Book Review: Closer Than You Think

I know that normally I read thrillers and such in the fall, and there isn't a reason for it, it's just how the books come in. I saw this one come up and I just had to read it early. Not sorry. 

Closer Than You Think - Darren O'Sullivan

He’s watching. She’s waiting.

Having barely escaped the clutches of a serial killer, Claire Moore has struggled to rebuild her life. After her terrifying encounter with the man the media dubbed The Black-Out Killer, she became an overnight celebrity: a symbol of hope and survival in the face of pure evil. And then the killings stopped.

Now ten years have passed, and Claire remains traumatised by her brush with death. Though she has a loving and supportive family around her, what happened that night continues to haunt her still.

Just when things are starting to improve, there is a power cut; a house fire; another victim found killed in the same way as before.

The Black-Out Killer is back. And he’s coming for Claire…

Before I even get started I have to tell you that this isn't my first rodeo with Darren O'Sullivan. I've read and reviewed Close Your Eyes and Our Little Secret. One I really liked and one that was just meh for me. I felt like I had to read this one to see if it the great one was a fluke, or maybe the meh one was just me. 

I'm happy to report that I think it was just me or I was just off because I really liked this one! I'm not going to lie it started a little weird, this is the kind of book where you aren't sure if everyone in Claire's life is a suspect or if this is going to be just some random murderer, like a barista who likes her hair or something. I so badly want to tell you who the killer ends up being and I'll tell you full stop, I had no idea. Somewhere on IG I had mentioned I was reading this book and the author replied and said I was either going to LOVE the ending or HATE it so I got a little bit worried. 

I can't spoil it for you but.... its a little bit of both but I can't really tell you why. 

How's that for suspense?!

So much about this book I really liked and I had such a hard time putting it down! The book begins with the killer and its clear he has his sights on Claire. We learn that she is literally the one that got away, but her husband was murdered. He tried ten years earlier and (I can't tell you why/how) she escaped that fate. He never gave up killing though, he honed his skills on several victims over the decade and avoided capture. She may have escaped being murdered but she hasn't lived an easy life since then. Claire has struggled in all aspects of her life. She's relied heavily on her family to get her through and, understandably, her anxiety is pretty awful. She feels as if she is being stalked but its hard to know if its a trauma response or if she is actually being stalked. Of course people think its in her head. 

I am torn on the ending. First, I basically screamed when I found out who the killer was. Screamed because I didn't see it coming at all and that is basically my favorite thing in a thriller. Second, I then had a wave of a MILLION questions that aren't answered. I get that we are supposed to either fill in what we think happened/happens but man..... an epilogue? Could we get an epilogue? Haha!

It has been a long time since I've had a book that made me equal parts proud of a character but absolutely terrified for her. I honestly can't remember the last time I have had a book end quite in that way so because of those? I have to give this one 5 stars. I really enjoyed this one and I really can't wait to read what Darren O'Sullivan gives me next. 

A huge thank you to HQ, Harper Collins, and Darren O'Sullivan for having me on the tour and sending me a copy for review. 

This post contains affiliate links. 

Books That Should Be On Your Radar

I've been meaning to post a lot of these sooner but moving had them in boxes but guess what? They are free from their dark cardboard dungeon! Let's talk about them!

Gotham High - Melissa de la Cruz
No surprise here that this is a great book, Melissa de la Cruz consistently brings us great stuff, and always with a little twist. In this one she partners with DC Comics and illustrator Thomas Pitilli and together they give us a young adult graphic novel. Now, I know some of you are rolling your eyes but this was actually really interesting and fun. Not to mention, its an incredibly fast read! It gives us the younger versions of Batman, Catwoman, and The Joker slogging their way through the doldrums of high school. If you are a fan of Riverdale or even Gossip Girl, you'll enjoy this one and your teen will, too!

Close Your Eyes - Darren O'Sullivan
I gave this one five stars because it was pretty great. We have a man who clearly is having memory loss issues (something I deal with daily) after waking up from a coma. Years later someone is demanding he find something that he apparently stole, except this guy has NO idea what they are talking about. I think this was compared to Gillian Flynn novels and that is pretty accurate, the twist at the end had me shrieking. 

