Thriller Special: Are These Books Worth the Hype?

In this episode of Reading Rendezvous, I’m talking about three psychological thrillers: Ask for Andrea, Dear Debbie, and Ward D.

Each book offers a different type of suspense, from emotional and unsettling storylines to fast paced twists.

If you enjoy dark, addictive books that keep you guessing, this episode is for you.

Don’t forget to follow the podcast and leave a rating or review if you enjoyed the episode. For bonus episodes and extra content, you can also join us on Patreon.

Transcript

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Welcome back to Reading Rendezvous. In today's episode, we're stepping into the world of psychological thrillers. I picked up three different books for this theme: Ask for Andrea, Dear Debbie, and Worthy. Each one is filled with tension, secrets, and that feeling that something isn't quite right. Before we begin, if you enjoy this episode or the podcast in general, make sure to follow Reading Rendezvous on your listening platform and leave a rating or a review. It generally helps more readers find the show. Now, let's step into the first story. We are starting with Ask for Andrea, written by Noelle W. Ely. This book follows the story of three women who were all killed by the same man. He is described as a charming predator who targets his victims through online dating, and what makes this thriller different is that the story begins after the crime already happened. The story is told from the perspective of the victims themselves, who are now ghosts, trying to understand what happened and more importantly, trying to stop their killer before he hurts someone else. First, I want to say that this book gave me a very different reading experience. When I usually pick up a psychological thriller, I expect a certain kind of structure. It usually starts by introducing a normal-looking plot, things go one way, but then suddenly there is a shift, maybe some confusion, and the plot ends up being something else entirely. I know I'm generalizing here, but this is just loosely what I have experienced recently in the psychological thrillers I have been reading. But this book surprised me, as from the very first few pages, I realized this story wasn't following the same path. Reading about the murder from the victim's perspective and experiencing it through them as a ghost generally took me by surprise. Honestly, it wasn't something I saw coming, and it made the whole reading experience feel very different and unsettling. Another interesting fact about this book is that I didn't really know where the story was going. I just couldn't tell what the end of this book would look like for the three victims which are now ghosts. Without giving out many spoilers, the ending didn't disappoint. It was exactly the way this book was supposed to end. Now let's get into some of the harder themes. As I mentioned, the book follows the tragic stories of Megan, Brescia, and Sky, and it begins straight away with exactly what happened to them in the years prior and how their lives ended at the hands of this lunatic. Their stories are heartbreaking, and honestly at times gut-wrenching. Each of their chapters described the emotions they go through and the desperation and sadness of realizing what happened to them. Even now, just thinking about how I felt while reading, it makes me emotional. Also, the way everything is written about the after death experience felt like putting onto paper all the questions we have about this topic. It's a very interesting take and it's really well written. The story also follows the killer's family, his wife and his two girls, showing their struggles, their fear, and how all of them slowly become connected. And the way the story builds up, it feels like everything is aligning for the single purpose of saving this family. The last few chapters are extremely tense and fast-paced, and I felt like I wanted to jump into the book and yell, run, or maybe help them somehow. It's extremely unsettling. Finally, let's touch on the name of the book. I won't spoil anything about what it means, as it plays an important role in the end. Just know it wasn't randomly chosen. Now, for complete transparency, the supernatural element wasn't really my thing when I first read the book. But now, thinking back on it, I actually feel I may have been wrong. Maybe I felt that way at the time, as it was just a new concept I wasn't used to or something I had never read before. But honestly, in a way, I think the supernatural aspect is what makes the book even more special. Overall, I think it's a great thriller. It feels connected to real life today, especially the risks women can face when online dating. Actually, it reminded me of that reel when someone asked, if you are in the woods with a man and a bear, which would you pick? The answer is 100% the bear. This is the sort of feeling I got after being done with this book. It is a hard read at times, especially as it explores some challenging topics like the fear of the unknown, of what comes next, and of leaving loved ones behind. But in the end, it's all about vengeance and perseverance in bringing one man to justice. I would definitely recommend it, just be aware that the opening scenes are fairly explicit. The second book we will be covering today is Dear Debbie, written by Frida McFadden. I was actually in a reading slump when I decided to pick this one up, and it definitely helped. This book follows Debbie Mulen, a suburban advice columnist whose life slowly begins to spiral out of control. As everything around her starts to collapse, she reaches a breaking point and decides to stop being the bigger person