I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

This sure did give me chills through out this story. Very well written and an enjoyable book. Highly recommend.

Virginia answers the top line to hear about some girls who were murdered and dumped by the beach. The book follows the investigation and Virginians hunt for a husband. I found her stream of consciousness confusing at times. It was a little annoying to keep hearing about her need to find a husband, like an obsession really. A bit predictable but easy to read.

The premise of this book was enticing to me, but I just could not get invested in the actual story. I did not like Virginia and I think that was my largest problem.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Such a fun thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. A one night read, Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

The tip line where Vanessa gets a job is a unbelievable place in my opinion. I nearly dnf this book as it wasn't what I was expecting. The plot became out there and I didn't like any of the characters.

📞☎️Book Review:
Title: The Tip Line
Author: Vanessa Cuti
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/ stars

What in the world is wrong with this woman?!?! I wanted to b$!(h slap Virginia Carey so bad! How desperate can you be to find a man? Ugh! This book frustrated me so bad, or I guess you could say the main character did.

Virginia Carey is clearly desperate to get married. She gets hired at the local police department as an operator on a "tip line." First, she's after Charlie Ford, a homicide detective but soon switches to Deck Brady, the police chef after he shows her just a teeny attention....pathetic 😒.

When numerous bodies of young women are found after Virginia receives an anonymous tip things really start to get strange. It was difficult to keep up with what was truly happening in real life and what was Virginia's delusions. I was confused quite often. Such a strange woman and strange book!

I have been on a hot streak...

I absolutely love discovering authors that are either making their debut or are new to me. We all have our list of auto buy authors, as do I BUT I love growing that list. There is always room for new talent to shine within our community and some of these debuts are absolutely breath taking, like, The Tip Line.

Vanessa Cuti, has entered the booksta world and she is about to steal the hearts of readers across the board, I know she stole mine.

The tip line was a suspenseful read that will keep you on your toes and fear the twist the next page holds. You will never be bored or wanting to put the book down. The chapters flow with ease between chapters and the plot plays out like a movie right before your eyes.

I can not wait to see what Cuti comes out with next! Cheers!

Teaser:

Anxious to get married, thirty-year-old Virginia Carey lands a job as an operator at a police tip line, where she thinks finding a husband will be easy. There’s Charlie Ford, a surprisingly sweet homicide detective, and charming police chief Declan “Deck” Brady. But just as Virginia’s plans begin to fall into place and she can almost picture a ring on her finger, she answers a call from Verona—a mysterious woman who provides a tip about four bodies on a remote local beach.

Verona, a sex worker, also gives Virginia details on sordid and raucous parties attended by law enforcement officers—and on the strange fetishes of cops she has been involved with. Then comes an explosive tip: Verona thinks it’s a police officer who is responsible for the killings. But it can’t be true—the cops Virginia works with are marriage material, even if they are a little rough around the edges.

While Verona trusts that her tips are being heard because she and Virginia have formed an unusual connection, Virginia realizes that the key to solving the case is ultimately in her hands. The tip line will reveal the truth about those murders. So long as Virginia is willing to hear it.

With the Tip Line it was so hard to get past my dislike of the main character that by the time they got to the interesting part I wanted to say, “Well, duh!” Yeah, this character fetishizes police officers and then is confused when they aren’t perfect. It left me feeling icky.

An original story line with some very different characters, especially Virginia, our MC and the single voice in this story. Virginia takes a job at the police department for some very personal reasons.....she's looking for a husband. The job.....answering the tip line......brings her into contact with.....well that's another twist.

Virginia's shopping list for a husband has many candidates in the police office. Then she answers the tip line, receives credible tips on a series of murders, but the fingers are all pointing at her marriage candidates!!! What does a girl have to do to find a man??? A this point, remember Virginia is telling this story in her voice only, the twists and turns take some serious detours.

While this story and characters are definitely original, the story gets confusing in some parts. I loved it but the experience of getting from page one to the solution was a little more of a character twist than expected. I'm recommending to my reading circle and waiting patiently to see what Vanessa Cuti comes up with next.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this but oh wow was this mc something. She was so unlikable I actually started to hate her a bit. She lives in one big lala land and being inside her head as she fuckin obsessed over every fuckin man who looked her way and imagined them as her husband and omg she also had like an unhealthy weird obsession with like dark thoughts and it was kinda awkward being in her head at times.
The mystery in this book gets pushed to the background over and over while this lady only cared about keeping her candy bowl stocked so these police officers could bend her over their desks or whatever.
Wasn't a fan.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books for an eARC of The Tip Line by Vanessa Cuti.

My review for this one is tough, because while I binged this one (I couldn't wait to see how it would end), it was confusing for me and the ending - I still don't really know what happened.

The book follows Virginia, who just started a job as an operator at a police tip line. The MC's entire focus of the book is finding a husband. That's why she took this job. She goes off on these tangents of inner monologue of how conversations WOULD go in a perfect world, which was confusing at times and a bit dragged on. That being said, I think the author wrote her to be this way for a reason (She is a HIGHLY unlikeable MC).

