I received this book for free (hey, thanks!) in exchange for an honest review. I promise that this does NOT affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. For real.
The Chamber by Will Dean Genres: Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Published by Simon and Schuster on August 6, 2024
Also by this author: The Last One
Format: eARC (352 pages) • Source: Publisher
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And Then There Were None meets The Last Breath in this tense and suspenseful locked-room thriller that takes place inside a hyperbaric chamber from the author of the “brilliant, twisted, and oh so clever” (Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author) novel The Last Thing to Burn.
Six experienced saturation divers are locked inside a hyperbaric chamber. Calm and professional, they know that rapid decompression would be fatal and so they work in shifts, breathing helium, and surviving in hot, close quarters.
Then one of them is found dead in his bunk.
With four days of decompression to go before the locked hatch to the chamber can be safely opened, the group must watch one another’s backs at all times. And when another diver is discovered unresponsive, everyone is on edge. What…or who…is taking them out one by one? And will any of them still be alive by the time the four days is up or will paranoia, exhaustion, suspicion, and pressure destroy them all?
Omg lol. I was hoping to finish this in July since apparently it was my worst reading month (ratings-wise) and it would have been nice to keep the bad vibes out of August… but I kept falling asleep on the last day of July when trying to finish this book!
THE LAST ONE was one of my favorite thrillers last year. I know a ton of people had mixed ratings based on the infuriating ending but I kinda loved it. The book was so addicting; nothing could stop me from turning pages. I was so excited to see how his style would translate to this book and I have very few words to describe how disappointed I was.
This book was as boring as his previous book was enthralling/addicting. I could literally sum up this entire plot in three sentences (which I immediately did for my husband). The same thing happens over and over for 80% of the book, no exaggeration. The divers tell stories from their time in the military or about their diving careers for more than 3/4 of the book while people die off. There is no suspense or intrigue, just repetitive events and conversations I did not care about.
It was not claustrophobic or creepy like I was promised; I could barely picture what it looked like despite diagrams and a glossary! I don’t know what didn’t click for me but I basically pictured a small bunk area with a table. I know it was small and cramped; the reader is supposed to feel like they can’t breathe or this desperation to get out of there but I felt none of that.
There weren’t any clues for the reader to use to try to solve the mystery. I barely even bothered making an attempt because I had no idea how it was going to end. THE LAST ONE almost caused me to throw my Kindle across the room by the ending. Same vibe for the ending here except because it was terrible, not shocking or wild. I still am kind of confused and don’t fully know what even happened.
I don’t know the last time I rated a book this low but am fairly certain it’s been like 10 years lol. This is the kind of book where I do not get all of the high ratings. Truly can’t imagine it. I am so floored by how bad and utterly boring this was!!!!!
The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Magical Realism
Published by Penguin on July 2, 2024
Format: Audio/eBook (384 pages) • Source: Libby, Spotify Audiobooks
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A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK
AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER!
"This book has it all. Humor, heart, and a heroine I was desperately rooting for. Kirsty Greenwood has a new fan!”
—Colleen Hoover, New York Times bestselling authorA recently deceased woman meets “the one” in the afterlife waiting room, scoring a second chance at life (and love!) if she can find him on earth before ten days are up…
If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, but now she’s standing in her ‘shine like a star’ nightie in front of the hottest man she’s ever seen. And he’s smiling at her.
As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is until someone comes running out of a door, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife.
When Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to earth and reconnect with the mysterious man, she jumps at the opportunity to find her possible soulmate and a fresh start. But in a city of millions, Delphie is going to have to listen to her heart, learn to ask for help, and perhaps even see the magic in the life she’s leaving behind…
I’m a sucker for afterlife books (or ones where someone’s kinda hovering between life and death) so I was hoping this would be a win for me. The story follows Delphie after she unceremoniously dies choking on a microwaved burger, alone in her apartment. When she a meets very handsome man in heaven’s lobby (for lack of a better word lol) who quickly gets sent back down to earth, her quirky afterlife counselor decides to send her back down for 10 days. If she can find and get this mystery “Jonah T” to kiss her of his own free will within that timeframe, she’ll get to stay there and remain alive.
I absolutely adored this book. It started out as a silly goofy time and I was trying to stop laughing when my husband was sleeping next to me. Delphie was kind of wild and rude but in an endearing way. I loved her banter with her neighbor Connor and all of the people who attempted to be her friends.
It got a lot more sweet and emotional as the book carried on, which made it so well-rounded and enjoyable! While she technically was sent down to find Jonah, she really had a second chance at living her life. She didn’t realized how lonely she was… not just alone by choice like she thought all those years (aside from her mornings with her elderly mute neighbor, Mr. Yoon). It wasn’t just about finding love but also finding herself, friendship, and a community. I was rooting for her so hard! The characters were charming and unique and I’m so glad this book turned around my reading mojo from the past 4 weeks lol.
Naturally there are some twists I won’t spoil but I did find the major ones to be very obvious. Did not affect my reading experience at all though! Overall, this was such a great, heartwarming story.
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