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When Girls Talk Books
Are you ready for story time? When Girls Talks Books is a podcast with two best friends bonding between the pages. They give comprehensive reviews of books where even if you haven't read the book, you can still enjoy the story. Brace yourselves for a tornado of laughter and literary love! When Girls Talk Books is here.
When Girls Talk Books
Ep. 14 Lights Out By Navessa Allen
What happens when your darkest fantasy becomes reality? For trauma nurse Allie, scrolling through her favorite masked man's social media account is the perfect escape after grueling hospital shifts. His mysterious videos are the highlight of her week - until the day she discovers he's broken into her apartment and left his mask on her bed.
Most people would call the police. Allie calls it intriguing.
Behind the mask is Josh, a skilled hacker carrying the crushing weight of being the infamous Ken Doll Killer's son. When he discovers Allie's explicit comments requesting exactly what he's done, it triggers a dangerous game neither expected. As boundaries blur between stalker and lover, predator and prey, their connection deepens in ways both thrilling and terrifying.
The chemistry between them is undeniable - hot enough to make Allie overlook red flags that would send most running. But when their cat-and-mouse game accidentally entangles them in another predator's crimes, they're forced to confront just how far they'll go to protect each other. With unexpected mob connections, a cover-up spiraling out of control, and increasingly complex moral choices, their relationship is tested in ways neither anticipated.
Nevessa Allen masterfully blends psychological tension with moments of unexpected humor and scorching intimacy. The narrative shifts between Josh's internal struggles with his dark heritage and Allie's surprising comfort with his dangerous side, creating a dance of power, vulnerability, and acceptance that challenges everything they thought they knew about themselves.
With its perfect balance of suspense, steam, and emotional depth, "Lights Out" asks provocative questions about the darkness we hide and the acceptance we crave. This dark romance delivers a reading experience that will leave you breathless, disturbed, and eagerly flipping pages until its satisfying conclusion.
Would you let the masked man in?
Editing done by Connor Luther @clfilms.co
Music by @thundercatlouis
Merch Here
Hello everyone and welcome to another story time with Wing Girls Talk Books. I'm Kylie, I'm Susie and today we're doing a dark romance. Fair warning to everybody.
Speaker 2:Family and friends tune out now. You know me in real life. Don't watch this episode.
Speaker 1:We don't judge.
Speaker 2:Or just don't talk to me about it.
Speaker 1:You don't have to look me in the eyes when you say that you listen to it? Yeah, so we're doing Lights Out by Nevesa Allen and this is Into the Darkness series. This is her first one. Her second one came out recently. I haven't read it yet.
Speaker 2:But oh, it's a series.
Speaker 1:Yes. So the next one is Junior Junior. It's his story. Anyhow, star rating We'll start with that Seven out of five.
Speaker 2:I knew, can I give this? I cannot give this book a more perfect score.
Speaker 1:I was scared a little bit. So when you sent me that Snapchat of like oh my gosh, I was like, was it too much? I kind of showed her my truest self I must leave. I kind of was like I hope this wasn't like triggering or anything. I must leave. I kind of was like I hope this wasn't like triggering or anything.
Speaker 2:I was worried, you know. I must say, I was shooketh at how well I handled this book.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when you finished it and you were like so what I love this.
Speaker 2:I was like I'm gonna need some more of these dark books.
Speaker 1:Well, this was it. This was it. I don't know if I would say this is an entry level one, but semi, semi entry Okay.
Speaker 2:That makes me so mad. It's really a lot so we can go lower Down the rabbit hole.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay. So the first time I read it, I gave it four stars, okay. Second time I read it, I gave it four stars, okay. Second time I read it, I gave it three and a half. A little vanilla, you know, could have used a little bit more spice in that, I'm just kidding. Um, and the reason why is because I saw a video after I read it the first time that said it seemed like the book was cut in half and you were told one story and then you were told a different one and that kind of stuck with me and I was like, yeah, you're right. Yep, I could tell for sure. I did give it three and a half spice. Five, five out of five. Ten perfection. It was great and I love Josh anyway me too.
Speaker 2:you know right saving the j names for me For once. I don't have something shitty to say about a J name, yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, should we get into it, I suppose? Okay. So we start out with Allie, and she is our main female character and she is a trauma nurse. Which kudos, honestly, I could never do that.
Speaker 1:I don't have enough emotional regulation for a job like that? No, and Allie is kind of like a veteran is kind of how I would put it. She's been there for a while. She can handle herself really well, but they have a new hire who she can tell is kind of having a meltdown, so she helps her out. Um, and it's like okay, go home. You know there's therapists, you can call things like that. And ali, what gets her through the day really is instagram, I guess I suppose Instagram. I guess I suppose Maybe a TikTok.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:With the masked man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she follows a very specific thirst account.
Speaker 1:Very specific and he just makes her day. And what I thought was so funny about this, she's commenting on everything he posts.
Speaker 2:She's bold yeah, like girl, I would never. I would never. Or if I wouldn't be my user 224, whatever burner account, I would never.
Speaker 1:Or if I wouldn't be my user 224, whatever burner account, I would be like come on, but she makes it very apparent that she is His biggest fan, his biggest fan, which all the girls in his comments are, but he never responds to any of them, and it's a whole thing. My thing was, I had the hardest time and I think this a lot, if I even see it on TikTok oh no, some dude sat down and filmed this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like this. Okay, I'm so done. Perfect, we're going to talk shit. So, yeah, when I see shit like that, I'm like so wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You took time out of your day to get yourself in this getup and take yourself seriously. And then you had to walk over there and push play and then wait and come back over and act it all out Like, oh, but you guys want to make fun of girls for doing selfies.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and taking pics together. It's so funny, right, okay, just okay, specifically like the acting type ones. Oh, oh, man, get me every time Because I sit there and I try to like you're so serious right now and then I love if you look in the comments, somebody's like he really sat down.
Speaker 2:That's how I judge the crying ones.
Speaker 1:There's a time and place for crying ones.
Speaker 2:I get it sometimes I'm like that girl, like you can tell she's all, and then other ones. You're like this is well rehearsed, this is so well rehearsed.
Speaker 1:Respectfully, you will never catch me crying in a video like unless it's sent to me and even that's pushing it. I, I've read a book. If I'm, if I'm sending it to anybody, it's because a book made me cry and I'm telling you about it. Or like something really, really horrible. Someone's in the hospital. I'm calling you like yeah, I, you would not catch me sending a video of me crying.
Speaker 2:No, I understand um, doesn't want that kind of blackmail, doesn't want me to have that kind of blackmail.
Speaker 1:I understand I got all I need for you.
Speaker 2:You you send like vlogs throughout your day, though we get vlogs like if you're one of the people that gets blessed with my story time snapchats, like they are really funny and I am choosing to trust you a lot because those angles. Yeah, I'm a person. I'll say whatever I have to say to your face, so I'm not really worried about whatever I'm saying on the snapchat but god, just the way that I'm willing to let myself look around you.
Speaker 1:I'll just be like ding, ding, ding, and I'll just press play and be like, okay, hold on, I gotta take a good three minutes here. Yep, everyone, hang on.
Speaker 2:Anyway, so, yeah, so back in the book. So she is, she's got her thirst traps. That's what gets her through her day. You know what, girl, if you're busy saving lives all day, you can look at a handsome man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you get what gets you through the day, okay girl and he posts three times a week Monday, Wednesday, Friday and he's very structured about it.
Speaker 2:So she knew that day that there was going to be a new video out and she was like that's kind of how I am about Bunny bunny xo podcast, like I know when her podcasts are coming and I'm like everyone go away.