and seek payback against those she believes have wronged her. In terms of book structure and flow, the story is quite easy to follow, with short chapters, which made it perfect for me at that time, especially since I needed something engaging but not too heavy. I liked Frida's writing style, I found it very engaging, so this is definitely the kind of book you can finish in one day. In terms of storyline, to me this book felt like stepping into an episode of desperate housewives, and all I could imagine was sweet Brie. Straight from the start, you know there's more to the happy perfect family image that is being portrayed. I also really love the humor in the book and those more psychotic chapters where she writes her advice on how to handle certain issues some women might have with their husbands. I loved Unhinged Debbie. Now, again for complete transparency, I loved where the story was going, up until the last 20%. I really enjoyed the darker side of Debbie, the whole plot was getting really tense and dark, and I was really hoping for a grand finale where things don't go well. But to be completely honest, the ending left me wanting more. I don't know exactly what I was hoping for, but the sort of happy ending where everything seems fine didn't work for me. I think I was left yearning for a final plot twist at the end or something along those lines. But my take on this could also be based on my personal preference. I enjoy more twisted and dark types of thrillers, so maybe this is why. Overall, this book was okay. It was quite engaging, and the plot was building up really nice up until those last few chapters. And if you enjoy a more positive type of ending in a psychological thriller, you might actually really like this book. Now, for the last book in today's episode, I picked Ward D, also written by Frida McFadden. And I'll just say straight from the start, I loved this book. It was a straight five-star read for me. This was exactly the type of psychological thriller I like reading. Now, let's start with a short intro to the book, hopefully avoiding any major spoilers. The story takes place over the course of one night in a locked psychiatric ward and is centered around Amy, who is a medical student. From the get-go, you know the atmosphere of this book will be somewhat creepy, and you sense that Amy is not particularly happy to be there. You just don't know why yet. This feeling of confusion and uncertainty, of not being sure what is going on, who is right and who is wrong, carries through the entire book. And the ending was perfect. It had exactly that kind of plot twist I wanted at the end, one that made me doubt everything. Let's talk about the book structure. This is also the type of book you will finish in a day. It's super engaging and addictive, and the chapters are short. You will find it hard to put it down once you start, and it's definitely one of those books where you tell yourself while reading just one more chapter. In terms of plot line, I really like the way the story works around fear and perception. To me, each chapter felt more intense, and each one of them included a smaller storyline, whether that was a backstory or what is happening in the present. For almost the entire book, I was questioning what is real, what isn't, and whether the danger is actually coming from where you think it is. And I think this is specifically Frida McFadden writing style. She is known for playing with twists, and the book has plenty of them, especially the ending. So, if you're looking for something suspenseful, fast-paced, and easy to get through, this book is definitely a good pick. It's not overly complex, but it does a good job of keeping your attention from start to finish. Before we finish today's episode, I just want to share some final thoughts on these thrillers, and also what I think they might feel like if they were turned into something you could watch. Starting with Ask for Andrea, I'd give this one a four-star. It felt very different, emotional, and the storyline was quite unique. I imagine it as one of those limited Netflix series that you binge watch in a weekend. The whole TV show would happen at night, and I think Sadie Singh should definitely be part of the cast playing Megan. Dear Debbie was a three-star read for me. It was very engaging, especially in the first half, and I really enjoyed the darker, more unhinged side of Debbie. But the ending didn't really work for me. And no surprise here, but if this was on screen, I can only imagine something very desperate housewife style. And finally, War the D. This was a full five-star read for me. It was fast-paced, tense, and exactly the kind of psychological thriller I love. I think this one would probably be a film, and I imagine it as one of those very intense one-night psychological horror stories, full of twists that make you question everything. Overall, I had a really good time reading these books. They each felt very different from one another, which made for an interesting reading experience and made this episode quite fun to put together. So, really, it depends on what kind of mood you're in. There's definitely something here for every fan of a psychological thriller. That brings us to the end of today's thriller's special. Thank you so much for spending this time with me. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow Reading Rendezvous on your listening platform and leave a rating or a review. It really helps the show reach more readers. And if you'd like extra episodes and bonus content, you can also join us over on Patreon. All the details are in the episode description. Thank you again for listening, and until next time, happy reading!