woooooh baby, what a debut! i knew this was going to be a delicious suspense and it delivered. plus ummm this cover is epic?!
i’m a sucker for a con awoooooh baby, what a debut! i knew this was going to be a delicious suspense and it delivered. plus ummm this cover is epic?!
i’m a sucker for a con artist plot after so many successful ones last year (THE LIES I TELL, COVER STORY, LUCKY, etc.) and i was delighted to bump this up on the TBR. it had me thinking of it every time i wasn’t reading it. the author is a screenwriter and you can totally tell! i could picture every scene playing out in my head like clockwork. and lucky us, it’s being adapted by the one and only JULIE PLEC ...more
i liked it, but man this one was tricky to rate!! finished it a week ago but had to really sit with it and see how i felt about it—netting out at 4. fi liked it, but man this one was tricky to rate!! finished it a week ago but had to really sit with it and see how i felt about it—netting out at 4. first half was 5, second half was 3. so, 4 it is ...more
expectations were HIGH for this one given the GR ratings! i have never seen a book with this many ratings that are that high so needless to say i was expectations were HIGH for this one given the GR ratings! i have never seen a book with this many ratings that are that high so needless to say i was expecting to be wowed ...more
i REALLY enjoyed this book!!! Fizzy was a funny and fiesty MC, Connor was a perfect book boyfriend, the plot was creative and i loved the character ani REALLY enjoyed this book!!! Fizzy was a funny and fiesty MC, Connor was a perfect book boyfriend, the plot was creative and i loved the character and plot crossovers from THE SOULMATE EQUATION.
romcom’s aren’t typically faves of mine as i prefer emo romances, but this book had me laughing and smiling and vibing. Christina Lauren can do no wrong tbh ...more
3-3.5 stars for me! this a good thriller and kept me engaged enough to finish it. some plot holes had me suspending belief to make it all fit together3-3.5 stars for me! this a good thriller and kept me engaged enough to finish it. some plot holes had me suspending belief to make it all fit together and be realistic but i did enjoy it overall. i do think it was about 50 pages too long.
i liked the dual POVs and both female MCs. i liked the college/campus setting and always find book about law and law school interesting because i learn a lot.
for thrillers, twists really have to surprise or thrill me and i felt like there wasn’t a twist in this one? maybe i missed what it was, but i was waiting for a “oh sh*t” moment.
overall a decent binge but not my fave 2023 thriller! ...more
i read a bunch of magical realism and when comparing, this falls to the middle/bottom middle of my faves. however, i st3.5 stars rounded to 4 for GR!
i read a bunch of magical realism and when comparing, this falls to the middle/bottom middle of my faves. however, i still enjoyed this book and i’m happy i read it. it was a very quick audiobook listen and the themes/messages were so important and impactful and at times, very emo. it would be hard not to get teary eyed while reading... i truly think it’s something everyone can relate to in some way. and the ending letter, IYKYK ...more
tried out this HF darling on audiobook and wished i read the physical copy—didn’t love the narrator and really was hopeful the male POV stayed in a matried out this HF darling on audiobook and wished i read the physical copy—didn’t love the narrator and really was hopeful the male POV stayed in a male POV every time a male talked but alas, no ...more
3-3.5 stars. this was a very quick binge and i did a combo of audio and physical. it had me interested enough to stick with it and figure out what was3-3.5 stars. this was a very quick binge and i did a combo of audio and physical. it had me interested enough to stick with it and figure out what was going on, but overall might be a bit forgettable.
i lovedddd THE LAST MRS PARRISH by these authors but since then, everything else has just been okay for me. this has probably been my favorite book of theirs since TLMP though. eager to see how i feel about that sequel bc i read that VERY early in my thriller journey lol ...more
i listened to this on audio and was a bit disappointed! let’s get into it.
i’ve read 3-4 of this author’s books and really enjoyed them. theyre so unii listened to this on audio and was a bit disappointed! let’s get into it.
i’ve read 3-4 of this author’s books and really enjoyed them. theyre so unique and clearly well written and researched. this book was VERY slow… like the slowest burn ever. it really was reading like a lit fic friendship book at first and i wished the action started a bit sooner because the second half picked up and felt totally different from the first. i knew this going in, so that helped a bit.
i expected more horror—this author is known for that and does it sooo well. it was classified as horror but i didn’t get or feel any?!?! it was more historical fiction / suspense. tackled a topic i never knew about and i liked that. also had lots of magic which is a fave trope of mine too.
net net—not my favorite of hers, too much of a slow burn and overall will be forgettable. i prefer THE DAUGHTER OF DR MOREAU or MEXICAN GOTHIC!...more
thinking 3-3.5 stars. i was a big fan of THE NIGHT SWIM and eager to continue with Rachel’s story. it was so fun being back in her world, but this onethinking 3-3.5 stars. i was a big fan of THE NIGHT SWIM and eager to continue with Rachel’s story. it was so fun being back in her world, but this one fell a bit flat compared to the first.
what i loved—the MC of course, the influencer plot was super relatable and interesting, the serial killer whodunnit plot and the beginning of the book (first 20%).
what missed the mark—the pacing. the first 20% was awesome, then we had to wait until nearly 90% for a twist ...more
i devoured this book! so happy to be reading more from Sarah Pekkanen again—the co-author of THE WIFE BETWEEN US and AN ANONYMOUS GIRLS.
this was reali devoured this book! so happy to be reading more from Sarah Pekkanen again—the co-author of THE WIFE BETWEEN US and AN ANONYMOUS GIRLS.
this was really captivating and i loved the dual POVs. the moms was my favorite. there were so many good themes in this one about family and survival and womanhood. it is not a “thriller” though—definitely more of a suspense with lots of family drama.
it starts off super interesting and kept my attention the entire time, i was very invested to figure out how it would end and how each timeline would overlap in the present and finished it in two sittings.
despite the 4 stars, this is one of the better thrillers i’ve read this summer. it brought me out of a book rut which was a god send lol!
there were a few things that i would change to make it a 5 star. one is a big thing but would be a spoiler so i’ll omit that from my review. the others were minimal. i did want the ending to be a biiiit more open ended bc i personally don’t love when thrillers wrap up really nicely but there was a slightly sinister allusion at the end which i enjoyed.
all in all—i definitely enjoyed this and reco to others! excited to see what else Pekkanen whips up on her own :)
thanks to St Martins Press for the gifted copy ❤️...more
3.5 rounded up to 4 for GR. i’m having a lot of fun exploring Center’s backlist! when the film for HAPPINESS FOR BEGINNERS was announced in Netflix’s 3.5 rounded up to 4 for GR. i’m having a lot of fun exploring Center’s backlist! when the film for HAPPINESS FOR BEGINNERS was announced in Netflix’s summer lineup, it bumped up immediately on my spring TBR.
let me just say, Luke Grimes is going to make a PERFECT Jake. how excited are we for this casting?!?! where are my Yellowstone fans at?!?! ...more
closer to 4 stars than 3, i’ll settle with 3.5! rounded up for GR.
the beginning of this one had me hooked, but i don’t think the super slow burn paidcloser to 4 stars than 3, i’ll settle with 3.5! rounded up for GR.
the beginning of this one had me hooked, but i don’t think the super slow burn paid off in the end. the setting was great, the suspense was there for sure, and the friend group drama was interesting to me. i definitely enjoyed the plot!
i’m not sure what i wanted with the ending, but it felt like a lot of “telling” and not “showing”? i think it just needed more executionally. i was definitely vibing with it, but it took me a week to finish which is typically not a great sign.
emilybookedup
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