Speaker 1:It's time to listen to bunny. I can't do this right now so she looks at the video and then she goes home after her shift. It is what it is. And then we get introduced to fred, her cat, who is a mouthy little thing, and he is very upset with her because she works long hours dinner is three hours late, literally um, and so we get the introduction there.
Speaker 1:It's just her and her cat and but she also has kind of seen somebody kind of sort of tyler, oh yes, and literally forgot like oh yeah, right yeah, and she's like man. I'm stressed, I sure would like to see him. But they're really just hooking up and she sends him a picture of the masked man, tiktok snap, it's not messed up, but she sends like a screenshot of it and sends it to him and is like would you be interested in this? I'll make it worth your wild. And he's like I forgot about this yeah, I'm good.
Speaker 2:He's like knowing what I know. Now I'm like yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, he also was like um, oh, I thought you ghosted me or something, because she hasn't spoken to him in so long.
Speaker 2:It's always like yeah, that's right, like uh yeah, um, and then we get josh.
Speaker 1:Josh is tyler's roommate and he was there sitting on the couch and they're talking and he's like look what you know, ali just sent me yeah, which josh and ali have met before. So he's like look what ali sent me, and it's josh, it's his page and so he's like.
Speaker 1:Nobody knows that josh is the masked man, not even his roommate, yeah yep, I really had to get past this whole thing because I really like josh, really like the masked man too don't love the whole concept of filming yourself and putting it online. Even though it kind of explains why he does it, I still was struggling a little bit with it. But so Josh has like a panic attack about like he's going to figure it out.
Speaker 2:He knows yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh God, because it shows his tattoos. It's like it's very aesthetically pleasing and he's like if you look at that picture too much, he's going to notice it's me. So he like secretly deletes it off his phone.
Speaker 2:That would be me as well. Well, though, if I was in that situation do you have a secret account? I need to know about.
Speaker 1:I do not have any secret accounts anyone I'm gonna be looking up user six, whatever you said, or roll that back.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna need to google that user 224 whatever burner account like come on all on All of a sudden right now. What are all her favorite numbers again. What's a funny. What was the name of that pet? She?
Speaker 1:had A lot of security questions. This is getting shady Foo man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I need to study that tattoo again.
Speaker 1:Look at it yeah, what color is her tattoo? So he like he panics and he's like, oop, oop, sorry, deleted. He panics and he's like, oh, sorry, deleted it. And tyler's like I didn't want it on my phone anyway and he kind of, yeah, it was just a casual accident. And he kind of is like tyler is an interesting character because he's not the worst but he's also not the best, and he like kind of liked ali, but ali always seemed really closed off and so it never really went anywhere. And he's not like mad about it, but he's definitely like a little bit bitter about it, as any man would be like.
Speaker 2:I gave you the grace of my presence and you're not going to be just on the floor.
Speaker 1:Weeping at my feet, yeah. And so then Josh is like, oh, ally's into that, like, ooh, she sent him my thing, and so he's like, dear diary. Well, he kind of spirals about it a little bit, like he does this a lot. Actually. He spirals a bit. I don't know if he'll ever spiral or overthink things. I've never done that in my entire life, me.
Speaker 1:Before we started recording that in my entire life me before we started recording um, so but he's very. He really likes wilkinson valley. He always thought that she was cute because they met one time when her and tyler were together and she came out for coffee and it was a whole thing. But he's really weird about people seeing his face and he doesn't want anyone to look too closely at him because his father is an infamous serial killer.
Speaker 2:I'm very excited to get to tell everyone that.
Speaker 1:Thank you for letting me just His dad is the Ken doll killer who's very infamous, up there with Bundy and was very attractive and Josh looks almost identical to him and there was a documentary that came out that summer Talking about it. So he wasn't like going to look at her, but they kind of had like an interaction and he was like, oh man, she's beautiful.
Speaker 2:Love it Sprocious.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so he's a hacker With a troubled past. Sprocious yeah, so he's a hacker With a troubled past. In my notes With a troubled past yes, he is. So he works in cybersecurity. He works for a cybersecurity company and works from home. But he's also just this you know, on the side hacker, you know no big deal, Can just hack into anything.
Speaker 2:Hackers terrify me like they really do, because I'm like god you could just like ruin my whole life with one clickety clack.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, um, but he. So he goes on to his page and like runs software.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, it's like you try to describe your job. You know he clicks the things and does the stuff.
Speaker 1:She said one time she goes, this is just kind of personal. She goes yeah, those percentages and forms. Trying to describe your job to people, yeah, forms and percentages and finance. Oh man, that cracked me up so hard. Anyway so he runs like a software on his page to like search out every comment that Ali's ever made, because he also finds her Instagram page, tiktok.
Speaker 2:Whatever, it is Just some light work, yeah.
Speaker 1:And so he finds out that she has been. She comments on everything she's watched, like thousands of hours of his video yes, she's a very, very big fan, and so he's like well, let's a very, very big fan, and so he's like well, let's put this theory to the test essentially, especially because some of her comments. Yes, she's very brave.
Speaker 2:Yes, what she says she's making specific requests. She wants the masked man to break into her home yes, that's what she wants. And he finally finds that one and was like, oh, oh man.
Speaker 1:She's very active on there, but she is a big fan. But there are other people in those comments that are doing the same thing. So he said let's see, you know, let's test this theory. But also he has such like a crisis about this because he's terrified of turning into his dad. Fair enough, yeah. So he's like I shouldn't like this, but like I kind of like it and, uh, I ain't gonna do it girl.
Speaker 2:I'm just thinking about it and I think I did it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, spoiler alert, he does break into her he does break into her home and it's far too easy um and so ladies, he's like having a panic attack, though, while he's breaking in. Well, that did nothing, true, uh, but he's like really struggling with it and he's like, if I get caught, like game over which his inner monologue is hysterical like it is so funny um.
Speaker 1:Side note, I saw another video that said this, so I'll just put in there because it was so true. This book is just a bunch of crimes. Yes, it's just a bunch of illegal activity. Yes, um, but so he does break into her house and meets fred, who he he's. Also josh has been in therapy for a long time because his dad was caught when he was pretty young and so he's like almost hyper fixated on if he's a serial killer or not, which we come to find out. A therapist kind of was doing this study saying that all kids of serial killers will be serial killers.
Speaker 1:A therapist kind of was doing this study saying that all kids of serial killers will be serial killers, and they kind of like used him as an example yeah, that was horrible yeah, and put him on antipsychotics and things like that which he didn't need, and so he's like he's got a lot going on up there, but when he meets fred f likes him, which Fred hates men.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:Probably. And he like has a moment of like, oh well, I don't want to hurt this animal, which not a serial killer in his mind, okay, but so he is just like, okay, cute da-da-da-da-da. And he goes and he films a thirst trap in her bedroom and she sees it while she's at work and she's like, oh my gosh, this could be my room, like this might be my favorite video, oh my God. And she like sees it immediately and comments on it.
Speaker 2:And then she gets off work and she comes home and he has left his mask on her bed the way that I would be like my heart would be doing somersaults but also be like this is how you get on dateline like this is how those paula's on videos start, and why am. I so excited.
Speaker 1:Let me be very clear. I ate this up breakfast, lunch and dinner. I will read it. I will read pretty much anything.
Speaker 2:This was the first book that I like thought about when I wasn't reading it, Like oh my god, what's gonna? Happen Like I need to get back to my book.
Speaker 1:Loved it In real world. I'm calling the police immediately.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we wouldn't actually be this cool.
