Shortest review ever bc work is beating my ass and I have no time to stay on top of reviews anymore: Ghost written by whoever ghost writes Harlan cobeShortest review ever bc work is beating my ass and I have no time to stay on top of reviews anymore: Ghost written by whoever ghost writes Harlan cobens books ...more
RTC. Omg this took me FOREVER to finish. It wasn't even bad so idk. No character development. Straight up police procedural written in stereotypical mRTC. Omg this took me FOREVER to finish. It wasn't even bad so idk. No character development. Straight up police procedural written in stereotypical male style....more
HAPPY BELATED PUB DAY TO THE BANGER THAT INTRODUCED ME TO MY FAVE SERIES
Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest revi HAPPY BELATED PUB DAY TO THE BANGER THAT INTRODUCED ME TO MY FAVE SERIES
Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 4/5 | Ending: 4/5
Full disclaimer: I have never read a book in this series, and despite this being the SIXTEENTH installment, jumping in blind did not impact my ability to understand the characters and ongoing storylines.
THE PLOT
Kim Stone and her team are back in action on a grizzly family murder-suicide. Simultaneously, Kim is being hunted by Symes, an unhinged maniac determined to kill her. Ooh la la.
MY OPINION
Maybe it's a solid police procedural, maybe it's "book goggles" from the last dud I read, maybe it's Maybelline. Either way, I enjoyed this book. It was well-written, fast-paced, funny, and well-plotted. I find that police procedurals written by women never let me down. They're always well-rounded and have thought-out characters. They don't try too hard to emulate a John Wick type of vibe like male authored police procedurals. And often they have more diversity and inclusion in their cast instead of relying heavily on stereotypes like disgruntled, functioning alcoholic detective and women who are little more than sex dolls.
Yes, Kim had the maturity of a 5-year-old and swears like a sailor, but it was done in a way that doesn't come across as annoying. I can't really explain it. But I just felt like it was light-hearted and she was self-aware. Idk. I can't word properly right now LOL.
Anyways. The pace kept me blazing through this one. Short chapters, rotating POVs of the entire team, and TWO juicy j cases. I'm fascinated by familicide (I know, I know) so this was really scratching my itch if you know what I mean.
If you're looking for a quick, solid af police procedural with likable characters, this is the one. I'll def be picking up more of the Kim Stone series.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: juicy j plot, great cast of characters with their own personalities, well-paced, funny
Cons: idk I guess you could find Kim's behaviour a little annoyingly immature sometimes. And I think Symes' POV used "bitch" one too many times (and I'm not adverse to swearing)
Merged review:
HAPPY BELATED PUB DAY TO THE BANGER THAT INTRODUCED ME TO MY FAVE SERIES
Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 4/5 | Ending: 4/5
Full disclaimer: I have never read a book in this series, and despite this being the SIXTEENTH installment, jumping in blind did not impact my ability to understand the characters and ongoing storylines.
THE PLOT
Kim Stone and her team are back in action on a grizzly family murder-suicide. Simultaneously, Kim is being hunted by Symes, an unhinged maniac determined to kill her. Ooh la la.
MY OPINION
Maybe it's a solid police procedural, maybe it's "book goggles" from the last dud I read, maybe it's Maybelline. Either way, I enjoyed this book. It was well-written, fast-paced, funny, and well-plotted. I find that police procedurals written by women never let me down. They're always well-rounded and have thought-out characters. They don't try too hard to emulate a John Wick type of vibe like male authored police procedurals. And often they have more diversity and inclusion in their cast instead of relying heavily on stereotypes like disgruntled, functioning alcoholic detective and women who are little more than sex dolls.
Yes, Kim had the maturity of a 5-year-old and swears like a sailor, but it was done in a way that doesn't come across as annoying. I can't really explain it. But I just felt like it was light-hearted and she was self-aware. Idk. I can't word properly right now LOL.
Anyways. The pace kept me blazing through this one. Short chapters, rotating POVs of the entire team, and TWO juicy j cases. I'm fascinated by familicide (I know, I know) so this was really scratching my itch if you know what I mean.
If you're looking for a quick, solid af police procedural with likable characters, this is the one. I'll def be picking up more of the Kim Stone series.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: juicy j plot, great cast of characters with their own personalities, well-paced, funny
Cons: idk I guess you could find Kim's behaviour a little annoyingly immature sometimes. And I think Symes' POV used "bitch" one too many times (and I'm not adverse to swearing)...more
writing: solid | plot: too much yappity yap | ending: HEA thank fk
my opinion
I feel like this is the type of book where your enjoyment really h writing: solid | plot: too much yappity yap | ending: HEA thank fk
my opinion
I feel like this is the type of book where your enjoyment really hinges on your mood when you pick it up. To maximize your enjoyment:
1. Be on, or close to, your period. It will help you lean into the nonsensical angst because you're most likely feeling nonsensical to begin with. Maybe I shouldn't speak for other, but period Leigh is at her most delulu. If you don't get a period, just pick this up whenever you're feeling particularly off your rocker.
