As Pumpkin Spice Lattes come back in season and the air starts to have the slightest crisp, nothing makes you want to cuddle up by a fireplace more than a nice book—or in my case, Kindle—to soak in the season. Recently, I’ve been falling into the horror genre of books, which is ironic considering I hate horror movies. After many months of consistently reading for leisure, here are my top five books that will leave you gasping, turning pages, and having “I have to put the book down and reflect” moments.
- What Lies In the Woods By Kate Alice Marshall
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Dare I say, this novel is insane. The book is about three best friends who undergo a traumatic experience while playing in the woods when they were younger. A man attacked the protagonist, Naomi, and her friends witnessed it. Now in their adult lives, and not as close as they once were, they reunite one last time to “celebrate” the death of the convicted man after he died in prison. However, the truth about the attack, or what Naomi thought was the truth, seems much more twisted than it truly was. Did the convicted man really attack her? What actually happened that day?
The plot twist in this novel kept me flipping through the book. The relationships were so tangible that I genuinely felt like I was in the book and best friends with these three women. The ending had me with my jaw on the floor, and I wish the book never ended.
4.5/5 stars.
- You Shouldn’t Have Come Here By Jeneva Rose
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I bought this book at Target, simply because the cover caught my eye. And after reading it, I’m glad I did.
The book follows a city girl, Grace, who decides to rent an Airbnb in the middle of Wyoming, to escape the chaos of metropolitan life. To her surprise, the ranch owner, Calvin, is a very attractive young man. Narrated by the two protagonists in alternating chapters, the two begin a little romance, in their isolated haven. However, her gut is telling her to get out before it’s too late. The lack of cell service and a missing woman investigation only strengthens her intuition, but her feelings for Calvin are stronger. As the two start falling for each other, Grace realizes her feelings for Calvin are more than just attraction, it’s an obsession.
This book had the perfect romance-thriller combination. The romance scenes had me kicking my feet, but the second the suspense kicked in, I knew some crazy stuff was about to happen. The plot twist was at the very end, and it couldn’t have ended better. Or worse…
4.5/5 stars.
- Tender Is the Flesh By Agustina Bazterrica
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This book was more unsettling than horror, but that is subjective.
It takes place in a dystopian South America, and a livestock-infecting virus has taken over the world, making all kinds of animals completely inedible. This new society has resorted to… cannibalism. They raise “heads” (humans) the same way they would livestock and process them, selling them as “Special Meat.” Marcos, the protagonist involved in one of the most reputable meat processing plants, has a mix-up with one of the vendors. As a result, the vendor gives him his own “head” to raise. However, he slowly starts treating her as an actual human, which comes with problems of its own.
This book left me with the biggest pit in my stomach, and I think I am still trying to process this book in its entirety. The details are gruesome, so I will add a content warning for this novel, but if you can handle it, it is definitely worth the read.
5/5 stars.
- The Silent Patient By Alex Michaelides
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If psychology interests you, this is the perfect novel.
The book follows a psychologist, Theo, who gets a job at the psychiatric hospital to work with a patient who has been in the headlines for years. Alicia, a painter, was happily married to her husband Gabriel, a photographer, when one night he shot him in the face and never spoke a word after that. Theo believes he can unleash the truth about what happened that night by taking Alicia as a patient. As the two continuously have sessions, she begins to break, leading Theo and the readers to believe the truth will be uncovered. But it’s not the truth we expect to hear.
I have recommended this book various times and it never disappoints. It starts a little slow, but every detail in the beginning is crucial to the book’s ending. The plot twist completely caught me by surprise and the motives of each character were carefully planned. Michaelides is a mastermind.
5/5 stars.
- And Then There Were None By Agatha Christie
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I read this book freshman year of high school, and I believe this started my thriller obsession.
There is a nursery rhyme at the beginning of the novel, Ten Little Indians, that will explain the entire plot.
The book follows 10 unrelated guests who were invited to an isolated island by a millionaire who is seemingly not present. However they all share one thing in common; they’re all guilty of murder. As they slowly realize the correlation of the poem before they each start dying one by one, they realize someone on the island has been plotting this. They all wind up dead, but who did this and why?
The combination of the poem and the deaths was a piece of literary genius, and the killer was nothing short of genius either. As the reader, we really have no idea who the killer is until the very end. I have read this book quite a few times, and every single time, I find something new that hints at the ending. This is a timeless read and if you want to get into the horror genre, it’s the perfect gateway.
4/5 stars.
Happy Reading!
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