Speaker 1:So no, everyone just come on the ride and let's funny.
Speaker 2:Haha.
Speaker 1:All the jokes like even if it was justin and he, like I, would need a prep beforehand or else I'm calling the police like no ifs, ands or buts about it, I could bear my nervous system. No, yeah, yeah, that's fair so, but she's like he couldn't possibly be the masked man.
Speaker 2:Also, he set up a camera in her room to gauge her reaction yeah, so she has no idea that he's filming and watching what she's.
Speaker 1:No, like live, live, and she's like like watching her reaction. And then she he kind of for a second is like oh my gosh, this is such a mistake. Yeah, because she like she grabs a gun out of her drawer, outta girl, and he's like checking the house, me, it's valid. And but she sends him a DM and is is like you know, funny, ha, would you any chance like have broken into my house?
Speaker 1:yeah, hey, quick question literally, and he's like what would you say if I did? Because he's also like I don't want to incriminate myself yeah, I'm not just gonna admit to this felony are.
Speaker 2:Are you kidding?
Speaker 1:me and she's all. It depends on your intentions. And he said something like.
Speaker 2:I don't even remember what he said Something along the lines of like, his intentions aren't good, but his intentions are not to murder. He's not going to murder her.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and she's into it, and she gets real into it and he cuts the camera Because he's like I can't.
Speaker 2:I can't watch it. He's a psycho with morals and we love that, we. I'm all for a bad guy as long as I've got some kind of moral code that I can get behind. Agreed, you leave him alone. He's got a damn good reason.
Speaker 1:Hey, well, I can't say that yet. Well, I can't say that yet. He's got some things about him, but he's a good man. A good, good man, savannah. But Allie kind of starts being like okay, how did he get into my house?
Speaker 2:like she starts being realistic here a little bit, and then this is where I got annoyed, because she was being a normal person with a very normal reaction, a healthy reaction, and was like being smart, and I was like being smart.
Speaker 1:And I was like boring, boring, let him in.
Speaker 2:I always act like I'd be so fucking cool about stuff.
Speaker 1:No, I wouldn't.
Speaker 2:I'm not even gonna pretend I'd freak out if my fake schedule in my head that I didn't tell anyone about doesn't go according to plan, but sure I'd let some masked stranger break into my home and thirst trap me and I wouldn't be upset about it.
Speaker 1:Bitch, please, if I came home and the window was open, I'm coming to your house. Yep, I'm not sleeping in my house tonight because A my windows are never open. I know it wasn't me. Somebody's in this house. They're in the crawl space. They're waiting for me to fall asleep and then they're going to come up and they're going to murder me. This is so accurate. So, or they're living in the attic and they have been for years, dude, I'm still semi-convinced that there's someone in my rental attic.
Speaker 2:Sometimes I'm just like there's just something, I just can't explain it.
Speaker 1:It's just like Go up there Find out my ghost. But what if it's a person? Then I'm gonna hope it was a ghost. But what if it's a masked person? Hope it's josh. Well, well, well, then we're gonna be changing our tune a little bit. Sorry, eric, maybe I overreacted. So sorry, sir. No, no, you stay, I'll go, anyway.
Speaker 1:So Allie starts looking up how do trackers get into your house? What data can they find? Things like that. She finds out that they can see you through your laptop screen, which anybody that's looking through my laptop screen. I hope you enjoy me at 10 o'clock with a towel wrapped around my head, playing with Sims eating my hot Cheetos. It's a good sight.
Speaker 1:If you want to look in any of our rooms, it's going to be a lot of fun, literally, but actually with the hair on top of it, because I don't want the clip here, it bugs me, oh yeah, it hurts my neck, yeah, bugs me, oh yeah, it hurts my neck, yeah. So she finds out that they can see through the camera and so she goes to like turn her camera off. And he messages her and says don't. And she's like you did it. She kind of freaks out on him and she ends up or she goes I'm going to find you or something, because now it's a game. So now she's like I'm going to find you or something, because now it's a game. So now she's like I'm going to find you and whatever she closes the camera off.
Speaker 2:She's sassy, she's very sassy, she's very sassy.
Speaker 1:She's very like gives a little stabby vibes, you know, like a fantasy book, stabby vibes.
Speaker 2:Well, I was like are you doing that?
Speaker 1:on purpose. No, but then she hasn't turned off. Well, she hasn't found the camera in her room and she didn't turn off the volume on her laptop. So we can still hear her and he hears her. Call Tyler, because she's like hey, this is really weird, but isn't your roommate really good with computers?
Speaker 1:And he's like shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Literally, I'm pretty sure that's what he said. And he's like, yeah, and she's like, well, this is really weird, you know, can he help me find somebody? And he's like, is someone bugging you? We'll be, we'll help you, we'll take care of it. And she's like, no, no, no, I don't think so. But, uh, could he help me? And he's like, well, I'll ask him. And how do I say no, yeah, well, and I can't say no, because what if she finds someone? That's really good and they find me? Well, then he kind of panics about, like, if she comes here, my headboard is custom made.
Speaker 2:I have lots of things that I just had to have.
Speaker 1:And all these things, all these specific things that I just needed yeah, because he was very like, detailed about this, like his, his content I guess you could say he's very prideful of, so, like it's gonna be very obvious if she walks into his room or sees his bedroom in any way that he that's him. Um, so then he has a spiral about that. And then he sends Allie a flower shop, essentially Like all these bouquets of flowers. The delivery driver won't return them, she says we'll take them to this hospital and she pays him $50 to, like get them out of her apartment, her house.
Speaker 2:That had to be so many flowers to like50 to like. Get him out of her apartment, her house. That had to be so many flowers to like want to get rid of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, cause she says, like what did you send me? A whole flower shop? And, um, they have some really good like witty back and forth. I love, I loved that aspect of it. Um, but he also sends her home defense tools, um, new security system cameras, things like that, bars for her windows, nice Do-do Reddit, and also a camera finder. Because he's a man with morals, he wants her to find the camera.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's kind of funny.
Speaker 1:It's like and she's like she does find the camera and she's like, are you serious? And she gets pissed and she undoes it and she's really mad at him. And she goes to work and he messages her or he posts his Wednesday post or whatever, and it's all these sappy, sappy ones and the caption is when she's mad at you Hilarious.
Speaker 2:I was picturing like sad Deadpool stuff, but like in a motorcycle helmet yeah, literally, but like in a motorcycle helmet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, literally um. And he gets so many comments on here like, um, oh, but how could anyone be mad at him? And so he posts that. And she said what if she has a good reason to be uh, mad at you? Did you mean to say, is that what you meant to say? Or something like that? And he likes her comment and then everyone figured it out he follows her and she's the only person that he follows, so it's a really big deal and so then everybody is like, oh my gosh, you gosh, you know.
Speaker 1:Like are they together and is that who you know he's talking about? And then she gets like really nasty comments because of course it's the internet. But then she's at work and she's like what if he's watching me on the hospital cameras? So then she flips off the camera, he messages her and says brood, that was awesome. And he says something.
Speaker 2:You know there's something wrong with us a little bit when we're like, oh, he's watching our tweet, that's a tweet.
Speaker 1:In a book, right, oh Okay. We love a man that's protective, real, real life. What the fuck is wrong with you? How dare you? First of all, that's against the law.
Speaker 2:yeah, like oh no oh yeah, I just crackle myself.
Speaker 1:I'm like, you're such a hypocrite you're so funny I'm gonna twirl my hair as I read about it. Um, and so then she messages him is like, why would you do that? Like now I'm getting all the stuff and uh, like people are trying to follow her, and so on and so forth um, honey, you've been commenting yourself like, but it's different because he liked her comment and he followed her and he never replies to anybody and he doesn't follow anybody, so it's like a big deal.
