She Started It by Sian Gilbert

 Not my favorite.  Point Blank.  It takes place on a deserted island where a begrudged bride to be knocks off her past bullies.  It was so unnerving to even think about doing something that ridiculous as going to a deserted island without cell phone service with someone who essentially blames you for ruining her life.  Needless to say, many end up dead.  

Until the last few chapters, there is very little thriller components to it.  You spend most of the book hating the characters for what they did to this poor girl.  But, you sort of feel like it didn't matter because she became a rich, fancy doctor who can afford a private island retreat for 5.  Until the twist ...

Psychological Elements

Depression, suicide, self-mutilation, bullying, and more...

The high school girls were definitely mean and belittled the main character for seemingly no reason.  Much like many other young girls in high school, she was just trying to find herself.  All these girls did was ruin everything she held close to her.  Everything but her sister ...

Did I like the ending?  Not really.  But, come to think of it, I don't think I liked the beginning or middle either. 

This one was just not for me.  What are your thoughts?

The Last Word by Taylor Adams

 Not my favorite.

Well, the literary quality was there.  Lots of suspenseful elements and twists and turns.  But, my level of anxiety was elevated throughout every page of this book and nothing brought it down.  That's why it wasn't my favorite.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good suspenseful thriller, but holy, moly work up to it!  From the second I started reading until the very end, it was hard to catch my breath.  If that was what the author was going for, then kudos!  If not, then, well, it didn't work.

I will say this:  Great job putting it altogether in the end!  I didn't feel like there were any missing pieces and even the dog makes out ok!

Psychological Elements

Many different elements were brought into play, such as social isolation, anxiety, depression, suicidality, and psychopathy.  You get the sense that the main character is hiding something or that something terrible happened for her to retreat into isolation, but it is not what you think.  I did feel a connection to all the characters, even the aggressor.  The situation was believable, yet unbelievable.

Anyway, read it yourself and tell me what you think.

The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda

 For some reason, I tend to like books that are written from various perspectives.  I like how the author outlined the events in a certain order and described how each character saw the day/events differently.  I realize that the title is The Only Survivors, so perhaps Megan Miranda was not looking to include any of the perspectives of the non-survivors in the narrative by design, but it would have been interesting to get the point of view of maybe someone that did not survive or even who later became a victim.  When you read the story, you know what I'm talking about.

Psychological Elements

Survivor Guilt - by far this is the underlying theme of the book.  Each character had a different way of dealing with how they felt to be the only survivors of a traumatic event.  In the end, the main character appears to have a different reason to feel even guiltier, but that was a "pleasant" twist or good distraction.  I'm not certain if getting together every year on the anniversary is smart, as it drudged up many feelings, but research always seems to note that having a group of people with same experiences is always helpful to work through things.