Member Reviews
This was my first book by this author, and I've seen a lot of hype over her books. I feel like it was well written, I love the way the story was told and the second part that explains the back story of everything. However, it fell a bit short for me. I agree with some other reviews that have said that some parts felt like they were from a silly scary movie, and there was a bit too much of the over the top love between the couple. I did guess the first twist, but it kept me wanting to read more to understand it better. I did not see the last twist coming which was a good way to tie it all together, but strange to me. This couple essentially is together to hold things against each other it feels like.
Ryan and Grace are a couple that seem picture perfect - so in love. They don't go on a honeymoon right after getting married, but months later decide to do a trip away just the two of them. Ryan books a cabin in the woods, secluded, so they can be alone. Grace is waiting to tell Ryan a big secret, she knows something that he did years ago. When they run into a man in the woods, Grace wants to go home but Ryan keeps insisting that she's overreacting. What is the secret ? Who is this man and what will he do ? Is Grace really overreacting ?
This was such a quick and twisty read and I was completely intrigued from start to finish.
It was incredibly gripping and I throughly enjoyed the premise and horror vibes.
I was super excited for this one after seeing so many great reviews around bookstagram so while I did enjoy it, I was just hoping for a little more.
3.5 rounded to 4 stars for goodreads
This is the first book by Kiersten Modglin that I have read and it definitely won’t be the last. I heard Kiersten was The Queen of Twists but I had no idea just how twisted her twists were going to be. I really liked Grace and Ryan because they turned out to be nothing like I was expecting which made the story even more interesting.
They both have secrets which were intense, chilling and absolutely mind blowing. Just Married was a wild ride with a lot of unexpected twists that I never saw coming whatsoever.
A book that drew me right in,Ibwas intrigued from the first pages.I sat down to read a few pages& wound up reading late into the night could not put it down.So many twists turns& shocks.Will be recommending the author this book.#netgalle#bookoutture
First, I want to thank Netgalley, Bookouture, and Kiersten Modglin for allowing me to read and review this amazing thriller before it’s pub date.
The entire book kept me on my toes from start to finish. I truly couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what happened. At first I wasn’t 100% sure about Grace’s character, but that all quickly changed. The unexpected twists towards the end left me totally shocked. This was my first book by Kirsten Modglin and it definitely won’t be my last.
Ryan and Grace have found the perfect cabin hidden in the woods. This is to be their belated honeymoon. Ryan thinks this is the perfect time to talk about starting a family. Grace has learned something about her husband that she wants him to know that she knows ... and she has secrets of her own.
While out on a walk through the woods, they come across a wild looking man, staying in a tattered tent... dirty and smelly.. and only talks in grunts. Leaving the man some food and a few dollars, they get back to their cabin post-haste.
Later, Grace swears that the man was looking into the window. When Ryan takes a look, what he finds is a book on the with JANIE'S DEAD .. AND YOU'RE NEXT.. written on the inside cover. And th strange things don't stop there. Someone throws a rock through their windshield. The front doors seem to lock and then unlock on their own. When she becomes adamant that the man in the woods is behind this, her husband says she over-reacting and doesn't seem to want to notify the police.
Can she trust her husband? Can he trust his wife? Their marriage vows were Til Death Do Us Part ....
This is well written, with enough twists and turns to guarantee you keep your eyes riveted to the pages. The characters are solidly drawn. The suspense, which starts on the very first page, maintains a high level throughout until the unexpected, surprising conclusion. I do have ambivalent feelings about the ending. It feels rushed and as if the author didn't know how to end it. Nevertheless, it was an intriguing read.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Holy hell this book is good and this review is going to be virtually impossible to write without giving anything away. The amount of shocks I got from this book I may as well have been sitting in an electric chair.
Told via dual narration we join Ryan and Grace on their honeymoon although horrormoon seems more appropriate. Secluded cabin in the middle of creepy woods tick, no phone signal tick, deranged creepy man in the woods tick, and a husband you don’t trust and who is keeping a huge secret from you tick. This seriously ticked a lot of boxes.
Grace’s anxiety was through the roof and mine wasn’t far behind. As the creepiness escalates the tension becomes almost unbearable. Ryan is infatuated with his wife Grace and promises to protect her but who or what is he protecting her from?
I’m going to stop there as like I said I don’t want to give anything away. I have been a bit meh with thrillers lately, seeing things coming a mile away or guessing the culprit early on. So what a lovely surprise this was and it totally gave me back my love for thrillers.
