Letty

I'd like to thank Random House and Netgalley for giving me an ARC of Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella. I am finally getting around to writing a review of this book. I loved this book. It is filled with notes of redemption, grief, self-doubt, and healing. The main character, Cady is realistic and resilient, and I enjoyed her growth throughout the book.

I loved the writing style. The writing was atmospheric and descriptive, and it was interesting reading about the old haunts around the Harvard campus. Everything tied up nicely at the end, and there were a few twists that I honestly didn't expect.

Overall I found Ghosts of Harvard to be a refreshing and enjoyable read.

Goodness this book made me angry. I feel like it hit every tired trope–a creepy house, a creepy island, a creepy goth niece, an unreliable narrator, a supposedly shocking twist. If I hadn't read this book on my kindle I would have punt it out the window. I mean, I really wouldn't have done that either because I respect books too much, but I would have figuratively punt it out the window.

Atmospheric and creepy, with a whopper of an ending.

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for this ARC

Admission by Julie Buxbaum is about Chloe Berringer. She has a charmed life, her mother is a television star, she is at an excellent school, and she was accepted into her dream college, SCC (a stand in for USC). That all falls apart when she opens her front door to find the FBI standing on her front porch ready to arrest her mother. It turns out her mother is of a college bribery scandal.

This book is very timely and ripped from the headlines. It casts a sympathetic eye towards the characters, but doesn't excuse them from their actions. I appreciate that Buxbaum gave the perspective of the child who had their life ruined by their parents' actions. Chloe had to question whether her parents thought she was stupid or less than or couldn't make it into college herself. Additionally, the side characters were interesting, particularly Chloe's best friend, Shola and her sister, Isla.

This book will surely be a popular checkout for teens and curious adults.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was like nothing else I've read this year. Set in 1950's Mexico, socialite main character, Noemí Taboada is sent by her father to High Place after receiving a letter from her recently married cousin, Catalina. The letter is urgent and odd, and Noemi is sent to check on her cousin's mental state.

High Place is a secluded, crumbling estate high in the hills on the outskirts of a small village. Catalina is nearly catatonic and suffering from tuberculosis. Her husband's family is controlling and demands silence at dinner and is ruled over a geriatric, rotting patriarch. It becomes clear that her cousin has changed since her marriage. Catalina's husband, Virgil, and his family fight to keep Noemí bringing in a doctor from the village or taking taking tinctures from a local medicine woman. What are they hiding from Noemi?

This book is very atmospheric and descriptive. I could vividly see the decrepit manor and the creeping mold in my mind. The last half of the book ended up taking a direction I was completely unprepared for and it will set it apart from other books in the genre. Noemi is a strong and compelling character. I loved the descriptions of the Noemi's outfits and her fiery and flirty attitude. Full discretion, my late grandmother's name is Noemi, so I couldn't help but be endeared by seeing the name. The cover of this book is gorgeous and will pop on any display. I haven't read any other work by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but I truly look forward to reading more of her work.

Thank you to Random House Publishing- Ballantine Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the ARC

Rodham is informative, engaging, and left me feeling wistful for what might have been. Sittenfeld deftly weaved history with fiction and gave an interesting perspective of the issues assertive and intelligent women vying for respect in the public eye face.

I've always enjoyed Sittenfeld's writing and this book was no exception. Admittedly I was a little caught off guard by Bill and Hillary's sex scenes early on in book. I just never thought I would read a vivid description of Bill and Hillary doing it. I didn't find the sex scenes gratuitous, but instead necessary to capture the halcyon days of an early deep relationship. Overall I highly recommend this book. It isn't perfect but ripe for discussion.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Shuster for providing an ARC of I killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick for an honest review.

I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick was a quick and enjoyable read. It may be because I am so entrenched in the genre, that this book didn't impress me as it did some other reviewers. It has been compared to Sadie, and while Sadie is a superior book, the Missing Zoe podcast excerpts transcribed in the book were my favorite part.

The story follows Anna as she takes a nannying job in the Hamptons, and tries to shed her former party girl life. Soon after she arrives in the Hamptons it is revealed that Anna strongly resembles Zoe, a girl that has been missing for several months. As Anna spends time in the Hamptons she finds herself oddly connected to Zoe. The story is told in THEN/NOW timelines, and slowly the mystery of what happened to Zoe is reveaed. The beginning of the book shows us Anna confessing to Zoe's death, but her confession is full of holes and her story is muddled. Honestly, I was mildly confused by the ending and am still not entirely sure what happened. Other than the HUH ending, that tried to tie up too many loose ends, the writing was compelling and the descriptions of the Hamptons were interesting and lush.

