By Jay Flood
When plot twists are so shocking that I just have to tell my mom, it’s very likely I will rate it 5 stars. I have never been the person who can predict the ending of a movie, book, tv series, etc. I have always been the type of person to be genuinely shocked by a plot twist others might have seen coming. However, in the past six months, I began to predict the ending of every thriller I read which made the books boring. Here are four fast-paced, unpredictable and thrilling books.
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
When Naomi was 11 years old, she was stabbed 17 times in the woods where she played with her friends. Hiding, Cassidy and Olivia saw the man who stabbed her. When Naomi miraculously survived, the three girls helped put away a serial killer. Twenty-two years later, the man died. Now, all of their secrets from that summer are surfacing and they will do anything to protect the past that haunts them.
I listened to the audiobook in one day. I was about 90% through when my mom and sister came to visit. We went shopping, and the entire time I was telling them every detail of the book. I listened to more of the book on the drive to another store, and immediately updated them on what was happening. Then, I finished the book on the drive to the Stroh Center for the women’s basketball game. Shocked, I explained everything to my mom and sister. This was a book where I never knew what was happening next. All of my theories were wrong. But the plot twists were so shocking and disturbing.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy by Holly Jackson
The senior year capstone project is Pip’s chance to investigate a murder from 5 years ago. The case remains unsolved, but the entire town has decided Sal, the victim’s boyfriend, was the murderer. However, before they could prove he was guilty, he killed himself. Pip doesn’t believe it was Sal and intends to prove it. But if it wasn’t Sal, is the real killer still out there?
I read this trilogy in a week. Every single book was 5 stars, and each book kept getting better. Every time I thought I knew the ending, I was proven wrong. Each character felt like a real person with real flaws. The characters are all so lovable and by the end of the trilogy, I was devastated to let them go. The endings of each book were so complex and tied everything together so perfectly. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I cried a lot reading these books. It takes a lot for a book to make me emotional, but this series had no problem making me cry. This trilogy was devastating, disturbing, thrilling, shocking, and intense.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
A Chicago journalist is sent on assignment to return to her hometown to investigate the murder and disappearance of two teen girls. She has not spoken to her mother in years and has a teenage half-sister she barely knows. As she investigates, her past traumas resurface and she finds herself identifying with the victims. She begins questioning everything from her childhood, including the death of her sister.
This was the most disturbing book I have ever read. I did not like any of the characters, including the main character, but I think that was intentional. This book focuses heavily on childhood trauma, abuse, depression, self-harm, sexual assault, and other heavy topics. About halfway through the book, I thought I had guessed the ending, but I was very wrong. The ending was so disturbing, it really messed with my mind. I went into this book thinking it would be a normal murder mystery and thriller, but it was so much darker than I was expecting.
The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
The daughter of a con artist, her girlfriend, and her ex-boyfriend go into a bank first thing in the morning to deposit money they raised for a fundraiser. But quickly, they’re caught in a bank heist. The two men robbing the bank are armed and dangerous, but they don’t know how dangerous their hostages are. Nora has been many different girls in order to help her mom con criminals. The skills she learned as a con artist’s daughter make her more dangerous than the robbers ever could be.
This book switches between past and present as it tells the story of the bank heist, but also of her past as the different girls she’s been. The structure of the book is so well-organized. The stories we’re told of her life as different girls always tie into something happening in the bank. The hints about her past life are what make this book so enticing. It’s hard to stop reading because you want to know her past as well as how she escapes the bank heist. Nora is so clever and cunning, but also a morally gray character who’s impossible not to love. The book plays out like a movie. I could see everything happening as if they were scenes and flashbacks. Her past is unpredictable and shocking and keeps you turning the page to find out more. I finished this book in one day.
Books with predictable endings are very disappointing and feel like a waste of time. However, when it’s unpredictable, I can’t stop thinking about it. Unpredictable books keep me awake at night thinking about all of the clues leading up to the reveal and how shocking it was. I always read thrillers the quickest because when they’re good, it’s hard to put them down.
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