Jessica
I debated between a 2 and a 3-star rating for awhile, before finally settling on 3. It wasn't “bad” as much as it was just simply unimpressive. I'm sure that I will eventually completely forget about this one.
While there were some good, tense moments, I felt like everything fell flat towards the end, even with the twist.
Overall, I really feel like if you're looking for a fun, twisty thriller, this will do the trick, but there's a lot out there that are much better and more intricately plotted than this one.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
The pace in this one starts slow and then gradually ramps up until the final 30% which will send you on a wild ride.
The tone and mood stay consistently dark and creepy, so even when not much is happening, you still feel like something bad is just around the corner, just like in a horror movie and the creepy music starts.
THE TWISTS! The main twist particularly floored me and sent me into a downward spiral of self-doubt, because HOW did the author play me like that?!
Some critiques: There seemed to be an overabundance of unnecessary details and repetition, there were so many loose ends that were never tied up, and the main character's choices were odd.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
♡ The beginning of this book is DARK. I struggled through it, but not because of the writing (I listened on audio and didn't notice the issues with writing style others have mentioned). I was completely immersed in the story from the first page, but the subject matter was very hard for me to get through. Check trigger warnings, for sure.
♡ The ending, while twisty and entertaining, felt a little too convenient and required a bit of suspension of disbelief. But I don't necessarily mind that. It was a fun, wild ride, and that's mostly what I need in a thriller, honestly!
♡ Audiobook peeps, you'll love this one! Multiple narrators, and I think they all nailed their parts!
This has been my favorite in the series so far! The plot, the character development and interactions, the twists and discoveries. So good.
I started listening on audio and I'm enjoying the series a lot more. The narrators are great and really bring the characters to life (except for Juliette's narrator mispronouncing a major character's name for a few chapters) Really happy with the switch!
I'm certain that I can't do this book justice. Sometimes as readers we are incredibly fortunate to read a book that we know will impact us for the rest of our lives. This is that book for me.
Somehow, this beautiful book about such deep, emotional, oftentimes dark subject matter remained fun and lighthearted, hopeful and inspiring, whimsical and beautiful, heartwarming and playful. Truly, this book was breathtaking for me.
I started reading books as a child, reading The Boxcar Children every night before bed, then eventually Nancy Drew. I loved reading but I wasn't in love with reading. Then I discovered The Phantom Tollbooth and it changed my reading life forever. I fell in love with reading thanks to that book, and The Wishing Game is the first book I've read since then that gives me those same feelings of whimsy, fun, magical reading.
V.E. Schwab's blurb on the cover says it perfectly: “Clever, dark, and hopeful. A love letter to reading and the power that childhood stories have over us long after we've grown up.”
I could go on and on about how wonderful this book is, but please just read it and find out for yourself.
At first, I didn't like where this one was going. It felt like the same old plot. “Woman day drinks and spies on the neighbors, chaos ensues, unreliable witness, yada yada” But something about it hooked me more than the others, and it definitely didn't end the way the others did, either!
There were quite a few plot twists that I didn't necessarily predict, but they weren't fully shocking. BUT there was one that absolutely floored me. I'm talking jaw on the floor, yelling “WTF!”
I had a great time with this one!
3.5 stars
“We break rules when we decide the cost of getting caught doesn't outweigh the reward of doing it.”
While the plot was clever enough and the ending really hooked me as all the ends started getting tied up, I'm not entirely sure it was worth such a long, and honestly boring, build-up. It was much too slow-paced for my liking when it comes to thrillers. There was a lot of character development in the first half of the book and very little actually happened. I didn't feel invested in the story until about 2/3 of the way through the book, which is way too late for my preference.
I loved that the house and the property it was on was its own character. The descriptions of it and the way everyone lived was very well-written, leaving me skeeved out and uncomfortable, just as the author intended. Come to find out, the house was based on the author's own experience in college. Super interesting!
Bonus points for Beatles references!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The most interesting character in this book was Minnie the Mini Cooper. The possessiveness of the MMC came off as red flaggy and the FMC was just kinda there. The hockey players acted like college players at best, rather than adult NHL players, and Silas was an unredeemable jerk. The female best friend was written to be overprotective but she was beyond extra.
There were enough sweet, spicy or funny moments to barely hold my interest, but it was a struggle.
