5 Awesome Psychological Thrillers

I LOVE a good psychological thriller.  It is hands down one of my all time favorite genres.  There is nothing better than a twisty plot that takes you on such a ride that your heart starts beating at triple speed and you never even saw any of it coming!  The BEST.

From Wikipedia:

Psychological thriller is a thriller narrative which emphasizes the unstable or delusional psychological states of its characters. In terms of context and convention, it is a subgenre of the broader ranging thriller narrative structure,[1] with similarities to Gothic and detective fiction in the sense of sometimes having a “dissolving sense of reality”. It is often told through the viewpoint of psychologically stressed characters, revealing their distorted mental perceptions and focusing on the complex and often tortured relationships between obsessive and pathological characters.[2] Psychological thrillers often incorporate elements of mystery, drama, action, and paranoia. Not to be confused with psychological horror, which involves more terror than psychosomatic themes.

HELL.  YES.

The latest psychological thriller that I read and LOVED was this one.  Omg that book was so amazing.  If you can somehow manage to get your hands on a copy (it was just released last month), I highly recommend it!  Stop whatever you are reading and read this one STAT.  You’re welcome.

However…if your library waitlist is long or your local bookstore is sold out of this incredible new release, I’ve got you covered 🙂

While you are waiting to get your hands on a copy, here are 5 (older) psychological thrillers that I also loved which should be a bit easier to get your hands on:

The Good Girl

I just love Mary Kubica so much.

The Couple Next Door

Read it in 2 days.  Literally couldn’t put it down.

Gone Girl

One of the very few times where the movie was just as good as the book!  I LOVED the book, I LOVED the movie.  I think they did such a good job bringing this one to the big screen (and I RARELY say that)!  Awesome story.

The Woman in Cabin 10

I suspect that this one may be a bit hard to find right now as everyone is scrambling to read anything by Ruth Ware!  This one was great.

Behind Closed Doors

Another one that I finished in 2 days.  AWESOME book.

Have you read any of these books?  Did you love them like I did?  If you haven’t read any of these…do any of them sound interesting to you?  What are other psychological thrillers that you recommend?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Xo,

Jenny

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Spring Break 2019 Book Recommendations {Book Coffee Happy}

If you are anything like me, you put some major thought into the books that you bring along on vacation.  How many books do you bring with you?  I tend to usually bring at least 5 no matter how long of a trip we are taking.  I bring 1 that I’m already about halfway through as it’s easier to concentrate and read on the plane once you are already “into” the book as opposed to starting a brand new one. I also bring at least 4 more books…1 which I will probably read in it’s entirety plus 3 more.  I get nervous thinking that I will begin a new book, hate it, and not have any other options…hence the 3 extra books!  Options!  Of course the amount of books I bring varies based upon if children will be traveling with us (significantly less reading time), how long of a flight we have, how long we will be on vacation, the type of vacation (beach vs sightseeing), etc.

My criteria for a perfect vacation read is simple:

I won’t want to put the book down although if need be, it must be easy to put down and immediately pick up where I left off.

And without further ado, I present to you my top choices for your spring break vacation (or staycation if you aren’t traveling) in no particular order!  Some are older books, others are newly released, ALL are perfect to bring along on your vacation. 🙂

Click on “My Review” to read it’s synopsis and my review of the book. Click the image of the book to order it through my Amazon affiliate link.  When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo

I absolutely LOVED reading each of these books!  Enjoy!

The Woman in the Window {AJ Finn}

Read my review

Click the image to buy the book:

Young Jane Young {Gabrielle Zevin}

Read my review 

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The Deepest Secret {Carla Buckley}

Read my Review

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Everything, Everything {Nicola Yoon}

Read my Review

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The Husband’s Secret {Liane Moriarty}

Read my Review

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An Unwanted Guest {Shari Lapena}

Read my Review

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The Couple Next Door {Shari Lapena}

Read my Review

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Pretty Baby {Mary Kubica}

Read my Review

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Nine Perfect Strangers {Liane Moriarty}

Read my Review

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Swear on this Life {Renee Carlino}

Read my Review

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Convenience Store Woman {Sayaka Murata}

Read my Review

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The Hate U Give {Angie Thomas}

Read my Review

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The Other Woman {Sandie Jones}

Read my Review

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Big Little Lies {Liane Moriarty}

Read my Review

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Deliver Her {Patricia Perry Donovan}

Read my Review

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Everything else you need to pack?  That’s all on you.  Books?  I got you covered 🙂

Safe and happy travels!

THE CAST GIVEAWAY WINNER:

Congratulations Heather Gannon! Your comment (My bff Amanda of 38 yrs and I have been through everything together. Marriage, divorce, birth, death, cancer, health, children you name it. Life has pulled us in separate directions and we always come back together) was randomly chosen to win an autographed copy of The Cast! Please email me at bookcoffeehappy@gmail.com with your mailing address!

Xo,

Jenny

Please share this post with book lovers across social media!

What books would you recommend as perfect vacation reads? 

