This had slight pacing issues. I struggled a bit to keep the siblings straight. They all had month names and it felt very similar. I was about halfwayThis had slight pacing issues. I struggled a bit to keep the siblings straight. They all had month names and it felt very similar. I was about halfway through the book before I was able to easily differentiate between them. I like how the author handled the story. There's a lot of superficiality and shallowness in the characters and their lifestyles. I liked that the followers were collectively given a voice because Influencers don't exist in a vacuum. This really played on the worst aspects of this style of parasitic relationship.
The story touches on racism, colorism, sexism, LGBTQIA+ stuff (can't be specific because spoilers!) without talking at the reader. Some of the 'isms mentioned above are handled so subtly that I imagine this may have been missed by some readers. Those readers may have felt surprised by some aspects of the characters. I say this in response to a few reviews that I've read of this. There is somewhat of a mystery, as in who set the fire and why but it's mostly in the backgroud. Primarily this is an exploration of unhealthy family relationships.
I watched Sister Wives for about a decade. I stepped away from it before Covid and started watching again when the 3rd wife left the marriage. I watched those kids grow up. They seem nice on TV but most of them are extremely conservative. Still, I felt sad when one of the now adult kids died as a result of mental illness. What is the impact of growing up on TV? The parents signed up for this exploitation but the kids did not. I've seen horrifying footage from Influencers who focus on their kids for content. I really only see viral videos. I primarily follow book, crochet, knitting or history videos with the occasional sewing Influencer. Oh and that pretty Black Forager lady, she's hilarious. I digress but none of the Influencers I follow really show their kids if they have any. I prefer that honestly. This was really from the POV of the kids of viral old school Influencers. This was great. I'd definitely read more by this author....more
This was better than I expected. I greatly enjoy Weir's nonfiction but often find her fiction too bogged down. She seems to strug3.5 Stars Rounded Up
This was better than I expected. I greatly enjoy Weir's nonfiction but often find her fiction too bogged down. She seems to struggle with editing her storylines.
This only had a slight bit of that energy. Mostly this moved along rather well.
Oddly I did not like Rosalyn Landor as the narrator. Which is weird because I love when she narrates historical romances. I wish a man had been the narrator....more
This audiobook is narrated by J.Y. Kora and Midnite Michael. I love when novels with multiple viewpoints have multiple narrators. The voice acting helThis audiobook is narrated by J.Y. Kora and Midnite Michael. I love when novels with multiple viewpoints have multiple narrators. The voice acting helped this feel more romantic.
This story was light, fun, sexy and even had a villain. Ebony is a high society elite event planner and former debutante who grew up to have it all. When she is unexpectedly publicly embarrassed by her (now soon to be ex) husband's behavior. To overcome this personal embarrassment and reclaim her place in high society Ebony needs this next big event to be splendid. In steps architect Lincoln Bridges to complicate the delicate process of Ebony's come back event.
The romance had shades of insta-love but the author was able to make the story line work. This a glitzy and the characters aren't meant to feel relatable and don't. This creates a very escapist style story and this is enhanced by how unrelatable the characters lives feel. This was dramatic and over the top, a bit like a prime time soap opera. Nothing in this narrative takes itself seriously or breaks the escapist vibe of the novel.
Thank you to Mia Heintzelman, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own. ...more
Emmie has moved with her boyfriend Charlie to his family home. The house belongs to Charlie's parents and he grew up in the area. Soon Emmie begins toEmmie has moved with her boyfriend Charlie to his family home. The house belongs to Charlie's parents and he grew up in the area. Soon Emmie begins to find odd things in the basement that Charlie denies any knowledge of but his denials don't fit the evidence. This audiobook is narrated by Naomi Frederick. Naomi does an excellent job helping Emmie's character feel relatable and enhances the shock value of the reveals.
This has an interesting back story and eerie plot elements that increase the 'WTF is going on here' atmosphere exponentially. Unfortunately this suffers from pacing issues and Emmie's behavior feels illogical in places. The reveals really are the best part of this and while they are shocking it's not enough to save this story.
