How to Survive by Scarlett Dunmore
Technically this series isn’t finished yet and it’s currently only a duology, but it’s so fun. I was lucky enough to receive advanced copies of both books and they’re such an interesting concept. Each chapter is named after a horror movie survival tactic and these foreshadow what will happen during that chapter. You’d think this would give away the plot twists but surprisingly they don’t. It’s always not what you expect.
Book one is definitely my favourite of the two as nothing is more intense than a serial killer going on a spree on an isolated island with no contact options. It’s also a boarding school so that feels even creepier.
After reading both books, I’d love to go back to book one knowing what I know now. I need to know if there were hints as to the outcome throughout. The plot twist really got me and I’m someone that prides myself on figuring out mysteries.
ARC Review: How to Survive a Horror Movie by Scarlett Dunmore
Synopsis: Horror movie enthusiast Charley is determined to keep a low profile when she’s enrolled to a girls’ boarding school on a remote island. That is, until someone starts killing off her senior class! From elaborate scare tactics to severed heads in fridges, Charley has found herself at the centre of a teen horror movie. And that’s not the only alarming thing that’s happening – she’s now seeing the ghosts of her former classmates!
Haunted by her peers, and with everyone beginning to suspect her, Charley decides to do something about it. She and her only best friend Olive are going to solve the murders and find out who’s killing off the class before graduation. Charley just needs those pesky ghosts to shut up and give her a hand…
Dream Harbor by Laurie Gilmore
Dream Harbor is technically (my favourite word in this post apparently) a bunch of standalones but they are all set in the same town and they have recurring characters. If you’re not a big romance fan, this is not the series for you. If you’re also not a spice fan, this is not the series for you. Especially book two, rammed full of it.
I received an ARC of book one back in 2023 and I was not a fan, at all. I thought it was all over the place and wasn’t what was promised. In my defense, it was categorised as a mystery on Netgalley, so you could imagine my disappointment when it was basically pure romance. Now, I’ve read the rest of this series and I adore the fact that they’re pure romance. I’ve become such a romance reader in my mid twenties, does this happen to all of us at some point? It feels like a canon event.
Two books in this series have been five star reads for me and the others (other than book one) have been either 4 or 4.5 stars. If you go into these books hoping for pure vibes, they’re great.
I’ve used The Cinnamon Bun Book Store in this post for a reason, it’s my favourite of the series and I also didn’t like book one a whole lot. I’ve included the synopsis for it below.
Book Review: The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
Synopsis: When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, Hazel can’t understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues… she just needs someone to help her out.
Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, Noah, is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better that the cute bookseller he’s been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help!
Hazel didn’t go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells…
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