INTO THE DARKEST CORNER by Elizabeth Haynes

RATING : 5 Stars

Into the Darkest Corner was a gripping, creepy and engrossing read. This book was recommended to me by a good friend of mine and of course many of my Goodreads friends. Since then i had this book in my to-be-read shelf. I don't have a clear explanation for putting off this book to a later read. Eventually i had to pick it up after seeing my friends gushing about it. It has the most chilling plot line that i have read in a very long time. I'm not a squeamish person, but surprisingly this book creeped me out. Haynes writing was intense and unputdownable.  

The book flips back and forth between past and the present happenings. The protagonist Catherine Bailey(past) has been enjoying the single life as a coquette for long enough to know a good catch when she sees one. She meets charismatic Lee and starts dating. Her friends too clearly agrees he is gorgeous. Their relationship starts out to be amazing but later Catherine finds out Lee has a darker side. Her friends start suspecting her for their rocky relationship, this is because Lee is a charmer and begins to tell her friends that aren't true about Catherine. She is driven into the darkest corner of her world, and trusting no one. She makes  a scrupulous plan to escape her predicament.

Four years later (present) Lee is  behind the bars and Catharine now Cathy(changes her name) is suffering from OCD and PTSD. She isolates herself  and starts checking things over and over. Every time she enters the house she ensures her apartment main door lock is safely secured, and checks the curtains,  bathroom doors, kitchen cabinets, room, her personal belongings. She has a count for checking. If she feels something is wrong she would start it again. Now Cathy doesn't trust anyone and always has a thought that Lee is watching her even though he is in prison. She meets Stuart, a psychologist who lives in the apartment above her and he convinces her to seek treatment for her OCD. Eventually they start liking each other but Cathy is wary in stepping into another relationship. After a while she finds out something strange at her place and realizes Lee is back.

While reading this book I felt like I was developing OCD and I did check my door. I kid you not, even the slightest noise scared me and my heart pounded. I wanted to slow down to take things happening in the book and assure myself that its a fictional one but I couldn't resist any longer and I whipped through book quickly. Yes, it was that gripping and intense. I was cringing in shock when I read the last few lines. In my opinion it is a Riveting novel.

I know what you're thinking now... Wondering what is Lee's darker side and how did Catherine  change to Cathy and what is Cathy's final move??? Well.. grab a copy of this book and find out for yourself!!

I would highly recommend this book to  anyone who wants to get sucked in a good thriller and  get creeped out. If by any chance you are going to read it before you hit the sack be ready to face your nightmares.

THE SUMMER OF COTTON CANDY by Debbie Viguie

RATING : 5 Stars

Well, I needed something light and fun read after all my hectic deadline works. I was browsing through books in library and found this amazing book. I'll admit that I was drawn by its cover (I love cotton candy).  Yes, there goes the saying don't judge a book by its cover and this thought made me look up into Goodreads. I found out that this book had raving comments. Thanks to all the Goodreads reviewers, and I am glad that  I picked up this book. It is a perfect summer read when you want to sit back with lemonade and crack open a good book. But I picked it up  in the middle of winter. Regardless of what time of the year you read this book, you will completely enjoy the story.  

Candace Thompson expects to spend her summer vacation by hanging out with her best friend Tamara and shopping before she is a senior. She is dejected when her father forces her to apply for summer job at the local amusement park called The Zone. She takes up the job as a cotton candy machine operator. Candace meets new friends and the experiences at The Zone makes her love her job by the day. She experiences little friction with Tamara - I didn't like Tamara at certain moments. Candace meets a mysterious Lone Ranger at The Zone and love blossoms between them - this sounded cliched. She experiences little friction with Tamara and eventually  she learns the value of true faith and friendship.

This book clearly depicts what a teenager would go through. It's the first book in the Sweet Seasons series. Easy summer read. By Debbie Viguie's writing  you can  relate to the characters.  This book put a smile on my face when i reached the end of the book. It is full of fun and excitement. I loved taking the journey with Candace and her friends in the Amazing amusement park. Viguie's details about the park sparks you the idea of  taking  a trip to the local theme park with friends. This is first book of Viguie I have ever read and I can assure that it wouldn't be the last. I would recommend this book to all Teens and adults who prefers something light and fluffy read. I completely devoured it and can't wait to finish the series. 

SHARP OBJECTS by Gillian Flynn

                                                      RATING : 5 Stars

After reading Gone Girl, instantly I became a fan of Gillian Flynn. My expectation for this book was high and i wasn't disappointed. Flynn's writing style is very dark. As you know I'm a sucker for Thrillers, and purchased this book immediately after finishing Gone Girl. I stayed up all night to finish this book and yes that is how the story was, it kept sucking me in.The first thing that comes to mind about this book is twisted, dark, disturbing. When you pick up this book ensure that you don't have pending works because you might tend to procrastinate your works once you start reading.  

Camille Preaker, a newspaper reporter is sent to her hometown to get the inside scoop on the murders of  two preteen girls, both strangled and had their teeth removed (Doesn't it sound weird about removing teeth? -yes it is, i had the same thought). She is reluctant to visit her hometown as she has a troubled past associated with it. Camille meets her neurotic mother, her half-sister and her step father in a Victorian mansion after eight long years. Everything starts from here. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming. 

Camille Preaker is a weird female with both strong and fragile nature. You will get to know that she is from a twisted family as you progress with the story. There is something unhealthy about this book- characters, relation between mother and daughter. This book is truly dark and creepy and has special stuff towards the end. I thought I figured out something half way through the story but Flynn made the ending a jaw dropping one. I was cringing in shock when i read the epilogue. Too much was packed towards the end but absolutely brilliant debut of Flynn. I don't want to giveaway a lot of details but all i can say is it's an amazing psychological thriller. I wouldn't recommend this book to squeamish, but if you have slightest inclination towards thriller, give it a shot.     

GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn

RATING : 4 Stars

SYNOPSIS : 

Marriage can be a real killer. It is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented Mansion on the Mississippi River. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents, the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter. But is he really a killer?

MY  THOUGHTS : 

This book had lots of buzz around the world and I wanted to check out what all the hype was about. Unexpected surprises wrapped up in a black book. Flynn's writing style is amazing. It was like watching a Hitchcock movie in which suspense builds up slowly. With razor sharp writing and her ability to build suspense till the very end of the book was astounding. Fast paced book which keeps you at the edge of the seat guessing till the end. It is said in multiple points of view and the wife's perspective as diary format was brilliant. Tense and twisted plot line. It has more dark and sudden curves than a roller coaster ride. I was not even 10 pages into the book but i found myself hooked. Now I am going to stop gushing about this book and the author and  I am going to check out other books of Gillian Flynn right away.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson

RATING : 4 Stars

SYNOPSIS :

Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden disappears forty years ago. Her uncle is determined that she was murdered and continues to seek the truth by hiring  Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist  recently trapped by a libel conviction to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of iniquity and corruption.

MY THOUGHTS : 

This book caught my eyes when I was randomly browsing for mystery thriller books but I was little intimidated to read a chunky book with 600 pages or so. That was the initial thought and after reading the synopsis I was intrigued. This is the first book in the Millennium Trilogy. For some reason it took me a super long time to start the book. Intense mystery read with complex plot. First 100 pages describes the economy and business, it was  like watching a paint dry but after that it picks up and I was totally engrossed. Certain moments in the book are graphic not overly but the intensity is high up there (Watch out). There were lots of characters that I thought I would get confused but I didn't. Pretty addictive, you might want to go on with the series. I should say it was the most stunning and brilliant thriller I have ever read.