Thank you to Kathryn Croft, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
These are fun stories that feature Orisha characters as mythological magical figures from the TJ Young Universe. This has Shango & Thor, Eshu & ObatalThese are fun stories that feature Orisha characters as mythological magical figures from the TJ Young Universe. This has Shango & Thor, Eshu & Obatala and Oya as characters on missions. This works as a fun and dynamic expansion of this story universe. These short stories also function as background to the overall series narrative but are also fully contained and interesting short stories on their own. I think this serves as a fun introduction to the series for new readers.
This audiobook is narrated by Nekia Renee Martin and John Joseph Rogers. These stories have slight sound effects between chapters. The Interludes offer explanations and background on the stories and are vpiced by the author. This is a high quality audiobook production which in my limited experience always makes these more accessible for children.
Thank you to Antoine Bandele, Bandele Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own. ...more
This honestly functions as a historical way to read modern capitalism for filth. This is extremely successful at enlightening the reader on the historThis honestly functions as a historical way to read modern capitalism for filth. This is extremely successful at enlightening the reader on the history of capitalism. This is an extremely fun and engrossing way to learn this history and is delightfully narrated by Rob Reider.
This is well researched but also frustrating. The author presents the world destroying nature of capitalism but seems to think it can be reformed. The author was almost there. Systems that can be proven to be vastly inhumane need to be eradicated and not reformed. If slavery in the US had been eradicated rather than reformed we wouldn't currently have a prison crisis in the US. Reforming racist policies just increases inequality. It never eradicates it.
It's also weird that this history seems to focus on how Christianity subverted empathy and morality in it's pursuit of money and power. Yet when it offers its flawed 'reform' solution, that's only applied to capitalism and not Christianity which felt shortsighted.
Thank you to Paul Vigna, Brilliance Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
This was interesting and light. I quite enjoyed it. Goldstone is a quite good writer but her research is often inaccurate. As I'm familiar with Empress This was interesting and light. I quite enjoyed it. Goldstone is a quite good writer but her research is often inaccurate. As I'm familiar with Empress Sisi, I will say while I enjoyed the picture this author drew of her, it deeply clashes with the biographies I've read on her. The Reluctant Empress by Brigitte Hamann is the best known biography of Sisi. I don't know much about Empress Eugenie. I found a biography on her by Desmond Seward but he struggles to include history that doesn't support his sexist viewpoints. The Last Empress of France by Petie Kladstrup looks promising.
Further studies will make clear the accuracy of the research in this biography....more
This biography is fabulous. The research is thorough, the subject herself is little known and fascinating this is detailed and well rounded. I read DeThis biography is fabulous. The research is thorough, the subject herself is little known and fascinating this is detailed and well rounded. I read Desmond Seward's biography of Empress Eugenie a few years ago. I found it to be a slightly misogynistic view of Eugenie and a bit one note. More recently I read Nancy Goldstone's dual biography on Empress Eugenie & Empress Sisi titled Rebel Empresses. Goldstone's book was interesting but her background on Eugenie was obviously heavily sourced from Seward. I've also found Goldstone's biographies to be fun but not well researched and she tends to present fun conjecture as if it's historically established fact. So this biography definitely needed to be written.
I found the pacing perfect and the research offered was well cited. This definitely operates from a modern and more feminist viewpoint on Empress Eugenie. I greatly appreciated the viewpoints offered by the authors and found them mostly inline with modern intersectional feminist viewpoints. I do not think Eugenie held modern anti racist sentiments and felt that viewpoint was slightly exaggerated by the authors.
The narrator of this audiobook is Jilly Bond. I found Jilly's narration to be stilted in places. The subject matter was fascinating and the text was fairly well written and I'm disappointed the narration was somewhat dull. This offered wonderful research into Eugenie as well as the times she lived in and the major players in her story. I can not recommend this biography highly enough. I ended up purchasing a copy of this myself.
Thank you to Petie Kladstrup, Evelyne Resnick, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own. ...more