Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for an eARC of this brand new contemporary romance.
While I absolutely flew througThank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for an eARC of this brand new contemporary romance.
While I absolutely flew through this one, which means I usually give it at least 4 stars, I was left disappointed on a few things in the end.
I loved the setting - a little island set off of Sandusky in Lake Erie? We don’t see books set in the Northern Ohio area often. So that was really nice to see. Plus, a second chance romance for both Rachel and Mason? Sold. However…
I found that the relationship didn’t have much chemistry that we got to see on the page in the build up of the relationship. If a slow burn is going to impress me, I need there to be chemistry and deep conversations for growth for both the relationship and the people in it.
Additionally, the sister, who was the focus of the first book, and her boyfriend and their story was mentioned several times in this one. I think that the time wasted on repeating the same info on them could’ve been spent on Rachel and Mason.
Also, the part three conflict was completely predictable if you had been catching the slight hints even super early on. Dropping those hints but not getting the characters to acknowledge it in anyway doesn’t seem feasible to me.
Will I be reading book one in the series, Float Plan? Probably not because I basically got the whole gist of that one explained multiple times in The Suite Spot.
Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin, St. Martin’s, and NetGalley for this arc.
It’s unique plot - magic-less witch Violet that’s part of a witch triad (she Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin, St. Martin’s, and NetGalley for this arc.
It’s unique plot - magic-less witch Violet that’s part of a witch triad (she and her two triplet sisters) gets thrown into a second chance romance/fake dating/relationship of convenience plot with her ex, Lincoln, a wolf shifter- with some unexpected personal developments.
I started and finished in less than a day because I just didn’t want to put it down. There are were some laugh out loud moments, and I honestly couldn’t stop smiling.
This has to be my favorite 2022 romance release so far, not that I’ve read many but it’s going to the top of this list. I need more of the Maxwell sisters, Lincoln, Edie, and their friends immediately.
I regret not picking this one up closer to Pub Day for sure! It’s also a good listen in audio, so don’t be afraid to pick it up that way. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio galley.
I can't help but feel anything besides duped by the genre description from the publiThank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio galley.
I can't help but feel anything besides duped by the genre description from the publisher.
This is NOT a mystery/thriller.
I DNF'd at about 16.3% in and kept waiting for the smallest smidge of mystery or thriller to start appearing because this is around the point that it does. Sadly, it didn't. I would say this is more of a women's fiction domestic drama and it would probably be perfect for a Lifetime movie.
Can't Look Away follows Molly, a woman who used to live in NYC and used to date Jake Danner in 2013, but now lives in Flanner Cove, CT with her husband, Hunter, and daughter in 2022. Molly is lonely surrounded by 40 something country club wives - enter Sabrina, the mysterious new newlywed that befriends Molly after attending her yoga class and running into her at the doctor. What are her motives and was meeting Molly an accident? What happened to Jake Danner?
I'll say the narrator performance did keep me going so bravo with that. Great combination of narrators.
HUGE trigger warning for infertility and miscarriage. Infertility was a huge topic in just the first 16% so I'm assuming it would be carried throughout.
I have the author's most recent release from 2021 sitting on a shelf and I'm still looking forward to picking it up, but I can't recommend this one to anyone looking for a mystery/thriller. Looking for a women's fiction with domestic drama? Take a crack at it....more
HUGE thank you to Minotaur Books, St Martins Press and NetGalley for the galley of this Feb 1st release!
This is exactly the follow up that I wanted toHUGE thank you to Minotaur Books, St Martins Press and NetGalley for the galley of this Feb 1st release!
This is exactly the follow up that I wanted to Finlay Donovan is Killing It!
I couldn’t put it down. I basically read it in two sittings.
While this is probably an improbable in an actual suburban setting - the plot completely drew me in. The events surrounding Finlay and Vero had me completely on the edge of me seat at times.
I will say that you absolutely need to read book one first or you will be confused. This takes place shortly after the first book ends so you get a resolution to what you find out at the end of book 1.
Who is FedUp? I have a feeling you’ll be surprised...more
Thanks DoubleDay and NetGalley for this ARC - I did wait until I could get it from the library to read it since I couldn't get it on my Kindle though.Thanks DoubleDay and NetGalley for this ARC - I did wait until I could get it from the library to read it since I couldn't get it on my Kindle though. It is hard for me to read on my phone for long periods of time.
Say it with me: Depressing and horrific memories of three brothers do not make a thriller. This was not a thriller at all, more like a family drama with dark elements.
It was very slow moving, but was very atmospheric. I did appreciate that - I felt like I was in Sweden at the cabin.
I found myself cringing a lot. I felt like a voyeur into these cringe worthy memories of their childhood. None of the boys/men were likable (which would be fine IF this was actually a thriller).
