Final Girls

Final Girls by Riley Sager

Here we go.  Lisa, Sam, and Quinn have all experienced trauma at the hands of murderous strangers.  Due to these events, they are all deemed "Final Girls" in the media and press.

Lisa was a sorority girl living the college life.  One night, a man with a knife showed up at the sorority house door with the only intention to murder.  Lisa, an inch from death, was able to kill the intruder and get away.

Sam faced an even more terrifying enemy.  Sam was working house keeping at a motel when a stranger with a potato sack over his head decided everyone had to die.  She was tied to a tree with barbed wire but somehow managed to escape and ultimately kill crazy potato sack man.

Quinn was on a trip with a group of her college friends.  Their great time was interrupted by a mental hospital escapee whose version of a good time involved stabbing.  Quinn was the only survivor; being saved by a cop who was in the right place at the right time.  One hitch though.  Quinn doesn't remember a single thing about what happened.  She only knows what she's been told through multiple speculations.

Years after the incident, Quinn is finally getting her life together.  She lives with the man she loves and has a cute blogging business.  Then, Sam and Quinn's lives intertwine when Lisa is thought to have committed suicide.  Sam comes out of hiding to check on Quinn, but it seems that she has darker intentions.  Suddenly, Quinn's sparkling life is thrown into turmoil, and she begins to question everything she knows.

Pros: This is the type of book I usually gravitate towards.  Mystery/thriller type books.  I absolutely devoured this book because of how the author set it up.  Sager starts us off with a girl whose life was destroyed by a crazy killer and then jumped us forward to her new life where everything is all better.  This is the beginning of most fantastic scary movies.  Make the viewer/reader feel warm and cozy because the bad stuff is done and over with.  And then, slowly, everything falls apart again.

The contrast between Quinn's boyfriend, Jeff, and the cop that saved her, Coop, was a nice touch in Quinn's little drama filled life.  Jeff is caring and loving, but he is a little more laid back when it comes to being concerned about Quinn.  Coop is over protective and mysterious.  He fulfills the "knight in shining armor" image that Jeff is unfortunately lacking.  And even though we don't sense a whole lot of romance between Quinn and Coop, it still makes you wish that they were together.

I also really liked the jump between the present and the past.  When some authors do this, I find that I prefer one tense over the other and I get annoyed when I have to switch back. Sager did a great job revealing the happenings of Pine Cottage while also playing out Quinn's current predicaments.

Cons: The dicey friendship between Sam and Quinn did have my stomach churning quite a bit.  I was rooting for Quinn and I really liked her character until Sam inserted her questionable influence.  This isn't much of a con because I'm pretty sure that the author intended for those icky feeling.  But I find that I am lacking in cons for this book.  I just really really liked it.

I guess if I had to name one actually con, it would have to be that this book wasn't too overly surprising.  The ending did have a great twist, but everything else in the book was a bit predictable.  It didn't make it any less of a great read, it just wasn't a super shocking read.

Goodreads link: Final Girls

The Dirty Book Club

The Dirty Book Club by Lisi Harrison

During the 1960's, a book club was formed by four women who needed a juicy secret book club in their life.  This secret book club allowed them to not only read the most scandalous books of their time but also to get together and talk about their loves, heartbreaks, and internal conflicts.  During one meeting, it was agreed that if all of their husbands passed away before them, all four women would pack up and move to Paris to live out their days together.

Present Day: When M.J. moves to California to live with her boyfriend, she leaves behind her city life in New York as well as a (co) editing job at a magazine she has come to love and cherish. In California, M.J. meets Gloria, one of the original members of the DBC (Dirty Book Club).  They quickly become friends just in time for Gloria's husband to suddenly pass away and for Gloria to pack up and meet her friends in Paris.  Gloria, along with the other members of the DBC, leave behind a letter and a key for M.J., Addie, Britt, and Jules with the hope that they will all join together and continue on with the DBC.


Pros: I love a book that can play out in my head like a movie, and this one did not disappoint. Each chapter had a specific setting and purpose and it made for a great brain movie.

I liked how different M.J., Addie, Britt, and Jules all were.  When presented with a bunch of characters, it helps to be able to differentiate between the characters so you aren't confused by who is who. Addie was, by far, my favorite character.  She was sexy, edgy, and spontaneous.  There was a bit of a soft side to her though.

This book had humor, drama, love, sex, and secrets.  Everything that makes for a great chick flick.

Cons: I was so conflicted on whether I liked M.J. as a character or not.  She was very indecisive, and I'm sure that was intentional on the authors part but damn did it annoy the heck out of me.  Should she choose her job or her boyfriend?  Job, boyfriend, job, boyfriend???? AHHH

I also had a hard time connecting to some characters.  Both Britt and Jules were a bit absent to me.  Even though you get to know them and they have their drama in their own way, there really wasn't much background or personality to either of these gals.  And now M.J.'s boyfriend.  No way do I remember his name.  It's unfortunate, but I didn't really like him and he just didn't stick.


I am so happy that after following "The Clique" series by Lisi Harrison, I was able to read her new adult novel.  Thank you to Netgalley for my copy of this adorable book!


Goodreads Link: The Dirty Book Club