2. Read it in chunks. Don't try to bang through this in one sitting or the angst will really drive you up the wall, no matter your delulu levels.
3. Read this after a particularly emotionless book. A thriller, especially a popcorn thriller, is best. You won't be emotionally spent because trust me you'll need a full tank for this one.
Ultimately I have no idea why they couldn't be together, but I didn't really care that much because the way Jen Devon writes angst should be studied. I don't often get 'caught up' in books, but Devon had my ass in an angsty chokehold. The way she ended a chapter at the emotional climax and then skipped ahead like nothing important happened... girl if you don't get your ass back here and tell me how the rest of the convo went??? Yet it was absolutely perfect and definitely contributed to keeping me in a sturdy chokehold.
Also, there was way too much world-building and way too many characters. The world-building was more appropriate for a fantasy/sci-fi book and at some point I just stopped trying to keep track of who everyone was outside of Temperance and Duncan. We needed a character list at the beginning or just cut some of those hoes loose.
This reminded me of Elsie Silver's Chestnut Hills series but WAAAAYYYY better written. Elsie Silver is very much a smutty Dr. Suess to me, so if you're looking for something a bit more elevated, this is it (please reference the 3 keys to success above before embarking on this journey).
Similar to Daisy Haites, I'm giving this a 4 based on vibes and how it made me feel something in the abandoned mineshaft that is my heart. Even Duncan's abstract wet-dreams had me locked in. Wild times, folks. Yes I'm going to go back and read #1 and yes I'm going to tune in for #3. Maybe one day I'll know who Nate really is—a child? a grown brother? Who's to say?
writing: basic | plot: could've be better | ending: ok kinda slay
my opinion
After enjoying Given Our History I decided to pick this up despite writing: basic | plot: could've be better | ending: ok kinda slay
my opinion
After enjoying Given Our History I decided to pick this up despite the questionable ratings. Bloop. I see why this is rocking a 3.49. This was nowhere close in quality to Given Our History. While there were a few strong moments, it was very much "baby learns to walk" both in writing and storytelling. A lot of unnecessary filler.
The concept was cool though. I liked what she was trying to do: explore the complexities of being an 'influencer' and feeling unsatisfied with casual hook-ups without slut-shaming others. I said the ending was a slay because the FMC was truly in the wrong but yet she somehow got ole boy to grand gesture her instead. Hats off to ya because I can't stand FMCs grand gesturing MMCs lol. Don't ask.
Anyways not much to say on this one. It's too long to be considered a fluffy beach read. Pick up Given Our History instead.
writing: bland | plot: chaotic | ending: BE SO FKING FR RIGHT NOW
my opinion
I would hereby like to issue an official apology to the lovely indi writing: bland | plot: chaotic | ending: BE SO FKING FR RIGHT NOW
my opinion
I would hereby like to issue an official apology to the lovely individuals who joined my last two buddy reads and were subjected to asstastic books. I cannot be trusted. Please forgive me.
The silver lining here is this book made me appreciate Annie Bot waaaay more. I almost went back and bumped up my rating after I finished this because she deserves better than that 3 stars I tossed it. Annie Bot did what I thought this book was trying to accomplish. Honestly, if I hadn't read the author's review of her own book, I would've never known Made For You was exploring the question "why tf is God playing games with my life?" You may read this and think: "how can you two star a book if you didn't even get it!?!" Let me save you the time from banging that out in my comments. I didn't get it was the central theme because it was diluted by about 1409059 other themes and messages of the week.
