Jenny
An enthusiastic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review!
I almost didn’t read Atmosphere. I have a complicated history with Taylor Jenkins Reid — when she hits, she hits (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo owns a permanent piece of my soul), but when she misses for me… she really misses (I’m looking at you, Daisy Jones). So I went into this one cautious. Guarded. Prepared to be whelmed at best.
A friend told me I would like this book. She was half right — I didn’t like it. I absolutely loved it. This is one of those rare reads that sneaks up on you, settles into your chest, and then refuses to leave. I do not hand out five stars easily. And yet this was an easy, immediate, no-notes five.
The characters (minus Barbara — respectfully, no thank you) were so richly developed that they felt tangible. Complicated. Human. I cared about deeply. Their relationships felt layered and earned, not manufactured for drama. I found myself lingering over scenes just to stay with them a little longer.
The mark of a true five-star read isn’t just how much you enjoy it in the moment — it’s whether it stays with you. This one will.
⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.75 stars)
The premise of this book is strong, centering on a fictional British royal family filled with family drama, secrets, and plenty of palace intrigue. Those elements kept me invested, especially as the story gained momentum over the course of the novel.
My main criticism is that while the characters are technically distinct from the current British royal family, they still felt very reminiscent of real-life figures — particularly echoes of Princess Diana and the familiar “heir and the spare” dynamic. I found myself wishing the story had pushed a bit further from reality to create something that felt more uniquely its own.
Overall, an entertaining royal drama that rewards patience, especially if you enjoy stories filled with family tension, relationship “will they or won’t they” and behind-the-scenes palace maneuvering.
⭐⭐ ⭐️ ⭐️ (rounded up from 3.75)
I was really excited to continue the Outlander series, but Dragonfly in Amber started off in a surprisingly jarring place. Even though I had just finished the first book, I ended up going back to reread the ending of Outlander because the shift in timeline and perspective left me feeling like I’d missed something.
Once I got past that initial bump, though, I really enjoyed the story. This installment leans more into political intrigue, which added some compelling twists, even if the pacing felt a bit more meandering at times.
That ending is a true humdinger of a cliffhanger and absolutely guarantees I’ll be picking up the next book in the series.
(Rounded down from 3.5 stars)
The First Time I Told Him launches with real confidence. As a sequel, it wastes no time pulling you back into the world and the characters, immediately ramping up the pace and tension. The opening stretch is genuinely gripping—I found myself reading furiously, fully locked in and eager to see how everything would unfold.
About midway through, though, the story hits an unexpected slowdown and it was a little harder to be excited about getting to the end of the book. That said, I’m glad I stuck with it. The ending is moderately satisfying and offers enough resolution to make the journey worthwhile, even if it doesn’t fully recapture the high-energy takeoff of the first half.
The Secret of Secrets felt familiar and uncomfortable at the same time—which is a tricky balance, and Dan Brown mostly nails it. It took me a little while to settle into the multiple storylines and shifting POVs, but once everything clicked, I literally couldn’t put it down. From that point on, the book is fast-paced, relentlessly tense, and driven by that classic “I need to know what happens next” momentum that Brown does so well.
What really sets this novel apart from his previous work, though, is the subject matter. Beyond the puzzles and high-stakes race to the finish, the exploration of human consciousness and the implications of advancing science in this space genuinely had my mind reeling. I found myself wanting to pause just to Google things and go down research rabbit holes—which, to me, is a sign the book is doing something interesting.
It’s still very much a Dan Brown thriller, but it asks bigger, more unsettling questions than usual. Not a perfect book, but a gripping and thought-provoking one. Definitely worth the read.
This was a solid three-star read for me for most of the book, mainly because I didn’t find the writing especially strong or the story as compulsively unputdownable as romantasy favorites like ACOTAR or Fourth Wing. It wasn’t until about 87% in that something really clicked—and at that point I very willingly sacrificed sleep to find out how it ended.
I never quite felt as emotionally invested in the FMC or MMC as I have in other series, though several of the side characters were absolutely delightful (especially the pet fox, a fellow thief and rascal side character and some of the Fae sidekicks, who stole the show). I also struggled with some inconsistencies in the writing—most notably how the FMC’s obsession with rescuing her brother dominated the first third of the book, only for him to be barely mentioned afterward and how the world-building historical construct that motivated the MMC and will propel the story into the next book in the series was so completely opaque until the very end.
These were ultimately minor annoyances, but they kept the book from stacking up against the best in the genre for me. That said, the ending won me over enough that I’ll definitely be picking up the next book in the series.
Contains spoilers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.25 stars)
This is a sharply written memoir and exposé that completely reshaped how I think about Facebook as a company. The book is packed with genuinely shocking revelations—from the deliberate targeting of emotional vulnerabilities in 13–17 year olds for marketing, to Facebook’s refusal to meaningfully intervene when its platform was being manipulated in ways that fueled real-world violence, to its deeply troubling relationship with China and its lack of urgency around rampant sexual harassment.
I was particularly stunned by the descriptions of Sheryl Sandberg and her behavior toward women employees, which challenged the carefully cultivated public image I thought I understood.
