Very cute and touching and also a very unrealistic portrayal of dating a chef lol
Honestly I loved the overarching themes and how they explored grief. Very cute and touching and also a very unrealistic portrayal of dating a chef lol
Honestly I loved the overarching themes and how they explored grief. The romance itself was decent, I just personally am not usually a fan of stories where the couple falls in love without spending much time together and you can't tell me that even as a dishwasher at one of the top restaurants in NYC this man was home at 6:00 making lemon pie. But these characters were definitely lovable and the friendship love story in this book was just as good. Would recommend for sure!...more
Feels wrong to give this a 2 so I’m going with 3 but I really did not love this. I know I’m in the minority but the writing was sooo much telling and Feels wrong to give this a 2 so I’m going with 3 but I really did not love this. I know I’m in the minority but the writing was sooo much telling and not showing. Alexis was annoying and should not have stopped going to therapy for a man. Felt like reading a Hallmark movie if the Hallmark movie was based on the journals of the main characters.
I know everyone loves this series though so I’m sure I’ll come back to it at some point!...more
I forgot how much I love Liz Moore’s books, and this one was especially good. A slow-burning, atmospheric thriller/mystery with all the spooky summer I forgot how much I love Liz Moore’s books, and this one was especially good. A slow-burning, atmospheric thriller/mystery with all the spooky summer camp vibes and lots of intertwining character dynamics. Also, there’s really nothing like reading a book set in the 1970s to make you furious about how women were treated but equally in awe of women.
So much of Alice’s part of the story absolutely punched me in the gut and I spent the whole book praying her plot line wouldn’t end like I thought it would. (Spoiler: it did.)
I had a great time listening to this primarily while running alone in the woods and being extremely jumpy at every little sound in the bushes. 10/10 reading experience for this book that I loved!...more
I could not stop reading (listening to) this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and was so twisty and twisted. Lisa Jewell is a grI could not stop reading (listening to) this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and was so twisty and twisted. Lisa Jewell is a great writer and I loved how the audiobook felt like a podcast and was read by a full cast with music and everything, it really added to the experience! The only thing that kept it from 5 stars for me was just that I wanted a little more from the ending, but I also think the ending was fine, even great. Honestly can't believe I put off reading this for so long especially with how popular it has been–well deservedly so. ...more
I actually think this might be my favorite romance I've ever read. I'm not really a romance reader in general but when I get really good character devI actually think this might be my favorite romance I've ever read. I'm not really a romance reader in general but when I get really good character development + sooo much tension + an MC I can actually relate to + an almost perfect love interest? How can I resist? Felix was everything, the setting was dreamy, and this was just as much a friendship love story as it was a romantic love story. I loved it so much and can't wait to read more by Carley Fortune. ...more
This didn’t have the vibe I expected it to have at all. As someone without sisters maybe I just can’t relate but I had a hard time getting invested anThis didn’t have the vibe I expected it to have at all. As someone without sisters maybe I just can’t relate but I had a hard time getting invested and feeling a lot of emotion from this. I kind of wish it had been told from Elena’s perspective instead. Definitely not bad but didn’t love it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!...more
I reached the climax of this audiobook right as I solo-summited a mountain and found myself heaving with sobs. I don’t think I really stopped crying uI reached the climax of this audiobook right as I solo-summited a mountain and found myself heaving with sobs. I don’t think I really stopped crying until I finished it, but not because it was sad. Martyr! is one of those rare books that make you look at life and death and god and the world and everything and think the goal might just be to experience it all. Absolutely gorgeous, definitely the best book I’ve read this year, might need to rearrange my all-time faves to make room....more
This was so good! Kept me guessing until the very end with such rich characters that I didn’t know if I could trust. The topic of child/family influenThis was so good! Kept me guessing until the very end with such rich characters that I didn’t know if I could trust. The topic of child/family influencers is one that’s sooo interesting to me (and that I have pretty strong feelings about) and this book explored so many facets of it in such a dark and intriguing way. Olivia Muenter killed it with this debut! ...more