It seemed like the author was committed to putting everything that popped into her head into this book without considering this patchwork style tends not to work in books. I'm too lazy to get into spoilies, so I'll give a non-spoiler example. Early on we learn that Julia and Josh's home was built on land previously owned by a serial killer who, as the youths would say, used his rizz to lure ladies back to his farm before dicing them up. At first I thought this was just a spooky fun fact, but it becomes clear it's some sort of allegory of Julia and Josh's marriage when she drops this absolute bar on us: "Trying to figure out what to do with the broken things I've been handed, this busted-apart life on the land where twenty-two girls were busted apart" (LMFAOAOAOAOAOO) Ok cool I guess but after mentioning it several times, why did you drop it like a hot potato from the second half of the book??? Literally never heard of Sir Rizz A Lot ever again. I could almost hear the author yelling "NEXT!!" and slotting in a new literary device like this Shakespearean symbolism of why human + synthe marriage fails: He puts the sandwiches together... Two pieces of bread that fit together because they were cut from the same loaf." ......... halp
Also there were many basic questions that went unanswered like: how does a Synthe get a passport? Since they barely have the right to be unplugged from the motherboard, how did the gov let them raise a whole ass child? Who signed off on this LOL. Also, how can she have 150 MILLION instagram followers and receive death threats on the reg but have no concept of security. Not even one Walmart indoor camera and a ring doorbell? And you let your neighbor brazenly stare at you and your baby via binoculars? And you didn't CIA-level vet your babysitter? And you're gonna ignore the fact that somebody was chatting to your baby through the missing parent side of the baby monitor??? Another example of how random stuff was thrown into the book without considering the implications to the overall story.
The other thing that miffed me were the Tumblr-esque psychological musings that almost always began with "Maybe..." Oh and don't get me started on how the DV shit was handled. Just... *heavy sigh*
Anyways, despite the author's ambitious intentions, this book came off as purely "just vibes." If you like Verity, you'll most likely rock with this. There's some real whackadoodle stuff in here.
pros & cons
pros: BANGIN cover, cool concept
cons: couldn't pick a lane—was swerving all over the place like a drunk driver, so many random trails that led to nowhere (not red herring style, just seems like they were forgotten), lukewarm philosophical musings, swiss cheese plot, unsatisfactory ending, surface-level examination of bots vs humans __
writing: very emily henry | plot: meh | ending: yay I guess?
my opinion
Another 'meh' read from my most anticipated reads list. Further confirmi writing: very emily henry | plot: meh | ending: yay I guess?
my opinion
Another 'meh' read from my most anticipated reads list. Further confirming my theory that I should no longer be responsible for choosing what books I read. I'm going to let ya'll take the wheel in 2025 haha.
me before 50%: 3.5? ya'll are tripping me after 50%: ah... i see. nvm.
Girl can definitely write, but even me, #1 fangirl of groups of threes, got a little sick of them by the end. We don't need them every page. Kinda ruins the magic. But the real issue was the plot. I liked the whole victims of viral break-ups decide to link-up to get even oh and btw did you know they had PHAT crushes on each other in high school but things ended badly so tensions are high??? Second chance romances, esp when the first chance occurred in HS, are always iffy to me, but this was a unique set-up. Unfortunately, when you realize the reason of said tension, the whole conflict just deflates and I was over it.
Also this started out with some decent jokey jokes, but after the first spicy scene (which felt like it was randomly inserted to appease the "spice????" girlies) the jokes were abandoned like my Duolingo account. I did appreciate the one-on-one fake dates though; we don't get enough of these in romcoms.
But more importantly, not wearing shoes outdoors, unless you're at a beach, is one of my biggest pet peeves. Fastest way to let me know I'll never eat anything you cook. And did Levi wear a leather jacket all night inside a "club" ... in the summer ????? You could probably smell him from France. Lastly, what exactly is a scone? The concoctions in this book seemed really disgusting if my understanding is correct.
Overall, CUUUUUTEEE cover, cool premise with a meh execution, and the conflict wasn't strong enough to be generating all that angst. Howevereth, I would read another book of hers as I do think she has a way with words, she just needs a developmental editor who wants to see her win.
But she gets 5 stars for the opening paragraph of her acknowledgements:
I would like to first and foremost thank the wild raccoon that snuck up on me and put its little paw on my keyboard while I was writing the first draft of this in Central Park. Your input was not necessarily welcome, but appreciated; if you want to discuss plot details on future novels any further, you (unfortunately) know where to find me.
writing: CHEFS KISS | plot: yas | ending: SHUT UPPPPPPPPP
my opinion
Bitch?? Who said you could go this hard?? Yes the banger alert has been iss writing: CHEFS KISS | plot: yas | ending: SHUT UPPPPPPPPP
my opinion
Bitch?? Who said you could go this hard?? Yes the banger alert has been issued, but this is not for everyone . I can see a lot of people thinking it's slow or weird or confusing. However, tt is most certainly for me and my pretentious ass. The writing? The stuff I dream of. The plot? Intriguing. The characters? Unique. AND THE TWISTS? STFUUUU!!! Next to The Trap, this was one of the most expertly foreshadowed yet shocking twists. I thought this was going one direction but... let me shut my ass up because I don't want to ruin anything. And for that reason I can't tell you about the trigger warnings, but just tread lightly.
