes this psychological thriller about the murder of a psychologist in a quiet New England town and his former patient whose unreliable thread will keep readers guessing until the shocking end.

Therapist Dr. Mark Fabian is dead—bludgeoned in his office.

But that doesn’t stop former patient Nadine Raines from talking to him—in her head. Why did she come back to her hometown after so many years away? Everyone here thinks she’s crazy. And she has to admit—they might have good reason to think so. She committed a shockingly violent act when she was sixteen, and has never really been able to explain that dark impulse—even to Fabian. Now that Fabian’s dead, why is she still trying?

Meanwhile, as Detective Henry Peacher investigates Fabian’s death, he discovers that shortly before he died, Fabian pulled the files of two former patients. One was of Nadine Raines, one of Henry’s former high school classmates. Henry still remembers the disturbing attack on a teacher that marked Nadine as a deeply troubled teen.

More shockingly, the other file was of Johnny Streeter, who is now serving a life sentence for a mass shooting five years ago. The shooting devastated the town and everyone—including Henry, who is uncomfortable with the “hero” status the tragedy afforded him—is ready to move on. But the appearance of his file brings up new questions. Maybe there is a decades-old connection between Nadine and Streeter. And maybe that somehow explains what Nadine is doing in Fabian’s office nearly twenty years after being his patient. Or how Fabian ended up dead two days after her return. Or why Nadine has fled town once again.

But as Nadine and Henry head toward a confrontation, both will discover that the secrets of people’s hearts are rarely simple, and—even in the hidden depths of a psychologist’s files—rarely as they appear.

The Last Thing I Told you opens with the death of a psychiatrist and a former patient fleeing the scene.  Detective Henry preacher is assigned the case.   The story is told through alternating chapters between Nadine and Henry's perspective.  

I was looking forward to reading this one since I have enjoyed this author in the past.  I know I will be in the minority when I say that this book  just didn't do it  for me.  Honestly, I did not find it all that thrilling.  There is something to be said for a slow burn book but this one was almost too slow.  I didn't like Nadine's perspective and found myself skimming a few times.  Henry was mildly more interesting.  The nice thing was that the chapters were short, so the book was relatively quick to read.   It's not badly written and has received good reviews, so give it a shot.  It just wasn't for me.


Purchase Links

About Emily Arsenault 
Photo by Ross Gram

Emily Arsenault is also the author of The Broken Teaglass, In Search of the Rose Notes, Miss Me When I’m Gone, and What Strange Creatures. She lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, with her husband and daughter.

Find out more about Emily at her website and connect with her on Facebook.

Instagram Features
Monday, July 23rd: Instagram: @thats_what_she_read
Tuesday, July 24th: Instagram: @writersdream
Wednesday, July 25th: Instagram: @prose_and_palate
Thursday, July 26th: Instagram: @bookishconnoisseur
Friday, July 27th: Instagram: @bookenetics
Saturday, July 28th: Instagram: @willbakeforbooks
Sunday, July 29th: Instagram: @ladyofthelibrary

Review Stops
Tuesday, July 24th: Instagram: @shereadswithcats
Wednesday, July 25th: Kahakai Kitchen
Thursday, July 26th: Literary Quicksand
Friday, July 27th: As I turn the pages
Monday, July 30th: Wining Wife
Tuesday, July 31st: Jathan & Heather
Wednesday, August 1st: Jessicamap Reviews
Thursday, August 2nd: From the TBR Pile
Monday, August 6th: Instagram: @onceupon_a_bookdream
Tuesday, August 7th: Instagram: @Novelmombooks
Thursday, August 9th: Ms. Nose in a Book
Monday, August 13th: Instagram: @alittlebookishlife
Tuesday, August 14th: Instagram: @biblio_files
Wednesday, August 15th: Instagram: @jenabrownwrites
Thursday, August 16th: Instagram: @givemeallthebooks
Friday, August 17th: Instagram: @strandedinbooks


Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Blog Tour: The Evening Spider by Emily Arsenault

Author: Emily Arsenault
Publisher: William Morrow
Date of publication: January 2016

1885: Frances Barnett is in the Northampton Lunatic Hospital, telling her story to a visitor. She has come to distrust her own memories, and believes that her pregnancy, birth, and early days of motherhood may have impaired her sanity.

During the earliest months of her baby’s life, Frances eagerly followed the famous murder trial of Mary Stannard—that captivated New Englanders with its salacious details and expert forensic testimony. Following—and even attending—this trial, Frances found an escape from the monotony of new motherhood. But as her story unfolds, Frances must admit that her obsession with the details of the murder were not entirely innocent.

