I'm not sure what deal with the devil Abby Jimenez, made but her last three books have all been amazing!! Also this book is the epitome of "If he wantI'm not sure what deal with the devil Abby Jimenez, made but her last three books have all been amazing!! Also this book is the epitome of "If he wanted to, he would".
Justin and Emma both suffer from the same curse: every person they date finds their soulmate after they've broken up with them. So Emma and Justin come up with a great idea, the two should date each other, and when they break up both of them will find their soulmates. But life has more in stock for them and soon Justin and Emma realize there's more to this relationship than a deadline.
Abby Jimenez has become one of those authors I get really excited about with every new release. And it's funny, because I hated The Friend Zone and almost never read another book by her again until a friend (thank you, Christy!) promised me I'd love Part of Your World, and she was right! Abby packs such an emotional punch in her books peppered with her own unique sense of humor. I was laying in bed listening to the last 90 minutes of this book because I couldn't wait until the next day on my commute to find out what happened.
And for those who want to know, Nadia cakes mention count in the spoiler tag (view spoiler)[ She only mentions it once in the first 15% and then never again! Those of you who hate this are spared! (hide spoiler)]...more
Probably my least favorite of Simone St. James that I've read, but not terrible! Taking place in the 90's, a newlywed couple pick up a hitch-hiker on Probably my least favorite of Simone St. James that I've read, but not terrible! Taking place in the 90's, a newlywed couple pick up a hitch-hiker on a secluded highway. But soon they realize the girl they've picked up is dying, and a truck is in pursuit of them. After the girl perishes at the hospital, the couple are the number one suspects for her murder.
Sun-Down Motel and The Broken Girls are some of my favorite books ever, so Murder Road had a lot to live up to and it didn't quite reach. I found I didn't care about the mystery of it all or most of the characters in this book which is really a shame. Even the twists and turns seemed really out there and yet... boring at the same time. I mostly enjoyed this book hence three stars, but this was the weakest of this author's books I've read so far and it was quite the disappointment as a fan of hers....more
I really mean it when I say the truth is stranger than fiction. I'm not kidding, if the the story in this book came out as a fictional novel I can alrI really mean it when I say the truth is stranger than fiction. I'm not kidding, if the the story in this book came out as a fictional novel I can already see all the reviews saying how ridiculous and made up it all sounded. Except it's real, this bonkers story is real.
Empire of Pain chronicles three generations of the Sackler family who own Purdue pharma and the creators of the highly addictive opioid OxyContin. The story begins in the early 1900's when Isaac Sackler immigrated to America, and then follows his son and his grandson who inherited the Purdue Empire.
The first half of this book, while I knew less about it, wasn't as interesting to me. It's an important part of the story but I was more interested in closer to modern day events. The second half of the book details the creation and marketing of OxyContin and the toll and destruction it had on America. What Purdue and the Sackler's did was truly evil and their response and lack of accountability is insane.
This was a great comprehensive history of the rise and fall of the Sackler Dynasty. It wasn't as riveting as I expected hence 4 stars and not 5, but I'm still glad I read it....more
Bone Canyon is book 2 in the Eve Ronin series but can be read as a standalone novel. After a wildfire scorches the Santa Monica mountains, it 4 stars
Bone Canyon is book 2 in the Eve Ronin series but can be read as a standalone novel. After a wildfire scorches the Santa Monica mountains, it uncovers bones of a woman who disappeared years ago. Homicide detective Eve Ronin is called in to investigate.
I read book 1 years ago and enjoyed it but didn't remember much when I started this book. Even not remembering much Goldberg wrote the story in a way that made it easy to remember. I like Eve as a heroine, she's a tough cop but one that just wants to bring justice for her victims. This work ethic leads her to be not very well liked by her fellow cops, but she isn't here to be liked. She's here to do a job. Very well done police procedural mystery; I would be willing to read the rest of the series at some point.
Also! One of the best parts of this book is how correctly the author portrays the setting. I worked in the area for almost 5 years and could easily follow where the characters were going and nothing was factually incorrect in that regard....more
Wildfire is about Aurora and Russ who had a one night stand with each other at a party, only to discover the nOkay this one was actually pretty good.