But even if the twist hadn't gone so incredibly hard in the paint, the characters and writing alone carried this book. I loved how spooky and strange Betty was. The coin thing? UUUGHHHH I love when a writer can get creative and *show* the degree of out-of-pocketness a character is in a unique way. I haven't read anything similar, and if you have, let me live in ignorant bliss please. Thanks. I liked the ambiguity of Andy's character, was he the controlling dickhead that Betty thought, or was he just a good guy who did a bad thing (not a spoiler, don't worry)? Debate amongst yourselves.
This was the right degree of stressy 'n depressy without it being straight up trauma porn. Again, it comes down to the writing. One of the scenes near the end????????? Who's cutting onions in here???
To be honest the Scooby Doo info-dump at the end deserves one star, but I'm not going to let that atrocity take away from what a beautifully written and unique read this was. Despite the cover being barely worthy of the bargain bin, something made me pick it up and read the first few pages at Indigo. I was instantly hooked, but I couldn't bring myself to buy it because not only is the cover ass, but the pages had the narrowest margins known the mankind. Looked like it was printed in someone's garage. Thank your Sky daddy of choice for Kindle. Anyways was this important, no? But I CAN'T STOP TYPING.
In conclusion: a banger FOR ME. ME. AS IN MYSELF. I would only recommend this to people who have VERY similar tastes to me. If you want to see how we match up, you can use the "compare books" feature on the browser version of Goodreads. If you're still reading Freida despite being a 'regular reader', move along (respectfully).
Definitely checking out more of her work. Emma, if you see this, how does it feel to be an insanely talented wordsmith?
writing: translation was a bit iffy at times | plot: solid | ending: ABRUPT BARELY COVERS IT
my opinion
Would I recommend this? Nauuurrrr. But d writing: translation was a bit iffy at times | plot: solid | ending: ABRUPT BARELY COVERS IT
my opinion
Would I recommend this? Nauuurrrr. But did I enjoy it? YERRR. However, I am generally a fan of Scandi Noir. The chonky translation and slow pace doesn't bother me, because most of the times, they come through with a dark ass mystery and subtly spooky vibes. This book is on the shorter side but it packs a punch, making it a great weekend read. There's a kidnapping like every 10 pages or so, what more does one need? Given the ratings, evidently a lot more LOL.
Yes, there are a lot of characters and the POVs jump around without any heads-up, but you get the hang of it. All of the characters are intertwined; it's a small town with BIG ass secrets. Uncovering the connections between everyone added to the overall suspense.
When the religious angle popped up early on I was a little nervous to see how it would be handled as an 'American' (lumping Canada and US together for this one) reader. Overall, I thought the author did a solid job riding the fence without a blatant agenda either way.
I'm not sure if this is part of a series but I felt like I was dropped into the middle of the main characters' stories with the expectation that I've already met them. If Liam and Dea are characters from previous books, that's on me, but if these are new people, we needed a little more context.
And the ending??????? It ended so abruptly I thought I bought a misprint. But no, apparently that was all she wrote. Considering I regularly complain about unnecessary epilogues, I'm going to bite my tongue on this one. If you, like me, hate when all the storylines are too neatly tied up and even the neighbour's dog gets a HEA, then... well, THIS is certainly not that. I would assume another book will follow this because otherwise, what happened? Your free trial of Microsoft Word ran out and you couldn't be fucked to pay for a monthly subscription?
All in all, if you're familiar with the genre and can overlook an unnecessary amount of exclamation marks and chonky translation, you'll probably enjoy this.
HOLY F_@@(#($)$9$(##?????? Absolutely ATE this up. REDACTED I hope you get what you deserve you sc idk how to rate this because I never read non-fic
HOLY F_@@(#($)$9$(##?????? Absolutely ATE this up. REDACTED I hope you get what you deserve you scumbag!!!!
I NEVER read non-fic but I was kindly gifted this by Grand Central Pub and I'm a sucker for a catfish story. The title is definitely clickbait—there's nothing to substantiate that Ethan is "America's biggest catfish"—and it worked on my stupid ass. Regardless of where Ethan stood in the Top Catfisher power-rankings, this story made me feel all the things.
If you're thinking this will be a deep dive into the psychology of the catfisher, you will be sorely disappointed. This is a "greatest hits" approach to their interactions with Ethan and then a play-by-play of how NY Anna, British Anna, and Gina revealed his true identity. Through each story, you start to identify a pattern to Ethan's behaviour and how he was able to get under their skin. You'll also notice each woman gives the same reason (no spoilies) for why they couldn't just block him on everything, and it is this reason that made it click for me. And further to this specific reason, you can see how their dating history or outlook on love primed them to be taken advantage of by someone like Ethan.
