Month: August 2025

Posted in Contemporary

The Last Laugh

Posted on by Mama

Original post from my Mom blog here – https://mamaonthemove1.wordpress.com/2025/08/25/book-review-the-last-laugh/

Title: The Last Laugh


Author: Lynn Freed


Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Humor


Number of Pages: 188


My Rating: 💋💋


Book Summary:

To escape their grown children, ex-husbands, ex-lovers, and an abundance of grandchildren, three self-proclaimed “old bags” head for a quiet Greek island to find some peace. There they will spend a lovely year on the Aegean, they think – watching the sunset, feasting on grilled fish and fresh olives, sipping ouzo. Peace at last.

Except that it isn’t. For one thing, Bess, a fading heiress, falls swiftly into an affair with a poetry-writing taxi driver – who has, of course, a formidable wife. Dania, a therapist, keeps receiving menacing phone calls from a psychotic patient. And Ruth’s ex-lover shows up unexpectedly, just as she’s taken up with Bess’s ex-lover. When the children and grandchildren start showing up, the serene year devolves quickly into something much more uproarious.


My Thoughts:

When I initially purchased this book and read the “blurb” or description of the novel, it sounded intriguing. Three older women running off to Greece for a year to essentially escape their every day. Something I dream of doing in my elderly years, though I will be taking my husband with me in my dreams.

However, it was…..bitter with very few speckles of actual humor sprinkled in. It was definitely a dryer, darker humor, which I tend to enjoy. But really there is no saving grace for how unpleasant and self-centered these women are.

Bess, Ruthi and Dania all disliked their children in one way or another, they all discussed failed relationships or ex-lovers and just ultimately seemed miserable. Their children were no better to be honest – rude, blunt, spoiled and bratty. That’s the best way to describe them, but children learn from example. In fiction and in reality, just sayin’!

Also the response to the “climactic” event was extremely lack-luster and non-nonchalant from all of them. And the outcome was not realistic in my humble opinion.

I didn’t particularly enjoy the writing style either. I felt like you were always kind of caught in the middle of the next conversation. It was annoying in a way.

What I thought would be a sweet story about older women enjoying a year in Greece with incredible food, romance and fun adventures – really wasn’t that at all. I breezed through the book and finished it- surprisingly, but I wouldn’t recommend. Which is sad because I really had high hopes for this.

Onto the next!

Now I know I had mentioned A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, but I am going to put that on hold for a brief moment. Only because it’s spooky season and I’m more inclined to read horror and seasonal romances during this time.

For my first novel I’ve chosen The Haunting by Natasha Preston. I’ve read The Island by Natasha and I enjoyed it, so I’m looking forward to this one. Not going to lie, I’ve already started it and liking it. Think cheesy teen slasher.

Hope you enjoyed and keep an eye out for the next review.

Ciao!

Posted in Horror, Mystery

The Graveyard Shift

Posted on by Mama

Original post from my Mom blog here – https://mamaonthemove1.wordpress.com/2025/08/19/book-review-the-graveyard-shift/

Title: The Graveyard Shift


Author: Maria Lewis


Genre: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller


Number of Pages: 317


My Rating: 💋💋💋💋💋


Book Summary:

Tinsel Munroe is the host of The Graveyard Shift – a late-night radio show where she and her loyal listeners celebrate the sounds of cult cinema. She has busted her ass to carve out this section of the airwaves and nothing will keep her from reaching her prime-time dreams…

That is, until someone gets murdered live on air.

She’s freaked out by the horrible incident. Her true crime-obsessed sister Pandora is fascinated by it. Detectives assure them the killer will soon be caught.

Yet with a growing, macabre audience that likely includes the killer, Tinsel begins receiving strange messages. Her home and her workplace suddenly aren’t the sanctuaries she once thought they were.

And the bodies won’t stop dropping, with the killer or killers striking in increasingly gruesome ways. In order to survive, Tinsel is going to have to listen to more than just the airwaves…


My Thoughts:

Frankly I loved this thriller which was clearly written for fans of all things in the horror genre. It begins on Halloween night (OBVIOUSLY!), and of course you have the classic reference to Michael Meyers (from the legendary movie Halloween) right off the bat. The novel is packed with plenty of horror movie references and culture.

Even though it’s a thriller, the novel is a very light, easy and a captivating read. And I love the fact that it wasn’t intentionally trying to scare you, but keep you on your toes instead. I enjoyed that there was quite a lot of dialogue and banter between the characters, which in turn made me love them all the more. I felt that you got to see more of their personalities this way.

Now that I’ve blabbed on, let me get into the nitty gritty.

We have the badass main character, Tinsel Munroe, who is a horror film buff and host of a late-night horror themed radio show – The Graveyard Shift. During her Halloween show, she was taking viewer calls, when suddenly a fan was brutally murdered on live air, her screams and last breaths broadcasted for everyone to hear. Unaware of the reality, Tinsel chalked it up to a Halloween prank until the cops show up the following day to reveal the awful truth.

While the detectives continue to investigate and work the case around Melbourne, people who are linked to the film industry keep dying and the body count keeps rising. It seems that Tinsel and the film industry are at the center of it all, but why?! It’s the nagging question throughout the entire novel. Tinsel is saddled up with Detective James for protection, which they develop a mutual attraction for one another. But he’s honest with her about the case whenever she asks. Their relationship becomes close….very close and quickly.

However, the investigation becomes stagnant and Tinsel decides to take things into her own hands. Luckily, Tinsel in all her spunky personality has an equally tenacious sister named Pandora. Pandora is a true crime blogger with a few connections and they are in a race against the clock to find the killer.

Frankly, you can’t help but love the characters each in their own ways, even the side characters are fun and lovable. Tinsel is a spunky, retro-style, horror loving radio host with sass and drive that makes you root for her the entire book. Pandora is a mom with tenacity, a hunger for all things true crime and a zest for life, especially when it comes to keeping her sister alive in hers. Detective James is masculine, strong and seems to have a no none sense demeanor, but you quickly learn that he’s a big softy with a fun, easy going personality.

I know when I read other reviews, people felt like the romance aspect deterred from the main story, however I quite liked the little breaks from the thriller. To me it depicted a potential real life scenario, which I guess if you want a full on and action packed thriller, then you probably wouldn’t enjoy that aspect. However, I did. Someone’s life can’t be all doom and gloom all the time, there has to be a little bit of sunshine sometimes, right?

The only thing that did bother me, but not enough for me not to give this five Baci, is the face that she was often left at the studio alone with only one security guard and no late night producer. Also that her sister Pandora would put her phone on airplane mode during the night. Considering the nature of her work, which was true crime blogging, and the fact that her sister was endanger of a psychotic killer, you would think it would stay on in case of an emergency. I get not wanting the phone to wake your kiddos, but there is vibrate mode for a reason!

The ending was quite predictable once all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. There was a bit of a shocker, which I won’t spoil but let’s just say, that one was a little unnecessary to add in at the end.

Nevertheless, I loved this novel and if I could have been locked away for a few days, I probably would have finished it in that time. I really didn’t want to put it down, but my little baby girl needs my attention more then a novel. I truly recommend it to anyone who needs a light read and trust me you will fly through it. I felt the author was inventive in the story telling that I really can’t be mad about. Also, a little romance sprinkled in didn’t hurt! But fair warning, you will either love or hate this book, there isn’t an in-between. But if this type of novel intrigues you, give it a shot!

Hope you enjoyed the review! On the go at the moment is The Last Laugh by Lynn Freed and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. So look for those reviews in the near future!

Ciao!