Wildfire is about Aurora and Russ who had a one night stand with each other at a party, only to discover the next day they're working at the same camp all summer. At first, things are awkward between the two of them. But as they work beside each other every day, sparks begin to fly.
One of my biggest issues with Icebreaker was it took place during college but we saw like, no actual college. Not the case with Wildfire! We got hot AND plot *gasp*. We got romance and the camp counselor experience which was a lot of fun to read. I especially loved that we got a quiet and shy nice guy as the hero instead of some alpha male and that Russ and Aurora made each other better and lifted each other up. This book has redeemed Hannah Grace for me and I look forward to reading her next book...more
I really enjoyed this author's previous book The Hacienda and was excited to pick up Vampires of El Norte. While I enjoyed it in the end, the 3 stars
I really enjoyed this author's previous book The Hacienda and was excited to pick up Vampires of El Norte. While I enjoyed it in the end, there was a point maybe 70% in where I considered dnf-ing this book because quite honestly: this book was kind of boring. It was also filled with a second chance childhood sweetheart romance that was fairly lackluster. But the best parts were the fighting scenes at the end, otherwise this would have been a 2 star read....more
When her brother ships off to Vietnam in the 60's, Frankie signs up to be an Army nurse. While in Vietnam she witnesses unspeakable horrors, 4 stars!
When her brother ships off to Vietnam in the 60's, Frankie signs up to be an Army nurse. While in Vietnam she witnesses unspeakable horrors, and then returns home to an America that finds her service shameful.
Oh I got lots of thoughts on this one. Stealing this from something a friend said to me but my rating is more about giving the book the recognition it deserves than actual enjoyment level while reading this book. Because boy, what a fantastic work of trauma phonography. Everything that could have gone horrible wrong or bad for this main character would and did happen. To the point where I kept asking out loud, "can we give this woman a break??".
The best parts of the book for me where the parts when I learned something new. I really was never a big Vietnam War interest person so there's a lot about it I learned through Frankie's eyes, how few women there were, what life of a nurse would be like there, and how veterans were treated upon returning home. I knew most Vietnam Vets were severely traumatized, probably more so than any other previous war, but I didn't know how much the country truly abandoned them after shoving them into this conflict. I also loved Frankie's best friends in the book, they were the read MVPs.
Overall I am glad I read it, but I don't enjoy reading buckets of trauma being dumped on me. I loved Frankie the main character and wish her nothing but happiness because we got almost none of that on the page....more
After the events of the third book, Finlay and Vero find themselves on a road trip to Atlantic City to track down a stolen car and Vero's o 3.5 stars
After the events of the third book, Finlay and Vero find themselves on a road trip to Atlantic City to track down a stolen car and Vero's old friend Javi. Except Finlay's husband, mother and two children are along for the ride as well. Hiding their true mission becomes even harder when Finlay's cop boyfriend Nick shows up with all of this colleagues chasing a lead and won't let Finlay out of his sight.
I think what is bringing these books down now is the stakes: there's too many of them and they just keep going on and on. A lot was resolved by the end of the book but I remember thinking as I was listening that it was all getting a bit over the top (and I enjoyed the first three books!) and if Finlay wanted a relationship with Nick, how could she ever come clean with him? There's too much built up at this point. The highlights of this book were the dog Kevin Bacon, some resolution with Finlay's ex-husband, and some plot lines closed. I'll still be reading these books, I just didn't enjoy the direction this fourth book went in.
An advanced listening copy was provided by the libro.fm librarian ALC program ...more
Frankie Elkin is a woman who finds missing people. In this second novel in this series, Frankie joins a rescue team setting out to find the body of a Frankie Elkin is a woman who finds missing people. In this second novel in this series, Frankie joins a rescue team setting out to find the body of a missing hiker from five years ago. The group includes the missing mans former friends, a search and rescue guide dog and even a Bigfoot believer. But fairly quickly, the group realizes something sinister is at play and soon it's a game of survival.
Lisa Gardner really did a great job with this follow up novel; instead of the big city we have the woods and nature, instead of infiltrating a community Frankie is infiltrating a friend group. It was a fascinating mystery and while Frankie obviously helped it wasn't in ways she usually did. I don't think her outside perspective was as helpful in this book as much as her tenaciousness and need to have the questions answered did. It was still a lot of fun to read and if you didn't love the first book you might like this one more....more
When Maddy Mooney immigrated from Ireland to America, the last thing she expected was becoming a maid not even paid for her work. When her e 4 stars!
When Maddy Mooney immigrated from Ireland to America, the last thing she expected was becoming a maid not even paid for her work. When her employer abandons her in a small town in Montana, Maddy finds herself desperate for a train ticket out of there. Kit McBride's little sister Junebug, has a proposition for Maddy: pretend to be Kit's new bride, and Junebug will buy Maddy a ticket home.
I actually read this series out of order, the second one first and then this one. I wish I had read them in order because while I really enjoyed Morgan's story, I think I would have gotten more out of it had I read this one first. I really enjoyed this story a lot, it had a lot of fun characters the best being Maddy, Junebug and Kit. I love the idea that a child can scheme so well and yet so badly at the same time and all of the hijinks that ensue. It was a fun ride to listen along and I'm hoping we get a third book in the series sometime soon....more
Frankie Elkin isn't a cop or a private investigator, but she does help find missing girls that most law enforcement cannot find or have give 4 stars!
Frankie Elkin isn't a cop or a private investigator, but she does help find missing girls that most law enforcement cannot find or have given up on. A recovering alcoholic, Frankie hears of the missing girls online, then moves to the community where they got lost and inserts herself into the community. After fourteen solved cases, Frankie ends up in a rough neighborhood in Boston to search for a young missing Haitian teenager, and not everyone is happy she's there.
I loved this book, I devoured the audiobook in a matter of 2 days which is a short time for me. I did take one star off of the rating because of the super cringe aspects of white saviorism in these books, but would be a 5 star read otherwise. Not sure exactly why I connected with this book so much, but right from the beginning when Frankie hit the ground running I was following along. The book was fast paced and had no excessive or unnecessary boring bits which I really appreciated. I definitely don't think civilians should always be investigating cases, but it was an interesting concept and really worked with the way this story was told....more
Teacher's aide Lucy Hart is struggling to make ends meet. She has no car, is living with three roommates, and knitting for Etsy to suppleme 3.5 stars
Teacher's aide Lucy Hart is struggling to make ends meet. She has no car, is living with three roommates, and knitting for Etsy to supplement her income. But Lucy only wants one thing, and it's to adopt one of her students who is currently in foster care. When she is selected as a candidate to go out to the island of a beloved children's book author to compete to win the only copy of his latest book, Lucy jumps at the chance to make a better life for herself.
I thought this was a sweet and cozy read that reminded me of elements of THITCS: unwanted children, fleeing to an island with a sweet queer man who wants to take care of them. A friend of mine told me as I was reading this that Meg Shaffer is actually the pen name of Tiffany Reisz, which actually made a lot of sense because I could see her writing style in the book as well as the numerous Alice in Wonderland references.
While I enjoyed this, I was a bit concerned about Lucy's relationship with the child Christopher. While I think it's sweet she wanted to foster and adopt him, I personally would not have chosen to let him in on the plan (since she couldn't even qualify to foster him) to not get his hopes up. Also, at many points she as an educator was alone with him inside and outside the school. I know she meant him no harm, but as someone who works with children in a professional setting, I thought it was odd and it took me out of the story because I was concerned about liability issues. Hopefully people don't come on here and scream at me for saying this....more
Parable of the Talents picks up a few years after the ending of Parable of the Sower. Lauren and her Earthseed followers are living in a community theParable of the Talents picks up a few years after the ending of Parable of the Sower. Lauren and her Earthseed followers are living in a community they built called Acorn, safely and comfortably. Pregnant, Lauren faces questions for the future of where she wants to be and how to spread the word of Earthseed to a larger demographic. But outside forces see Acorn as a threat, and mean to cause it harm.
This duology is like nothing I've read before and I absolutely love it. I got full body chills when I heard the slogan "Make America Great Again" considering this book was published in 1998. There are actually a lot of parallels to modern day that were jarring to read.