Despite NY Anna having a PhD in sociology, she refrains from speculating about how Ethan curated his identity to a specific victim type. Idk if this is because she felt it would be unwise to unless thoroughly researched, or she just didn't want to get into the weeds, but I would've liked a little more insight in that regards.
Ethan's behaviour after being "unmasked" made my blood BOIL. Anna doesn't slap a mental health diagnosis on them (which would be wildly irresponsible) but it's clear that they are sick and you can't reason with someone like this. And when I learned about what they're up to these days...... I'M READY TO FIGHT!!!!
Anyways, a bingeable read that focuses more on what happened vs why it happened. Waiting for the Netflix or Prime doc....
writing: meh | plot: had potential | ending: cute I guess
my opinion
Another one of my most anticipated reads done and dusted. Unfortunately, th writing: meh | plot: had potential | ending: cute I guess
my opinion
Another one of my most anticipated reads done and dusted. Unfortunately, this ended up being just meh after a promising start. The first half was an emotional ass whooping. The best part of the book was learning about the other women and the moment they "snapped." Fair warning: this takes place during COVID. I know a lot of people hate reading about this, so give it an ole skip because it's basically the main character of the book. Also, the writing quality mirrored my enjoyment of the book—stronger at the start, bland in the middle, trending upwards at the end.
You would think the part where they're figuring out the best way to bury their husbands (heheheh) would be exciting, but it fell flat for me. The second half was just spinning its tires and repeating the same old stuff. It picked up again when they carried out their grand plans, but it wasn't enough to redeem the stretch of nothingness.
I appreciated the author brought together women of all different backgrounds but it seemed like Sally and Janey's conflict was never fully addressed. Resolved? Yes. But it was kind of a "straight to jail, don't pass go" situation to the HEA for them.
writing: 85% dialogue | plot: OTT fun | ending: lol
my opinion
Harlan 'Now an Original Netflix Series' Coben came through with a fun, twisty, fa writing: 85% dialogue | plot: OTT fun | ending: lol
my opinion
Harlan 'Now an Original Netflix Series' Coben came through with a fun, twisty, fast-paced thriller that requires MAXIMUM yeetage of disbelief. To start with, it's a sports agent and his rich, finance (?) / psychopath friend solving a complicated murder case behind the back of law enforcement, including the FBI. No big thang. So yeah, if you expect this to be realistic in any definition of the word, you're going to HATE it.
As I said above, this is 85% dialogue. Idk if he did that so it would be easier to convert to a script when this is inevitably picked up by Netflix, or if this is his usual style (the last book of his I read was years ago). I didn't mind because the dialogue was punchy and it kept the book flowing. Plus, the transition scenes were so poorly written, I couldn't handle more than one per chapter.
Anyways, this was the right balance between "I'm progressive" and "I'm not TOO progressive." Unlike The Woods, which was written in 2006 and you could tell, he kept the random political tangents to a minimum. But more importantly, Harlan let us know that fake titties and BBLs (butt implants) are A-OK by his standards. I just know he loves Miami.
If you like Alafair Burke's twisty mysteries and subpar writing, you'll enjoy this. A solid popcorn thriller and palate cleanser between reads.
"Not in love" is an apt description for how I felt about this nuclear bomb of an "erotic romance." But will my ass be sat foWatch my full review HERE.
"Not in love" is an apt description for how I felt about this nuclear bomb of an "erotic romance." But will my ass be sat for her 2025 college sports romance? Without a doubt yes....more
writing: loved it | plot: solid | ending: awwww | 4.5 rounded up
my opinion
I'm a fool for not reading this earlier because WOWOWOWOWowowowowo writing: loved it | plot: solid | ending: awwww | 4.5 rounded up
my opinion
I'm a fool for not reading this earlier because WOWOWOWOWowowowowow. My second banger of the year!!!!
I think I put this off because I was like ugh if he's gonna be one of those artsy fartsy musicians I'm gonna be so annoyed. But the stereotypical musician personality was toned down, and I appreciated that Clemmie (short for Clementine, unfortunately) took the piss out of him serenading her: ... if I could think of anything cringier than a grown man appearing at a campfire with an acoustic guitar I'd have been hard-pressed to give you an answer. LMAO MOOD.
Laura Wood can craft an ensemble of characters, lemme tell you. She added a unique spin of "rockstar with several baby mamas" by making said several baby mamas be besties who lived on a compound and raised their Irish daughters together. Each sister was distinct and had a clear voice: Clemmie was a classic middle child (although I can't remember if she actually is lol), Lil was the whimsical, adorably ditzy musician, and Serena was the tough-as-nails, cynical, career gal. Even the baby mamas were easy to differentiate. Theo was definitely the weakest of the bunch. I had a hard time believing he was almost 40 and had been in the music game for nearly 20 years. His neurotic and exacting assistant outshone him, IMO.
