Hello fellow readers! A little bit ago I shared with you that I would be participating in the Summerween Readathon. If you missed my initial post, you can check it out here; https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2024/07/summerween-readathon-2024/.

You might recall that this fun, Halloween-inspired readathon was going to last a week and that I was going to attempt read four books. They were The Only One Left by Riley Sager, Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll, The Fury by Alex Michaelides, and The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley.

So, did I accomplish my reading goal and what did I think about the books I read? Read on as I wrap up the Summerween Readathon of 2024.

Overall, I read three of the four books I had planned for this readathon. Despite falling a bit short on my goal I’m overall happy with this. As much as I enjoy reading I love to also spend time with family and friends, and do a little shopping of course. To get a glimpse of what I was up to over the last week, you can check out my Instagram page (@rachelrheil). If you aren’t already following me on Instagram, make sure to give me a follow as I plan on sharing more glimpses on what I am up to (writing and reading wise as well as personally), especially as we approach my favorite time of the year.

But that aside, what did I think of the three books I actually read? I’m glad you asked.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager – In 1929 socialite Lenora Hope was accused of brutally murdering her parents and sister. But a lack of evidence allowed her to walk free and the murders have become a dark chapter in her small town’s history. Now, in 1983, home-health aide Kit is assigned to take care of Lenora, a task that does not delight Kit but with no other options she has little choice. She is not entirely alone as Lenora has maintained a small but loyal staff but Kit can’t shake the feeling something is terribly wrong, only confirmed by Lenora herself when she agrees to tell Kit everything about that fateful night in 1929.

Though the premise was excellent and the story kept me interested, this was not a 5 star read for me. While the plot was well developed and the imaginary was vivid, the character development needed some work. Kit in particular needed a bit of an overhaul. I don’t mind having a character who is struggling with a past mistake or haunted by something he or she did, but Kit offered nothing else beside those past mistakes. As the reader we didn’t get to know what else makes up Kit and what guides her to make the decisions she does. Speaking of decisions, some of Kit’s choices are downright odd, strange, and insensitive, if you take in consideration her profession. For example, she is on the job for less than 48 hours before she is asking Lenora if she killed her family. Not exactly the best way to ensure you get to keep your job. My rating is 3.5 stars out of 5.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll – It’s 1978 and aspiring lawyer Pamela Schumacher is the president of her sorority at Florida State University. Everything in Pam’s life is seemingly perfect; she has a coveted but slightly stressful role in her sorority, she has a steady if bland boyfriend, and can always rely on her best friend Denise. But when an intruder breaks into the sorority house one fateful January night and brutally murders two students and gravely injures an additional two, Pam’s entire world is flipped upside and she tries the maintain order as best as she can. But that little bit of sanity is quickly snapped when Pam learns the intruder might be a prolific serial killer who has terrorized Pacific Northwest and Pam might just be his next victim. After all, she was the one who saw him as he made his made dash out of the sorority house. Joining forces with Tina Cannon, a wealthy young woman whose best friend Ruth was a victim of the same killer, Pam is determined she will find out who killed her fellow sisters before he hurts anyone else.

If the summary doesn’t give it away, Bright Young Women is a fictional retelling of Ted Bundy’s serial killings and while his actions are at the heart of the story, Ms. Knoll decides not to focus on the killer (or The Defendant, as he referred to throughout the story) but on the women affected by his murderous rampage. For that, I have to give Ms. Knoll high praise. As true crime writer Ann Rule (who wrote one of the definitive books on Bundy) noted, the victims and their loved ones are often lost in serial killer stories and more often than not are just viewed as a name on a list. I also appreciated Ms. Knoll making a conscious effort to not name Bundy in the story but refer to him as a nameless defendant since, as Pam discusses throughout the book, naming him gives him power and a legacy when he really should be forgotten and not given any time or publicity, only to answer for his crimes and receive justice.

Despite this strengths, I felt that the second narrative, told from the perspective of Ruth, one of the victims, took away from the story. I like the idea of having one of the storylines being told from one of the victim’s but the events leading up to Ruth’s sad death didn’t add much to the story and I found myself wishing the second storyline was told from Tina’s point of view and the barriers she faced in trying to get the police to take her seriously and get Ruth’s murder solved. Tina mentions throughout the story that issues she had in getting justice and that would have been very interesting to read about. It was a lost opportunity. I gave this story 3.5 stars out of 5 as well.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides – Lana Farrar is one of cinema’s most famous leading ladies and her surprise retirement a few years earlier sent shockwaves throughout the industry, devastating colleagues and fans alike, including Lana’s fan and close friend Elliot Chase. But, unlike Lana’s legion of other fans, Elliot still gets to see Lana and is one of a few people she invites to join her, her husband, and son on their private Greek island. But when a murder occurs, everyone is a suspect but the person who pulls the trigger might just be the person you least expect.

It is no secret that I’ve become a big Alex Michaelides fan. I’ll recommend The Silent Patient to anyone willing to listen and The Maidens was a juicy addition to the dark academia genre cannon. So when Mr. Michaelides announced his third book, there was no hesitation on my part to snatch it up. The plot may sound formulaic, but I was positive Mr. Michaelides would put a new spin on it and create a twist that would surely delight. And, for the most part, he achieved that. There was a good twist about halfway through the story and the characters were all fairly well developed. The writing flowed well and it is a quick and easy ready.

Unfortunately, I would be remiss to not mention I was also a bit disappointed. After the spectacular twists of Patient and Maidens I was expecting just a good of twist but when that was revealed I was left wanting more. I had guessed the murderer fairly early on and I don’t think the narrative structure helped that earlier discovery. I think The Fury would have benefited from a different narrative structure but as it was now, there wasn’t much mystery to be solved. Nonetheless, it was still a worthy read but would recommend it to someone who hasn’t read Mr. Michaelides’ other works. A solid 4 out of 5 stars.

And this is my reading wrap up for the Summerween Readathon of 2024. This was such a fun and enjoyable readathon and I hope to be participating in next year.