alyssa
[4.4~4.5] you couldn't get a better introduction to these characters than this. the mcs don't even know of each other's existence yet, and their banter hasn't had the opportunity to grace us with its presence, but let me tell you: they each possess this enticing allure that's bound to snatch a piece of your heart before you can blink for help.
and being in the know of their goings-on in the not-so-distant future? oh boy is a cosmic explosion just waiting to happen
Alexis Hall's writing in isolation is absolutely charming and banterrific, and i can thoroughly relate to Paris on the anxiety front—when it gets bad, the catastrophizing and overthinking and general sense of panic lining every action, thought, vocalized word is amped right up to the line that marks the frying of your own internal wiring. and yet, my empathy can only go so far when he's not the most likable lad in general. i was particularly peeved by how dismissive of Tariq's beliefs he came across, as well as his whole worry about being antisemitic, which was wholly unnecessary.
the romcom feels i was vibing with from the cover was another act of cue dramatics ultimate deception faints
if the romance aspect had to be put on the back burner for more emphasis on the mental health rep, that's totally fine with me, but at least sell me on the couple so i can believe they're a forever pairing and not one that may last another week if they're lucky
✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: 2023 Thuggie Rereadathon :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧thank you to my favorite Wahredua Wildcat Wild Readers for embarking on a TFQ (Take 2) journey with me before [b:The Girl in the Wind 181475378 The Girl in the Wind (Iron on Iron #2) Gregory Ashe https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1688349889l/181475378.SY75.jpg 186295151]'s release! our love for Thuggie is ✨infinite✨————the gates have opened; this collection is officially out now!!
[2.5] i'm not having the best of luck lately, and i'm starting to think it's just me. the writing is gorgeous and atmospheric, but i couldn't connect with the characters or get behind the supposed mate bond linking them with most of their interactions being either physical or superficial. Lindsay as the sole pov character was also 80% “Drew smells so good” and stalkery
***please make sure to read [b:A Surplus of Light 50632410 A Surplus of Light Chase Connor https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579770652l/50632410.SX50.jpg 65116393] before jumping into this!***I suppose that is what we're moving toward in life—becoming a piece of the hazy collective memory of the people who knew us least and haunting the memories of those who can't forget us.Like memories of past summers in the creek.[4.4~4.5, rating in conjunction with the short story at the end of the book] a month since Ian and Mike have left Podunk, Texas, the creek has gone dry, and two boys standing on opposite sides of the dried creek bed lay eyes on each other.this is the story of Kevin and Carson's very own summer.there's something about the way Chase Connor establishes a sense of place in his books that draws me right in. the blazing heat of a nasty drought, the whispering and nodding of townspeople, the buzzing of hundreds of bees. it's been a while since i read A Surplus of Light, but once again i felt like i knew this small town, with its limited selection of stores and slew of backward-thinking residents, like the back of my hand. i would like nothing more than to sit down with Wallace Lee in his backyard and contemplate what the world has to offer.i wish i could write more, but i still haven't packed for my trip, so i'll leave you with a few of my thoughts on that ending. the last few pages were far from what i envisioned for the two of them, but even in their ambiguity, or rather my initial reluctance to accept their implication at face value, rereading the short story “A Species of Special Concern” immediately after had coated on the sugar to a decent afterglow. hopeful and lonely no more, that's enough to keep my greed at bay (for now, though more short stories and the like are always welcome
[4.5] i basically got zero sleep last night to read this, so excuse my singular exhausted braincell if this review is incoherent. i refuse to say anything about the case because so much happens and you just have to buckle your seatbelt for the ride, but finally can they close the curtain on the 30-year-old disappearance case that's ravenously eaten at Quaid and his father all these years.
it's funny how my plan to distract myself from the aftermath of The Mortal Sleep both succeeded and backfired, since yes, i was preoccupied with a raw & convoluted mystery but my heart didn't get much of a chance to heal with the brand-new wounds. silly of me to trust an author who basically read Gregory Ashe's entire backlog in a year
the story took a little fumbling to draw me in, but once i made it past the first 10%, i was invested.
software engineer (Corin) x tattoo artist (Adam), an unconventional pairing but smashingly refreshing. what i liked most was that this was more than just a romance - it delved into each character's trauma with tantalizingly slow unraveling (the pacing of which worked sometimes and not others) and mesmerizing writing against the atmospheric Glastonbury backdrop.
this book is my first encounter with prosopagnosia (aka face blindness) in any medium, and Corin's experience had me reeling at the sheer dread of not being able to recognize family members or even yourself without relying on other identifiers, like voices or tattoos.
while the blurb hints at ghostly, supernatural notes, i found that it centered more around manifestations of grief and guilt, but they were still equally eerie in their own right. an ethereal, twisty ride with side characters boasting heaps of personality (i kid you not, they outshone Adam for a spell
[4.75] nothing like getting ostracized by coworkers, feeling overworked on both professional and private fronts, and realizing that the cold cases on hand aren't as cold as initially believed. there is no rest for these two when they are pulled into their next task of capturing a serial killer.
i have nothing more to say besides READ