Speaker 1:And uh, he says I have no regrets about claiming you yes, sir, whatever you say yes, sir, okay, can we just step out of it for a second? Can you imagine what would you do if Eric said that to you, realistically, exactly, I would be Equivalent to when he growled what are you doing? Yeah, cry out like, what are you doing? Yeah, I, I would laugh so hard about claiming, claiming who me? You're out of your mind. Claim this, how about that?
Speaker 1:claim this knuckle sandwich yeah now on a serious note uh, there is a mass shooting that ends up happening and she has to go, so she shoves her stuff in and she runs to help with that. Back to saving lives right, pulled out of that thirst trap for a minute.
Speaker 2:I wish I could be that cool. It could be like typing on TikTok one second and then saving a life four seconds later. Oh, big deal.
Speaker 1:Well, he watches her while she's doing this too and he really praises her Like she's such a rock star and it's like so cool to see her in her element. So she works like 20 hours more than her shift. She's been awake for like 40 hours or something at this point Just a casual Tuesday.
Speaker 1:Hats off to you, because I couldn't do that. It dropped, yeah. And he watches her the whole time because you know he's a little bit of a creep, but you know, hey. And he decides that he's going to give her a ride home because it's snowy, it's cold out, the roads are icy. She's just worked 40 hours straight. I've been waiting for us to get to this and so she goes to the parking garage and her car is running and she's like I certainly didn't leave my car running, the fuck, yeah. So she goes around and she sees him sitting in the seat and he doesn't want her to recognize his voice.
Speaker 2:Yeah mind you A burly ass, tatted up, masked stranger. Yeah, mind you A burly ass. Yeah, hatted up, masked Stranger.
Speaker 1:Is in your car, sitting in your vehicle, again 9-1-1. Like Running, backing up, running back into that hospital. But what does our girl do? She Well, he. He says like You're safe, you know, girl, do she well? He says like you're safe, and you know, he's got morals, susie, and he sets some weapons in the passenger seat, like for her, in case she like feels weird about it. Then she like feels in control.
Speaker 2:Okay, but of course the true crime lover in me was like they're just fakes and he just wants her to feel comfortable.
Speaker 1:Well, they were yeah. I mean not the, not the, but the other thing he put blanks in, thank God. Well, she didn't. She didn't, yeah, she didn't use it. Come on, susie, but anyway. So he's like I'll give you a ride home. Well, he's like, texting this out Ick, ick. I can't even imagine. Let me out. Ick, ick, I can't even imagine. Let me to read that like no, um door dash, guy's showing up, she, she gets in the car because he's like you have control of the situation.
Speaker 2:This is a book, not real life. It's fine. Yeah, the dumbass gets in the car what was your star reading?
Speaker 1:10 out of 5. But yes, um, anyway. So she gets in the car and he like brings her snacks and stuff and very it is all very sweet it is, um, but she's like, well, you could poison them. Because also, she thinks for a moment there that he is a serial killer and he uses his social media to lure victims in so I mean smartest thing she's thought up so far, like girl proceeds to get in the car with him.
Speaker 1:Yep, um, and she does, so he like has the snacks and stuff, so she's, he's like they're not poisonous. Um, and it's homemade trail mix and water and all that jazz, and the roads are are really icy. Ben, take notes, bring snacks, snacks. Yeah, I don't want homemade granola though honestly, I want a Jersey Mike.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I want a double cheeseburger.
Speaker 1:I'll do you one better. I want a Dave's Hot Chicken, yeah.
Speaker 2:The strawberry Oreo shake.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, and extra sauce, oh, an extra sauce, and I want cheese and I want cheese. Don't forget that, because or else it's ruined, don't come home at all anyway. So, um, she kind of toys with him with the you know weapons at her disposal and she's like it didn't ever occur to you that maybe, like I'm the crazy, I, yeah, like you need to be protected from this is when I fell in love um, and also it's really icy out and there's this guy that's like tailgating them and he gets out of his car and he grabs the knife and is like boo.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:I thought that was so funny, I laughed so hard at that, and I don't usually laugh when I read books.
Speaker 1:but this one. Yeah, it was really funny. Josh is really funny.
Speaker 2:One of the funniest like male characters.
Speaker 1:Yes, Especially for being a dark romance. Like usually you just kind of get like he's an asshole to everybody but her. But he was funny, I enjoyed him and do you want to take over from here about the rest of the car ride?
Speaker 2:You want me? Yeah, I'm already turning 50 shades of pink.
Speaker 1:We can just say it gets spicy. Let's just set the scene here a little bit. Ali has been thirsting over this man for probably years. At this point We'll say and you know she sees her shot and she takes it.
Speaker 2:An opportunity arose you know, she sees her shot and she takes it and opportunity arose.
Speaker 1:And she took full advantage of her opportunity and she said yes, sir, yes sir. And she, you know, has a little surprise for him. So, hey, he enjoys it, but she accidentally stabs him in the process. Yeah, I don't really understand the logistics of that, but I had to let it go.
Speaker 2:Because I'm pretty sure it must have been in her hand and when she was, it slipped back, that's what I'm picturing Because it like slices his finger. Oh, I forgot, it's his hand, not his arm.
Speaker 1:I thought she hurt his arm. It's forgot, it's his hand, not his arm. I thought, yeah, no, it's his finger and like hurt his arm. It's like right here, I'm pretty sure.
Speaker 2:So then yeah, it had to have been in very close proximity.
Speaker 1:He turned off and she was like did you just stray from the GPS? And he's like no, no no, no, I didn't.
Speaker 1:I'm like we're going to need to figure this out in my truck Purely for science sake. Don't get weird everybody. Whatever you and Eric do in your time is up to you guys. I just need to recreate something. Yeah, honey, why do you have a knife? Calm down. Why are you asking so many questions? Gosh, I bring a knife and all of a sudden you start shivering in your boots.
Speaker 1:Where's your sense of adventure? You married a fireside. You should have known Anywho that happens. And then so she takes him back to her house because she's a nurse, and she stitches him up and Fred is just loving all up on him and she's like you, traitor, like what the hell. And he, I don't know at this point, but he starts to like, call Fred their child and like mommy and daddy, da-da-da-da-da, and I just love that, probably because I love cats. But I'm like, yeah, and she takes one of the bloody gauze and she puts it in her freezer because she's going to you know, you know what girl good job hey she's clever, she got in that car, but she's a little smart, yep, um.
Speaker 1:And then he's like, okay, you need to go to bed. And she's like, but what if I don't? And he's's like go to bed. You, you better work. Go to bed, yes, sir.
Speaker 2:Whatever you say.
Speaker 1:And she's like fine, but I'm not even tired. She's been awake for 40 hours straight, um. And then the next morning, like you do, he breaks into her house again, uh, but he leaves her pancakes from her favorite bakery and breaks into her house again, uh, but he leaves her pancakes from her favorite bakery. And then he also shovels her driveway and clears off her car of all the snow, gentlemen. So then she's like um, well, my neighbors had to have seen him, but I look like a crazy person if I go out there. Like what did he look like? So she, very coyly, is like oh, yeah and yeah. And she's like the neighbor which I really post is like you didn't tell me, you had a man and she's like, oh yeah, it's new, you know.
Speaker 1:And she's like, well, good job, because he is good looking.
Speaker 2:Meanwhile, my neighbors won't even wave back If I wave at them. It's a hi.
