Laura
3.5? 3.75?
i had high hopes for this one after having loved evelyn hugo/daisy jones/malibu rising but i guess i just don't vibe enough with tennis to get fully invested and, as an argentinian, i didn't love the way tjr wrote in spanish but points for trying i guess? because it's not every day i read about a character of argentinian descent in american media. all in all, i still find this world tjr has created comforting to come back to and i hope she keeps writing about it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!
Black Mouth is the story of Jamie Warren who, due to unforeseen circumstances, must return to his hometown to reunite with his estranged brother and old friends. Together, they are forced to confront the traumatic events they've been running from. And the Magician.
This was my first time reading a Ronald Malfi book and the concept of this was really interesting to me. I do love stories about adults having to face off against the monsters from their youth, but unfortunately this book didn't really grab me. There were some moments that were kind of creepy, but I feel like it didn't really add anything new to the genre.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? is a memoir in which the author tells us about his mother's death when he was a young boy and growing up as one of eleven! siblings raised by a single father. Memoirs are tricky to review due to the fact they're so deeply personal (and even more so when they discuss grief), but I really enjoyed the way in which Séamas O'Reilly told his story here. It was dry and sometimes hilarious and painted a great picture on who his family is. I read it in one sitting!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Black Tide introduces us to Beth, a self professed human car wreck with strong mommy issues, who's hustling as a housekeeper. It is during one of these house-sitting/dog-sitting jobs that she meets Mike, the depressed producer next door and their need for human connection draws them closer the night a “meteor” shower falls from the sky.
From then on, Jones spins a tale of cosmic horror that's both reminiscent of Stephen King's Cujo and The Mist that feels claustrophobic and helpless, even frustrasting at times, but I was really invested in the characters (Jake joins the gallery of best fictional dogs of all time, honestly) with the lulls in the story providing for some good insight from the protagonists- I was pretty hooked from beginning to end, and sci-fi and horror elements were quite good.
There's a certain moment that made me scratch my head towards the end which is why I'm giving this four stars but overall, this is a pretty good little horror book.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an arc of this book. A Familiar Stranger follows the story of Lilian, a ´boring´ and ‘average' wife and mother who writes obituaries for a living and invents a more reckless and free persona when she meets David and thus, lies start to pile up on top of one another. This was my first A.R. Torre book so I wasn't quite sure what to expect going in. I think the first half did a decent enough job to establish who the characters were but whether it was intentional or not, I couldn't find most of them to be people worth rooting for. And I also have some hang-ups on how this book handles the protagonist's mental health. Still, though, I found myself staying up all night reading through a good chunk of this, waiting to see what would happen next. The second half of this book was... all over the place, in my opinion. I did guess some of the twists despite this book taking a certain turn at one point, and ultimately I found the resolution to be a little rushed and not completely satisfactory.
2.5 I think?
I have such conflicting feelings on this book because on one hand it was almost compulsively readable for me despite its length, it was pretty fun at times. It was alright. But on the other hand, I never got the sense of a slowburn or even the angst and longing between the main characters despite its length. There were other problems I had with it, especially with the dialogue and characterization (or lack of thereof) but I didn't hate the way I do a certain similar book so I guess it's got that going.
I know I probably did this a disservice by reading it so soon after Lore Olympus, but oh my god, I hated.it. I hated everything about this. I could overlook the lack of plot if it wasn't because I found the characterization to be pretty mediocre and the steam was cringe-worthy. Honestly, the connection between Hades and Persephone simply wasn't there for me to actually, you know, feel it?
I'm giving this book 3 stars because it was a quick read and one that I could engage with. I appreciated some of the sweet fluffy moments and the steam but ?? I guess I'm not really a romance book girl but I wasn't fully sold on how fast they fell for each other and honestly, some of the dialogue made me cringe so hard. Althought there was some nice groundwork laid with Piper's sister so I'm interested in reading the upcoming book focused on her!
A fast, thrilling read. I was pretty engaged all the way through and quickly got attached to the main character. The experience of reading it was made even better by listening to it on audio, which consisted of a full cast. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a fast-paced, entertaining mystery.