Clemmie's backstory and character was well fleshed out. She had daddy drama, work drama, and of course relationship drama and each thread was naturally tied up. I especially liked how the daddy drama was handled (no spoilies).
I had so many notes on my Kindle that were basically just "lol" "lmao" "lmfao". This book was FUNNY. The funeral scene made me cackle—okay that sounds bad, but just read the book. I loved Clemmie's sarcasm and wit. The dialogue was well-written and punchy, adding to the overall humour. It's tough to maintain the jokey jokes throughout, especially as the drama ratchets up, but she made it work. Now I'm unsure if all of the jokes are blue-haired hoe approved, but it was certainly approved by this brunette hoe.
Was Clemmie a little daft when it came to Theo's feelings? Definitely. Theo practically built her a house with nothing but his bare hands and his six-pack of abs and Clemmie was like "why are you being so nice to me?" GWURL. He wants to wear you like a sweater. I appreciated that after little resistance, he was open with his feelings and wanting a relationship. I did NOT like his so-called solution to an issue near the end, which is why I gave this a 4.5 instead of full 5 with chest, but otherwise I didn't have any qualms with their relationship. YES, it is insta-lovey but NOT in an insta-lust way. They actually had bants and spent time doing non-sexual things without heavy sexual innuendos.
All in all, I loved this one so much, I even bought a paperback copy. I NEED MORE LAURA!!!! Stop with the historical romances and drop another banger ASAP. RESPECTFULLY. Or not. Whatever motivates you more.
pros & cons
pros: well-written, HILARIOUS, unique characters, FMC Clemmie was well-developed, loved the bants between Clemmie and Theo, fast-paced despite being on the longer side, good vibes overall
cons: Theo's solution to a prickly situation was.... nah, Theo's character was the weakest and it should be illegal for grown men to wear a red silk suit jacket with nothing underneath it and matching trousers. wtf is THAT??
writing: j'adoreeeee | plot: a combo of the movies The Town and The Wrath of Man | ending: hmmmeehhh
my opinion
Candice Fox, my consistent quee writing: j'adoreeeee | plot: a combo of the movies The Town and The Wrath of Man | ending: hmmmeehhh
my opinion
Candice Fox, my consistent queen, you never disappoint. You can always tell how much I liked a book by the # of highlights/notes on my Kindle; the less, the better. I only had 5 highlights/notes for this book, which might be a record. However, I'm not issuing the banger alert because I had some issues with FMCs "motivation". No spoilies, but I didn't feel like it was strong enough in this case. Also, I had some questions with another storyline that sadly went unanswered.
WARNING: YOU WILL NEED TO YEEEEEEET THAT DISBELIEF. Devil's Kitchen reads like a combination of two of my fave "heist" movies: The Town and The Wrath of Man. I love the angle of firefighters robbing hoes under the guise of a fire callout. It wasn't something I've read, or seen in a show/movie before and she clearly did her research. From the jump, the stakes are high, and I was firmly in a chokehold.
Every single character in this book could be cancelled. The banter between the firefighters is NOT from the chronically online. Very much locker-room chat. And I hate to say it, but probably realistic given the shit my two firefighter cousins used to post on FB. Each male character was clearly drawn and distinguishable; it wasn't one of those books where all the characters sound the exact same. If there's one thing Candice is gonna do, it's bring you a character that makes your skin crawl. In this case, it was Engo. He reminded me of T-Bag from Prison Break.
Was it predictable? Kinda, sorta. I don't mind if it's not the world's greatest whodunnit if the book is giving in other areas like writing, characters, pacing, entertainment, etc... which it did in this case. I am REALLY hoping this is a series. I'm not sure any series will ever top Crimson Lake, but a hoe can dream.
If you're looking for a well-written, movie-esque, heist thriller with a side of missing persons', this is the one. Just remember to suspend your disbelief.
pros & cons
pros: she never fucks around with her writing quality, fast-paced, lots of action, unique approach to the heist trope, well-researched and crafty, characters were clearly drawn (FMC was the weakest sadly), funny, a cliffhanger that makes you want more!!
cons: FMCs background was a little too vague in some regards, didn't buy the motivation for her behaviour at the end, had some qs about one of the major storylines
Another feminist serial killer thriller, another lukewarm rating. Simila writing: meh | plot: uhh ?? | ending: ABSOLUTELY TF NOT LMAO
my opinion
Another feminist serial killer thriller, another lukewarm rating. Similar to Bad Men, this formula just ain't hitting the way it should be. Why does the FMC have to be so unlikeable? Just because she's a killer, doesn't mean her personality needs to be insufferable. It's not "morally grey" to cut down other women while simultaneously claiming feminism is what's driving her murderous tendencies. The grey part is you killing, it shouldn't be your selective feminism. Give me a FMC heart of gold who loves her friends, knits turtlenecks of dogs and hairless cats, and rides a pink bike with a basket on the front, who just happens to take down a creepo once in awhile. Thanks.