4.5 rounded up to 5
“I've seen all the darkest parts of you and I'm still here. I still want more. Stop trying to scare me away. It isn't going to work.”
The hold that this series has on me.
Yet again, the characters, the banter, the SPICE is all absolutely immaculate. Please, may this series never end? These books blow me away. I'm starting to become nervous about finishing the series, because I just want so much more!
Sloane's character development from being a massive people pleaser to becoming more independent was so fun. I relate to her struggles on a deep level (don't most of us?) so watching her take those steps had me cheering her on.
What kept it from being 5 stars? Friends to lovers is tricky for me. When two characters already have an established friendship it can be hard to really be invested in their relationship. Jasper and Sloane are adorable together, but I didn't fall in love with them as individuals. Their personalities didn't shine for me.
I'll be picking up Reckless soon, I'm sure, because apparently I can't help myself. I've been trying to get through these slowly, not only to savor them, but also so that when I finish Reckless I don't have to agonizingly wait for Hopeless (coming October 13!) But I just keep coming back to Chestnut Springs. It's honestly out of my control at this point.
I'll be honest, I'm new to the world of dark romance, but I still feel like this is pretty light in comparison to what's out there. Callum and Aida are the true definition of enemies to lovers, seeing as they're actively trying to kill each other throughout the first half of the book. Sadly, I didn't find the progression to lovers to be very convincing. With how much they hated each other I think the book needed to spend more time in that transition phase. I spent much of the book just feeling “meh” about the characters and the storyline because it just seemed like something was missing.
Aida's fiery, rebellious attitude compared to Callum's icy, structured one was so fun, and one of the biggest redeeming factors about the book. The spice is frequent and detailed, but just like the rest of the book, sometimes it just felt like something was missing. There are also illustrated photos throughout the book, which at first was fun and exciting, but eventually it felt like it took away from my enjoyment of the story. The characters didn't match what I pictured in my head even a little bit and it really threw me off.
I think this was a fun read, and the plot and characters have a lot of potential. Unfortunately I think it suffers from mostly “telling” rather than “showing” and the character development falls short because of it. Not sure if I'll carry on with the series.
Brutal Prince was originally self-published, and was recently picked up by @read_bloom and republished on 7/25/23. Thank you to the publisher for my advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
What a delightful audiobook! Short and oh, so sweet! I loved The Unhoneymooners when I read it a couple of years ago, and I was so excited when I heard about this one.
This is an “audio only” audiobook with a full cast and tons of beautiful, immersive audio effects. This is also a book written for audio, so there are no filler words like “he said” or “she thought”. It really makes the whole thing feel like a movie or a play, especially with all the audio effects. The voice acting is hit or miss. Some characters (cough Olive cough) weren't great, but others (BRODY) were absolutely delightful. There were a few moments when I was irritated by narrators voicing other characters' parts. It's a full cast, I don't see any reason why characters shouldn't be voicing their own parts. It threw me off every time.
As for the story, I thought it was adorable and so much fun. Brody himself makes me want to rate the book 5 stars alone. He was such a great character. Silly, confident, easy-going... He's the perfect match for type-A, uptight Ami and really helped her come out of her shell. I loved every moment of their relationship.
This was such a fun listen, and even though I don't listen to many audiobooks, I jumped on this one as soon as I could. I love the entire concept, and I hope many more books are released this way in the future!
I'm so glad I continued this series! Flawless didn't wow me and I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue the series. Enter Heartless. Wow. Easily my favorite read of the month so far, and a contender for favorite of the year. Willa alone carried this book. Her personality is soooo good. But when you add Luke and Daddy Cade to the mix it makes for a PERFECT combination.
Side note: I've never sobbed during a spicy scene until this book.
4.5 stars rounded up
My first Ali Hazelwood definitely didn't disappoint! I know this one is very different from her others, but I really enjoyed her writing and her character development. I will absolutely be checking out others by her soon!
As someone who doesn't care one iota about chess, it's amazing how invested into this storyline I became! Yes, there were definitely some things that I didn't understand, but it didn't take away anything from the story and my enjoyment of it. It's very approachable, even if you don't know anything about the game of chess.
I absolutely ADORED the romance. It felt natural and realistic. Although the FMC was really irritating to me at times, the MMC made up for it tenfold. Plus, I'm a fan of books that keep their characters realistic, flaws and all.