I’m desperate for others to read this now so I can share my thoughts on what happened. So please make my day, read this and let me know what you thought. I need to discuss urgently!
To the author, you devious twisted little minx I absolutely, categorically loved it and I am now going to put your entire back catalogue on my tbr pile.
“Death has a smell—strange and ineffable. Primal. Like birth. Like the smell of the baby when it was born. Like the smell of a room filled with grief, of tears, of hopelessness. Somehow, as I stared up into the windows of the house that night…I knew I would smell it again.”
Ryan is taking Grace away for a belated honeymoon, 6 months after their marriage, to an isolated cabin in the woods. As soon as they arrive, though, things start to go wrong. A creepy homeless man is living in the woods nearby. A note is left on the doorstep saying: She’s dead, you’re next. Read along as they put till death do us part to the test.
Ok. This one started a tad slow for me. But I suppose that type of buildup was required for the whiplash inducing wild ride that was the last 1/2-1/3 of this book. Wow. Just when you think you know what’s happening, BOOM, whiplash 🤯. Neither Grace nor Ryan are fully reliable narrators and as soon as you get that aHa! moment where you think you know what’s going on…yup. You guessed it. Whiplash. So if you enjoy 😱 and 😵 and 🧐 in your psychological thrillers, read Just Married.
Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Wow,what a great read! This author never seems to disappoint! I was hooked from the beginning! Lots of twists to the very end!
Highly recommend!
Grace has recently married Ryan and the happy couple finally decides to take a honeymoon together. Grace is delighted by Ryan’s choice of the honeymoon location, which is a secluded cabin deep in the woods. She envisions a place where they can be alone together and they can forget about their jobs and escape from the real world for a while.
The honeymoon takes an abrupt turn when a note is found on the cabin doormat saying, “She’s dead, you’re next.” Ryan is reluctant to get the police involved and Grace does not know why. Is he hiding something? Things just escalate from there and Grace feels terrified and alone. Will she make it out alive?
Not your typical honeymoon! This storyline was like a rollercoaster ride! I was highly engaged with this book from the beginning to the very last page. Kiersten Modglin spins another superb tale that will keep you guessing until the end. If you are a Kiersten Modglin fan, you will love this book. If you have not read her books before, this would be a great one to start with.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) on July 5, 2021.
Well this one kept me up well past bedtime!
The description intrigued me before I started and the book was a hell of a ride. It was a fast paced, dark and twisty read which has a major plot twist that I did not see coming. I read it in one sitting as I couldn't put it down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.
Grace and Ryan have been married for six months and planned to go on their honeymoon for their first anniversary as money is tight! Out of the blue, Ryan surprises Grace with this Cabin in the woods he found and thought it'd be the perfect getaway for them. Grace is apprehensive as she isn't sure if she knows her husband that well, but is ultimately thrilled.
Their first day is perfect! Until things are not - starting with a note left on their doormat that says, "She's dead, you're next."
Ryan starts gaslighting Grace, saying she's overreacting and doesn't need to go to the cops. What does Grace do? Tell Ryan that she has known his secret for a while and will keep it forever. Before they know it, things escalate, and it's clear someone is out to get them. Ryan remains calm, but Grace is starting to panic. I mean, wouldn't you?
I will preface my opinion by saying that maybe it is because I am a heartless private person who gets uncomfortable with a highly affectionate display of intimate feelings. I show my emotions in actions more than words. For that reason, I was let down by Ryan and some of the dialogues; in parts, the conversations were onedimensional, so affectionate, and felt like one person was writing them all - I can't explain it well, but it's like when characters have their unique voice, a reader feel like it's the character speaking and not the author putting words in their mouth! I do not mean to diss the author, because overall I had a lot of fun reading this book. I think it's a matter of expectation and preference; I was expecting a grittier, darker thriller. Just Married read lighter (which is not bad) like it could be a Hallmark movie. I feel this would be great for Cozy Mysteries fans who want to start reading darker thrillers.
With that out of the way, let's get to the positives, shall we? First of all, what a solid first chapter! The tension and suspense were also so well done throughout the book. Most of all, Modglin played fair with her solution, which you all should know by now is my number one thing when reading mysteries. The book was well-plotted, and other than dialogues in some of Ryan's and Grace's chapters, the writing was terrific. We have a third POV in some chapters (like the first), and I felt that the author's strength really shone in them. I wish more of that narrative style could be found throughout the book.
Just married is a fast-paced page-turner that I feel many people will love.
Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Bookouture, Kiersten Modglin, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Just Married.
