Stephanie

While the subject matter is nowhere near enjoyable, Miss Fairchild is one of the best villains I’ve read in a thriller in some time. 3 foster children are forced to return to their foster home when their called by the police to help them investigate a mysterious death. What happens next is a story told in flashbacks from the perspective of each sister and it’s done so well, and without glorifying the real abuse that foster children endure and the harmful effects that follow them into adulthood. While the ending is not quite as satisfying as I would have liked it to be, it was realistic and wrapped up things nicely. However, If Ms. Hepburn ever chose to return to these characters, I wouldn’t mind hearing more about what happens next.

I have never been able to understand the trend of cozy mysteries until now. Recently, I was feeling a bit down, and so I decided to finish reading the “The Mystery Guest.” I had read “The Maid” last year and enjoyed it. The protagonist, Molly, is a unique character, and I liked how the books in the series feel self-contained. The book I just finished is about the murder of a mystery book writer, and reading it was an engaging process. There were two well-done plot twists, several clever details that sparkled because of Molly's autism rather than despite it, and a well-paced and timed ending that left me with a smile on my face. The book radiates a sense of warmth and comfort in the best way possible.

I really enjoyed reading this book because it had strong characters, an interesting plot, and believable character development. I appreciated the cultural diversity it offered as I prefer reading books that explore different cultures over the typical European history and narratives written by white authors. Monserrat, the main character, was a strong character who stood up for herself and her beliefs, while also being relatable because of her feelings for the boy next door. The subplot between Monserrat and Tristan was predictable but still enjoyable. The final scene, from the burning down of the location to Tristan's confession, was my favorite part of the book. The author did an excellent job of describing the settings and the dialogues throughout the story. However, I felt that the book lacked the horror element that a horror book should have, and it felt more like a psychological thriller. The pacing in the beginning was also slow, which made it challenging to get into the story.

For a book with as many accolades as the one this received. I expected a lot more from it. Instead, what I got was a book that had a boring plot, told me a lot about the daily happenings of a boring character, an unsatisfying mystery, and an ending that could not come quickly enough. Has anyone figured out why she was scratching her wrist yet? I won't be reading anything else from this author.

This was a satisfying read, something I haven't experienced in a while. I liked how unpredictable and creative it was. Although, at first, I thought the author was giving away a lot of obvious clues, they turned out to be something entirely different in the end, which was a pleasant surprise. Moreover, the book sets up an excellent premise for a series. The book was easy to read since it was written in the first person, and the story was straightforward without any complex language or excessive exposition. As a result, I finished it in record time, around three and a half hours or so.

I gave the Atlas Six five stars. I was in love with so many elements of that story. The character building, the relationship dynamics, the magical realism. An interesting and complex plot...the book did it for me. We fast forward to the Atlas Paradox and we have an author who seems to have forgotten what story she is even telling. The strongest elements of this book were Libby, Nico, and Gideon. Their relationship and interactions kept me engaged. Otherwise the other characters have become so pointless and insufferable I was not invested in their story arcs. I was also not invested in what the heck Atlas is trying to do. Which is where the unsatisfying plot tag is coming from. I'm disappointed in this sequel.

Really enjoyed this as an audio book. Will Trent is a fascinating character and reading the two series, Sara Linton at the helm of the Grant County series and Will in his series knowing that their lives will begin to intertwine makes me so excited to see what happens next.

I really enjoyed this second book in Nalini Singh's archangel series. Elena has grown on me as a main character and there is so much to learn about the other characters in this world.

I started listening to The Party after I surprisingly enjoyed Robyn Harding's novel The Swap. However, this was a let down. All of the characters were vapid and unlikable. I know that's the point, but their flaws were so ridiculous, it was laughable. The central premise that the story is focused on, in itself, wasn't believable, so the fact that the entire book was about the ramifications of a party gone wrong was also unbelievable. There are so many other domestic thrillers that are much more nuanced than this one. While I started listening to the audiobook, I ended up switching to the ebook so I could get through the story faster.

A long, compelling read. I found the story to be very engaging, despite the mundane life tasks that Murakami found it necessary to describe. It was very readable, despite the complex magical realism elements that permeated the book. I think the mundane juxtaposed with the magical realism ended up giving the book somewhat of a dreamy vibe? As if you're not quite sure what you're reading or getting into, but you have to see it through. Somewhere around page 800, I began to feel restless with the slow pace of the plot. We know pretty early on that the characters are destined to meet, but the majority of the book they travel along their own separate journeys and those journeys are compelling in their own right. Once those journeys were complete, I found myself wanting Murakami to just get to the point, yet he inserts a third point of view from a character that up until that point, and through the end of the book, I wasn't invested in. I honestly thought those pieces could have been edited out and the book would have been better for it. Due to that last section's superfluous content, I ended up settling on three stars rather than four. I think the writing style is definitely not for everyone, and the book is too long for someone who doesn't get into it from the very beginning to try to persevere to the end, especially since the end takes so long to come. Even though I'm giving this book 3 stars, I still think that I will keep the rest of this author's works on my to read list.

