Eh. This was simultaneously very confusing and very boring. Fun premise, but the story tried to do too much, which ended up throwing off the momentum Eh. This was simultaneously very confusing and very boring. Fun premise, but the story tried to do too much, which ended up throwing off the momentum - like just the mother/daughter jewel heist could have been fun, but then it got all overly-convoluted with long-lost family and murder and a (lame) twist and another (lame) twist and blargh. This was super disappointing. ...more
Kind of a standard domestic thriller setup with possibly creepy neighbors and a gaslighting/I’m always right/clueless fuckwit of a husb(( audiobook ))
Kind of a standard domestic thriller setup with possibly creepy neighbors and a gaslighting/I’m always right/clueless fuckwit of a husband, and good godDAMN did I love where this ended up.
I clearly need more Liz Alterman in my life/ears. ...more
Loved the setup, but this kind of went off the rails and had a very unsatisfying and confusing ending. I think it needed to be either a(( audiobook ))
Loved the setup, but this kind of went off the rails and had a very unsatisfying and confusing ending. I think it needed to be either a short story or a full book — the novella length didn’t quite work for me. That said, I seem to be an outlier, so I wouldn’t discourage people from listening/reading (the audiobook narrator was great!)
* thanks to Macmillan Audio for the NetGalley ALC. this publishes September 3....more
In short: Toxic female friendship + a prank gone horribly wrong + a side of cancel culture
Three friends, all of whom were involved in very public scaIn short: Toxic female friendship + a prank gone horribly wrong + a side of cancel culture
Three friends, all of whom were involved in very public scandals, spend a weekend at a fancy house in the Hamptons. They drunkenly leave a note on the car that stole their parking space, which sets off a series of events that causes all three women to question their friendship and wonder who they can trust.
Loved the idea of a dumb prank that goes very wrong, but still don't understand why any of these ladies still talk to each other - they are all various levels of terrible and annoying. I almost gave up halfway through because I hated all of them so much, but I'm glad I stuck it out to the end because there were some fun twists.
Was this the best book I've ever read? No. Would I still recommend this as an easy beach/vacation read? Yes.
* thanks to Knopf for the NetGalley review copy. THE NOTE publishes in January 2025....more
This was WILD and such a fun audiobook. The action was relentless, which made this fly by and had me hooked from the first second. There were nonstop This was WILD and such a fun audiobook. The action was relentless, which made this fly by and had me hooked from the first second. There were nonstop terrible things happening — and just when it seems like all is well, another terrible thing happens. And another. And another. And another.
No spoilers, so I’ll keep it vague, but my only real complaints were: 1) if the melodrama factor could be measured by a dosimeter, we’d all be dead from radiation sickness - it was too much (for me); 2) there were a few situations that felt a bit too reminiscent of scenarios in another Newman book (if you’ve read it you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about).
Overall - existing Newman fans should definitely read/listen to this, and anyone who hasn’t tried her books yet, this would be a great (if terrifying) intro!
* thanks to Hachette Audio for the NetGalley ALC. ...more
This had great potential but needed some serious editing.
There was waaaaay too much repetitive dithering by Gabe about her instincts being wrong or maThis had great potential but needed some serious editing.
There was waaaaay too much repetitive dithering by Gabe about her instincts being wrong or maybe right? but probably wrong? but still, maybe they’re right? and not enough detail about her backstory — I get that this is going to be a series and you can’t give it all away at once, but I keep thinking about Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent or Mo Hayder’s Jack Caffery as better examples of how to incorporate past trauma into a current investigation.
Also procedurally… wouldn’t processing the DNA evidence retrieved from the body of a human murder victim take precedence over processing evidence taken from a dog? There was a very long, drawn out section with them waiting for the lab to get back to them with the identity of the person Mel had slept with just before she was murdered interspersed with lab reports detailing who touched the dead dog (?)
Anyway. I did love the emails and text exchanges and news articles interspersed throughout the story, and I’m intrigued enough by Gabe and Juliet as characters to read the next book (especially after the cliffhanger ending of this one!)
Loved the premise (one of my fave thriller sub-genres is when the relative of a serial killer is forced into an investigation by a copycat killing), bLoved the premise (one of my fave thriller sub-genres is when the relative of a serial killer is forced into an investigation by a copycat killing), but there was way too much business-y paperwork discussion and not enough action for my taste (though the ending was quite exciting and very atmospheric!)
I would definitely read future books by Chouinard and thought this was overall an enjoyable read with a great protagonist (who I'd love to see in another book!), despite some slow bits.
* thanks to Minotaur Books for the NetGalley review copy. TSKGtSF publishes September 24....more
Near-ish future, gray concrete dystopian world where robot “hums” have taken all of the jobs, leaving the MC, May, desperate enough to undergo an expeNear-ish future, gray concrete dystopian world where robot “hums” have taken all of the jobs, leaving the MC, May, desperate enough to undergo an experimental face-altering surgery to make some cash. She blows a big chunk of said cash on a three-day family trip to the Botanic Garden, a luxury nature resort where she hopes to reconnect with her husband and kids without their devices. Then some stuff goes wrong and May needs help from a hum.
I liked this well enough for maybe the first fifty pages or so and felt some real empathy for May and her (relatable) fears and anxieties about AI, consumerism, plastic being everywhere, the struggles of marriage and kids, but that wasn’t enough to keep the story interesting.