The psychological twist and the hint of horror in this book are awesome! Some parts of this book seemed like a silly scary movie and were too lovey dovey for me though. I love Kiersten Modglin’s writing and want to read every single one of her books!
Just Married by Kiersten Modglin was a fairly enjoyable thriller. If you're looking for a book that will keep you turning page after page in suspense, this is the book for you. There are several great plot twists that really shocked me, which are definitely the best parts of the book. The ending is shocking and will satisfy any thriller lover!
This book was 4 stars for me because none of the characters were likeable and that's important to me when determining how much I enjoy a book.
Thank you to the author, Bookouture, and Netgalley for the free ARC I received in exchange for leaving an honest review!
This is the first book I’ve read by Kiersten Modglin and I really enjoyed it.
Grace and Ryan are newly married and decide to take their honeymoon in a cabin in the middle of nowhere.
When they arrive they realise there’s no phone signal so they really are alone.
There are alternating chapters from Grace and Ryan and from Grace’s perspective we know there’s some secrets between the two of them.
There’s a few surprises in store throughout the book so it’s hard to say anymore about the storyline without spoiling it, so I’ll leave it there.
This is a fast paced thriller that will definitely have you racing through the pages.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Thank you NetGalley, author Kiersten Modglin, and Bookouture publishing for giving me a free arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4 stars
TW: domestic abuse, abuse of a minor, miscarriage due to physical abuse.
This book was a wild roller coaster ride! What started out a honeymoon getaway for the newly married couple turns into their worst nightmare.
This book introduces the main characters Grace and Ryan, who decided to postpone their honeymoon in order to save some money. After 6 months of marriage, the couple is able to finally take their honeymoon to a remote cabin. On the first night, the cabin is exactly the place the couple needs. They spent time in the hot tub, but upon returning to the house, they discover the door is locked. Now they have tp spend the night on the patio, but when morning comes, they discover the door is unlocked. Chalking it up to a coincidence, they continue their honeymoon activities with a day hike and they come across a homeless man in the woods. Thinking nothing of it, they give the man some food and continue back to the cabin. Later, Grace begins to see the homeless man in the yard and that is when things really begin to unravel. This story was fast paced and kept me on my toes until the very end. The layering of the events, mysteries, and secrets that were being kept by both characters had me really wondering what was going to happen when it all came out! The ending was defiantly not one I saw coming and gave me "Gone Girl" feels! Overall, this was my first book by this author and it will not be my last! I would recommend this book for those who are fans of domestic thrillers!
This book was insane!
We meet a couple who are on their honeymoon, and strange things start to happen.
Initially, I wasn't sure about the main female character but of course it all made sense later on. The first half of the book was suspensful and I kept turning the page as I wanted to know what was going on!
The second half of the book and the end were quite a twist, but you will have to read to find out!
Twist of the year!!!
goodreads.com/booksireadandliked
Disclosure: I would like to thank the publisher for my advanced reader copy of the book. This is my honest review
Wow!! What an amazing way to start off July !! This was my first Kiersten Modglin Book and I am so excited to pick up more now than I’ve read this one !!
Grace and Ryan just got married and just want to get away for a little while… a late honeymoon. Grace has high anxiety and gets nervous quickly so Ryan takes the advice of her best friend and books a
Cabin in the woods… cute and cozy, and away from all distractions and chaos. Grace thinks it’s finally time to reveal the secret she know about her husband… one that could change everything. Once at the cabin, they are settling in but things start to happen that shouldn’t be happening and things take a CRAZY
turn! Turns out, this cabin was a murder sight a few years before and they never caught the killer.
This book was great !! It was short which was great because there was just enough build up and detail to help assist the story but not to much to overwhelm and bore you. The twist was PERFECT and the ending was sooo good. I loved that it wasn’t a traditional ending for a thriller. I was able to read this book quickly- defy a page turner !! Highly recommend!!
Triggers : death, hit and run, drunk driver, child abuse, domestic abuse, murder, serial killer
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
I think other people will love this book. I liked it a solid 3.5, it was a solid fast-paced read with a great twist, I just couldn't get past Ryan's character in the first half. It was a bit too saccharine for my taste, I would have loved to see some dimension to him so that the first half would have felt as amazing as the second. BUT I really think that I'll be the minority here, and other people will love the entire thing. I also will be giving other Kiersten Modglin books a read, I enjoy her writing and think her other books may be more up my alley.
Enjoyable fast paced thriller that had me from the first chapter and kept me there
Intense and fast moving the book never let up
First book by this author and look forward to more