Present day: Abby has been adjusting to motherhood smoothly—until recently, when odd sensations and dreams have begun to unsettle her while home alone with her baby. When she starts to question the house’s history, she is given the diary of Frances Barnett, who lived in the house 125 years earlier. Abby finds the diary disturbing, and researches the Barnett family’s history. The more Abby learns, the more she wonders about a negative—possibly supernatural—influence in her house. She becomes convinced that when she sleeps, she leaves her daughter vulnerable—and then vows not to sleep until she can determine the cause of her eerie experiences.

Frances Barnett might not be the only new mother to lose her mind in this house. And like Frances, Abby discovers that by trying to uncover another’s secrets, she risks awakening some of her own.

The Evening Spider is told in alternating time-lines.  We have Abby in the present.  She has a 5 MO daughter, Lucy.  She is convinced she is hearing sounds coming from her daughter's room at night.  As she investigates, she finds out about the first owner, Frances and sets out to see if she is haunting the house.  The second time-line is Frances telling her brother the truth about how she ended up in the insane asylum,  

I thought this book was very engaging and kept me reading late into the night.  I'm still not convinced that it is a real ghost story.  It was hard to figure out if Abby was suffering from delusions or if the house really was haunted.  I won't give away too much of the plot, you'll have to decide for yourself.  Frances's story was the more interesting and surprising of the two. I really felt badly for her. The only thing I didn't really like about the story was the ending.  It was a little abrupt and I was still left with some questions.  Still, I do recommend giving this one a shot.  If you like creepy mysteries, this one will satisfy your craving.



About the author:

Emily Arsenault is also the author of The Broken TeaglassIn Search of the Rose Notes, and Miss Me When I’m Gone. She lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, with her husband and daughter.
Find out more about Emily at her website and connect with her on Facebook.



Emily’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, January 26th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Wednesday, January 27th: Kahakai Kitchen
Thursday, January 28th: A Bookworm’s World
Friday, January 29th: JulzReads
Monday, February 1st: A Literary Vacation
Tuesday, February 2nd: FictionZeal
Thursday, February 4th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Friday, February 5th: Kritters Ramblings
Monday, February 8th: bookchickdi
Wednesday, February 10th: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, February 11th: Book Hooked Blog
Friday, February 12th: Peeking Between the Pages

Monday, July 28, 2014

Blog Tour: What Strange Creatures by Emily Arsenault

Author: Emily Arsenault
Publisher: William Morrow
Date of publication: July 2014


The Battle siblings are used to disappointment. Seven years after starting her PhD program—one marriage, one divorce, three cats and a dog later—Theresa Battle still hasn't finished her dissertation. Instead of a degree, she’s got a houseful of adoring pets and a dead-end copy-writing job for a local candle company.
Jeff, her so-called genius older brother, doesn't have it together, either. Creative and loyal, he’s also aimless, in both work and love. But his new girlfriend, Kim, a pretty waitress in her twenties, appears smitten. When Theresa agrees to dog-sit Kim’s puggle for a weekend, she has no idea it will be the beginning of a terrifying nightmare that will shatter her quiet academic world.

Soon Kim’s body is found in the woods, and Jeff becomes the prime suspect.

Though the evidence is overwhelming, Theresa knows that her brother is not a murderer. As she investigates Kim’s past, she uncovers a treacherous secret involving politics, murder, and scandal—and becomes entangled in a potentially dangerous romance. But the deeper she falls into this troubling case, the more it becomes clear that, in trying to save her brother’s life, she may be sacrificing her own.

What Strange Creatures is a well-written and engaging book. When Teresa's brother is accused of murdering his girlfriend, she makes it her mission to figure out what really happened.  This sets her on an unexpected journey where many secrets are discovered.   I did enjoy the mystery. There were many twists and possible reasons for Kim's murder.  It definitely kept me guessing.  

What I liked even more was Theresa.  She is such an unlikely detective, yet she made sense to me.  Maybe it was her research background that gave her credibility.  I liked how she went about trying to help her brother out. I loved her relationship with her brother and how they took care of each other. The game that they played all the time was really cute.

I do recommend this one.  The story flows fairly quickly and is a great one for a rainy afternoon curled up with a cup of tea.


About the author:

Emily Arsenault is the critically acclaimed author of The Broken Teaglass, a New York Times Notable Mystery, and In Search of the Rose Notes. She lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, with her husband and daughter.

Find out more about Emily at her website and connect with her on Facebook.

Purchase Links

Emily’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, July 22nd: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Wednesday, July 23rd: Booksie’s Blog
Thursday, July 24th: Kritters Ramblings
Monday, July 28th: From the TBR Pile
Tuesday, July 29th: BoundbyWords
Wednesday, July 30th: Book-alicious Mama
Thursday, July 31st: cupcake’s book cupboard
Monday, August 4th: bookchickdi
Wednesday, August 6th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Thursday, August 7th: Book of Secrets