One tip comes in which leads to 4 bodies being found on a beach - And another tip follows that leads us to believe a police officer is responsible. This still isn't Virginia's focus, though. She is after a big, shiny diamond. At one point, one of the men asks her how old she is and tells her to act her age, and I was screaming this internally the entire book. Temper tantrum central, Virginia.

Super confused about the ending, but to be honest, I binged this one in less than a day because I couldn't wait to see who actually did it. Unfortunately, I don't really know based on that ending. Anyone else? Narration was great!

An intriguing tale of obsession and...wait for it..,murder. Virginia, who works a police tip line, is desperate to get married and she's identified two law enforcement officers as possible husbands. Only problem- Verona has called in with information about the identity of the killer of women and she claims it's a police officer, All of this swirls in Virginia's mind. Some of the details are based on a. real case; Cuti has woven them in seamlessly. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Virgina is a thirty-year-old female who is at a crossroads in life all her friends are married having children and moving forward with life. Virgina is between jobs and would give just about anything to find the right man. She applies for a job with the local police department where she will surely have her pick of eligible men to choose from. She gets assigned to the tipline where she takes calls from the public and pass the information on to the detectives. Things heat up when a street walker by the name of Verona calls in with information that there are other girls who are disappearing and being murdered. As these twos relationship develops over the tipline information is being revealed that maybe there is a member of law enforcement who could be involved or maybe committing the murders. I had two issues with this story, one the main character Virgina is absolutely neurotic and the other was after the buildup i did not feel that the author delivered at the end. I would rate this 3 out of 5 stars. Give it a read and see what you think.

I don’t know what I expected with this book, but I was let down - I kept reading in the hope that it would get better, but it was not to be. The story is told from Virginia’s POV. Virginia has a rich fantasy life & she wants a husband so she take a civilian role with the police, answering the tip line. Cops are caring, strong and protective, right, & she’s already imagined several versions of married life with the first detective that smiled at her? The problem is that some of these police officers are corrupt & likely involved in the murder of several sex workers. I had hoped to read about more of the investigation but instead we get Virginia’s stream of consciousness about her fantasy married life. It would have been refreshing to get a different perspective as I found it hard to tell when Virginia had drifted into fantasyland. All in all, I thought this was a delusional & confusing mess filled with awful people.

I enjoyed the structure the author chose for his book. It felt like literary fiction and thriller and it was great. I enjoyed the characters and the story keep me involved all the way until the end. I recommend this book.

Story of the book-

Thirty-year-old Virginia Carey, who is eager to be married, is hired as a tip line operator because she believes it will be simple to find a partner there. Charlie Ford, a surprisingly kind homicide investigator, and attractive Chief of Police Declan “Deck” Brady are present. Virginia receives a call from Verona, a mystery lady who gives her information about four deaths on a distant local beach, just as her plans are starting to come together and she can almost imagine a ring on her finger.

Verona, a sex worker, also divulges to Virginia information about the bizarre obsessions of police officers that she has been engaged with as well as the obscene and boisterous parties that police officers frequented. Then comes a shocking tip: Verona believes a police officer is behind the deaths.

The officers Virginia works with are marriageable, despite their occasional rough edges, therefore it can’t be true. While Verona and Virginia have developed an odd bond that makes her believe that her recommendations are being heard, Virginia is aware that the solution to the case ultimately rests in her hands. The tip line will make the killings’ real motives clear. As long as Virginia is prepared to listen.

My review-

Instead of being a standard thriller, “The Tip Line” falls between literary fiction and thrillers. True crime aficionados will adore this one since it features a large cast of dubious people (I never quite knew who to believe!) and a conclusion I couldn’t stop thinking about. It’s a fantastically crafted thriller that examines the perils of our culture’s poisonous preoccupation with marriage serving as the only route to female happiness.

I adored “The Tip Line’s” distinctive writing style since it gave Virginia such a powerful voice and turned to be inside of her thoughts into an enjoyable roller coaster. I like how intricate the narrative was and how exciting it was for such a little book. I thought Vanessa Cuti’s writing was excellent, and I mostly liked the characters. The idea of this novel piqued my interest, and I like parts of it. There were, however, some obstacles I was unable to overcome. For instance, Virginia is generally nasty and obnoxious and can be monotonous at times. While brief, this book has some interesting moments and well-thought-out storylines.

Cuti expertly raises the stakes through a combination of the looming threat of a predator on the prowl and the anxious, intensely introspective voice of the narrator, whose thoughts accelerate as the story goes on until both the reader and the protagonist are circle through fractured, uncertain fantasy worlds of ominous what-ifs. I enjoyed immersing myself in Virginia’s vivid imagination because of her captivating voice. I was mesmerized by her singular focus and desire even as I mentally yelled at her to open her eyes and take better care of herself. I felt bad for her. Excellent book; read it in one sitting. If you want to read something unique, I would suggest this book.

I loved the unique writing style of The Tip Line, it gave such a strong voice to Virginia and made being in her head a fun roller coaster. Highly recommend this wonderfully immersive debut!

I obviously misread the summary because I had something completely different in mind for this. It wasn't *bad* it just wasn't what I expected. I was thinking it was a period piece with glamour but it wasn't and it was very gritty. It just became difficult to keep reading.