I'm late to the party again; this was my first Ali Hazelwood. I knew a couple things going in. I knew that she writes about women in STEM and that allI'm late to the party again; this was my first Ali Hazelwood. I knew a couple things going in. I knew that she writes about women in STEM and that all the male love interests are agonizingly described as being large in every sense. I can confirm both of these things are true.
The good news: I liked the banter. It was funny in parts. The slow burn was nice. I loved how the FMC bashed on men and was a badass in her profession. I liked how the life of an adjunct was accurately represented as a shit-paying thankless job.
The bad news: While the FMC was a total baddie in her profession, she was kind of a sad door mat in all other aspects which puzzled my brain a bit too much. And I really disliked the sex scenes, a lot.
Overall, 3.5 stars. I needed this book when I read it as I had just come off a long line of really heavy reads. This was entertaining and not too cringy. ...more
I knew this memoir was going to be tough and anger provoking. It was. Her family was truly awful. She was treated more like a pet than a daughter or sI knew this memoir was going to be tough and anger provoking. It was. Her family was truly awful. She was treated more like a pet than a daughter or sister. Purely a commodity. I respected how reflective she was about the double standard in entertainment with how men can behave and how different the expectations are for women. She never stood a chance. Nothing she ever did could have ever been good enough. And it's certainly understandable how she spiraled with her behaviors after becoming a mother and going through all the trials there. I truly hope she thrives finally getting out of the conservatorship that seemed bogus to begin with and then drug on for far too long. 5 stars for the story for sure, 4 for the writing. ...more
4.25 stars. This is dual timeline that takes in the Midwest, rural Iowa. One timeline takes place in the August heat several years earlier and one tak4.25 stars. This is dual timeline that takes in the Midwest, rural Iowa. One timeline takes place in the August heat several years earlier and one takes place present day in an isolated snowy location. I equally enjoyed both perspectives. I found one to be more creepy and one was more emotional, but I thought they were both great.
I read a lot of thrillers, so I was not overall blown away by the all of the plot twists because things can only go so many ways, but I was surprised enough by a few of them that it kept me on the edge of my seat. It was just a great time and how I love to spend a night binging a good book. Would definitely recommend for this season and will be reading more from this author in the future. ...more
4.25 stars. What a wild ride. I loved the breaking of the fourth wall. I loved the snowy, isolated setting. The writing was so clever, almost too clev4.25 stars. What a wild ride. I loved the breaking of the fourth wall. I loved the snowy, isolated setting. The writing was so clever, almost too clever at times that I had to reread certain parts to try to figure out what exactly I missed to get to where we were. As far as murder mysteries go, they are generally just a cozy good but overall forgettable 3-star time. This one I found far more engaging and entertaining. I will definitely continue on with the next book in the series. ...more
What I figured out from reading these two novellas is that I LOVE Alix Harrow's writing style. I think they are so funny and easy to read, 3.5 stars.
What I figured out from reading these two novellas is that I LOVE Alix Harrow's writing style. I think they are so funny and easy to read, even though some of the plot can be confusing (for me and my tiny fantasy brain). I think it was well done for me to feel this invested in the characters (good and bad) for such a small book. I love their way of telling a story, and I'm even more exciting for Starling House now! ...more
4.25 stars. This is another one that is just my kind of weird. It took me a couple months to read this book and another month to come up with a review4.25 stars. This is another one that is just my kind of weird. It took me a couple months to read this book and another month to come up with a review with any sort of clarity in a book that is such a fever dream.
This is all vibes, no plot, and I loved that about it. I was confused for basically the entire book, but in a good way. I'm still left with questions about it, and I respect that. (Definitely Bunny vibes if that's your thing.) It's an odd journey through three years stuck in a school where the students can't leave, which is in the synopsis. They are giving up their lives for a full ride at a prestigious and mysterious university. The school itself, Catherine, is definitely a character.
If you are looking for a thriller, this is not for you. If you like your stories to be plot driven, this is not for you. If you don't like ambiguity in your books, this is not for you. And a lot of the characters are not terribly likeable. I really liked Inez as a main character, but I understand a lot of readers didn't care for her poor choices or apathetic nature. I was fine with both. So I can understand why this is rated as low as it is, but I think this definitely has an audience. I don't think this is done as well as Bunny, but as a weird dark academia, it fits. It's one of the most unique books I read all year, and for that I'll remember it. I would love to see more dark academia lovers and character driven readers give this a try. ...more
It's crazy how good this writing is. Book two into this series that I picked up strictly because I had FOMO and had to prove I wouldn't li4.25 stars.