This was a quick read. The action in the book helped moved the plot along nicely, though it took me some time to warm up to our main character. I ended up getting very immersed in the world and at the end of this book immediately hungry for more on this world and these characters.

This was a dark, wild, twisted roller coaster of a book. I was fascinated by every minute of it.

The audiobook was a great way to read this book. The narrator does a good job between the two main characters: the silent patient and her therapist. It's a solidly good book, and I enjoyed the experience of it, but even with the shocking ending that didn't make up for the pretty mediocre beginning and middle.

A perfectly good and entertaining read in the domestic thriller/suburban tragedy genre. Megan Miranda consistently delivers quality books; however, I wish they weren't so predictable.

I have been consistently underwhelmed by the Odd Thomas series, despite think that Odd is a great character and the premise of the story being interesting. However, the way Koontz writes this character and the inner dialogue that we witness due to this being a first person narrative makes this a difficult read. Often times the situations are outlandish and Koontz chooses to write in a way that is so abstract and forced philosophical that reading becomes tedious. I constantly found myself thinking, “When will he get to the point?” I read this book in ebook and audiobook formats. I must admit the audio was slightly better, the ramblings that Odd engages in seem to fit the audio medium better. Overall, after giving this series a try, I've decided to not continue the rest of the series.

Although the mystery of the book was rather simple, I think the characterizations and the portrayal of childhood sexual trauma was spot on. There were so many fully formed characters, and the way that they brought out sides of our main characters Jeffrey, Sara, and Lena, that we hadn't seen before was masterfully done. We got so much more information on our main characters, motivations, their strengths, and their weaknesses from merely seeing them react to the events of the case. For that reason alone, this book deserves five stars, but the creative way that she tackled a relatively straightforward type of crime was the icing on the cake.

Well Read Black Girl is a collection of essays from various Black women in the arts who describe what representation in literature did for them. After every essay is a list of recommendations from Black women authors clustered around the genre of the essayist or the genre they spoke about in their essay. I though that Well Read Black Girl was a decent read. I thought that the women picked were a decent mix of well known people and some women that I was surprised by. The real bread and butter though, is the recommendations provided. I know that I've been an avid reader my entire life, but a lot of that reading was centered on the dominant culture, white culture, so to have an easy reference to some of the seminal works by Black women is a treasure trove and my “want to read” list is thankful that I got this book. If you're a minority women or looking to add some diversity to your reading, this book will get you started down the right path. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

If this had been a stand alone book, I don't think I would have rated it so high. However, Leah on the Offbeat is the sequel to Simon vs. The Homo Sapien Agenda a book and movie (Love, Simon) that I loved. Therefore, it gets 3 stars just for being related. The 4th star is because despite, in my opinion, Leah not being my favorite character, Albertalli does a great job of normalizing teen, LGBT relationships. She moved the story forward for all of the characters, while still focusing on Leah, which was satisfying enough in itself. Leah is snarky, sarcastic, anxious, and pessimistic. Honestly, her inner voice got annoying. She's a perpetual naysayer who wants a fairy tale ending while doing everything she can do to get in her own way. It was annoying for 60% of the book. However, the last 30% or so was a lot smoother and I really enjoyed the last few chapters in particular. There's a great pay off, which after all that whining the majority of the book, was great to hear. Oh and another thing, as an audio book? I wouldn't recommend it. The narrator is great, don't get me wrong, but again Leah is so WHINY that I think it might not have been so potent if I had just been reading it rather than listening to it.

I received this book as an ARC from Avon Books and Netgalley. By their request, I will keep my review a secret.

Avian was a pretty awful read. It takes place in a not so distant future, where the remaining humans live on Mars and the population is afflicted by a virus that turns the dominant population into “Morbs” or morbidly obese people who die upon childbirth. Enter Skyla, she's our heroine and a “Skel.” This is the second book in a series, which I didn't know about until after I'd already started the book. Honestly, I don't think reading the first book would have helped. So a couple things I hated: first, the first person narrative was grating on my nerves. Skyla is vulgar, crass, and thinks like a child. The author uses exclamation points like they're going out of style. There was a gratuitous about of violence that did nothing to further the story. This leads me to point two: what was this story? It was all over the place. There were too many moving parts that were half explained and entirely too much of a reliance I think on the reader having read the first book. It made sense well enough, but the first third of the book I was pretty confused. Third, the character development was nonexistent. Skyla makes no movement as a character. She's either scared or angry. She learns nothing and her character offers nothing to the reader. Lastly, the “social justice” elements: Skels being black and Morbs white, Skels being the underclass, Sexism in the form of forced labor. Commentary on slavery...all of it was simplistic and the inclusion of it was distracting, since it added nothing to the story. I have nothing redeeming to say about the book, I didn't like it at all and would not recommend anyone read it.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

This is quite frankly, one of the best books I've ever read. I could sit here and try to describe how awesome that was, but there are other reviews that do a great job.