I know titles are often chosen without reading the book (whack) but every chapter should've been titled one of the 10 ways to kill a guy. Anyways, at least this one had a lot of killing, but there was also too much yappity yap in between. At times it felt like you asked a lonely old man if he needed help carrying his groceries and instead he told you an uncomfortable tale about falling in love with his Filipina nanny whilst being married.
Speaking of yappity yap.... James? The love interest and detective???????? Bro FIRE HIM. Idc if he makes Spencer Reid look like a commoner, he couldn't keep a secret even if you sewed his mouth shut. In that case, he'd just learn morse code. He's gonna gossip one way or another.
It was a fine enough read until the last third. Then shit really went off the rails. I can't get into it without spoilies so here we go...
SPOILERS ALERT. SCROLL DOWN TO BOTTOM.
Millie is determined to find the man who raped her sister and starts hunting him down based on a few descriptions her sister dropped: red curtains in his room, Magpie tatt on his chest, bald. Millie finds a man who fits her sister's description AND has red curtains. Time to rock right? WRONG. She sees the edges of a tatt peeking out from his collar, but never confirms it's a magpie. But that doesn't stop her from frying him like an egg in his bathtub and then being like oh my B... not only was it the wrong tatt, but he wasn't even in the same continent on the day of the rape. Instead of taking responsibility for fucking up, she shrugs and thinks "well, rando women are picked off everyday, who cares if it happens to a man." .....?????
After deep frying an innocent bald man (btw, all the bad men were fat and bald), she kills an innocent witness during a lil break-in. Annoying. But what really knocked this down to a two star was the ending with James. WTF?????? So James gives her an opportunity to turn herself in, and she responds by RUNNING HIM OVER and then her lawyer friend FRAMES HIM FOR MILLIE'S PREVIOUS MURDERS????????? All the man is guilty of is having a horrible taste in women and the discretion of a baby taking a shit. He did NOT deserve to be pancaked by his Merc and then framed ????? And then Millie gets a HEA by running away with her bestie? The only way I would support this ending was if she hadn't killed any innocent men AND hadn't framed James. This was blasphemous.
SPOILERS DONE.
In conclusion: whomp whomp.
pros & cons
pros: love the cover, intriguing premise, quick read
cons: Millie was terrible–being a killer was the least problematic thing about her, TERRIBLE ending (for once I do NOT support women's wrongs), lots of yappity yap
writing: noticeable improvement | plot: intriguing | ending: more wrapped up than a christmas present
honda civic reliable 3 stars
my opinion writing: noticeable improvement | plot: intriguing | ending: more wrapped up than a christmas present
honda civic reliable 3 stars
my opinion
READ CAREFULLY: the entire book could've been 45 pgs if a home security camera was installed. A camera was never suggested nor considered during this book. Based on that huge gap in logic, it should be a one star but I'm just a dumbass and can rate however I please, so my rating does not factor in the missing camera.
Andrea Mara is the queen of getting right down to it. She does not bury the lede or dilly dally around. I've read three of her books now and she literally gets things popping from page one. Love that. If you like Freida McFadden but you don't like plagiarism, I implore you to try out Mara. Her books are always fast-paced, intriguing, and twisty. And like McFadden, they sometimes lack logic but hey at least they're not thinly veiled knock-offs of other best sellers. ANYWAYS.
I love that her writing gets stronger with every book. Out of the three, this is definitely her best prose. Her and Amanda Cassidy are good friends and I can definitely see their styles rubbing off on each other.
I have to hand it to her, she got my ass. I was rolling my eyes for a bit there thinking I was Spencer Reid (but with the inexplicable sexiness of Aaron Hotch. No further questions please) but turns out I was a concussed possum. There were several "oh you THOUGHT" moments throughout to keep you on your toes.
The characters weren't very developed. Julie needed a strong shake or an intervention. Perhaps both. All I learned from her experience was to never financially support men. Her husband, Gabe, reminded me of Gabe from The Soulmate—IYKYK, that's NOT a compliment.
Okay but the ending???? A nightmare for me. Seemed like Mara was determined to tie up every loose string into the most coquette bow possible. Not everything needs to be conveniently worked out for the protagonists' benefit. I would've appreciated the book to end the way it began: abruptly.
