Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

Rosemary and her husband, Guy Woodhouse, signed a lease on a charming four-room apartment in Bramford, a place they had always dreamed of living in. Despite a friend's warning about Bramford's unpleasant reputation—early linked to incidents of cannibalism, witchcraft, and even dead infants in its history—they decided to move in.

Shortly after their arrival, tragedy struck when a young woman was found dead; she had lived with their elderly neighbors, Minnie and Roman Castevet. Despite the unlikelihood of forming a bond with them, the Castevets treated them with kindness and concern. After an unsettling dinner with them, Rosemary began experiencing a strange dream. Not long after that, Rosemary announced her pregnancy, and they became more attached. 

However, Rosemary started to feel that something was wrong. She experienced strange cravings, along with constant pain and distress. This story kept me guessing right from the very beginning. I was unsure whether the main character could be trusted or if she was starting to lose her mind. The narrative provides a chilling experience as it reveals the unfolding events alongside the characters. The book effectively sets a suspenseful atmosphere, and the ending transitions smoothly. I particularly loved the noir vibes of the '60s.

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Susanto

It's shocking to learn that social media can be a very dark place. With just the click of a button, being an influencer means keeping up with constant posting, and all the success often comes with a lot of baggage.

Meredith Lee and Aspen Palmer were best friends. Meredith found success on her YouTube channel while Aspen struggled to be like her. However, after Aspen married Ben, she managed to gain followers, and as a photogenic couple, they became a viral sensation, becoming influencers in their own right. For Meredith, though, it became hard to be a single mom. She swears that everything that happened was Aspen's fault. Although it wasn't intended to be a competition, their friendship ended in a catastrophic fight.

 As soon as their follower counts soared, kindness sharpened into jealousy, shattering marriages and ruining friendships. Not only that, the fear of not knowing what to post or feeling drained of creative ideas left a state of a fake aesthetic life.

Sounds familiar enough? I really enjoy reading the author's work, which I rated 5 ⭐️. I must say the main characters are incredibly badass. One is a horrible person who can't handle her best friend's success. Additionally, it highlights the lowest moments of motherhood and raises awareness on social media platforms.

Horror, He Wrote by Tan Jit Seng

Ernest Maxwell Graves, a struggling crime writer, is contemplating ending his life due to an undignified failure in writing literature. His latest novel, "Sex and Pontianak," was also a lack of success and was ridiculed by reviewers. However, his misery takes a chilling turn when a beautiful Chinese ghost appears before him. Her name is Chang Pai Lian, named after the white lotus.

Pai Lian offers Ernest a compelling interest in the murder of her twin sister, Chang Hong Lian, who was infamously dubbed the Red Lotus by the press. Her sister was murdered, and the identity of the murderer remains a mystery. Following this tragedy, Pai Lian took her own life. Both sisters died under the bridge at Taiping Botanical Garden.

She claimed that her sister had been murdered, similar to the book she was ghostwriting. She wanted to expose the wrongdoings and make a deal to be Ernest's ghostwriter to tell the true story.

Interesting premise. Aside from the confusing timeline and perspectives, the author delivers a fun, mystical fantasy with plenty of funny punchlines that are easy to read. It was not a straightforward case, though, and it involved supernatural elements.