Do you agree with my picks?

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

It would really help me if you could follow/subscribe to my blog.  Also, please “like” my Facebook page ,  follow me on Twitter, subscribe to my Youtube channel (search Book Coffee Happy), and follow me on Instagram!

Local friends, I run a storytime every Tuesday and Friday at Whimsy Cafe in Buffalo Grove, Illinois from 10:00-10:30! Bring your kids (6 months-5 years) for stories, songs, and lots of fun. Price is included in your child’s admission, no need to sign up. If you are a blog reader, please be sure to introduce yourself!  I can’t wait to meet you and your little ones. 🙂

Thanksgiving Thankfulness, Social Media, Giveaway Winners, and a Book Review: The Couple Next Door {Shari Lapena}

If you celebrated yesterday, I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for.  My family, my health, my friends, my house, and the fact that my husband works so hard which allows me the opportunity to stay home with my children.  This is something that I never, EVER take for granted and am thankful for every single day of the year.  Next week, I get to go into my son’s preschool class to help bake cookies and last week I was able to help with the book fair at my daughter’s school.  Priceless.  I love you, Jon.

I am so thankful for the most fun hobby I have ever had, Book Coffee Happy.  It has allowed me some amazing experiences and opportunities and it’s only been 2.5 months.  I’m SO thankful for all of YOU!  I love “meeting” you and interacting with you.  Thank you for your support.  If you haven’t already followed/subscribed to the blog, I would be so thankful if you would.

My Thanksgiving yesterday was perfect.  The morning began with my favorite Thanksgiving tradition of watching the Macy’s parade on TV with my family and ended last night with a delicious feast at my parents’ house.  My mom made the most delicious dinner and her table was stunning as always.  Tiny pumpkins with twinkle lights, candles, leaves, and glitter branches.  My favorite part of dinner was the stuffing.  She makes the absolute best stuffing!

A special thank you shout out to my cousin, Jessica, who after dinner taught me how to use Instagram stories!  I joined Instagram earlier in the month and I’m slowly learning all of it’s features.  Jessica and I made my very first “story” about my favorite book of all time from when I was in high school!  Go check it out, the video of me talking is still up there.  If you don’t already follow me, I would so love if you did @bookcoffeehappy.  I had posted this picture earlier in the day:

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Love.

Speaking of social media, I posted this on Facebook yesterday:

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If you don’t already “like” my Facebook page (Book Coffee Happy), please do!  There have been some awesome book discussions on there, thank you to those of you who have contributed.

I’m also on Twitter (@bookcoffeehappy) and would love if you followed me on there as well!  I try to post different content on the various 3 platforms and have been loving watching all 3 grow!

Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the **GIVEAWAY (1 International and 1 US)** In Search of Mr. Anonymous {JB Glazer}.  The US winner of the hard copy is Jenchaos76 and the international winner (from Australia) of the ebook is ihavenoshelfcontrol!  Ladies, please email me at bookcoffeehappy@gmail.com and we will arrange all of the details!  Congratulations 🙂

If you didn’t win this one, no worries…I have a few AWESOME giveaways coming your way over the next few weeks!  Stay tuned 🙂

And now…a book review!

A few weeks ago, I reviewed Shari Lapena’s newest book, An Unwanted Guest {Shari Lapena}.  That book was great but this book was OUTSTANDING!  I absolutely love this author and am waiting on pins and needles for her to write more psychological thrillers.  If you haven’t read either of her books, I would recommend starting with this one…and clear your schedule for the next few days because you won’t want to do anything but read.

couple

Synopsis from Goodreads:

It all started at a dinner party. . .

A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors–a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . .

Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all–a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.

Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they’ve kept for years.

What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family–a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.

My Thoughts:

(Disclaimer: I will never post spoilers in my reviews HOWEVER the comment section is completely fair game to discuss any and all specifics including spoilers)

5 Stars

YES.  YES.  YES.  This book is FANTASTIC.  It twists and turns in ways that I never saw coming.  I couldn’t put it down, I loved every second.  So clever, so well written, so amazing.  There is nothing I love more than a book that simply will not allow me to put it down, and this was a perfect example.  I carried this book around with me and read whenever I found a few minutes.  I read it over 3 days but could EASILY have read it in one sitting.

This book is fast paced and easy to read.  The chapters are quick and the story runs deep. And those twists…those TWISTS.  Yessssssssss.

And the thing is, EVERYONE I know who has read this book has also loved it!  In fact, I have yet to have someone tell me that they didn’t love it.  It’s SO good.  So, so good.  You’ll love it.

Bottom Line:

This. Book. Is. AWESOME.

Have you read this book?  What did you think?  How was your Thanksgiving?  What are you thankful for?

It would really help me if you could follow/subscribe to my blog.  Also, please “like” my Facebook page (www.fb.com/bookcoffeehappy),  follow me on Twitter@bookcoffeehappy, and follow me on Instagram (@bookcoffeehappy)!  

Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link.  When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo