I really enjoyed the reading experience of this book and where it went. I re-emphasized to me how much I enjoy this type of book. My only real complaint, is that I never fully felt bonded with the characters. So I am withholding five stars for now, but I think story as a whole as a lot of potential.
I have found. I have found a creepy house book worthy of a throne. I loved the concept and the twist. I also liked that the house architecture was relevant. Too often authors spend multiple paragraphs describing the house and it's barely relevant. This felt like horror combined with an adult fairytale and I loved it. Gives author quiet hi-five.
This book had a interesting villain concept and characters I enjoyed. The killer was genuinely disturbing and there is no way I could watch a movie adaptation, it would be too disturbing. My main 2 complaints that prevent from reaching five stars are A) Too many view points, especially in the first 1/4 of the book and B) An excessive amount of call backs to the previous book.
This story was decent but somehow it just lacked some punch. I think I would have enjoyed it more, if I hadn't other similar books I enjoyed more in the last few months. Malice House and the Hollow Places fit a similar niche and did it better. If there being a child focus improves a book for you, you may enjoy this book more than me. I didn't hate the kid, he was one the few unique things about this book compared to some I've read in this subgenre. Most creepy house books seems to feature adult women who are single and don't have kids.
This book started out decent, but really bobbled the ending. It kinda felt like the author wasn't sure which twist/ betrayal she wanted to go with, so just combined a few. The prose style was fairly smooth and I enjoyed the culty vibes. It just doesn't feel like a proper cult by the end. More like a mini-conspiracy.
A book where having 2 timelines isn't incredibly annoying. I think it made the book a little bit fatter than it needed to be, but overall a goodread. I enjoyed Courtland's first days under Hightower's command and how he handled being on a team. The end was tied in a very bow, as well. My main complaint aside from length, is I wasn't super feeling the romance. I liked both characters, I'm not into Greaney's romance writing skills.
Well then.
This book could have been 5 stars if it was written rather differently. The concept is cool and there were moments that I was going “what next, what next” But the duel timeline just didn't work in some ways. And the end almost felt like it had too many twists. The book went SUPER INTENSE slow slow SUPER INTENSE sloooow and then TWIST UPON TWIST. Basically, I wanted the story but felt like the story was hidden from me, in favor of marital melodrama. I don't regret reading and I wouldn't mind reading something else by the author. But I'm not sure that re-read this one.
This book had a lot of potential and is a solid 3.5 for me. I have a feeling the sequels will improve would her higher rankings from me. The worldbuilding was fun and a I liked the way social strata was handled. The bravi were one of my favorite parts. I also appreciated the way women were treated for the most part. Clothing etc. was described but it never felt gross.
Things done well:
-worldbuilding
-relationships, though sometimes it felt like too much tell and not enough show
-The magic system has potential and feels more unique than some I've seen recently.
- The MC struggles and the first thing he tries doesn't always work. Yay troubleshooting!
Things that got a meh:
-The cast size combined with some people having multiple names was hard for me because I am bad with names.
-Certain world building things got repeated too much. I know, the characters know. Please chill
-The MC got mighty close to chosen one territory, which I do not enjoy
Overall: a decent book that doesn't feel like a retread. There are far worse things my father could have checked out from the library.
I can easily see this being a five star for some folks. There were some parts I really enjoyed, like the very start of the maze. Things like the corn jennies and letting each continent/ area have their seasonal personifications (like Australia). I just wasn't invested enough, I guess? I plan to keep reading the series, it's just not my favorite by this author.
This one is weird one for me. There was 50% I enjoyed: the gift buying, the real estate shopping, and the personal growth. I also liked Marnie's friends but they weren't fully on the page enough for me to get properly attached. I even enjoyed the affair partner getting to be the POV. Also the secret daughter. I think she was handled rather well.
And then there was the romance element, which is obviously very important because it's a romance novel. And I think this book suffered from splitting itself between two romances that were occurring in 2 different generations. The younger set felt slightly rushed and I was ever able to get fully yay invested. The older set felt smoother but I have really hard time cheering for taking a cheater back. The explanation and build up were done rather well, I just didn't have it in me to cheer them on.
This book raised some interesting questions and did some semi-decent societal change worldbuilding. The prose was also very readable, which my poor tired brain rather appreciated.
Unfortunately, the story left something to be desired. Almost none of the narrators were likable which left me no one too root for. It also felt like every competing plot took long to pay off because too many stories were competing. In addition, I find it vaguely uncomfy /weird that a book so focused on gender completely ignores the queer community. How do gay dudes stay employed etc? Are they all just working from home since commuting is dangerous? Are transgender people just banned from transitioning? Also, are activities like plays and concerts just not a thing anymore? Usually those sort things aren't even halfway done at 7pm. If these were even remotely answered in the book, it was too subtle for me to notice.
That was certainly a book. A lot of other reviewers cover most of the bases so I'll keep this short. It kinda feels the author came a with a title and a general idea ( They got to weddings AND a funeral like that one famous romcom. ) but then couldn't figure how to move the pieces around? The supposed central relationship just feels like arguments + sexy times with very little growth or momentum. And then the ending is one step removed from “ It was all a dream.” If you are a completionist or really enjoy the side characters of this series like Luc's mom, go ahead and read this book. If you want to read this book for Luc and Oliver, re-read boyfriend material or skim. I'm not necessarily angry with this book, just disappointed.
Another one that I read for book club. I enjoyed the artistic choices and how difficult conversations and topics were handled. The town the story was told in felt very real. I think it could have used a little more polishing. As one the people in book club pointed out, it would be nice to see more of the time between the past we flash back to and the present.- ex) why is everyone in town so forgiving of the disgraced hockey player. Is there more to the story beyond his fame in the past.

This book wasn't perfect, but it certainly made me giggle. Also, I always appreciate when people experience consequences for their actions. My one major complaint is the explanation for how the fake letter from affair chick got published. It just felt over complicated and like maybe the plot was was originally more fleshed out but got edited out? It felt like a b-plot that got deleted but conclusion stayed.
I will fully admit this book is kinda dumb and requires a certain level of suspension of disbelief. But man, is it fun. I enjoyed the flashbacks that slowly give you insight into the friend group the story focuses on. Also the “evil plan” at the center is just the right amount of dumb. So, if you want some murder and like flashbacks, this is the book for you. The pay off at the end was amusing and I only had one main complaint. how did he not feel the nut?? It was a squishy cheese cube.
I read this for an online book club. While I am glad I tried something different, this didn't fully hit the mark for me. Some many panels were truly beautiful or shocking, while others were just confusing. Some of the cast were difficult to tell apart with the strange lighting choices. And the antagonist has a very stupid plan. That being said, I enjoyed to story and I thought dealt well with themes of family and corruption. I liked the twists and there several characters I would be interested in following if I could follow only them.