Wilde Blog Posts
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Most Recent Posts
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Maddie’s Reviews: Her Little Flowers | Shannon Morgan’s Gothic Ghost Story of Family Secrets
Shannon Morgan’s Her Little Flowers is a gothic ghost story set across two timelines, the 1960s and the present day. Centered on a crumbling Elizabethan manor haunted by family secrets and lingering spirits, it delivers a chilling, atmospheric tale of grief, memory, and mystery. Click here to read my full review!
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Maddie’s Reviews: Penpal | A Haunting Descent into Childhood Terror by Dathan Auerbach
Creepy childhood memories twist into full-blown horror in Penpal, where lost balloons, blurry photos, and secret stalkers haunt suburban nights. What begins as nostalgia turns into a relentless puzzle of obsession and terror. If you dare, click here to read my full review!
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Maddie’s Reviews: The Crucible | Arthur Miller’s Salem Witch Trials and the Battle Between Reputation and Integrity
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible captures the hysteria of the Salem witch trials while exposing the dangers of fanaticism and the obsession with public image. Much like Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, it challenges readers to weigh reputation against integrity in a rigid Puritan society. Click here to read my full review!
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Maddie’s Reviews: Death by the Book | Cozy Mystery Review with Lucy Connelly
This week’s chaos sent me fleeing into Death by the Book, the compelling second entry in Lucy Connelly’s Mercy McCarthy Mystery series. Set in the seaside village of Shamrock Cove, Ireland, the book festival-turned-murder mystery keeps you guessing with quirky characters, family secrets, and a thrilling cozy mystery twist. Click here to read my full review!
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Maddie’s Reviews: Brave New World | Aldous Huxley’s Dystopian Warning on Freedom and Individuality
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a chilling reminder of what we lose when individuality and free speech are sacrificed for comfort. Reading it today, in light of current attacks on freedom of expression, feels eerily relevant. A powerful dystopian classic with modern resonance. Click here to read my full review!
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Maddie’s Reviews: The Last Lecture | Randy Pausch & Jeffrey Zaslow – Living Fully in the Face of Mortality
Reading The Last Lecture again stirred in me what I first felt in high school: a mix of gratitude, challenge, and inspiration. Pausch doesn’t just confront having little time left—he shows how to fill every moment by pursuing childhood dreams, offering kindness, and embracing truth. A timeless reminder to live now. Click here to read my full review!
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Maddie’s Reviews: The Hunger Games | Suzanne Collins’ Dystopian Bestseller That Defined a Generation
Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games isn’t just a book—it’s a cultural milestone. I still remember racing into my middle school book fair to grab that black-and-gold mockingjay paperback before it sold out. This dystopian YA classic had me hooked from the first page. Click here to read my full review!
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Maddie’s Reviews: A Court of Thorns and Roses | Sarah J. Maas’s Gritty Fantasy
This debut novel breathes new life into Beauty and the Beast, blending fairytale familiarity with gritty, imaginative worldbuilding and emotional depth. Feyre’s journey into the faerie realm of Prythian is gritty and immersive— a romantasy that feels wholly original. Click here to read my full review!
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Maddie’s Reviews: Frankenstein | Mary Shelley’s Gothic Horror Classic for Spooky Season
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein remains my all-time favorite novel and the ultimate spooky season read. From childhood adaptations to the original gothic masterpiece, I’ve always been captivated by its haunting themes of creation, abandonment, and humanity. This chilling classic continues to be the horror story for me. Click here to read my full review!
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Maddie’s Reviews: The Tenant | Freida McFadden’s Unputdownable Psychological Thriller
In The Tenant, Freida McFadden spins a psychological thriller about Blake Porter, a recently unemployed Manhattan exec who rents out a room in the brownstone he shares with his fiancée, Krista. Their alluring tenant, Whitney, unsettles the household as lies, temptation, and revenge spiral into danger. Read my full review.