My main issue was that the “children coming under threat” plot was not what I expected as described in the blurb - I was expecting an apocalyptic meltdown/robot rebellion/wild animals on a rampage/viral outbreak/SOMETHING EXCITING happening within the walls of the Garden, not the boring, slow, sad business that did occur.
Also:
I couldn’t stand reading the word “woom” (maybe I’m overly sensitive bc of the Zillow Gone Wild show promos with the guy asking Kenneth “do you want to see my woom?” which is a little womb-like space (GET IT??!!??) carved into the rock walls of his house which I guess is supposed to be cute/clever but it just sounds like baby talk which makes me insane) ANYWAY blargh.
The kids were THE WORST. The younger one’s nonstop, nonsensical yammering was relentless and there was WAAAAY too much of it for such a supposedly “taut, urgent” book.
I did think the hums breaking into ads was hilarious and felt uncomfortably real.
Why are the kids’ wrist things called bunnies?
This has a lot of good reviews, but it didn’t work for me at all.
* thanks to Simon & Schuster / Marysue Rucci Books for the NetGalley review copy. HUM publishes August 6. ...more
I love Rachel Harrison’s books and am fairly rabid about reading them as soon as I can get my hands on them, but this was not my fave by her.
It had sI love Rachel Harrison’s books and am fairly rabid about reading them as soon as I can get my hands on them, but this was not my fave by her.
It had some elements of my actual fave (Such Sharp Teeth), with a somewhat aimless young-ish woman who encounters a supernatural being and has her entire life changed — but it was missing the snap and snark that I loved so much in SST (and Cackle and Black Sheep for that matter) and left me feeling kind of meh.
I think my main issue was not particularly liking Sloan — Rory in SST was righteously furious about everything, which made her relatable and fun to root for — but Sloan just kind of muddles along, unhappy in her marriage, bored at her job, and bulldozed by her (obnoxious AF) bff, but then an ancient vampire is transfixed by her (?) It felt off.
There were parts of this that I really liked, and I'll be a Harrison fan for life, but overall this fell kind of flat. Oh well. Onward and upward.
* Thanks to Berkley for the NetGalley review copy. SO THIRSTY publishes September 10. ...more
Cute cozy mystery setup & liked the dual perspectives but didn’t live up to its potential
Not particularly funny 2.5 rounded up. Review TK
Quick notes:
Cute cozy mystery setup & liked the dual perspectives but didn’t live up to its potential
Not particularly funny despite “darkly funny” Ruby is a dingdong - manic pixie dream girl lite. So. Much. Repetition. Boston is cold! Cordelia likes a drink or twelve! Pizza! Ruby is tiny! Electronics don’t work! Boston is still cold! Omfg buy a pen.
* thanks to Minotaur Books for the NetGalley review copy. A New Lease on Death publishes October 29. ...more
I get where this was trying to go (see: EH meets Fleabag) - but it was boring, predictable, and not even DNF at 42%
“Emily Henry meets Fleabag” = FALSE
I get where this was trying to go (see: EH meets Fleabag) - but it was boring, predictable, and not even remotely funny. Our main girl Jac is so busy “I’m not like the other girls”-ing and being so much prettier than everyone else (of course) and making out with Marcus and maybe having real feelings for him (?) but also lusting over Henry and maybe having real feelings for him (?) because of course both men are hot to trot for her (see: not like all the other girls) while being constantly manipulated by the producers (including Henry) while thinking she’s so above it all because she’s A Writer who lived in NEW YORK CITY (!) and she is NOT LIKE ALL OF THOSE OTHER GIRLS GODDAMMIT.
I don’t even care where this story ends up enough to skip ahead and read the last chapter because everyone in it is terrible and not in a fun way. MEH.
I absolutely 5-star LOVED Devore’s last book (A Better Bad Idea), but this one was clearly not the book for me.
* NetGalley copy from Avon / Harper Voyager...more
A lady (Lily) falls in love with a falling down old mansion that is way outside her means and her dumb husband (I seriously just finishe(( audiobook))
A lady (Lily) falls in love with a falling down old mansion that is way outside her means and her dumb husband (I seriously just finished listening to this and cannot remember his name, so I will call him Chad) agrees to buy it even though he’s the financially responsible one? Chad then proceeds to act like a giant man-baby when stuff is broken and the house is drafty and leaky and unpleasant to live in. Lily is wildly inept and very, very annoying. She grew up rich, which apparently makes her unable to function as a human in the world, especially now that she’s in debt up to her eyeballs. There are also maybe/probably some ghosts, and Lily goes off the deep end investigating what really happened to the last family that lived in the house.
I think I need to never read anything described as “Gothic” again bc I’ve finally realized that it’s code for an EXTREMELY slow burn. I did like the very end, but getting there was much more of a slog than I’m usually up for - but there was *just enough* going on to keep me listening. I honestly would have liked to hear more about Birdie - she was much more interesting than hot-mess Lily.
Anyway, I think people who loved September House and We Use to Live Here and Mexican Gothic would be into this one too.
HOWEVER: if dead babies and miscarriages and infertility are not ok topics for you to read about, definitely do not read this.
* thanks to Dreamscape Media for the NetGalley ALC. Ghost Mother publishes August 6. ...more
Cindy (leavemetomybooks)
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