I feel like I've been in a bit of a rut lately. The majority of the books I've read lately have been about missing women/girls and murder and amateur sleuths. I am a bit tired of it. Well The Sundown Motel also has all of the above, but with the addition of GHOSTS. Combined with sharp writing, a compelling, creepy setting, and strong characters The Sundown Motel manages to stand out from the pack.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos. I have very mixed feelings on this book. I enjoyed the story line and the main character, Caroline, is a realistic flawed teen heroine. I admire her determination and tenacity in the face of numerous problems. I will always stan a strong lgbtq character. The supporting characters are fine, the parental figures are atrocious.

Over all book was a slow burn, it really took a while for things to get moving, and once they did I can't honestly say I was all that invested. The alternating chapters were mildly confusing and then the ending just seemed a little too pat.

The Wayside series was a childhood favorite and I have had a great time revisiting them and seeing my son experience the books for the first time. We were both thrilled when we found out there was a new one. Even though it has been 25 years since the last Wayside book, this one doesn't skip a beat. We get to hangout with our all old friends—Mrs. Jewls, Maurecia, the Erics, Rondi, and Bebe and all the rest. There is a wonderful lesson about being a good friend and everyone in the 30th classroom is wonderfully supportive of one another. Sachar unique sense of humor hasn't changed. Reading this book was like curling up for a nap with a warm blanket. My son and I hope there is another one! We want to give a big thank you to Louis the Yard Teacher. :)

I just tried to read this book and when I opened it on my kindle it said it was 100% complete. According to my goodreads, which I have for this exact reason, I read it over 4 years ago. I have absolutely no memory of anything that happened in this book. Should I read it again?

I really didn't care for this book. It made me feel dirty, which is odd since I've read much sleazier and violent books, but this one left a gross film across my teeth. 1.5 stars.

This was an odd little book. I wasn't put off by the format but I thought the whole story was missing SOMETHING. I loved the descriptions of the different creatures on the road, but I wanted more. Plus the origin of the road was muddled at best. This book wasn't scary in the least. In addition, there were too many characters, and I honestly didn't care about any of them. Several of the characters had no reason to be there at all, they existed only to be dispensable. Everyone was dispensable, if every single character had died, I would've been like “Oh well.” and tossed my kindle aside. I think all in all this book wasn't exactly what I expected and I couldn't shake that feeling the whole way through, thus dampening my enjoyment. 2.5 stars.

Letty was murdered in the bedroom with boredom by the author.

This is the fourth book of Vega's that I have read and I have been consistently underwhelmed EVERY SINGLE TIME. Yet, I continue to read her work. Maybe I am the one that is possessed by a demon that loves middling horror novels. I read this book in one sitting and will probably do the same with Merciless III. May the gods have mercy on my soul.

I am baffled and mildly peeved at how such eloquent and beautiful writing could end up being so dull.

This is an odd little book. Well written but difficult to slog through. Unrealistic dialogue, but that adds to the charm. I don't know. My feelings on this book all over the place, I look like a confused dog right now.

I am not one for long reviews , but damn this was so disappointing. I feel like I was really looking forward to it, and the premise had so much potential but it was underwhelming as heck, and that ending ppppppptttth

I read this entire book and still have no clue what it was about. This displeases me greatly.

Two separate people cartwheeled off a cliff in this book. It actually says the words, “a perfect cartwheel to his death.” I think that is all one needs to know about this book.

I found it slightly reminiscent of a Raold Dahl book, very clever, for youngsters with discerning taste. I recommend it for kids and adults looking for a quick read.

Thank you to Net Galley and Delacorte Press for the ARC!

Influence is a book by mega author Sara Shepard and 16 year old real influencer, Lilia Buckingham. This book is similar to Shepard's other works in that it is told through multiple perspectives. There is Delilah an up and coming influencer that just moved to LA, Fiona Jacobs an influencer that suffers from OCD, Jasmine Walters-Diaz, a child star desperate to break free, and Scarlet Leigh, the influencer with the perfect life, that may not be so perfect behind the scenes.

The book follows Delilah as she befriends the other influencers, attends events, and quickly becomes embroiled in drama. Being that it is a Shepard book, of course someone ends up dead and we don't know whodunit. This was a quick read and the glimpse into the rigors of being an influencer was interesting. It is important for teens to see that social media fame isn't always as beautiful as it looks.

As much as I wanted to like this book, I unfortunately did not. At over 600 pages, it really dragged and I can't say that any of the characters were particularly likeable. Was it beautifully Sapphic, yes. Was it a horror book? NO. There were a few moments of foreboding but it all fizzled out at the end. I am proud of myself for pushing through this slog of a novel.