Elements that I hate in stories kept popping up and it made me want to throw the book - talk of urination and siblings describing sibling genitalia. All of that could've been cut out because none of it advanced the story at all.
I did like the dual timelines, but the time jumps within those dual timelines really threw me off. The twist? I'm just confused. Not sure if it was a twist, but I'm just overall confused who/what Molly is. ...more
Officially adding this to my list of favorite books of all time. Abulhawa's writing absolutely blew me away and I found it hard to want to put this doOfficially adding this to my list of favorite books of all time. Abulhawa's writing absolutely blew me away and I found it hard to want to put this down. So much so that I read over half of it in one day.
Against the Loveless World was a seamless combination of fact and fiction in unabashedly depicting the Palestinian refugee experience in the war torn Middle East. It does feel weird to say that I loved a story depicting so much struggle and tragedy, but there is also survival of family and friends in multiple countries - many authors have tried to share stories within different countries and fail. This was an absolute success in storytelling.
With struggle and tragedy, comes survival and raw emotion. I was utterly riveted by Nahr's story, both her time before becoming a political and the time before and after.
I highly recommend this book!
Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review!!...more
Okay - if you like Insta love but also love slow burn (emphasis on slow) romances with guys that give you unrealistic expectations for love - PICK THIOkay - if you like Insta love but also love slow burn (emphasis on slow) romances with guys that give you unrealistic expectations for love - PICK THIS ONE UP.
I honestly was worried when it went from instant connection to a slow build because I was beginning to think that I would end up not enjoying this. I’m so glad I wasn’t disappointed.
Set in Carmel by the Sea, this is a picturesque romance with writers and you get different take on dual perspective in this romance!
Steam meter: 0
Thank you to Aria and Aries and NetGalley for this eARC...more
Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It's with a really heavy heart that I say that The Final RevivaThank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It's with a really heavy heart that I say that The Final Revival of Opal & Nev was a disappointment for me. While the writing from Dawnie Walton was gorgeous - I'll definitely read her next novel - I found myself not caring what happened to any of the characters besides Sunny, Opal, and hearing the resulting of the story about Sunny's father.
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev will be a favorite for someone, but it just wasn't mine. There are plenty of five star reviews so please know that I am the odd one out.
I started off reading this galley on my Kindle, but I just couldn't get into it. Therefore, I waited until I could get the audio from my library. If you're looking to pick this one up, I do highly recommend the audio. The audio queen Bahni Turpin herself being apart of the full ensemble audio should be reason enough to listen to it on audio, if you like audiobooks. So S/O to my library and Libby for having this on audio.
I loved Daisy Jones and the Six and was really looking forward to another fictional biographical take on a music act. Hear me out, Walton was very successful in taking on the biographical nature of Opal and Nev's story. However, between the executives at the music label, Nev, Nev's agent, and Chet the confederate flag waving, Trump supporting musician - I got tired of being annoyed at the 'woe is me' celebrity problems.
I LOVED following along Sunny's mission on taking on this biography and tackling the industry as an editor-in-chief. However, the point where Nev's agent decides to royally screw her over about took me over the edge - but I guess every store needs a 2/3 act issue that will be resolved. I do like how the issue was resolved, just hated the issue.
We need more badass when in the journalism industry that don't take 'no' for an answer from celebrities, thanks Dawnie for giving us a glimpse of that....more
Thank you Grove Atlantic, Mysterious Press, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.
This novella collection was my first Joyce Carol Oates Thank you Grove Atlantic, Mysterious Press, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.
This novella collection was my first Joyce Carol Oates read and it will certainly not be my last. Each novella was eerie and atmospheric with an amazing sense of place. I good picture myself in each sign and each story was unique.
My breakdown of the four novellas: Cardiff, by the Sea - title story. 4.5 stars. Atmospheric story that takes place in Cardiff, Maine about a woman who returns to Cardiff after was adopted as a child after her family died.
Miao Dao - 3.5. Honestly this one was hard for me to read at times as it deals with animal abuse, and step fathers being creepy. However it was very atmospheric and I felt like in the moment with
Phantomwise: 1972-4 stars. Takes place on a college campus where a female freshman is pursued by two predators. I didn't see the ending coming at all. Finally a suspenseful college campus story that didn't disappoint me (it's no secret that nothing can live up to The Secret History to me). (TW: mention of suicidal thoughts and abortion by self)
The Surviving Child - 4.5 stars. A supernatural suspense that takes place in Boston.
If you're looking for some suspenseful short stories or novellas, look no further - you've found them!...more
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy I’m exchange for a review.
I was so looking forward to this one. Dystopian novels are DNF at 38%
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy I’m exchange for a review.
