Siarra
4.5 stars but I'm rounding it up lol this is my kind of story and the pacing was great (short chapters!) It kept me guessing until the very end and love that it is based off of true historical people and events. It took me forever to finish because some parts were not as interesting to read as others so I didn't find myself wanting to find out what happened right away. But loved the descriptions and Gothic style writing. Big thumbs up and will definitely pick up other books by this author when he publishes
This was so cute !!! I thought I'd rate lower since it's YA and a romance but I really can't. It made me feel the feels and I related to Charlie enough to want see how her decisions panned out. I probably would've gushed over this back in middle school/high school but I'm really just feeling sappy and happy
Happily giving this 5 stars! Wow! So SO GOOD! The author writes persepctive so well and I think that is what kept me intrigued. She tells a story so well too, so vividly. I'm a lover a true crime so the premise was interesting for me but she also somehow made it so real sounding and hauntingly beautiful! This reminded me of a book I read in high school called Tenderness by Rober Cormier. It had touched on the main guy being a seemingly “good” guy kind of like Ansel narrative - so interesting. For me this book checks all the boxes !
2.8 - man I really wanted to like this book... I have to agree with the reviews that say it was so drawn out and boring at times and like what even was going on at some points?? Idk maybe I'm just not mentally equipped for SGJ's storytelling but overall it didn't hit for me the way I wanted it to. It was like a reading rollercoaster where I was really into it the writing and understood what was happening and the rest was just like wtf am I reading? When did that happen?
4.8 -OMG WHY DID IT HAVE TO END LIKE THAT
Okay, this was an emotional rollercoaster.. very heavy on the psychological drama. I really felt the main character's uncertainty and fear, however, it kinda felt dragged on (why it's not 5 stars for me). Like, yes, I know you are feeling this way,and it sucks but like, do something about it. Idk maybe I'm just too harsh on the circumstances in which she was in. It's a very interesting perspective on motherhood as well since we get a feel of three generations of women and their trickling impact (good and bad) on eachother. I think if I remove myself from the story it's 5 stars for me so I'll round up lol the things she did as a mother are not things I would do (or agree with) especially when it came to her daughter. I couldn't empathize entirely but i did when it came to her son, for sure. The ending made me release the breath I didn't even know I was holding
4.2 - really enjoyed this story! The atmosphere, the characters, the plot is where the points are knocked off. The ending seemed a bit rushed but I liked what happened. I very much would like to physically read it but I recommend the audiobook. The narrator nailed all the characters and background characters
4.4 - I really enjoyed this story. I knew I'd be a lover of magical realism and whimsical writing and this is a great example I think! Loved the emphasis on family and the superstitious aspect -being a hispanic/Latino descendant I very much related to that. I think the ending was a bit rushed (the climax of the story was shortish) but overall, very great listen on audiobook!
