If 2020 was the year of Fabled Ink’s beginning, 2021 was the year of Thrillers. We’ve devoured thrillers like a bowl of popcorn in front of an action movie, and we thought we could share our view of the Good, the Very Good, and the Utterly Bad. Here are the best-selling books in the Thriller genre that made the fabled list.
May you find your next favourite Thriller here. See you next year for our 2022 review!
The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney
This was a very interesting take on the “haunted house” angle. In this book, we follow two women from different times who both live/have lived in the same house. Two different women who have one thing a common: the handsome yet somewhat controlling landlord who’s built a house of dreams that soon becomes a house of nightmares. The story spirals down into a pit of duplicity and deception, but the motives of one crucial character never got clear to us. We were hoping for some kind of closure on their intent, but maybe we missed it.
His & Hers by Alice Feeney
Absolutely brilliant. Loved the twists. The ending was somewhat predictable but the story kept us stuck to the edge of our seat. The two main characters are unique in their own ways, actions, and unravelling the mysteries of this story is a gripping experience. This book teaches us that lying is instinct, but that secrets of the past eventually catch up to us in a grand, thrilling finale.
You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen
The thrilling due returns with this riveting, addictive, and cleverly twisty book. The only negative comment is: too many coincidences, but once you step away from that, this book is a true binge-worthy gem.
The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan
Alas, one word: Boring. We finished this book because we thought maybe it’ll get better, but it was boring from chapter 4 to the end. It started well and spiralled down into a sea of boringness. Jocelyn was plainly stupid, not seeing what’s right in front of her, just blinded by her weird and almost sexual obsession for Hannah, “the perfect nanny”, while mean old Mother is basically the only character with a brain in this book. Sure, the writing style was beautiful (although sometimes way too dramatic for our taste), but the story was shallow with no page-turning momentum.
A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson
Top Fabled Choice!
We’ve become quite critical with books, especially thrillers, over the years, but we must say that we really liked this one. Experiencing an event from different perspective, with secrets unravelling one after the other, was what hooked us to the book. The deep-dive into the psychology of each character was also very well done, with a control-addicted father, a thrill-seeking daughter with anger issues, and a mother who does have narcissistic tendencies, we have an intriguing cast that is interesting to see in action. We weren’t really surprised by the ending and expected it, but the journey to that point was truly riveting.
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
This treasure was a very nicely written and exciting story about a couple losing their child and all the secrets that revolve around them. We did feel that certain things that happened in the book seemed highly convenient, and weren’t wowed or surprised at the plot twists. Still, we’re giving this book 4 stars, because it kept us hooked until the end.
The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham
This book is very well-written and captivating, but the story was actually pretty simple and predictable. The two main characters had a lot of depth, and the “villain” was written in such a way that you’d understand her drives and motives. Other than that, the first twist could be seen from miles away, and I lacked the level of mystery you’d find in Girl on the Train.
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