The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke

In the midst of the woods stands a house called Lichen Hall.

This place is shrouded in folklore—old stories of ghosts, of witches, of a child who was not quite a child.

Now the woods are creeping closer, and something has been unleashed.

Pearl Gorham arrives in 1965, one of a string of young women sent to Lichen Hall to give birth. And she soon suspects the proprietors are hiding something.

Then she meets the mysterious mother and young boy who live in the grounds—and together they begin to unpick the secrets of this place.

As the truth comes to the surface and the darkness moves in, Pearl must rethink everything she knew—and risk what she holds most dear.

Kindle Edition, 408 pages

Published October 13, 2022

by Berkley

3/5 stars

This is my second time reading a CJ Cooke novel, The Lighthouse Witches was the first and quite enjoyable.

The Ghost Woods is a dual time period story, 1959 and then in 1965. The setting for both is the same place, a manor for unwed pregnant women, mostly in their teens. Yes it gave off YA vibes.

I was in the mood for a spooky ghost story and unfortunately, it felt flat for me. But please take that with a grain of salt so many raved about this book. I felt the two timelines were to similar, especially when the first started to catch up to the second and the characters overlapped . Though the chapter heading note a change in time period,  all of those chapters have chapters within them. If you stop reading in the middle of a section it took me a minute or so to figure out where and when I was. Which was jarring, losing some of the momentum.

This had a unique plot with a great setting, atmospheric with the gardens, woods and house along with a mystery and characters that I really struggled to connect with.  All in all and OK read.

My thanks to Berkley for a digital arc (via Netgalley) in exchange for a honest review.

Hello, Juliet by Samantha M. Bailey

In a dark thriller from USA Today bestselling author Samantha M. Bailey, a TV reunion brings costars back for the drama and betrayals their viewers once craved—and this time, the stakes are deadly.

Ivy Westcott fled LA as her acting career imploded. In a flash, she lost her first love and chosen family—her Hello, Juliet castmates. But she never discovered who turned her closest friends against her. Now the whole world knows her as #PoisonIvy.

A decade later, Ivy is horrified when a celebrity exposé thrusts the Hello, Juliet cast back into the limelight, dredging up the old scandals she hoped to escape. Desperate for a fresh start and some financial stability for her mother and manager, Ivy agrees to participate in a top-secret reunion episode.

Ivy’s poised for a comeback, but past betrayals become a present danger when she and the man who once broke her heart find their costar dead.

Determined to find justice and clear her name, Ivy must tear down the facades of cast and crew to uncover chilling secrets that have plagued the Hollywood set from day one. Or she could be the next to die.

Kindle Edition, 303 pages

Expected publication April 29, 2025

 by Thomas & Mercer

4/5 stars

Hello Juliet is Samantha Bailey’s 4th novel, she’s one author I have managed to stay current with.

Hello Juliet is told in dual time periods. Current day Ivy has discovered the body of a former friend and castmate. A decade earlier on Ivy was cast in the lead role in a teen drama that ended with her reputation ruined - social media handles that role.

Hello Juliet is a twisty story that goes into the life of a celebrity and how one wrong move can ruin a career. It's a story of friendship and what can divide them, secrets because everyone has them, and the search for new beginnings. A captivating slow burn mystery with nice short chapters, making it a perfect fit for just one more chapter (pun intended). Along with the right amount of tension amongst the many layers that revealed a satisfying ending. 

Coming in at 303 pages it didn’t take long to zip through this, but don't let the size fool you into thinking this is a cozy mystery because it isn't.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review