So during quarantine I found a new love (and time) for reading. I’ve always liked reading but just honestly never prioritized it. My reading basically boiled down to listening to business and/or personal development podcasts, and the classic Crime Junkie episodes. I know it’s not exactly the same but when you’re pressed for time it’s better than nothing (or at least that’s what I tell myself LOL). But hey, if Warren Buffet can read for 8 hours a day, what’s my excuse?! But moving on lol, anyway, I thought I would do a quick round up and review of books I’ve read recently! And yes, almost all these of psychological thrillers and/or suspenseful!

Behind Closed Doors  Starting with this one because I read it most recently but it is also a must read if you’re into psychological thrillers. This book is about a husband and wife, Jack and Grace, who seem like they have the perfect marriage on the outside but things are not as they appear. The book is told from Grace’s point of view and goes back and forth between her present and past with Jack. The beginning of the book is a little “slow” in that nothing “crazy” happens the first 60-70 pages but it’s just getting the stage, after that be prepared to be on the edge of your seat the entire time. It was definitely the most suspenseful out of any books I’ve read so far (even moreso than Verity IMO which says a lot!), and I couldn’t wait to finish it to see how it ended. The ending was definitely a surprise that I was not expecting! Overall rating 9.5/10.

It Ends With Us So unlike the rest of these, this isn’t a psychological thriller/mystery but it does have suspenseful moments. The protagonist is a girl named Lily and the book is from her perspective and goes back and forth between moments from her childhood and when she meets her first love Atlas, to present time when she meets a new guy named Ryle. Ryle is a neurosurgeon and at first their relationship feels like everything is perfect, but as their relationship progresses, Atlas comes back into the picture. She starts to reminisce about her old relationship with Atlas, as new developments happen in her one with Ryle. I’ll just say, I wasn’t super into this book originally after reading the description because I thought it was going to be cheesy, cliche, too romantic, etc. but it was anything but. I loved this book even though it wasn’t a psychological thriller and it’s on the top of my list so that says a lot! Overall rating a 9/10.

Verity So when it comes to psychological thrillers, this has been my favorite after Behind Closed Doors. I had high hopes for it since so many of you recommended it too! In this book, a struggling writer, Ashleigh Lowen, is approached by a man named Jeremy Crawford who gives her an opportunity to complete a book series that his wife originally started. His wife is a very successful author but was in an accident and they need someone to complete the series as a co-writer so no one is the wiser about her condition. Ashleigh ends up accepting the assignment, and goes to the Crawford’s house to do some research before writing. Once she is there though, get ready for all the suspense, twists and turns! Even at the end, you’re not even sure what to fully believe. This one is a must read! Overall rating 9/10. Ps. This is the same author who wrote It Ends with Us even though the genres are totally different.

The Guest List So I would describe this book as more of a mystery/suspense vs. a psychological thriller. The vibes are a little more “Agatha Christie, who did it.” I definitely didn’t want to put it down towards the end because I was so curious how it would play out but it wasn’t as “on the edge of your seat” as Verity or Behind Closed Doors. The Guest List is about a group of friends, most who have known each other since childhood, gathering on a desolate island off the coast of Ireland for their friends wedding. The night of the wedding however, one of the guests ends up dead. Each chapter is told from a different perspective of someone on the island and you’ll want to pay attention to each person’s story/perspective as you’ll see how a lot of things come together in the end. Overall rating 8/10.

The Wives A lot of y’all recommend this one and while I enjoyed it, it wasn’t my absolute favorite. But I think only because I’ve read some really good psychological thrillers lately lol. I loved how the book progressed, I was definitely really curious how things were going to play out and for whatever it’s worth I was really surprised how the book ended! I definitely wouldn’t have guessed that. But for whatever reason I was kind of disappointed with the ending–I didn’t feel like it was “as exhilarating” as some of the other books I’ve read recently. Anyway. The Wives is told from the perspective of Thursday, who is a wife to Seth. You see, Seth has two other wives. Each wife (supposedly) knows about the other, but there are rules to never contact one of the other wives. Everyone’s marraige/life is to be kept secret. But one day Thursday discovers the name of one of Seth’s other wives and tracks her down. She befriends her, and starts to notice bruises on her. She starts to wonder if Seth is abusing his other wife, and you know that she has to do everything she can to find out the truth … Overall rating 7/10.

Home Before Dark This is a great book to read right now (around Halloween) because it definitely is filled with Haunted House vibes! This book is told through the eyes of Maggie, who’s father wrote a famous memoir of their family’s short stay at the supposedly haunted house called Baneberry Hall. Maggie’s whole life her parents refused to talk about their time in Baneberry Hall, but after Maggie’s father passes away, she returns to Baneberry Hall in search for the truth of what really went on there. The ending for this is not at all what I expected and while it was definitely suspenseful and had moments where I was freaked out, it has more “spooky” vibes vs. psychological thriller vibes which I tend to prefer lol. But overall a good read and you’ll never guess how it ends! Overall rating 7.5/10.

The Couple Next Door The book is about a couple, Anne and Marco, who’s baby is kidnapped one evening when they are at their next-door neighbors. Detective Rasbach is assigned to the case, and as the story unfolds he discovers all the secrets and lies between both Anne, Marco and Anne’s parents, and the neighbors. This book is definitely suspenseful, but again not in the way Verity or Behind Closed Doors is where your like WTF IS HAPPENING?! But, there are a lot of twists and turns, and I feel like there are surprises until the very end. Even when you think you know what’s going to happen, new information comes up that changes the trajectory of the story. Overall rating 8.5/10.