I’m just not a smut girl! But I had a silly and fun time reading this, and the epilogue has me intrigued enough to continue the series, so we’ll call I’m just not a smut girl! But I had a silly and fun time reading this, and the epilogue has me intrigued enough to continue the series, so we’ll call it a win!...more
Look, I would say I am a superfan of Janice Hallett's. I will read anything she writes. I love playing detective alongside her characters. So it reallLook, I would say I am a superfan of Janice Hallett's. I will read anything she writes. I love playing detective alongside her characters. So it really, really pains me to give this a 2 star review, but this was a miss for me.
I was sooo excited about the premise of this novel: a chaotic art graduate course set at a school in London culminating in a murder, but you spend the book trying to figure out - who is dead (if anyone actually is)? How? Why? Anyone who knows me knows that I love a campus novel, so I was pumped for this. However, it fell short of my expectations.
My main gripe is the overly detailed focus on art. While I appreciate depth, the meticulous descriptions of multimedia art projects overshadowed the core mystery. This imbalance made the pacing sluggish. Hallett’s previous works masterfully balanced detail with action, but "The Examiner" spends too much time in the minutae and not enough on the unraveling of the mystery.
Another disappointment, while avoiding spoilers, is that this is the first of Hallett's novels where I felt like the readers couldn't play along. That's the fun of Hallett's work for me, and that element was really diminished here.
Overall, I am still a huge fan of Hallett, and will absolutely continue to read anything she writes. I remain hopeful her next book will recapture what I love so much about her work.
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Janice Hallett for the review copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to Catapult and NetGalley for the ARC of "A Good Happy Girl" in exchange for my honest review. What a fucked up and powerful debut!
"A Good HappThanks to Catapult and NetGalley for the ARC of "A Good Happy Girl" in exchange for my honest review. What a fucked up and powerful debut!
"A Good Happy Girl" is a journey into the life of Helen, a jittery attorney with a penchant for diving headfirst into emotionally charged and complex relationships. This time, it's with Catherine and Katrina, a married lesbian couple whose intimacy and intensity draw Helen into a whirlwind of desire, revelation, and self-exploration. But it's not just about the entanglement; it's about Helen wrestling with a past so tangled and dark, you need a moment to breathe after each revelation.
Marissa Higgins doesn’t just write; she grabs you by the collar and forces you to look into the abyss that is Helen's life. The trauma, the self-destruction, the chaotic dive into the unknown with Catherine and Katrina—it's all laid bare with a rawness that's as beautiful as it is disturbing. Every page feels like walking a tightrope over Helen's psyche, where one misstep could send you spiraling into the depths.
This book is messed up in the best way possible. It’s not just the storyline that hits hard; it’s the way Marissa explores queer domesticity, the shadows cast by incarceration on a family, and the relentless grip of intergenerational poverty. These themes weave through the narrative, painting a picture of life that's as real as it is unsettling. If you're looking for a tidy, feel-good story, this ain't it. "A Good Happy Girl" leaves you with more questions than answers, a testament to its brilliance and Marissa Higgins' courage as a writer.
4.5 stars from me for a book that is sure to be very divisive!...more
I’ve never been in love before, but I’m pretty sure it feels like this.
I absolutely adored Here We Go Again, a sapphic rom-com that explores grief, reI’ve never been in love before, but I’m pretty sure it feels like this.
I absolutely adored Here We Go Again, a sapphic rom-com that explores grief, reconciliation, and redemption. I have read another one of Cochrun's books, and liked but didn't necessarily love it, so I went into this book with an open mind, and I'm certainly glad that I did!
Here We Go Again follows Logan and Rosemary, childhood best friends turned enemies turned coworkers, who reunite when their beloved high school teacher is diagnosed with a terminal illness. When Joe - their former teacher - asks them to take him on a cross-country road trip to Maine (from Portland), the women have no choice but to grant his dying wish.
I absolutely loved this story, for so many reasons. Logan and Rosemary were complex and believable characters who drew me in, and I was rooting for each of them, both separately and to get together, already! Joe's journey is an incredibly touching one as well, which really ties the entire story together. I loved that Cochrun not only dives deep into the relationship of the characters, but also explores queer history and different meaningful aspects of the LGBTQ experience. Cochrun perfectly balances humor and heart, and this story is as sweet and funny as it is meaningful.
Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Alison Cochrun for the ARC in exchange for my honest review....more
Thanks to NetGalley, Holly Baxter, and Harper Perennial for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a letdown for me. Having received this AThanks to NetGalley, Holly Baxter, and Harper Perennial for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a letdown for me. Having received this ARC with a fair bit of anticipation, I found the story’s promise quickly deflated as I delved into the narrative. The book tracks the downward spiral of Natasha Bailey, a journalist whose career implodes following a significant ethical lapse. This mistake not only costs her a coveted reporting position in London but also earns her a demotion where she’s reduced to churning out mindless clickbait - not to mention her husband leaving her. Her personal life mirrors this downward spiral, wasting her savings on a shitty apartment in Queens and isolating herself further from her friends and family.
The introduction of Zach, Natasha's fuckboy ex boyfriend who moves into her apartment, fails to inject much-needed complexity into the story. Natasha's relentless negativity and her failure to navigate her relationships or career aspirations make her an impossible character to root for.
Natasha's major misstep, which serves as the crux of the plot, feels both overblown and frustratingly avoidable, casting a shadow over the entire book. Her interactions with others are completely unlikable and totally lack warmth and authenticity.
The book's ability to keep me engaged was not a testament to its quality but rather to a morbid curiosity about how the narrative would resolve its many conflicts. However, any moments that might have offered depth or insight were completely brushed over. Natasha is horrible to everyone, learning nothing and changing nothing, always the victim.
Baxter's attempt to craft a narrative around redemption and growth falls short, hampered by a lead character whose path to self-discovery is both unconvincing and unfulfilling. The story, aiming to be compelling, instead serves as an example of missed opportunities, rendering it a difficult and ultimately unsatisfying read....more
Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Natalie Sue for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for my honest review.
Oh no... It's happened. I just read Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Natalie Sue for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for my honest review.
Oh no... It's happened. I just read my favorite book of the year. What a sucker-punch. From the description, I had no idea that this book would make me feel so much, but by the end I was openly weeping. Pretty sure that's my first book-related cry of 2024? I really, really loved Jolene, Cliff, Rhonda, Armin, Miley... these characters totally took over my heart. What a beautiful portrait of isolation and anxiety (and over-reliance on alcohol) and trauma and grief, somehow coupled with humor and maybe the kindest love interest in a story I've ever read. This was such a joy and I'm going to be thinking about it for a long, long time....more
Thanks to NetGalley, Titan Books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Unfortunately this was confusing and ultimately unsatisThanks to NetGalley, Titan Books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Unfortunately this was confusing and ultimately unsatisfying. I do think that Hall is quite a gifted writer, but the plot here just didn’t really work for me, because I could barely follow it....more
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