Speaker 1:Now we're back to Josh's point of view. This book is dual point of views. So Now we're back to Josh's point of view. This book is dual point of views, so you really get the insight into Josh's mind.
Speaker 2:I noticed that this book does a good job of kind of splitting it up, or I should say evenly Like you get one chapter Allie, one chapter Josh one chapter. There was a couple other books that we've read, where it's like three or four in a row of one character, which is fine. Now that I don't hate BJ so much, it's fine I can listen to him.
Speaker 1:This is a public service announcement. Susie doesn't hate BJ anymore, yes, she's into book three. Yes, oh look, you're quite a ways into it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm trying to slow down.
Speaker 1:He's not the worst, nope, he just didn't deal with his trauma.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:Like a little baby. That's what I imagined you saying. Anyway, so we're back at Josh and Tyler's house and Josh finds out that Tyler like kind of vets girls that he brings home. He never brings home any girl, that's into true crime and Josh didn't know that. So it's kind of like oh, he is a good friend, like Tyler really does care for Josh and they've been friends since he was little, so he's been with him through everything.
Speaker 1:And there was a point at school where people found out and so they transferred universities and it was like not a question for Tyler, like let's just sleep in, like we'll just be done with it. So Tyler is a good friend. And then he says something about he wouldn't be mad if Josh and Allie got together, Because Allie's coming over to get help find this guy and Josh is kind of like taken aback by it and he's like if she can take you off my hands a little bit, and like let me breathe, that'd be great, because Josh has a little bit of an issue with boundaries. I guess you could say what. What makes you say that? And he like has a tracker in Tyler's car. He knows where Tyler is at all times and like he just has a lot of trauma and he needs to make sure that the people that he loves are safe, and that's his like way to do it, I guess.
Speaker 2:I kind of understand it, because we share locations with each other.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but that's in case you get murdered or if I'm like she's not texting me back. She, she's at home there better be a damn good explanation.
Speaker 2:Um hi glad you're alive. What could you possibly be doing?
Speaker 1:hello anyway. So then ally comes over to the house and she likes what she sees of josh which she did before, but now she's like really eyeing him up and she shakes his hand, she squeezes and she squeezes it and he's like do huh something we would yeah, yeah but, I mean, that's the one with fingerless gloves in his house oh yeah, I forgot he had this whole plan.
Speaker 1:The house was going to be like 50. So that way he would put on a sweatshirt, but it wouldn't be too chilly, so she wouldn't be cold. 50 degrees, 50 degrees.
Speaker 2:You're speaking to the girl that lives in a refrigerator. I'm like, yeah, I get it. Like you know, my house is set to 60. 50 degrees. That's cold. It would be cold.
Speaker 1:My house is. Okay, I'm a hot, sweaty bitch. Okay, he's locker. Um, I can store meat upstairs. Yeah, literally you don't gotta worry about putting your leftovers away. Yes, it's a little weird. I don't want to see your pg bill in the summer now it would.
Speaker 2:When I was reading this part he's talking about how he's gonna be basically all emo. Yeah, the whole time in head. I'm picturing her seeing him like this and then the song in her head Cause tonight will be the night that I will fall for you, oh, for you, anyway.
Speaker 1:So Allie is like immediately suspicious that Josh is the masked man. Because the chemistry, I could just tell it was man. Because the chemistry, I could just tell it was him. Because the chemistry you only have chemistry with one person your entire life. Be so for real, anyway. That irritated me. But so she's suspicious of him. And then she also like texts, the masked man's phone. That was hysterical To see if it was Josh, and he has like an automatic system set up for snarky replies.
Speaker 2:He put chat GBT on there, literally.
Speaker 1:Help me out, and so it replies, and so she kind of gets like, oh, disappointed I guess.
Speaker 2:Like, oh, it's not this hot one. Well, goddammit yeah.
Speaker 1:And then they don't end up finding anything, of course, because josh he's a professional, okay, he's not a tracker, hacker, hacker, um, the hashling slasher. And so then she, they like hang out for a while and they like kind of goof around and it's just, you know, they hit it off. That's a flirty, very flirty. And josh ends up telling his mom about ally, which I thought was kind of cute and because she called all in a panic about the mass shooting. And then he kind of tells her about ally and how she's a nurse and she helped with that and she was like, oh well, she sounds great. Anyway, I felt like that was kind of. I feel like both her parents were just kind of sprinkled in there, yeah, not so much as dad, because that's obviously a main plot point, but anyway. Um, and then Allie gets home from work one day and she's pissed that Josh is not Josh, sorry, the masked man, but she's like Josh, josh is the masked man there there's something that happens she said it immediately women in that chapter, these intuitions, and then
Speaker 2:we know she's a witch and we just wait she's a witch, it's true like we wait for it and then, when it happens, we just kind of sit there like I fucking told you, and everyone looks at us like why do I gaslight my gut feelings?
Speaker 1:respectfully, suzy respectfully.
Speaker 2:Susie, something's coming when it starts with respectfully.
Speaker 1:I feel like I am the friend in the group that's like but you don't listen, but you don't listen, I get what you're saying. And I think sometimes and even I do it blissfully unaware, or we try to be like stop being mean.
Speaker 2:We try to call ourselves like we're being mean or we we try to be like. Stop being mean. Like we try to call ourselves like we're being mean or too harsh, and then it's like the thing we said was gonna happen happens, or the person is shitty like we said they were gonna be shitty and everyone goes how did you know?
Speaker 1:and I'm like because I walked in the room and the vibes were off. Yep, that's how I knew. But and you're crazy the voices, the voices. Okay, anyway, back in the boat. Sorry, we're bad today. Allie gets home. She's upset that the masked man is not waiting for her.
Speaker 2:My shocker didn't break into my house, god fucking damn it.
Speaker 1:Well, they've been chatting a lot and at this point she knows who he is. So she's like come on. So what is the appropriate response for that? She plugs her camera back in.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, I was like sorry, there's like so much big things that I'm like, yeah, anyway.
Speaker 1:Which also he was going to come to her house, but he ended up falling asleep, and so he was late.
Speaker 2:Oh, this was when he woke up, like on the panic because he had slept. Yeah, but he was on his way, Okay.
Speaker 1:And so she plugs her camera back in and, how you say, gives a little show.
Speaker 2:I guess you can say oh, test part, oh my gosh. Yeah, that was, and he's all. She put on a performance, what?
Speaker 1:are you doing? She's all me. It's so funny. And so he shows up at her house and he calls her on her bluff. Yeah, he says daddy's home, and he has a voice modulator at this point, so now he can talk to her.
Speaker 2:Yep, anyway, because the Batman accent was getting a little tiring.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because the Batman accent was getting a little tiring, yeah, and as I put on here, they get down to business. They get down to business. Do you want to elaborate anymore?
Speaker 2:If I had less shame and there wasn't family members that watch this and support us, maybe so.
Speaker 1:I don't think. Is this the? Is this the part? Uh-huh, are you?
Speaker 2:sure, well, it's not that part, but there's, it's kinky, okay but it's not the part that I'm thinking.
Speaker 1:No, they just get down to it, it's just all vanilla Yep.
Speaker 2:They had a Bible study together.
Speaker 1:She was preaching. She was praying. All right, he was praying. Anyway, sometime later she takes a shower, he makes her bacon and eggs, which is a plot point to remember. Yes, focus on, remember that. And he is vegan also, to remember. And she got a little tracker and she's like ha ha ha, he's watching her on his phone as he's making breakfast and she puts it in his bag and he's like hmm, so us, we think like ha ha ha. Like you. Just you ain't fit, so us. He's not in my house, susie.
