Tag: Gaslighting

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Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester: A fierce, feminist horror that burns with rage—though not always with realism

Mandy Webster

Kristi DeMeester’s Dark Sisters (releasing December 9, 2025) takes on patriarchal power, religious hypocrisy, and generational trauma with fire, blood, and no small dose of feminine fury—but sometimes the blaze feels more like stage lighting than wildfire. It’s the kind of novel that makes you want to light a match and watch the patriarchy burn. Part historical fiction, part supernatural horror, and part feminist manifesto, this story spans centuries and three women bound by a curse born of desperation and defiance.

Get your copy of Dark Sisters from my independent online bookstore today!

Anne Bolton, accused of witchcraft in the 1700s, bargains with darkness to survive. Mary Shephard, the obedient 1950s housewife, discovers forbidden love with a woman named Sharon. And Camilla Burson, a modern preacher’s daughter, rebels against both her father and the system he represents.

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All Eyes on Him by Iliana Xander: A guilty-pleasure thriller that keeps you guessing

Mandy Webster

Sometimes you just want a book that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go—and All Eyes on Him by Iliana Xander fits that bill perfectly. Fast-paced, twisty, and just self-aware enough to wink at its own melodrama, it’s the kind of guilty-pleasure read that lets you forget the world going to hell outside your door for a few hours.

Get your copy of All Eyes on Him from my independent online bookstore today!

The setup is pure cat-and-mouse thriller gold. Natalie’s best friend is found unconscious after leaving a club with a stranger—who turns out to be none other than the nation’s newly crowned “Man of the Year.” While the media fawns over his charm and money, Natalie suspects he’s hiding something far darker. Determined to uncover the truth, she infiltrates his mansion as a housekeeper, but soon realizes she might be the one being hunted.

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Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino: A darkly funny exploration of obsession, envy, and the American Dream

Mandy Webster

The first thing you need to know about Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino is that it’s about far more than real estate. Yes, the book follows 37-year-old publicist Margo Miyake as she becomes dangerously fixated on buying the perfect house in an impossibly competitive Washington, DC housing market—but Kashino turns what could have been a simple story about bidding wars into a biting, darkly funny character study of ambition and envy. The novel releases November 25, 2025.

Get your copy of Best Offer Wins from my independent online bookstore today!

After losing out on eleven homes, Margo learns about a property that hasn’t yet hit the market—a charming house in the exact neighborhood she’s been dreaming of. It’s got everything she’s ever wanted, right down to the tire swing in the backyard. That tire swing isn’t just decor; it’s a symbol of everything Margo has been chasing since childhood. As a kid, she watched other families—more stable, more put-together, more normal—and believed that owning a home like theirs would finally make her feel whole. Now, as an adult, she’s convinced that the right house will fix her strained marriage, her stalled plans to have a baby, and her crumbling sense of self-worth.

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One Small Mistake by Dandy Smith: A dark, addictive tale of ambition, manipulation, and the lies we tell ourselves

Mandy Webster

How far would you go to make your dreams come true? That’s the haunting question at the heart of One Small Mistake by Dandy Smith, a psychological thriller that pulls no punches in its exploration of obsession, abuse, and the dangerous allure of ambition. Set to release November 25, 2025, this gripping novel follows Elodie Fray, an aspiring author who quits her job to chase her dream of literary success—and ends up caught in a web of manipulation spun by a man who knows exactly how to pick his prey.

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At first glance, Elodie’s story might sound like a familiar tale of envy and rivalry—she’s the overlooked sister, forever in the shadow of Ada, who seems to have it all. But Smith skillfully turns the narrative inside out, showing how ambition and vulnerability can intersect in terrifying ways. As Elodie’s world begins to unravel, it becomes clear that she isn’t the architect of her own downfall—she’s the victim of a master manipulator.

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The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith is a diabolically twisty psychological thriller

Mandy Webster

What if your sister disappeared one summer night—and then walked back into your life sixteen years later? The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith takes this premise and spins it into one of the most anxiety-inducing psychological thrillers I’ve read this year.

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The story follows Caitlin, whose older sister Olivia was abducted when they were children. When a woman claiming to be Olivia suddenly reappears, Caitlin should feel joy. Instead, her carefully rebuilt world begins to unravel piece by piece. The tension comes not only from the mystery of whether this is truly Olivia, but also from the way she manipulates every situation to Caitlin’s detriment.

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Other People’s Houses by Clare Mackintosh is a layered thriller of secrets, lies, and murder

Mandy Webster

When break-ins on a luxury English estate collide with a body discovered in a Welsh lake, Clare Mackintosh’s Other People’s Houses unravels into a gripping web of crime, corruption, and personal drama.

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The story begins with two separate investigations: in Cheshire, DS Leo Brady looks into a string of break-ins on The Hill, a posh community where people pay a premium for safety and exclusivity. Across the Welsh border, DC Ffion Morgan pulls the body of an estate agent from a lake. Neither case seems connected—until they are, and then things get complicated fast.

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