The Sound of Stars - Alechia Dow
To be honest, I'm only half way through this but I really love it. I think my daughter is itching to get to this one herself. A really interesting dystopian/sci-fi young adult book has a teen girl named Ellie being helped by a lab created AI named Morris to basically save the world. It really reminds me of a modern version of Fahrenheit 451, where books are illegal and destroyed. In this one it is books and music, basically art in general. Its really interesting and strange but if you want something different from what you usually grab, this is the one to do that with. 

What I Want You To See - Catherine Linka
Easily one of the prettiest and coolest covers I've gotten this year so far. I read this one a few months ago, so did my daughter, and she really enjoyed it. This one centers around a high school graduate heading to art school who finds out higher education isn't like what the brochures sell you on. She realizes that it is competitive and nobody is really your friend, even the teachers who are meant to guide you along. She inadvertently finds herself in the middle of a crime and nobody to really help her. Again, this one is YA but adults will enjoyed this one a lot too. Definitely an interesting one if you have a teen interested in art. 

The Last Letter From Juliet - Melanie Hudson
I know I'm not the biggest historical fiction fan but sometimes on sounds so good I have to give it a try, and I am so glad I did. Yes, this is a WWII book and I don't know about you but it feels like there are SO many in the market right now. I'm not going to say much because this one had me misty eyed at the end and I think I read the last third in one sitting because it was beautiful. So far, this has been my favorite historical fiction of the year and it will likely make my top ten list for the year.

Little White Lies - Philippa East
Oh guys. One of my worst fears is for myself to be kidnapped, but also having one of my children abducted. In this one we have a young girl abducted but is found seven years later. By this time she's a teenager and not only do we find out exactly what happened to her during her time away, but her mom has some confessions of her own and basically she's trying to bond with her daughter again but also find out if her daughter really remembers all of the details from the day she disappeared. It started a little slow for me but once it got moving I really enjoyed this one.

Alright guys, I think that's all I have for right now. I have so many review books coming up (mostly romance) but I spent the last of my gift cards on books that were specifically NOT romance just to shake things up a bit.

Have you read any good ones I haven't read yet? Let me know because I have room for more books!

Book Review: Close Your Eyes

I seem to be on a thriller kick and I'm not hating it.

Close Your Eyes - Darren O'Sullivan

Close your eyes…and count to ten.

He doesn’t know his name. He doesn’t know his secret.

When Daniel woke up from a coma he had no recollection of the life he lived before. Now, fourteen years later, he’s being forced to remember.

A phone call in the middle of the night demands he return what he stole – but Daniel has no idea what it could be, or who the person on the other end is. He has been given one warning, if he doesn’t find out his family will be murdered.

Rachael needs to protect her son. Trapped with no way out she will do anything to ensure they survive. But sometimes mothers can’t save their children and her only hope is Daniel’s memory.

First off, can we talk about this cover? Because I absolutely love it and it looks so good on my shelf! Second off, this story was SO GREAT. I was completely drawn to this one because I have my own memory loss so any time I see a story about memory loss of any kind, I'm all over it. It's just interesting and also scares the pants off of me because it feels real. On Goodreads it was compared to Gillian Flynn and I would agree with that.

In this one, Daniel has amnesia after a pretty awful accident. That's pretty scary but despite it having a rocking start, he was able to slowly rebuild his life into something normal again. Fast forward 15 or so years and one day it all goes to hell. Someone is demanding that he return something but he has no idea what they are talking about. It leaves him scrambling to figure out everything he doesn't remember because the future of his family depends on it.

You guys. I stayed up WAY too late reading this one because I really felt like I could identify with his fear. It is really hard to piece together things about yourself and your life that you don't know and its hard to trust what people are telling you is the whole truth or the truth at all. Interestingly, the story is a dual narrative between Daniel and Rachel (his ex-wife but they are still friendly), so while normally those aren't my favorite, it played really well with this one. I can't tell you more because I will absolutely spoil it but the ending was GREAT. Even though I thought I had maybe worked it out by the time I got there, there was a great twist that made me question things throughout the book. I felt like I had missed everything like Daniel did.

If you really like thrillers and want to be on the edge of your seat, definitely pick this one up. It did not disappoint.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

   

Thank you to HQ, Harper Collins for sending me a copy of this for review! This post contains affiliate links.