This was such a good book! The characters stay with you long after you finish the book and I loved all the twists and turns. My first time to read a book by this author but I cannot wait to read more!

This is the first book I read by Rachel Howzell Hall. The idea of a digital scrapbooker intrigued me. But somehow I guess I expected something different.
Well basically it was not my cup of tea, though I really wanted to like this book.
I couldn't really connect with Michaela because in my opinion she acted like a sulking teenager. Wanting to proove to the world how wise and grown up and independent she is.
Maybe it just was not the right time for me to read this story.
I also have to admit, that the ending was a bit too much...

Thank #Netgalley #Thomas & Mercer, Thomas & Mercer for this ARC

This book was amazing and is definitely going in my top reads of the year. I am also gonna buy a copy when I find one. This book was amazingly written and well plotted/paced. Mickie was a fantastic main character and like her I was desperate to find out the truth. The final twists I did not expect at all and honestly really really shocked me! Rachel did a fantastic job with this book and I can’t wait to read more by her. Finger crossed for an adaptation of this book cause this deserves to be seen everywhere.

I loved this one as much as the last one, by the way, Hall’s writing is sharp, funny, literary and sarcastic - easy to read but hard to out down. Fascinating premise beautifully executed. if there isn’t a memory bank in existence someone should start it right now, it’s a fantastic idea. Can’t wait to read another one.

This is a story about a young woman, Mickie (short for Michaela) who creates amazing digital scrapbooks for people. Her latest commission is for an elderly woman who is losing her memories to Alzheimer's disease. Nadia owns a wonderful shop full of treasures called Beautiful Things and she has employed Mickie to catalogue some of the items that mean a lot to her, all of which have very interesting, but potentially sinister histories....

I would absolutely love a good poke round Nadia's shop, which is wonderfully described and sounds like a real Aladdin's cave. The idea of the 'Memory Bank' is fantastic and very original. Using objects owned by the customer that are turned in to holographic images. I would love one!

I did enjoy a lot of the book, though I found it very predictable from the start. I liked the glimpses of wit and snark and sass but I was expecting a deeper thriller/mystery when, for me, the book reads more like women's fiction with a lot of talk about romantic relationships and clothes, hair... With less of this I am certain I, personally, would have enjoyed the book more. So not a huge hit for me but the actual writing is great and very descriptive and I would still recommend this book to readers who like their mysteries on the lighter side.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall is an unputdownable thriller that also has nice, light-hearted moments. Sometimes, you get tired of really dark thrillers with tons of violence and torture. After my last read, I certainly am. So it's nice to read a thriller that starts off with a relatively happy place. The story revolves around Mickie, who has just broken up with her boyfriend Chris, and who works as a digital curator, helping people create online scrapbooks based around objects that they own. Her latest client Nadia owns a thrift shop and has given Mickie 12 of her most beloved objects to turn into an online scrapbook. Then, Nadia unexpectedly dies, and someone sends MIckie threatening messages to stop investigating. What are these 12 objects? And what ties do they have to a serial killer from the past?

Here is a chilling excerpt from the Prologue, which is from a side character's point of view:

""Do you remember me?" Dale asked. "You told me to smile, that I was at a carnival and needed to relax."
"To be honest? No. That was a busy-"
Allison's phone buzzed. As she read Jessica's response, the cloth seat beneath her warmed...
Desi is still in Iraq.
Skyped w/her yesterday
WHO R U IN THE CAR WITH?"

Overall, These Toxic Things is an amazing thriller that also blends together contemporary fiction and romance. The beginning of this book felt very light to me, and it was a pleasant surprise. It reminded me of 2021's The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville, which is also about found treasures in thrift shops and is listed in the contemporary and magical realism categories. I'm tired of dark and gritty thrillers, and this book was just what I needed. I could not put this book down and ended up finishing it in a day. Although this book starts off in a light-hearted way, it eventually becomes a full-blown thriller as Mickie starts investigating the objects Nadia left her and the ties to a serial killer who may be after her. The climax was very exciting, and I really enjoyed reading this book overall. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, you won't regret checking out this book, which is available in bookstores now!

2.5 Stars

Suicide...or murder? That is the question you will be asking yourself while reading this book. The thing I liked most about this book was how unique it was, the premise was a new one to me, but the execution fell a little flat. This was a slow burner so I found it a little lackadaisical in the suspense department...The writing wasn't half bad but I did find it a bit predictable. The ending was better than I was suspecting so I bumped it up the three stars.

This is a decent thriller novel. It was a slow start that took time to get into the story, but it seemed to speed up a bit towards the middle. I enjoyed the story which was full of suspense and twists and turns. The writing is good and held my interest until the very end. Worth a read if you like a good suspense novel!

I was really excited to get started on this one but it was too slow to start. The more I kept the less eventful the plot became. Sadly I couldn't finish it. I loved the author's They All Fall Down so I'm definitely interested to see what Rachel writes next.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately this is a DNF. The premise sounded really interesting but I couldn't get into it.

Howzell Hall draws us in with quality writing and a fascinating story that increases in torque as it unfolds, twisting on itself and upturning the expectations of characters and readers alike. Who can we believe? Can we believe our own memory, or do we all curate our lives into our own fictions? These Toxic Things is a tense and fascinating thriller that raises plenty of questions. Recommended.