Like Never and Always begins abruptly and is disorienting to both the main character and the reader. Olivia, Liv to her friends, is riding in a car with her best friend Morgan and their boyfriends when suddenly there is a car accident. Olivia wakes up in the hospital and discovers that she's been pronounced dead and she now inhabits the body of her best friend. Now that is a killer of a summary isn't it? I had high expectations with as complicated of an idea that was. However, like I found most of Ann Aguirre's books to be, she pulls it off and turns it into quite the meaningful read. The story went by quickly for me because it was interesting and the writing was well done. I really felt for Olivia who was wrestling with a lot of different emotions: a dead best friend, being in someone else's body, and trying to come to terms with what that means moving forward. While I didn't necesssarily need to know a how or a why for the switching bodies, Aguirre does attempt to provide some type of explanation—whether it was satisfying or not, I'll leave that to the individual read to decide. I didn't really care, so I wasn't focused on that element. I think what made this story shine was the handling of Olivia understanding that you can never truly know someone, even if that person has been your best friend since childhood, and also getting to know herself better through the eyes of her boyfriend who grieves for her and her understanding of herself in comparison to how her best friend leads her life. The other standout was Clay, who is one of the romantic interests. He is the epitome of the type of boyfriend YA lovers are looking for: a misunderstood bad boy who is loving, sweet, kind, understanding, and supportive? Yes, please! All in all, if you can suspend your judgment over some of the weirder moments (there's a moment with Morgan's father that's kind of like...,what?) and judge it for it's handling of love and friendship? It's a great read.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for providing this book for an honest review.

This book has so much potential. I think the story is fascinating, but the writing leaves so much to be desired. When I got to the end of the book, the author's bio says that she used to write manuals for computer programs, and it dawned on me that maybe that was the problem. The story was SO boring despite there being quite a bit of action. There are 2 different time streams going, one where Tea, the main character is retelling her own story of becoming a bone witch, which is essentially a necromancer. The other time stream is the present, in which we know Tea has been banished from her land and her duties, and she's on a quest to raise daeva (Monsters) to avenge herself. Unfortunately, I just wish the author had chosen to go with one time stream or the other. The breaks in chapters when we are confronted with the present take away from the overall story. There is already so many things to keep track of: magic, runes, characters, heart glass meanings, etc. without also trying to track time. Also the past storyline was so detailed that it felt like I was pursuing a story that would never end. I admit, I ended up skimming through a vast majority of the chapters. I still don't think I missed anything really relevant having done that. I swear the only time the story got a little bit interesting was the “twist” in the romantic angle toward the end. I'll also give it some credit that unlike most YA books that focus a lot on the romantic element of the book, there was much more of a focus on Tea rather that Tea's crush. I also like the way the author set it up for Tea to be much smarter that YA heroines usually are when it comes to the love interest by giving her a mentor who was totally screwed (pun intended) by the love game. Her mentor serves a cautionary tale, but she also makes it so that Tea naturally would be less focus on that aspect of her life considering she was 11 to 15 the majority of the past story line. Anyway, I say all this to say that I like the story enough to pursue the next book, but I definitely need a break before I attempt to dive into the abyss that is this book again.

I'm conflicted by this book. I gave it a 3, but it's probably a 2.5. Due to the subject matter — a coming out story of a lesbian as well as the intersectionality of her ethnicity — I wanted to love it. However, this didn't read like a YA book, it read like it should've been for middle school or younger. The plot was simplistic, the action rushed, the characterization was 2-dimensional. I read this book in 2 hours. I read fast, but it's also really telling of how little substance this book had. As a positive, I will say that as much as I usually hate first person writing, I didn't mind Leila as a narrator. There is somewhat of a tiny plot twist that if this book had been written even an iota better, could have really been something.

I didn't anticipate liking this book, or relating to this book, as much as I did. I actually picked it as a sort of light hearted break after having read some heavier books. It begins with a quote by Joan DIdion: “we flatter ourselves by thinking this compulsion to please others an attractive traits: a gift for imaginative empathy, evidence of our willingness to give.” That quote is a good summary of what the book's central themes were: self-respect and what that means within the context of relationships, working, and one's mental health.

I really enjoyed the frenetic, neurotic narration of the main character. While much of the main character's surroundings were satirized and dramatized, I think it was nonetheless a very well done take on the modern workplace and the concessions one makes in order to seem okay in front of everyone else.

I also like that the author didn't attempt to tie things up in a happy ending, which makes it even more relatable. There is no attempt at trying to portray a moral to the story or redeem any of these characters. We can assume that the main character and her husband sort of ride off into the sunset, but that ride is still as bumpy and marked with horrors as it had been the majority of the book. I'd recommend it those who are okay with your chick lit having a dash of cynicism and realism. I will say I had steered my way from this sort of fiction in recent years, but this gave me some motivation to dive back in.