Speaker 2:But if we were in that situation, we would so be like ha, I put one in his bag and suzy's outside under the car right now, so she's tying it onto the bumper he's never gonna find us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um. And so she thanks him for the breakfast and he's like I gotta go. He leaves and he is driving and she like immediately gets on her computer to look to see where he's going.
Speaker 2:She's got her popcorn, well, her scrambled eggs and bacon.
Speaker 1:Which the bacon is raw and the eggs have a bunch of eggshells in them Clearly not a cook.
Speaker 2:Scrambled eggs are already borderline. A sensory nightmare.
Speaker 1:So they use a shell in there and I'm like you're not going to recover. And I'm not having scrambled eggs without cheese. Call me a toddler all you want, I'm not going to recover and I'm not having scrambled eggs without cheese.
Speaker 2:Call me a toddler, all you want. I cannot eat an egg product without some sort of carb vessel to distract me from the weird motherfucking texture that's happening. I love potatoes. Oh, yeah, yeah, anyway, demonic growl.
Speaker 1:He growls oh yeah, potatoes get me excited. So he drives and the city is on a grid so he drives out. Lol, and she is like I thought that was so funny Because he's also watching her and she's like are you serious? She's pissed, are you serious? And she says I bet you're real proud of yourself, josh. And she, like, unplugs the camera and he's all.
Speaker 2:Shit.
Speaker 1:And she oh, she tells him joke's on you. I have your blood and I took a strand of hair off your sweatshirt yesterday, so I'm going to find out exactly who you are. Good thing he took one of Tyler's yeah two steps ahead here, but she does still go ahead and ask the person at the hospital to run the DNA.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:To check to see if it's matched. Is that a hospital job, don't know, but anyway. So then he understands that she's really mad at him and he's like I'll give you space, you know, but don't mistake this, because, um, I'll be coming for you or something like that. Like have all the space you want, but I've laid claim to you. I'm so scared I'm not going to break into my house or something oh no, I'm devastated.
Speaker 1:So then he's so funny, he films a video of himself. You know, got his whole gist going and the caption of it is mommy and daddy time, because at this point now he's claiming that fred is his child. Yep, um, and the comments go crazy I didn't know he was married. And ali, ali oxenfree, is so lucky and and she's like are you for real?
Speaker 2:I can't imagine like just being a normal person with basically no followers and then you kind of end up with someone that's like social media famous. Yeah, and all these people know who you are and you're like ah.
Speaker 1:No, thank you. Me Like I'm like I don't really talk to you. No, my nosy ass, ooh sure. She's like are you for real? And then she is at the hospital and there's a guy there and she's like what's up with him? And it is Bradley Bloom is how I'm going to say his name.
Speaker 2:Uh, can I just say that in my head I had pictured this as Brock Turner. Yeah, yeah, that the gist of that's who this character is.
Speaker 1:If you don't know who Brock Turner is, have fun, come back and let us know. Um, anyway, if you don't know who Brock Turner is, have fun, come back and let us know.
Speaker 1:Anyway, and he is a known sexual offender, that's how I'm going to say it and none of the staff want to help him, so they're waiting on the mail from in room two or whatever to come and be done and help him out. And she's like, well, I'll do it. Like the sooner we can get rid of him the better, like I'm a tough gal.
Speaker 2:I can handle this guy.
Speaker 1:And she starts to walk and immediately the phone rings.
Speaker 2:And it is obviously the masked man, and this is during the time where he's supposed to be giving her space.
Speaker 1:Yes, but he's worried because he immediately looked up who it was and he saw the past and things like that, and she goes tell him I'm fine, because she knows it's him, she knew, and so she goes to help him and she's trying to be very like straightforward, like I'm your nurse, da-da-da-da, and he's trying to be all like skeezy.
Speaker 2:Arrogant, cocky entitled. Yeah, I think those are the three. Yeah, that you entitled?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think those are the three. Yeah, and at one point he tries to grab her and she like moves out of his grip and he's like oh, you're scared of me. And she's like why would I be scared of you? And says some offensive things as she should, and he starts like screaming that she's trying to hurt him. Classic, the biggest joke in the world and the Well.
Speaker 2:I mean, he is a rich yes, young male in america.
Speaker 1:He's the biggest victim of them all and his family's very wealthy and very well known. So he gets out of all of these things I wouldn't understand.
Speaker 2:His life is so hard yeah, because nobody likes him.
Speaker 1:Um, anyway, and the cop comes in, he's we're not doing this today, bradley.
Speaker 2:Also, I was pissed at that security guard for fucking it up and dropping her name. Like you're trained and know not to do that, yeah, everybody makes mistakes.
Speaker 1:Because he's like you're okay, allie. Yeah, that made me angry, yeah, but anyway. So she like leaves and there ends up being another victim who comes in and it's a woman, middle-aged, looks a lot like Allie's mom and she had been impaled, and Allie kind of like loses it and is like I can't, I can't do it.
Speaker 2:That's a lot Like two major things like that on one shift, that's a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and she's like I can't, and so they cutting her leave for the day because she has a whole thing and Josh Masked man whatever we want to call him at this point is like I have to get to her house, like something's wrong, something's really wrong, and it's not just this dude, you know.
Speaker 1:And he puts on a balaclava, not a baklava, which is a delicious dessert, Um, but he forgot that his voice modulator was an old mask. So he's like whoopsie, I'm Batman and he puts on the Batman voice and he's like practicing with Fred Funniest thing.
Speaker 2:That was really funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, but he goes to essentially comfort her and all this stuff and she goes nice touch with the blue contacts. I can see your brown eyes around them and he's like, at this point, give it up dude. And so then she tells Josh masked man about her mom and how they were in a car accident and her mom essentially died right next to her she claims herself.
Speaker 2:And she claims herself I'm so sad.
Speaker 1:And it's a whole like therapy session because you know he's been in therapy for years. And then she finds out that he took two weeks off the same time she did. So she's been meaning to take vacation time off and so he took the same time off.
Speaker 2:Now Coincidentally.
Speaker 1:As a drastic change of pace here.
Speaker 2:They you know, play a game. Let's play a game.
Speaker 1:And you know, there are some weapons that are stabbed into a mattress and some activities that are done with them. If you would like to read it, feel free.
Speaker 2:Yes, I uh. It's gotta be somewhere between chapter.
Speaker 1:Are you writing this down 12.?
Speaker 2:I want to say maybe after, I think, chapter 12, but before chapter 16. That's all I can remember. Got it my random choices and notes. This time usually I do write down the chapter. You write down pages I coincidentally did not write that down.
Speaker 1:But they get up to some freaky things and at some point he forgets about his Batman voice and she goes clock that and then he ends up staying the night with her and he wakes up and his mask is sideways.
Speaker 2:Oh excuse.
Speaker 1:They hear a noise and she's like what was that? He says I don't know, I'm blind. Help me what? I can't see, anything. Help me. She's like't see anything. Help me. She's like you stupid baklava. Yeah, you stupid baklava is in the way he's like it's a balaclava, Anyway. So he helps her fix it, she helps him fix it, and so he goes out and they have this whole fight about her not going out.
Speaker 2:I have every movie, every book, every time. They always tell the woman you stay behind. And then, shocker, we never stay behind.
Speaker 1:It's like can you blame us? You want me to just sit back here.
Speaker 2:You're gonna pay for this later, and she's like well, in that case, here I come. We discovered this. Who's this brat?
