The Book Was Better

  I mean, is any woman really ever good enough for her mother-in-law? When Addison's MIL passes away, she vows to put her own feelings about the woman who never accepted her away, to focus on supporting her husband in his grief. But as family secrets and paranormal frights creep into the mix, can Addison hold her tongue?  Conradt's exquisite prose sets such a creepy mood that I just had to keep reading -- preferably with a light on. I loved the reverse symbolism of the crows and the undercurrent of draw-you-in suspense. My only hesitations were a few moments of over-psychoanalysis that made the plot drag at times.  Overall, this one is a keeper and I am thankful to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advance read!  The Secret Attic: ★★★★3/4 

  My book club's theme is to read books that are becoming movies. That way, we have fun reading the book together, and later get the double-whammy of enjoying the movie together, too. In the case of Verity , this is one time that I actually hope the movie is better than the book.  This one goes in my DNL (did not love) pile. In a book that should have been twisty and turny, the twist was not even all that twisty -- predictable even. But my biggest issue -- and biggest bookworm pet peeve -- was that the characters were just not likable. It's hard to root for a hero or heroine that you don't like. They were all terrible people doing terrible things, which is not my jam.  Did I keep reading because I wanted to know what happened next? Yes. Was I satisfied with the ending? Meh.  Verity: ★★