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I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up The Birthday Girl by Melissa de la Cruz. For the past year or so I’ve really been leaning more towards mysteries and thrillers. This one definitely fit the bill!

The Birthday Girl was told in a past versus present format which I am a sucker for! 24 years prior is the story of Leo and Mish and the present is told by Ellie. Both timelines revolve around important birthdays.

The timelines also differ in that the storyline featuring Leo shows us a girl who loves her people deeply and wants the best for them. The timeline with Ellie shows us a woman who is just plain mean. Maybe that isn’t fair but it’s my review and therefore my perspective. Ellie is a strong woman but she has a ton of demands and the way she demands is what makes her mean.

The two timelines tell us about two different birthdays and their outcomes. As the story progresses the intensity of the unknown end really starts to ramp up. I am genuinely trying to find a way to explain myself here but it was just an increasing sense of dread.

I won’t give the ending away here but suffice it to say that things got very interesting towards the end of the book and I couldn’t put it down! I’ll definitely be picking up any mystery/thriller/suspense novels Melissa de la Cruz chooses to write!