Things that kept it from being 5-stars for me:
There were Way. Too. Many. Pop culture references. Normally just one is too many for me, but this completely went overboard. There were honestly dozens.
There was also a bit of disappointment for me in the end of the book. Throughout the whole story there is an intense buildup to a particular event. Sadly, that particular event never happened and it felt like a huge letdown.
Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was a rough one. Up until the last couple of chapters, I honestly didn't know whether or not I'd continue the series after this one. The cliffhanger piqued my interest, and I'll most likely continue, but I need a break.
Each book feels like Juliette goes back and forth between “I'm a worthless little girl, I feel sorry for myself” and “I'm a badass and I'm going to take over the world” and I'm tired of it. I want the momentum to keep rolling please and thank you.
What can be said about this book that hasn't already been said?
Yes, it's worth the hype. Yes, the book ends on a massive cliffhanger, making November 7th feel like forever away. Yes, it can leave you in a massive book slump afterwards because nothing else seems to compare.
Such an incredible book. Easily a new favorite, and honestly, I have been crawling through my next book because it just doesn't give me the same feelings this one did. RIP to all the books that everyone reads directly after Fourth Wing.
Oh, what a fun read! I enjoyed every second of this story. Small Town Romance is truly my favorite trope, and this book does it so well. Alexis doesn't spend all of her time in this particular small town, she travels back and forth between her Minneapolis suburb and Wakan. However, every time she escapes her hectic, stressful life to visit Wakan, it actually makes the small town feel even more idyllic and peaceful in contrast. Then we get the adorable animals (baby goat in pajamas, adorably sweet but derpy dog, and a town mascot pig), a sweet bed and breakfast, and townsfolk who would do anything for each other and the combination is Small Town Romance perfection. The focus on abuse, while hard to read, is so important. This book highlights that abuse isn't always physical–it can be emotional, too–and most of the time people don't even know it's happening to them. And it's never EVER the victim's fault.Daniel and Alexis's journey throughout this book is incredibly enjoyable to read about, and easily will be one of my favorite reads of the year. I can't wait to read about Bri in [b:Yours Truly 61918816 Yours Truly (Part of Your World, #2) Abby Jimenez https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660857282l/61918816.SY75.jpg 97609486]Bonus: there are a TON of fun Disney fairy tale references all throughout this book. I can see myself re-reading at some point just to spot them all!Quick Plot Summary: Alexis is an ER doctor whose family legacy is suffocating her. No matter what she does it never seems to be enough for her parents. On her way home from a funeral she finds herself swerving to avoid a raccoon in the road and ends up in a ditch, only to be rescued by a kind, handsome man named Daniel, who happens to have a baby goat in pajamas. They strike up a relationship, but Alexis quickly realizes that the relationship was doomed to fail from the beginning. Daniel's world and her world don't mix. Her parents would not only not approve, they would likely disown her for bringing a man like him into their world. Determined to carry on the family legacy, but also unwilling to break things off with Daniel–as well as the wonderful small town he lives in–Alexis is struggling to find a solution.
It took me a long time to decide whether or not to rate this 3.5 or 4 stars. I eventually settled on 3.75 because life is hard, and I don't have time for these kind of decisions, ok?
The plot is extremely well thought out, and there are some cRaZy plot twists that I promise you will not see coming. It was all really exciting when those plot twists happened and pieces started falling into place. The rest of the book, however, felt incredibly slow. I normally fly through thrillers, but this one I think suffered from being too well thought out. My brain had to work hard to keep up with all the twists and turns and info being thrown at me. That mixed with the UK setting and dialogue made it hard for me to easily comprehend what I was reading a lot of times. (I fully accept that the issue with the UK setting and dialogue is my own personal issue and nothing against the author).
There were three parent/child relationships that took center stage, and it was fascinating how each relationship had their own unique qualities that set them apart from the others, as well as their own flaws. But it was very clear how much love each parent had for their child, and I appreciated the flaws because it made them feel all the more authentic.
Overall, I enjoyed this one, I just wish the pace was a little quicker in order to suck me in a bit more. I still very much recommend this to anyone that enjoyed a very twisty thriller that will leave you shocked more than once.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Oraya is a human in a world full of vampires, living in a constant state of fear. She has entered herself in the Kejari, a once-per-century tournament to the death where the victor is granted one wish by Nyaxia, the Mother of Vampires. Her hope is that winning the Kejari would be her path to becoming just as powerful, if not moreso, as the predators she is surrounded by in order to bring justice to the world that has been so cruel to her.