I was so looking forward to this one. Dystopian novels are usually right up my alley, but Harrow just didn’t deliver. From what I’ve seen from rave reviews, the writing style for this one is similar to her other novels. However, the style seemed clunky and nothing seemed to connect. If I’m being honest, if this is how her earlier works are, I’m surprised she won the Pulitzer in 2001.
Book 1 was a hot mess. Random scene changes with so many characters and nothing seemed to connect. Book 2 was getting better, the plot seemed to be tying together but the characters were insufferable.
Also, what’s a dystopian novel without science? From the bit I read, there was little science and little mention of how America plunged in this dystopia. It was all theory.
She’s obviously a well beloved author, but she’s not for me. ...more
I didn't think that I would ever give a horror book five stars, but this one is getting five stars. One of the most immersive horror stories that I'veI didn't think that I would ever give a horror book five stars, but this one is getting five stars. One of the most immersive horror stories that I've ever read. I felt like I was right in that haunted mansion with that family.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.
Rating between 4 and 4.5 stars. I'm indecisive.
Apparently it seems that I'm leaning tThank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.
Rating between 4 and 4.5 stars. I'm indecisive.
Apparently it seems that I'm leaning towards hard-hitting literary fiction in Q4 2021 and I'm okay with that.
This is the first time in a long time that I've grabbed a piece of paper to start writing thoughts down only 20% into it.
Songbirds is heartbreaking and evocative and I know I'll be thinking about this one for a long time. As someone who hasn't read either of Christy Lefteri's previous works, I'm glad I picked this one up first.
Somehow, Lefteri managed to craft an astounding story inspired by real events in Cyprus surrounding how foreign domestic workers are treated in Cyprus by the middle class families they are employed by and by the police.
Nisha is a domestic worker from Sri Lanka that has been working for Petra for 9 years when she suddenly goes missing on a Sunday night. We then follow her employer Petra and her lover Yannis on their journey to attempt to get justice for her in a country that has no love for foreign workers.
I found myself hooked from the start and was overall satisfied with the ending that seemed tied up to me. Make no mistake, like me you may be incredibly infuriated with Nisha's employer at the beginning of the book, but unlike one other person in this story (Mrs Kostas), Petra does end up having some character development and ends up seeing Nisha as an actual person instead of just a "Shadow of myself". Shocking that your domestic worker will have life outside of caring for your daughter Petra, so shocking.
Personally, I am wondering if there is symbolism between the songbirds and the foreign domestic workers. As in in Cyprus, they both seem to be 'delicacies' that only the middle class and up can afford, but they don't care enough to take care of them properly to keep them safe.
What is keeping me from rating it five stars is the pacing between the two POVs as well as the lack of plot movement surrounding Nisha herself. I just wanted the pacing to be a little quicker in Yannis'. I also had an issue with some dialogue being repeated when Petra was having a flashback multiple times on a bus ride.
I think that this would make a great book for a book club because just by looking at the DNFs, the one start ratings, and the two ratings, it may lead to a great discussion.
On the topic of DNFing, if you do decide to pick this one up but decide that it is not for you, please at least consider flipping to the author's note at the end.
I highly recommend this, but please be aware of the following trigger warnings (one of which I haven't seen anyone else mention in their reviews because everyone seems to be focused on the song birds):
Graphic discussion of a miscarriage (haven't seen a single review including this one so I'm mentioning it first) Xenophobia Cancer Death of Spouse Dead animals/hunting/poaching/injured animals...more
Thank you to Algonquin Books, NetGalley, and Cheryl Diamond for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
One of the best memoirs that I’ve ever readThank you to Algonquin Books, NetGalley, and Cheryl Diamond for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
One of the best memoirs that I’ve ever read. I’m still in awe. More of a review to come, but until then - if you like memoirs, pick this one up!
I stayed up until after midnight to finish it because I was sucked into Cheryl's story and I don't do that often for memoirs.
Just a warning to those who need to know triggers before picking up a memoir - there are some triggering events in Cheryl's life - sexual assault on a child, Stockholm syndrome (not outwardly defined but the signs are there), and domestic abuse.
This certainly isn't an easy or digestible memoir. There are parts that almost seem like fiction (and apparently some other reviewers think that this is a complete work of fiction posing as a memoir).
Cheryl's life hasn't been easy. She was born into family on the run. They moved sometimes every few months or every few years. Suddenly her dad would just say that had to leave and they would leave in the middle of the night. She was told that they were on the run from Interpol - but is that really true?
What really happened when her parents met and what followed after? ...more
Thank you Minotaur Books and St. Martin's Press for the eARC through NetGalley.
After loving the first book in this series, I was all the more excitedThank you Minotaur Books and St. Martin's Press for the eARC through NetGalley.
After loving the first book in this series, I was all the more excited to pick this one up and enjoy it even more.