Fast-paced, easy to read, enough intrigue to keep you interested—the hallmarks of every Honda Civic Reliable read. Highly recommend to new readers of the genre or for those that just want to give their brain a break while being entertained.
pros & cons
pros: doesn't waste time getting right down to it, got my ass lol, couple of lite twists throughout, fast-paced, writing is noticeably stronger
cons: ending was way too neatly tied up felt like I was reading an email from my granny detailing everything her friends did over the last week, huge gap in logic with the exclusion of home security cameras (cmon not even the detective suggested it????? fired)
writing: fine | plot: weirdly escapist? idk | ending: alright | 3.5 rounded up
my opinion
I think this is as "eat the rich" as a billionaire r writing: fine | plot: weirdly escapist? idk | ending: alright | 3.5 rounded up
my opinion
I think this is as "eat the rich" as a billionaire romance can be. Yes, Liam lowballs tf outta her at the start, but then he's really in his MacKenzie Scott bag. Anyways, I'm a sucker for fake marriage to cash out an inheritance (yes, this specific scenario), so this quickly became one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Thankfully, it was one of the better reads from that list.
(Not so) fun fact: this is the first Christina Lauren book I've read with my eyeballs. I've commented that their other books are always funny in the first half and stressy 'n depressy in the second, and this was a similar vibe. I would say it was the least annoying of the handful I've read—the MMC didn't gaslight the FMC for not being chill about his cheating past (lol) and there were no simultaneous sex dreams (projectile vomit). Was Anna leaning heavily toward "pick me" territory? Tower of Pisa levels of lean, yes. But I did like their bants and how she loosened the stick that was so firmly wedged in Liam's poop chute.
I hate to say it, but this was weirdly an escapist read (until all the conflict). Yes, billionaires are doing awful things, forcing us to use paper straws being one of their more vicious crimes, but I would never say no to an over-water bungalow. I'm sorry. Also, I've been described as financially illiterate , but Anna may have me beat. Not sure how 100k was going to pay off her student loans, her father's medical bills, and pay for daily rehab in the US.
All in all, this was a fun, straightforward read. One of the better fake marriage romances I've read and definitely the best billionaire romance. Finally found one where the MMC wasn't a straight-up misogynistic sociopath (ahem Terms & Conditions by Lauren Asher).
pros & cons
pros: funny, good dynamic between Anna and Liam, loved the setting, did as good of a job one could do in making a billionaire romance palatable in this current climate
cons: the ending was TOO neatly wrapped up, sometimes Anna gave strong pick-me vibes, that tie-dye dress Liam was salivating over was a crime... very 2007 prom of her, some math quite literally did not add up
writing: you can really tell this was written by two authors | plot: meh | ending: super meh
my opinion
This was one of my most anticipated read writing: you can really tell this was written by two authors | plot: meh | ending: super meh
my opinion
This was one of my most anticipated reads because of the premise: the FMC is NOT thriving, yet all of her friends are, leaving her to feel like she missed 'the memo' in life. Very relatable concept; some of my darkest days were spent on LinkedIn seeing how all my HS classmates were making major career moves while I was 200 job applications deep. Unfortunately, the execution, much like my life, was very average.
Firstly, it took too long for the whole memo bit to get started. The first third was just her moaning and groaning and getting mysterious texts that she didn't act on. The best bits were when Jenny was rewriting the past. Relocating the nuns had me deceased (and on my way to hell, obvi). But the flip-flopping in writing quality (idk who wrote what, but one of ya'll is a MUCH stronger writer... soz), unnecessary body comments, and the romance didn't do this book any favors.
Romance is a bit strong of a word for whatever the fk was transpiring between Gabe and Jenny. It shouldn't have been included AT ALL. She went on a couple casual hangouts with this guy (I think only one of them was not in a group setting) and is ready to give up the good life for him and his daughter????? Tf??? It would've made more sense for her to cling to her flop-life because she had a talented and affordable hairdresser than risking it all for an grown man in a choir (respectfully).
I will hand it to this book, I really didn't know which 'life' was better by the end. Despite being a mediocre book, it would spark some great book club discussions. Maybe something to consider for those that have an audiobook club? Do those exist? Anyways, I wouldn't be mad if this book was made into a movie. Idk if she's still cancelled, but Jennifer Lawrence could play the fuck out of Jenny's character.
pros & cons
pros: banging concept, funny, thought-provoking, I liked the scenes where she rewrote her history
cons: uneven writing quality, slow at times, Gabe was as unnecessary as putting calories on a restaurant menu (I'm not at a place called The Cheesecake Factory to watch what I eat), weird body comments
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