This book is an incredibly plot-heavy journey, and the characters are well-developed and deep enough to support all the action and chaos dripping from these pages.
The romance is an intense but verrrry slowwwww burn that is so satisfying. As in any great romantic fantasy, the stakes couldn't be higher, and the relationship between Oraya and the MMC is against all odds and deeply intense.
I enjoyed every moment of this book and I can't wait for the next book in the series. Highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys this genre, though I wouldn't consider it a good starting point for anyone not used to fantasy. It's heavy in plot and world-building. As long as that is something you're comfortable with, don't hesitate on this one. It's worth the hype!
It's incredible to see Juliette's continued character development, even down to the writing style changes to better suit her personality. I found a lot of the conflict in this book became repetitive and made the story drag on when characters were fighting about the same thing over and over again. I'm still eager to carry on with the series, though!
It took me about 1/4 of the book to finally get into it, but once I did I couldn't put it down! Juliette's character development in this book is stunning. She's finally learning how to be a real human in her messed up world after so much time being unable to, and it's really powerful! I feel like I've finally gained a lot of steam in this series. I'm eager to keep going and find out what happens.
“It seems to me, Annie, that you are just waiting for someone to give you permission to be yourself out loud.”
4.5 stars
I had so much fun going back to Rome, Kentucky! The townsfolk are just as meddling as ever (maybe more so?!) and the vibes are just as perfect!
Annie is a character that I heavily relate to, so this book is really close to my heart. Her experience with social anxiety and also her need to come off as the “good girl” to keep the peace really hit home for me. I also love Will's character, and his relationship with Annie. (YAY for no miscommunication... These two know how to talk and be honest with one another!)
There were quite a few scenes that had me CACKLING (The Little League scene will live forever in my head) and honestly I just felt giddy every time I picked up this book.
Often times with a series that focuses on different characters/couples in each book, I find things can be a little awkward when the previous characters show up in later books. Their personalities might seem different, or their interactions with other characters, etc. But I found that Noah and Amelia felt like the same Noah and Amelia that I fell in love with in When In Rome, and their exposure in this book felt like a really good balance between keeping up with their relationship, and yet keeping the main focus on Annie and Will.
There were just a few moments in the book where I found my mind wandering, when there was a bit too much “tell” and not enough “show”. We get a lot of pages of Annie and Will describing/processing their thoughts and feelings about one another and that tends to lose me in any book. Otherwise, this was an amazing read, and possibly one of my favorites of the year!
I'm in love with the characters in this series, and I can't wait to keep coming back to Rome, Kentucky!
If you've picked this up, I'd love to know your thoughts! If you haven't, I definitely recommend it. I highly suggest reading When In Rome first, but this can be read as a standalone.
3.5 stars, rounded down
I started with the audiobook, and then 2/3 of the way through I switched to my Kindle. Something about listening to people read steamy scenes just isn't for me LOL.
I really enjoyed the concept of this one, but I couldn't find it in me to really care about Rowan. In fact, I thought he was an asshole who never fully redeemed himself. But I loved Zahra with all my heart.
The spice was done well, but there were a few scenes that I felt were unnecessary, or where I felt Zahra didn't take red flags seriously.
Looking forward to the rest of the series, I've heard it gets better after this one.
As someone who doesn't normally love mid-series novellas, this was surprisingly good. It's eye-opening to see Warner's perspective, and gives the needed context to his personality and behavior. I can see the potential of his character, but I still haven't come around yet. His past isn't enough to excuse his behavior. Interested to see where the series goes even more now after this novella after the last page hints toward something really epic possibly coming later on.
This is straight up PERFECTION.
I haven't loved Emily Henry's previous books, I will admit. I've never understood the hype they get. This one? I GET IT. Her writing is exceptionally better, and by that I mean... It's one of the most well written books I've read in a very long time. Within the first 20 pages I knew this was going to be a 5-star read, and now I'm pretty sure it's going to be my favorite book of 2023, and easily a top-5 favorite of all time.
The characters, the settings, the writing, the banter, the character development... It's all done flawlessly.