Sadly, it fell short for me as I am not a huge fan of mysteries/thrillers that focus on police corruption. I also found that sometimes I didn't want to pick this one up, but I wanted to finish it out because I do love the characters.
I would like to see in future books that the author does not use offensive language that came out of nowhere near the tail end of the book. The instances in the beginning of the first book and at the end of this were not needed.
I do think that this second book did capture the role of the Police in Chicago. I would not be surprised if there is something like this (police teaming up with the mob in the city) is still happening.
I also enjoyed that more of Mace's dogs played bigger roles in the plot. I love the inclusion of all of them besides Vira, plus we got a new pup! Hi, Bill!
I still recommend picking up this series and I'm hoping, fingers crossed, that there will be a third. This book (and series) is a great "cozy-ish" mystery to pick up. Not too much drama but enough to keep you interest....more
Thanks Minotaur and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this one.
Note: This book will be for someone, but it was not for me.
This is myDNF at 17%.
Thanks Minotaur and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this one.
Note: This book will be for someone, but it was not for me.
This is my first Sandie Jones book, and after seeing many of my trusted reviewers love her previous books, I was excited to have the opportunity to pick this one up. So thank you Minotaur for the opportunity
However, I found myself having difficulty wanting to pick it back up and after reading three chapters - I put it down. After hearing from another trusted friend that it took her 100-150 pages to get into the plot, I knew that I just had to set it down. I usually wait to DNF until around page 50 and I made it to page 54.
Maybe it will get better, but for me I just didn't find my attention grabbed enough to carry on reading. There was too much drunk, middle aged adult pettiness and not enough introduction into mystery to hold my attention. I'm not one to enjoy plots that center around confessions and a lot of drinking.
Can we please stop using drinking as a plot device in thrillers/mystery/suspense?? Especially so early on in a plot?
I'm sure this book will be great for others, but I don't think this was the right time for me to pick it up. I just wanted to share this review so that others have something to go off.
I think this book would be perfect for anyone to pick up on vacation or as a summer read.
I'm still interested in reading Sandie's other books in the future after seeing other friends enjoy the other works.
In the similar words of Cody Rigsby and at the encouragement of my friend Shannon, and I'm sorry if this insults anyone who loved it -
We didn't survive a pandemic to read shitty books....more
Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Looking for a true crime book that covers the life spThank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Looking for a true crime book that covers the life span of those involved in the crime and then dives into the the mess that are the mental health institutions in the United States? Look no further than this one.
I'm throughly impressed by the work that Mikita put into this book. I had never heard of this case before. Before I started this audiobook, I searched online to see if anyone had covered the case on a podcast, unfortunately it looks like no one has. So congrats Mikita on bringing forward a case that many true crime lovers like myself haven't heard of out of the cracks of the system since 1992.
Mikita Brottman has brought forward the story of Brian Bechtold, who has spent 27 years in a maximum security psychiatric center after being found not criminally responsible for the murder of his parents in 1992. She starts off talking about his childhood: the youngest of five children to a PhD father and a stay at home mom who are strong on their catholic faith and not afraid to throw their kids in a mental institution at the first sign of depression or anxiety.
This was truly an eyeopening book on an aspect of the judicial system that many do not delve into: what happens to those you are found criminally insane and sent to a psychiatric center instead of prison and what happens the longer they stay there.
Thank you Ecco and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was my second Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney novel (the first being The Nest) Thank you Ecco and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was my second Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney novel (the first being The Nest) and enjoyed it. I can see why Jenna Bush Hager chose it for her book club for April.
Just like in The Nest, I enjoyed seeing the complicated family and friend dynamics unfold between Flora, Julian, Margot, and David through flashbacks and present day conversations. When I read character driven books, I find that the dual timelines really help move the plot along with the tie ins between the present and the past.
Good Company is based on a simple point, when a lie is discovered, what will happen to the couple and friends involved?
Best for: reading on the weekend and reading by the pool
For lovers of: contemporary fiction, character driven books, stories that take place in NYC and LA, stories involving actors, and domestic fiction
I wanted to love this collection of kidnapping stories from the Great Depression, however the passive tone of the book left me just wanting to set theI wanted to love this collection of kidnapping stories from the Great Depression, however the passive tone of the book left me just wanting to set the book down.
I had to wait to get the audio so that I could even finish it and even then, I had to put it on 2x to get through it. I probably should've just DNF'd, but I was intrigued by the cases. Even though the cases seemed to be revertive in a sense because honestly how different can kidnappings be from the Great Depression era? I commend the author on his hard work and I can tell that he spent a lot of time researching and writing this book. However, in a time when so many true crime books are being released with interesting cases and a easily readable tone, I'm afraid this one may get lost in the fray.
If you're looking to learn about some kidnappings from the Great Depression era that are the not the Lindenbergh kidnapping, I suggest picking this up....more
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