It's crazy how good this writing is. Book two into this series that I picked up strictly because I had FOMO and had to prove I wouldn't like it. But I like it a lot! The world is so vivid, and I feel like I really know the characters well. I didn't know that Cinder was such a big part of this book, but it takes place essentially right where the first one left off. I also didn't know that Scarlet was based on Little Red Riding Hood. I wasn't much for fairy tales as a child, and I'm not much for reading synopses now so I went in pretty blind. It has thus far served me well. I don't know what the next book in the series is about, and I plan to keep it that way. But I'm really enjoying it! ...more
I honestly cannot remember a book that has ever given me so much anxiety. Literally from chapter one, I was half covering my face and rock4.75 stars.
I honestly cannot remember a book that has ever given me so much anxiety. Literally from chapter one, I was half covering my face and rocking back and forth to self soothe. This was amazing. The synopsis does this no justice at all. Yes, it is about a plane crash but there is so much emotion in this book. There is so much grieving. So much reflection on life and love and loss.
This will go down as one of my favorites for the year for sure. I cried SOOOOO much and SOOOO often during this book, I was emotionally drained when I was done. I really empathized with all the characters (except Andy - f*ck that blue polo shirt wearing POS). I connected with them on such a human level they seemed real, and don't even get me started on the reality of the situation. When you can put yourself in the situation and imagine it happening, it's almost too much to bear at times.
My nitpicky 0.25 deduction is only for some of the technical aspects of the book which went way over my head. The author was a flight attendant, and it is very clear they know their stuff. There was quite a bit of jargon that made me want to skip over it a little, but that is such a tiny complaint.
I loved this. I can't wait to go back and read Falling, but I'm going to need a minute! ...more
Well, it was cute. I finished it in one day. I liked that Alosa was a strong woman who could hold her own whilst doing all the badass pira3.25 stars.
Well, it was cute. I finished it in one day. I liked that Alosa was a strong woman who could hold her own whilst doing all the badass pirate shenanigans. I think it will be memorable for me in as much as I can't say I read a lot of pirate books, but that's about it. That said, I did like the writing enough that I'm intrigued to see what happens next and will probably pick up the next book in the series....more
1.5 stars. I believe this is generous and am rating up to a 2 only because there was nothing willfully offensive about it, and I cared enough to finis1.5 stars. I believe this is generous and am rating up to a 2 only because there was nothing willfully offensive about it, and I cared enough to finish until the end to see how dumb the ending was going to have to be. (Spoiler: Really dumb.)
If you are a fan of this book, that's great. I love that for you. I just cannot understand why this is rated so highly. Either the author is hitting us over the head with a red herring to distract us OR is going to throw something so completely out of left field that it makes no sense at all. I'm not a fan of either of those choices, so I knew this was not going to end well for me.
The writing was just so ridiculously repetitive. Quick rundown of the book. 1) Judy may or may not be coming. 2) We are eating bologna sandwiches. 3) Cashmere is awesome. HONESTLY these three things were talked about ad nauseum. Does it contribute to the "plot" of the book? No. Absolutely not.
The other thing I really disliked is the "I know something you don't know" thing. Maybe the first chapter of the book, the FMC said something about "until he knows my secret." Just gross. And again, it was repetitive to the point of me rolling my eyes and yelling at her to put on her big girl pants and just be out with it already. AND the constant discussion about the husband being so perfect and so wonderful, and "I don't know why all my friends say there are red flags." I threw up a little each time I heard that. It felt as if this was catered to an elementary school audience and these "clues" were being repetitively spoon fed to the reader.
I gave The Housemaid by this author 4 stars, so I am by no means jumping on the bandwagon of bashing this author which I know is a thing now. This book though...I just really have anything good to say about it and would not recommend it. The characters all suck, and I like a good bad character, but I just didn't give a flying rip about anything that happened to any of them....more
I'm shocked to report that I really liked this. I did not like the cover or the brief description that it was about identical triplet seri3.75 stars.
I'm shocked to report that I really liked this. I did not like the cover or the brief description that it was about identical triplet serial killers, but when it popped up as "available now" on Libby, I thought I'd give it a try.
I think this suffers a little bit from mismarketing because if you're looking for just a thriller, this may be a bit too romance heavy or family drama heavy. For me, this counterbalanced some of the silliness of the overall concept and deepened the plot. I actually really enjoyed both the story of the romance and the heartbreaking backstory of the sisters. The dynamic of the sisters was done really well.
This was just a fast-paced really good time. Like a lot of thrillers I say that about, I think this one will stay with me a lot longer due to the romance and sister drama. It was unique. This is a debut author, and I'd definitely be on board with picking up their next book....more
I was excited to get my hands on this for spooky season. YA horror can be a lot of fun, and this was overall a good time. The Camp Mirror L3.5 stars.
I was excited to get my hands on this for spooky season. YA horror can be a lot of fun, and this was overall a good time. The Camp Mirror Lake atmosphere brought everything you would want, and our final girl, Chastity, was an admirable boss for a young woman who is both playing the final girl and taking on more responsibilities that she expected.
