Book Review: Dear Pen Pal (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, #3) by Heather Vogel Frederick

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Dear Pen Pal (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, #3)  by Heather Vogel Frederick  is the third book in a middle grade book series that is being rereleased. Chaos erupts in this third installment as the daughters in the book club get themselves into trouble. Each of the girls have big changes in their lives:  Jess is going to boarding school; Megan's grandmother comes to live with her; Emma starts a campaign against school uniforms; Cassidy has a lot of unexpected change coming to her family. Will the mother daughter book club stay together? I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Dear Pen Pal  by Heather Vogel Frederick with it's upcoming rerelease to the public. I always love a good book that involves books, even if its target audience is children between the ages of eight and twelve. It wasn't until I reached the end of the book that I realized that it...
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Book Review: The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin

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NetGalley ARC of The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin opens with Sarah Slade, a social influencer, starting her life over with her husband by purchasing a house to renovate and planning to document the entire process for Sarah’s followers. The house carries a dark past, and when unexplained events begin happening, Sarah quickly realizes that something is very wrong and is desperate to uncover the truth behind the house.
 
Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin.  The synopsis was intriguing, and when I received word that my request to read and review this book, I was thrilled.  I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Although I didn’t necessarily find Sarah Slade or her husband particularly likable as characters, I was still invested in their story and found myself hoping that things would ultimately work out for Sarah. The novel is filled with twists, revelations, and unsettling moments that kept me guessing throughout. Just when I thought I had figured out what was happening, another twist would change everything. Whether the ending is satisfying or not is something readers will have to discover for themselves, but it certainly delivers a memorable conclusion.

Despite my mixed feelings about the main character, I was hooked from the very first page. The atmosphere is tense, eerie, and filled with a sense of creeping dread that builds steadily as the story progresses. Parts of the novel felt reminiscent of The Shining by Stephen King, particularly in the way the house itself seems to take on a life of its own and influence those living within its walls. The author does an excellent job creating a chilling environment that made me feel uneasy and on edge. There were several moments that genuinely creeped me out and made it difficult to put the book down.

I gave The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin four out of five stars for the reasons already mentioned. Additionally, the story is so engaging and disturbing that it keeps readers questioning what is real and what isn’t. You won't want to miss out on this suspenseful, creepy novel, and I personally look forward to reading more stories by Matlin.

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