This book was incredibly well written and well paced, I wanted to keep listening to the audiobook at times when I wasn't on my commute. It definitely wasn't an easy book to read at times, but I still loved it all the same. I'm really sad that Butler passed away before writing more books in the series, I would have loved to know where this story would have gone. But even if there aren't more it still ended on a high note. ...more
When Emmy returns to her small witchy town, she's facing a traumatic past she thought she left behind. Her ex-boyfriend, who is the reason sh 3 stars
When Emmy returns to her small witchy town, she's facing a traumatic past she thought she left behind. Her ex-boyfriend, who is the reason she left town, has also been making waves with some other women in the town. That's when Emmy teams up with them to get revenge. Among the wronged women is Talia, who Emmy is immediately intrigued by. As they work together, sparks begin to fly.
This book was solidly "okay" for me. It was a cute, small town, Hallmark-y vibe story and I can already see myself forgetting it in a couple of weeks. I liked it, but nothing really stood out to be as very special. I liked Talia a lot, and some of the trials and challenges near the end of the book. I do think the cover is stunning and would like to see more covers light it rather than the weird cartoon characters that are popular as of late....more
Beatrice wants to be a sorceress, but due to societal standards she is expected to marry and wear a collar to curb her power forever. When s 4 stars!
Beatrice wants to be a sorceress, but due to societal standards she is expected to marry and wear a collar to curb her power forever. When she meets the Lavan siblings, each one of them offers a different path: one with magic, and one without.
I want to start this out with addressing all of the Goodreads reviews saying this is a young adult, it absolutely is NOT. Not only is this catalogued in public libraries under adult fiction, it is sold in adult fiction in stores marking the intended audience for this book.
That being said I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had fun listening to the audiobook. Nadi was a mood, who doesn't want to be a spirit that craves sweet treats and dancing and running on the beach? I will say some of the slavery metaphors and a lot of the misogyny were anxiety inducing but that was the intent. And I will forever say Beatrice had more sexual chemistry with the Lavan sister and not the brother (I listened to the book and cannot find spellings, forgive me)....more
A wonderful, comprehensive look at the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Colbert covered history and events before to give context to the readers the state ofA wonderful, comprehensive look at the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Colbert covered history and events before to give context to the readers the state of the country and the frame of mind of its residents. I think this should be required reading in high schools, I honestly do. Not enough people know about this and it's a very important part of history in our country....more
When Liz comes home for her best friends wedding, everything turns into a nightmare when her best friends child goes missing in the woods 3.75 stars
When Liz comes home for her best friends wedding, everything turns into a nightmare when her best friends child goes missing in the woods during the reception. Determined to find Caroline, Liz begins researching and unearthing the pattern of young black girls going missing in the woods in her town. The closer she gets to answers, the more danger Liz is in...
This is definitely one of those books that when you finish it, you need to think on it a bit. I didn't realize going into it there would be some horror elements, which I was still okay with but at times pushed my limits in terms of gore description. I do think the horror elements made the book that much scarier because in a way they were actually very believable. I thought Liz was a very interesting character who didn't always make the right choices but was really just doing her best with the information she had. This is a book I won't forget for a long time....more
Published in the 90's, taking place in the years 2024-2027, Parable of the Sower is the story of teenage girl, Lauren, living in a post-apocalyptic AmPublished in the 90's, taking place in the years 2024-2027, Parable of the Sower is the story of teenage girl, Lauren, living in a post-apocalyptic America, in a small community where Pasadena/Glendale used to be. California is full of dangers, a water shortage, and monetary inflation and survival is hard. When her community is attacked and falls apart, Lauren must make her own way north for a chance for a better life.
I actually had tried to read this book in paperback format and was unable to get into the book initially, it has a slow start and is a bit confusing at first. I decided to try again on audiobook and ended up loving it. I do think the narrator is a bit older for the age of the character who is between 13-18 years old during the book, but it worked because it's mentioned repeatedly throughout the book that she seems older than her age. I also want to point out that just because the character is a teenager, it does not make this book YA, it's adult science fiction.
I thought this book was beautifully written and engaging. Similar to Handmaid's Tale (of which it is compared to a lot) the devil is in the small, everyday details rather than the big ones. We can piece together how this world really works (and the worldbuilding was incredible). It's also truly scary how a book written over thirty years ago about a post-apocalyptic America actually got some things right about our modern society today....more
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