The ending got a little wild and a bit too far out for me, but that is kind of the hallmark of slasher movies so I shouldn't be mad about it. I did particularly like one of the ending twists. For me, I wish I had a bit more character development and backstory but it was a short book which makes that more difficult. For the YA audience, this is a stellar read. ...more
The writing style is lovely. The story is really, really out there. I was not familiar with the source material for this novella, but this is definiteThe writing style is lovely. The story is really, really out there. I was not familiar with the source material for this novella, but this is definitely modern. A touch dystopian even. The ending left me wondering if maybe I'm not smart enough to understand, but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless and would be interested in this author's works in the future. ...more
This was something I wasn't expecting. I heard a lot of buzz about it and picked it up because it was very oddly available now on Libby, a3.75 stars.
This was something I wasn't expecting. I heard a lot of buzz about it and picked it up because it was very oddly available now on Libby, and I thought that might be my only chance to get my grubby little hands on a hot new release without being waitlisted for an eternity. Other than being new, I really went into it pretty blind.
I was under the impression this was a romance. There are some romantic elements, but nothing too major (yet). There are mysterious elements, but this definitely falls more into the cozy fantasy category, complete with a kingdom with an array of different types of magic and even a few creatures. (Just trust that Kingsley, the frog, is everything.) I had no idea that I was signing myself for starting another series! And I'm invested now. While cozy to start, the stakes seemed to get higher as the book went on, and this ended on quite a cliffhanger. And now I'm invested. In another series. Great.
I do have some grievances to air. It read kind of YA at times and there was definitely more cringe than I needed. Some of the banter was cute and charming, and some of it was just a no for me. Until about 75 pages in, I considered DNF'ing, thinking this is just too young for me. It is an adult book, and I hope we get there more as the series goes on.
In the end, I am really liking the direction the FMC is taking, and I hope this is explored more. It started slow but ended up being a good time. I'm anxious to see where the series takes us in the future. ...more
Cold, isolated, and wintery sci-fi (I think much more sci-fi than horror). This was such an interesting premise of what it would actually be like to bCold, isolated, and wintery sci-fi (I think much more sci-fi than horror). This was such an interesting premise of what it would actually be like to be in the mind of an animal, in this case a wolf. It was so vividly descriptive. This also had an in depth story of a rocky marriage. You feel all the love and resentment, protectiveness and disappointment. It was a very dark read and definitely won't be for everyone. I think it may be perhaps more relatable to someone with intimate experience in a long-term relationship that isn't always rosy. A lot of this was sad and painful, the relationship between the main couple and the experience of the wolf as well along with the harshness of the Minnesota winter. It was my kind of weird. Very memorable and well done. ...more
3.5 stars. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did, but still good for a debut and will read the sequel.
The characters and atmosphere were pretty s3.5 stars. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did, but still good for a debut and will read the sequel.
The characters and atmosphere were pretty solid. I was incredibly annoyed though with the repetitiveness. I felt like I had to hear about every character's eye color most times they were mentioned. I didn't like all the rhyme-y little sections. Each one felt like the one before, and I never really felt like I was getting anything of value out of it. It just irritated me.
The FMC I think is 20. It reads very YA. There is a romance element but it is a slow burn which I appreciated, but it also didn't read very consistent, sometimes very YA and sometimes very adult.
The last 20% of the book was pretty good, and I was satisfied with the ending (although somewhat predictable). ...more
2.5, rated down after doing a little thinking on it. This was really a miss for me. I almost DNF'd so many times but pushed through for the sake of th2.5, rated down after doing a little thinking on it. This was really a miss for me. I almost DNF'd so many times but pushed through for the sake of the series. But I have no intention of continuing this series. I so do not care at all about Mare or Cal or any of the other characters in this book. The overall premise of royals with superpowers is pretty awesome at face value. Unfortunately this reads like a lesser version of other, much better YA dystopian books. If I had to hear "anyone can betray anyone" ONE more time...ugh. ...more
5⭐. Easily. I'm so happy my 100th book of the year was such a win! This book gave me all the feels. I loved the FMC. I really related to her. She hate5⭐. Easily. I'm so happy my 100th book of the year was such a win! This book gave me all the feels. I loved the FMC. I really related to her. She hates people and kids. But she's just quirky and funny and smart and deep down cares more than she wants people to know. I laughed. I got really sad. I got pissed. It was fire, literally. ...more
It's a pretty wholesome Sleeping Beauty retelling. I'm definitely an outlier in not liking this as much as everyone else. It's not bad, but I was acutIt's a pretty wholesome Sleeping Beauty retelling. I'm definitely an outlier in not liking this as much as everyone else. It's not bad, but I was acutely aware the entire time reading it that I was reading, and I was excited to finish. I couldn't find my way into this world....more
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