You don't really think of an apocalypse being subtle, but that's exactly what this one is—a quiet drowning of the world while people grieve and often You don't really think of an apocalypse being subtle, but that's exactly what this one is—a quiet drowning of the world while people grieve and often wonder why they keep going. It was definitely slow and character driven and spooky and led up to an incredible payoff, and though I couldn't tell exactly where it was going until the end, the writing was gorgeous, relatable, and I highlighted so many passages. Julia Armfield can keep writing her slow-burning queer watery horror forever and that will be fine with me!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!...more
This was... I don't even know what this was. It was a bunch of super weird short stories inside of a larger story about grief, which on the surface soThis was... I don't even know what this was. It was a bunch of super weird short stories inside of a larger story about grief, which on the surface sounds incredible but the execution was kind of chaotic. The short stories were very creepy and had a few too many body horror elements for my comfort level. This book also had no quotation marks which is a pet peeve of mine. That being said, I didn't hate reading it and I actually highlighted a lot of really beautiful prose—Erica McKeen is clearly an incredible writer and should definitely write more horror and short stories. I became very engrossed in many parts of this book. I do think that overall it was a little disjointed so it didn't fully quite come together for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!...more
Oooof this was HEAVY and the number does not exist for the amount of content warnings it needs. I started this without really knowing what it was abouOooof this was HEAVY and the number does not exist for the amount of content warnings it needs. I started this without really knowing what it was about because Emezi is an auto-read author for me and my jaw was on the floor from page 1. Beautifully written as always, loved the themes they explored in this one, but the content was a LOT and the characters were VERY unlikeable even for me. Not a fun read or a necessary one... not mad about it but definitely not my favorite of theirs. ...more
This was fun and messy and full of lovable characters like all books should be! The MC was a hilarious narrator and I found myself feeling so much forThis was fun and messy and full of lovable characters like all books should be! The MC was a hilarious narrator and I found myself feeling so much for her as she continued to make bad but difficult decisions that she wasn’t equipped for. Highly recommend!...more
Reading other reviews for this really makes me wonder if I'm just a hater at heart but still I maintain my long-held stance that (1) talking animals aReading other reviews for this really makes me wonder if I'm just a hater at heart but still I maintain my long-held stance that (1) talking animals are for children and (2) animal mutations are for horror. Combining both into this weird cloying love story about grief? It just doesn't do it for me. There's maybe a version of this story that would work if it didn't take itself so seriously, and had a couple with better chemistry, and didn't have a character named "Joy." (No offense.) I'm happy for you if this made you feel something but it only made me feel like that meme with all the math equations and question marks floating around.
Also, for something to be categorized as "magical realism" it has to be realistic. Sharks cannot make noise and therefore cannot talk like the whales in Finding Nemo....more
I was expecting a queer male counterpart to so many of the "messy girl" lit fic that I read, but in reality this was just depressing. The MC is a messI was expecting a queer male counterpart to so many of the "messy girl" lit fic that I read, but in reality this was just depressing. The MC is a mess but has very good reasons to be, so instead of feeling messy in a good way, it was more of a "please get help" messy. I think Allen Bratton has a lot of potential and I didn't hate this, I just found it kind of a challenge to want to finish it. Lots of really beautiful writing though!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC. ...more
This was a nothingburger. Way too many mentions of foie gras for my comfort level. It did make me want to go to Paris though, so at least there’s thatThis was a nothingburger. Way too many mentions of foie gras for my comfort level. It did make me want to go to Paris though, so at least there’s that. ...more
How I love an unlikeable main character, and Astrid is a very unique and self-aware unlikeable MC. Some of her opinions even made me uncomfortable, whHow I love an unlikeable main character, and Astrid is a very unique and self-aware unlikeable MC. Some of her opinions even made me uncomfortable, which I didn't think was possible in a book about a queer (sorry, lesbian) writer who lives in LA. This book started out unhinged and funny and anxiety-inducing and ended up somewhere else entirely, as all the best books should. I feel so lucky to have gotten an ARC of this and can't believe it was my introduction to Anna Dorn! Can't wait to devour her other books like I did this one.
Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC!...more
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