Speaker 1:Anywho, here I come. Yeah, we discovered this. Who's this brat? Uh, anywho. Uh, not, not casper the friendly ghost. Uh, bradley's trying to break into their house or to her house? Yes, and he does. He succeeds, and josh knocks him out in his backpack. Bradley has a unalive kit, an un unaliving kit.
Speaker 2:Probably one similar that would make Dexter jealous. It was professional.
Speaker 1:And Ally's like well, we should just kill him now. And he's like no, no, no, hey, hey, let's maybe take it a step back, yep. And they end up tying him up and they're going to drop him off at his last victim's family's house.
Speaker 2:Which poetic justice.
Speaker 1:Who lives on a farm. Her dad is from the ex-army and her husband is an ex-marine, so he's like they'll take care of it for us.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Well, whoopsie. Turns out if you put tape over somebody's mouth and nose, they cannot breathe. So that is what Josh did. So when they get to the farm, plans have to change yeah.
Speaker 2:Went from you know. Oh sweet, uh-oh.
Speaker 1:Uh-oh, uh-oh, and he takes off his mask and he throws up, because he's so like this.
Speaker 2:I am my father. Yeah, did I do this on purpose, like low-key, did I? Yeah?
Speaker 1:and uh, ali says now it's probably not the time to gloat over that, I knew your identity right, like I was right called it, yeah, and he so. Then she's like, well, I know where we need to go. And so they get back in the car and he is spiraling like no other, like, maybe I was always meant to do this, like what if? Which we learn later about the therapist thing, what his therapist said, and it's like he's like really thinking that of like, maybe, like, maybe I was always meant to be a killer. And he says that to Allie and she's like you, yeah, because he still hasn't told her about that. Allie, you, yeah, because he still hasn't told her about that. Um, ally and this is where the book splits ally very nonchalantly says my uncle, nico, is in the mob right because, of course, and this is where it becomes a different book for me and I was like I see what people mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Do not get me wrong, I've read probably 50 different mafia novels. Like love it, Eat it up. I don't want it to like it's one or the other.
Speaker 2:It was.
Speaker 1:Anyway, and so they're going to take him to her Uncle Niko. To the family the dad said if anything ever happens, need help, you go to your uncle nico. She doesn't really know him at all. Also, both her parents are have passed away. Her dad died of like a heart attack after her mom died. Um, you know what you do on a drive to go dispose of a body. They decide that they're going to be boyfriend and girlfriend.
Speaker 2:So what better bonding experience?
Speaker 1:and they're so happy, love um. And as they're pulling up to uncle nico's house, he puts on a uh, disguise of a mustache and glasses and glasses. And they pull up and her uncle says nice stash porno, joe, I love that hilarious funny and uh, he's like, what are you doing here?
Speaker 1:and she's like, oh, we killed somebody. And he's like so they go into the house and greg, ali's cousin, who also works at the hospital that was a favor, they called in to get him working there and Allie leave to go take the body to whoever it needs to go to, and then who drove the car in?
Speaker 2:you gotta drive the car out, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then Greg was gonna act like he was Josh. So two people come in, two people came out and at some point, cause it's all like we gotta go now, like we gotta go, and greg snaps at ally about like we have to go now, and it's like very firm tone and that like triggers josh and he's like don't do that again love, do not speak to her love that our wives name?
Speaker 1:yeah, um, because his dad used to snap at his mom and he always hated it. Um, and then when they leave, uncle Nico is like tell me what happened. Josh tells him what happened. He's like we need to do this, this and this and that. Um, one of those things being the hard drive on Bradley's computer needs to be wiped because, odds are, he searched Allie, he searched the address, things like that. And he's like hey, I'm your boy, I'm a tracker. I almost said it again, I'm a hacker, I can get in there and take care of it. It'll take me 10 minutes. So he goes with them. Doesn't end up happening because the police are there to serve a warrant for something for the previous girl's assault. But Josh gives Allie a key and tells her to go to his place with their son.
Speaker 2:He ends up telling Tyler Go to your old hookup's house to stay with me now with your cat, because that's not weird? No, and it's not. But like everyone knows that you would, as Ali, you'd be like well, tyler's so cool with it, though, cuz.
Speaker 1:even then she's like does Tyler even know about us? And he's like, hold on. And he's like, hey, remember, by the way, remember when you asked me to help Ally? And he's like you tell me you hit it off. And he's like, yeah, she's my girlfriend, she's on her way with a cat, with our son. Yeah, tyler's like, okay, he's like I hate that cat, anyway. So she goes to his house and then her friend calls for the DNA sample and she says they're not a match.
Speaker 2:This was the worst timing for all of this, and I was just like no, don't tell her.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and she says, but I did some more digging because I was curious and the blood sample leads back to a relative of the Kendall killer and Allie's all what the fuck? And then kind of like to be expected, like everything that they've done, like oh my gosh. And so she has her little spiral moment. Tyler is like whoa, you okay? And she's like actually no, do you know who josh's dad is? And he's like christ, here we go. This is not my problem to do, um, but he ends up really calming her down. Of like josh is nothing like his dad. You know, I've been with him since we were kids. It was really hard on him. Josh is a vegan because his father, you know, did some things that happened at a cookout.
Speaker 2:And now had him electro the family barbecue.
Speaker 1:And now he no longer eats meat and you know he tells her about the therapist that really messed him up, and but he said it's great, though Like I understand the boundary thing, but it's like having your own personal guardian angel. Like you know, Josh is going to look out for you. So sweet and it's all. I wasn't going to freak out and he's like no really, because you look like you were about to pass out there in the hall.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you were totally playing it cool out there in the hall.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you were totally playing it, cool, yeah. And Josh comes home and he's like, oh hey, allie knows about your dad, see ya Like literally, yep, literally the mood, and she's like I get it. Nah, nah, nah, it's all good, and they take a shower.
Speaker 1:You know what happens in the shower prayer praying to her lord, and savior just sing a song yeah, um, and then the next day they go back to ali's house and junior is there and he's like we still have to go get that computer Allie is very much I'm coming with and he's like no, you're not. And then they have like this little bickering thing and Josh goes. Is this the part where I hold your earrings, like it was so?
Speaker 2:funny, that was really funny.
Speaker 1:And also Nico wants to have dinner once a month as payment.
Speaker 2:Because you don't just ask the mob for a favor and not do them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that payment, because you don't just ask the mob for a favor and not do them. Yeah, so that is his return to have dinner once a month, which she don't even know you. Anyway, they do break into Bradley's house. It's a whole operation Full of errors.
Speaker 1:Yes. But as soon as they go into the house they smell decomposition and they end up finding bodies in the basement. And so nico's team is like we need to leave. Now we're done. This is a different, this is a whole different thing. And josh is like I have to, I have to at least get up there and wipe the computer. I don't want anything coming back to allyie, so on and so forth. He gets up there, does his techie thing and a car pulls up. Oh, allie's waiting for him in the bushes.
Speaker 2:As one would.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and a car pulls up and it's Bradley's parents and they're trying to get into his office. Josh is sweating, josh is in the office.
Speaker 2:Got it like locked and he's holding the latch. Yeah, into his office. Josh is sweating. Josh is in the office, got it like locked and he's holding the latch that the parents are trying to undo it.
Speaker 1:No, oh, and he ends up finishing it. They can't find his phone anywhere and he ends up jumping out the window Basically jumping out the window and they have to run, but it's snowy and their feet are going numb and the police are looking for them it's dark, the snow is deep, you fell and hurt yourself, yeah, and you're running in the woods.