What surprised me almost as much as the content of the book were some reader reactions aimed at the author. The courage it takes to document and share these experiences in such detail cannot be overstated—and the clarity with which the author lays out these issues makes a compelling case for why Facebook users (and the public at large) deserve to know what’s happening behind the scenes.
Ultimately, this book is not just an indictment of one company, but an eye-opening look at how massive public corporations repeatedly escape meaningful accountability.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (rounded up from 3.75)
It’s taken me multiple tries over many years to finally get into reading this, and I’m glad I did. The book is a very slow build, and the first third felt repetitive, with the MMC repeatedly rescuing the FMC from one perilous situation after another. That said, once it finds its footing, the payoff is worth the effort. The character development is excellent, and the FMC in particular really grew on me—she’s the standout of the story. Overall, I’m happy I stuck with it and I’m definitely looking forward to continuing with the second book.
I adored this book, which may not be surprising considering all of my favorite elements are contained within the cover. An enduring and powerful story of female friendship told over several decades set in a country I know little about and therefore got to discover as I read along (Iran). The author's masterful storytelling evokes the sights, sounds and smells of a market bazaar, the coziness or coldness of the homes of the main characters and the depths of their emotional journeys. Add in a healthy dose of feminism, political activism and a betrayal that fuels the main narrative and you get a book that is imminently readable and utterly unforgettable.
Light, easy read about divorced mom of young kids who is struggling to keep it all together and who accidentally finds herself embroiled in murder for hire plot. Of course there are some run-ins with potential suitors along the way. I found myself cheering for Finlay and am intrigued enough by her character and by the ending to want to move on to the sequels.
Easily one of the best books I have read in my lifetime and was un-put-downable. This is the first of Kelly Rimmer's books that I've read, and I will immediately be adding her remaining novels to my TBR list. She is a skillful storyteller, able to evoke an incredible range of emotions. Over the course of the day and a half that I spent reading this beautiful work of fiction, I felt love, hope, despair, disgust, empathy, grief and relief. But hope, enduring hope, is the feeling I am left with as a dab the tears away from my eyes having just read the last words of the last page. I have read a number of novels set during WWII recently, many of them telling the stories of different figures in the Polish, British and French resistance. All of them have been powerful and interesting, but none so mesmerizing as this book. READ IT. Please.
3.5 stars. I appreciated that this was a story about a part of the world and experiences that I had never even thought to read about before - China, ethnic minority Chinese, vintages, healing nature of and processing of tea, international adoption. It took me a little while to get in to the book and See took quite a bit of time to develop the main character as a young girl and envelop the reader on the culture of the Akha people. The story picked up as Tina nears adulthood and just about the time that all the different plot points came together and the multiple storylines started to connect, the book ended. I was a little irritated by this but also read the interview with See where she directly answers the question why she ended the book the way she did. After reading that, I am slightly less irritated, but the slow build and abrupt ending prevented me from giving four stars. Still a very good read that immerses you in geography, culture, language and emotions that are not easily found in other novels. This is the second of See's books that I have read and plan to read others, especially after learning about her research process and how she settles on what to write next.
I loved every word and every line of this 700+ page volume and will anxiously await the release of the second volume of his presidential chronicles. Not only is Barack Obama a beautiful writer such that descriptions of complicated events like the subprime mortgage crisis and resulting economic fallout still held my interest, but being reminded of his vision for a unified America that fulfills its promise of prosperity and opportunity for every American irrespective of skin color, creed, gender or sexual orientation was exactly what I needed to lift my spirits during this very complex political crossroads in our history. I learned so much more about events that happened during the first half of his presidency including the Deepwater Horizon explosion, Benghazi, the raid on Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, the fight to positively impact the effects of climate change around the world, the complexities of relations with the Middle Eastern countries and particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But it was the personal stories and exuberance of the run up to his election as our 44th President, his fierce devotion to his family throughout and sharing cherished moments with his daughters and humorous moments with Michelle and others that made this book so imminently readable. Although I have now finished reading the book, I may still go back and listen to the 29+ hour audio version!
Would have given 3.5 stars if that was an option. This book was just what I needed to read at the moment I needed to read it. I needed to escape, and escape I did. I felt Instantly transported to Paris, enveloped by the detailed descriptions of the food, invited into Vanessa's family of nutty, nosy aunties on her quest to understand her destiny and her quest for love. It took me a minute to get into the story, but then I found myself making excuses to step away from reality or stay up late to distract myself from the chaos that has been 2020.
I would have given this book 3.5 stars if I could. Heard a recommendation of this book on Women Who Travel podcast and wanted to read before watching the Hulu series. The book is centered primarily on the incredibly complicated relationship between the two main characters that starts in high school. The writing is lovely, rich in detail and powerfully conveys the emotions felt by the main characters and the power dynamic and powerful shifts that occur over the course of relationships. But these were hard characters to love and to root for and at times I felt the book was so painful, I was not looking forward to picking it up again. Still, will not be one I forget any time soon.