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Maddie’s Reviews: Fourth Wing & Iron Flame | First Two Books of Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean Series
Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing and Iron Flame deliver an electrifying fantasy saga full of dragons, danger, and romance. Following Violet Sorrengail’s journey at Basgiath War College, the story blends high-stakes battles with tension and shocking betrayals. Read my full review to see why!
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Maddie’s Reviews: The Scarlet Letter | Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Puritan Tale of Sin and Redemption
Walking through my high school halls wearing my ‘D’ for doubtful, I felt a flicker of Hester’s loneliness. Revisiting Hawthorne’s tale now, I see how her scarlet letter wasn’t only a mark of shame, but also a strange kind of strength—the reminder that sin is real, but so is redemption.
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Maddie’s Reviews: Michael Without Apology | Catherine Ryan Hyde’s Inspiring Story of Resilience
Michael Without Apology is a powerful reminder that even the deepest scars can become sources of strength. Catherine Ryan Hyde weaves an unforgettable story of survival, creativity, and resilience, following a young man who turns personal tragedy into inspiration, learning to embrace his differences without shame or apology.
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Maddie’s Reviews: Death in Rehoboth Beach | Maryellen Winkler’s Cozy East Coast Mystery
Whenever I’m in the mood for a quick, cozy mystery with a local East Coast flair, Maryellen Winkler’s Emily Menotti series never disappoints. I haven’t been reading them in order, but each one stands alone and makes perfect sense without prior installments. Every book I’ve picked up has been worth the time, and Death in Rehoboth Beach — my most recent and favorite read in…
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Maddie’s Reviews: Lightning in a Mason Jar | Catherine Mann’s Dual-Timeline Southern Women’s Fiction
Set in small-town Bent Oak, South Carolina, Lightning in a Mason Jar follows Bailey Rae as she uncovers her late Aunt Winnie’s secrets embedded in a cookbook—secrets that lead to a hidden sanctuary for desperate women. Across two timelines, this emotional, suspenseful story explores resilience, friendship, and the power of female legacy. Read my full review to discover the truth behind the cookbook.
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A Grand Slam for God | Fr. Burke Masters’ Inspiring Journey from Baseball to the Priesthood
Fr. Burke Masters’ memoir, A Grand Slam for God, traces his path from Chicago ballparks to the Catholic priesthood and service as a Major League Baseball chaplain. With humor, humility, and faith-filled reflection, Masters shows how God’s plan can transform even the most unexpected dreams into a vocation of service and joy.
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Maddie’s Reviews: Gift from the Sea | Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s Poetic Guide to Solitude & Balance
Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s Gift from the Sea offers soulful reflections from her 1950s solo retreat to Captiva Island, Florida. Each seashell becomes a metaphor—exploring solitude, love, aging, and the art of simplicity. Perfect for finding peace and perspective. Read my full review to uncover its timeless wisdom.
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Maddie’s Reviews: All the Glimmering Stars | Mark T. Sullivan’s Poignant Epic of Survival & Love
Inspired by the real-life ordeal of Anthony Opoka and Florence Okori, All the Glimmering Stars tells a deeply moving tale of teenage love and resilience amid the horrors of Joseph Kony’s cult-led reign in 1990s Uganda. Mark Sullivan’s masterful story captures trauma, hope, and the enduring power of the human spirit. Read my full review to experience this unforgettable story.
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Maddie’s Reviews: Bricking It | Nick Spalding’s Hilariously Chaotic Renovation Comedy
Nick Spalding’s Bricking It truly delivers on the crazy British humor. What starts as a renovation project turns into utter chaos when siblings Danny and Hayley inherit a crumbling farmhouse, hire a lunatic architect, and deal with the most intelligent cow in literature. It’s perfect for road trips or audiobook marathons!
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Maddie’s Reviews: College Girl, Missing by Shawn Cohen | The Haunting Lauren Spierer Case
In College Girl, Missing, investigative journalist Shawn Cohen revisits the enduring mystery of Indiana University student Lauren Spierer, who vanished on June 3, 2011. Featuring new testimonies and police analysis, this heart-wrenching true-crime narrative sheds light on the last known night and the unanswered questions still haunting her family. Read my full review.