Speaker 2:Anyone else run in the woods? At night real hard to see. I just had so much empathy for thinking about how physically hard this would be and they really didn't do anything wrong like in the grand scheme of things, compared to brad and brad's parents like they were the good guys and they're having to run for their lives like they're the bad ones anyway well, they're also hiding from the cops because the cops are looking for them, things like that.
Speaker 1:Um, they make it and when they get home, josh takes a shower and he's like scrubbing his skin and he's like I can just feel it on me, like I, I have to get it off, like I smell, I smell, I smell. And he's like scrubbing his skin and he's like I can just feel it on me, like I, I have to get it off, like I smell, I smell, I smell. And I was like whoa, what's going on?
Speaker 1:and he basically tells her about a time when he was a kid and he was in his dad's car and it just reeked and he didn't understand it and he had to have the window down and it was like gagging smell.
Speaker 2:I hit a raccoon, that's all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the dad said he hit a raccoon and that's why it smelled. And then the dad came back that next weekend and it was like so clean and it didn't smell anymore. Now that he knows about his dad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know, some other things happen again to be expected, this time mask and everything lights a whole production really, oh yeah, that was quite the show. And uh, then we're three weeks later. They go to dinner at nico's and this whole thing I kind of again like, this is a different story to me, but they really want to know what's happening with the investigation and things like that and they're like, we eat dinner first, respectfully. I accidentally murdered somebody. You're helping me cover it up. I would like to know the details, what's going on? But they sit through dinner and then it ended up being they had somebody who looked like bradley go to the border of canada and get cash out. His passport has been flagged as crossing the border. The shoes in the snow they made, uh, josh wear a size too small, which was bradley size. So they actually think that bradley was the one running out and also he has an accomplice because ali has big feet, rude, uh, I appreciate it and he's also carrying with a child, um.
Speaker 1:But so then, after dinner, nico and josh have this moment of.
Speaker 2:Like I know what you are. Yeah, says one shark to the other shark.
Speaker 1:They basically have like a predator meets the other predator like and nico says something before that about kind of like hinting at he knows who Josh's dad is, and Allie like nips it in the bud, like we don't talk about that, and Josh really gets kind of the upper hand on Nico Loved it, man. And then they leave and they exchange I love you's in the car because he just couldn't wait any longer.
Speaker 2:Now your favorite chapter, chapter, the epilogue we it seemed like we were never gonna get to the good stuff and I'm like, well, now the book's already over, like well, all right, like so, yeah, so we get to the epilogue. Set the stage. They're playing hide and seek in a national park I don't think it's a national park.
Speaker 1:I think it's just the woods the way I was talking.
Speaker 2:Interesting sightseeing get excited roll the window down, roll it down so they play naughty hide and go seek in the dark. He has 20 minutes to find her. It's an hour, it's an hour to find her.
Speaker 1:if he doesn't, then she wins. Oh, okay, but she doesn't want to win.
Speaker 2:True, yeah, so she runs for her life, which they do get kind of violent. Yeah, she's allowed to like fight back, yeah, and like they both his jaw, and then they get it on in the creek and they get engaged. Oh yeah, that was cute too at the end Because she proposed to him, yeah, and then he backs up and gets a ring out, and it was like a really pretty ring too, the way they described it A teardrop yeah.
Speaker 2:Ruby with the black diamonds and stuff. Just very cute, very wholesome and then very wholesome. For that, just you know. Look what this book has done to me.
Speaker 1:It's turned me into a whole different person um, and then they get back to the cabin and they've adopted another cat.
Speaker 2:That was cute they got a kitten with a crying face. It was. This was my first dark romance, and well second.
Speaker 1:This is technically your second, okay.
Speaker 2:I just have to say I liked this book better than Butcher and Blackbird Same I just I don't know what it was that, I don't know how to explain it I just liked this one better.
Speaker 1:I like the comedy of it. Yeah, I love a good laugh. You know, like if you can make me chuckle and blush at the same time out of 10, which is why we married our husbands literally, literally.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I thought it was really good fan cast, as if we were going to make the book into a show or a movie. What famous person Doesn't have to be an actor or actress? Just who do you picture being them? And so for Allie, I chose Vanessa Hudgens. I love Vanessa Hudgens. I just thought she would be an excellent choice. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I did same kind of vibe-ish. I did Victoria Justice. Yes, yeah, I did same kind of vibe-ish. I did Victoria Justice. Yes, yeah, I had I had Lucy Hale first, okay.
Speaker 2:And I was like you know, Honestly, I see it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, josh.
Speaker 2:Christian Hogue Picture. Please, who's your favorite Instagram model?
Speaker 1:I. I almost said it's gonna be some guy from Instagram. Yeah, let me see.
Speaker 2:I've been following him for a long time. Here let me pick one where he's in a mask too, so you'll understand.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's a little too old for me For that. He's not that old.
Speaker 2:He looks a little bit older, but no, I don't. That's true For the book?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't. That's true For the book.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah it should be God dude, drink some water and wear some lotion. Christian.
Speaker 1:Sorry, wait, I did. You'll laugh about my choice for Tyler. I did, matthew Daddario.
Speaker 2:Good choice.
Speaker 1:Connor, do you see this photo? This is the photo we're using. Okay, I'll screenshot it and send it to you and for my own, my own collection, okay, tyler.
Speaker 2:Ryan Reynolds, Ronald the Mill semi-attractive douchebag. That's a pretty good one.
Speaker 1:I did a little off there.
Speaker 2:I almost didn't want to say it because I didn't want to give him the publicity.
Speaker 1:Hi, there he is. I went a little bit more of the Hannah Montana route, okay, and I did Lucas Till.
Speaker 2:I could see it. Yeah, Honestly. I liked your pick more yeah.
Speaker 1:Was in love with him when I was like 10. Aw, did you cast any more people? No, okay, fred.
Speaker 2:Fred, I cast, as my sister had a cat named Gary a long time ago. That would have been perfect, because he was very picky on who he loved. And he had a lot to say at all times. Tabby, a little chubby tabby guess who mine is?
Speaker 1:jacks, you're crazy. I did leah because she's black and white and has a mouth on her facts and she's cute and sweet and also that's just what I was picturing the entire time.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:I was reading, all right, I didn't do any more. People Me neither.
Speaker 2:Final thoughts I would like you to send me some more.
Speaker 1:Okay, you asked more drugs. Okay, you asked for it. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I can do that. There's been an awakening.
Speaker 1:I'm glad it's going that way and not the other way Not like. I can never look at my friend the same.
Speaker 2:What a fucking freak. It's usually me that accidentally hurts myself.
Speaker 1:Good, I'm glad I'll send you some more. And then you know, hey, I always say everyone has their preference. If you're not into something, you just have to say it, it's fine. I don't judge, I really don't my final thoughts. I love the. To say it, it's fine, I don't judge, I really don't my final thoughts. I love the comedy in it. The story was good. I don't think it's the best I've ever read, but you know it was entertaining. I've read it twice, so it can't be that bad.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it can't be awful, and I'm going to be honest I probably won't read the sequel.
Speaker 1:That's what I was about to say.
Speaker 2:I don't think I'll read the sequel, especially since there was an epilogue Like it tied it up in a bow, so I'm good.
Speaker 1:As far as I'm concerned Hopefully ever after. Again, it's just going to be like a different story. It's not going to be the story that it started out as, because now we're, which is a whole different thing, because Junior's part of the mom, it's going to be A whole thing. It's different. But it was good. Elkie read this, loved it. Okay, yeah, it was good. This was actually, I think, a recommendation from her, but Anywho, that'll be it from us. Like, share, subscribe, comment.
Speaker 2:Follow, follow like, share, subscribe comment, follow. Follow the things bye.
