I am sharing some best new thriller books that are releasing soon or have just been released!
Best New Thriller Books
I had the privilege to get a few ARC of some great thrillers. What is ARC? Advanced reader copy! I usually get my copies from Netgalley or have had some authors reach out on my Instagram!
I am going to start with some books that were released today! Then, I will move on to some that will be available this spring or summer, so make sure to add these books to your “Want to Read” shelf on Goodreads!
Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones
Summary
In August of 1999, dazzlingly popular cheerleader Clarissa Campbell disappears from a party in the woods outside the rural town of Oreville, Washington and is never seen again. The police question her friends, teachers, and the adults who knew her—who all have something to hide. And thanks to Clarissa’s beauty, the mystery captures the attention of the nation. But with no leads and no body, the case soon grows cold. Despite the efforts of internet sleuths and true-crime aficionados, Clarissa is never found—dead or alive.
Over twenty years later, Oreville high-school juniors and best friends Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast, determined to unravel the story of what—or who—happened to this rural urban legend. In the process they uncover a nest of dirty small-town secrets, the sordid truth of Clarissa’s relationship with her charismatic boyfriend, and a high school art teacher turned small-town figurehead who had a very good reason for wanting Clarissa dead. Such a good reason, in fact, that they might have to make him the highlight of their next episode…
But does an ugly history with a missing girl make him guilty of murder? Or are two teenage girls about to destroy the life of an innocent man—and help the true killer walk free?
Review
This is a young adult thriller and was really good! It totally “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” vibes with the main character trying to figure out where Clarissa is while also making a podcast about it. The podcast was a little unorganized at first but that just speaks to the character and ended up being a part of the story.
This book touches on some social issues which adds to the storyline in my opinion. At first, I didn’t understand Cam and the way she reacted to certain characters but you soon find out why she does this. However, as I said she was a little unorganized, and she was very spontaneous. Sometimes it was too much and didn’t always think her plans through which will you see as she is investigating.
Missing Clarissa ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Published March 7th, 2023
What Have We Done by Alex Finlay
Summary
A stay-at-home mom with a past.
A has-been rock star with a habit.
A reality TV producer with a debt.
Three disparate lives.
One deadly secret.
Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, having forged a bond through the abuse and neglect they endured as residents of Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down―after the disappearance of several kids―the three were split up.
Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live accomplished―if troubled―lives. They haven’t seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them.
To survive, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their shared past―a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead.
It’s a reunion none of them asked for . . . or wanted. But it may be the only way to save all their lives.
Review
This one was an action-packed thriller that has us following the lives of 5 friends that lived together at a group home for teenagers. Something bad happened 25 years ago and it might be back to haunt them. What you think is happening isn’t what it seems so there are a lot of twists and secrets revealed throughout the story.
Each chapter ends with a little cliffhanger and you can’t wait to keep reading. This one has multiple points of view so when one character’s chapter ends in an exciting way, you will have to wait to get back to their chapters again to find out what happens.
While I liked the twists, it seemed to take forever to get to the ending. It was twist after twist. Clue after clue and I still felt confused until the last part of the book.
What Have We Done ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Published March 7th, 2023
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
Summary
There’s a cottage on a cliff. Gabe and Pippa’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Until he doesn’t.
When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral…Did the victim jump? Was she pushed?
And would Gabe, the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate…lie? As the perfect facade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel.
Review
Wow! This was such a good story. We get the story from two different characters from two different time periods. Before and after the suicide. The perspective of the woman who dies is very interesting and we find out why she is there giving us a perspective at the end and it is not what you think.
There are a lot of twists right from the start and keeps you guessing about what happened. As the story ends, you get a glimpse at one year after and I think the way it ends works. It had an ending that didn’t wish you knew more or left you with more questions.
The Soulmate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Releases on April 4th, 2023
The Night She Vanished by Wendy Dranfield
Summary
My parents seem to be the perfect couple. But no one knows what I know…
Everyone in the small Midwestern town of Henderson looks up to my perfect parents. With dependable jobs as a midwife and the town sheriff, they help this close-knit community feel safe. But the locals didn’t grow up in my parents’ house. They don’t know what I know. And they wouldn’t believe me if I told them…
After my best friend vanished when we were just fifteen, I left town and never looked back. I couldn’t prove it, but I think my parents killed her.
Now, years later, my little sister has vanished. I have no choice but to go home and play happy families again. Because I have to find out what my parents have done to her. I have to try to save her.
But when bones are discovered on a local farm, and all the evidence leads back to our front door, I realize I was wrong about absolutely everything. And that coming back was the deadliest thing I could do…
Review
Nicole’s best friend, Lori, vanished and was presumed dead years earlier. She soon left her hometown after it became too hard to live there. But now she’s back because her younger sister has disappeared. Could this be the same person involved years earlier with her best friend?
Wow! I was not expecting all these twists and secrets! There was a spot in the middle where I felt it was getting a little long (like we needed twists ASAP) but overall the book was a quick read. I could not figure out what happened to Lori or her sister but when we find out l…😳😳😳
The one thing I wanted was an epilogue!! I needed a little more closure with everything that happened at the end!
The Night She Vanished ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 Releases March 14th, 2023
What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman
Summary
Sometimes the darkest acts occur in the most beautiful houses…
When Alexis and her husband Sam buy a neglected Cape Cod house in an exclusive DC suburb, they are ecstatic. Sam is on the cusp of making partner at his law firm, Alexis is pregnant with their second child, and their glamorous neighbors welcome the couple with open arms. Things are looking up, and Alexis believes she can finally leave her troubled past behind.
But the neighborhood’s picture-perfect image is shattered when their neighbor Teddy – a handsome, successful father of three – is found dead on the steep banks of the Potomac River. The community is shaken, and as the police struggle to identify and apprehend the killer, tension in the neighborhood mounts and long-buried secrets start to emerge.
In the midst of the turmoil, Alexis takes comfort in her budding friendship with Teddy’s beautiful and charismatic widow, Blair. But as the women grow closer, the neighborhood only becomes more divided. And when the unthinkable truth behind Teddy’s murder is finally uncovered, both Blair and Alexis must reexamine their friendship and decide how far they are willing to go to preserve the lives they have so carefully constructed.
Review
Sam and Alexis move into the nicest neighborhood but have the worst rundown house. That doesn’t stop them from trying to fit in with the wealthiest of people. It was interesting how much they wanted to fit in with this neighborhood. Right as they are getting settled in their neighbor is murdered and more weird things keep happening!
First, you will not like Sam or maybe it’s me but he was kind of a jerk! I liked Alexis and Blair’s friendship but you know something will happen as you read. They seem like two very different people with a few things to bond over, but it just didn’t seem like it will last. The secrets revealed about each neighbor kept me reading even though it seemed like the murder took place and then nothing HUGE happened until the end again. The two twists at the end 🤯
What the Neighbors Saw ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Releases on June 20th, 2023
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