This one popped up on the library’s recommendation software when whatever book it was I was trying to download was not instantly available. Although iThis one popped up on the library’s recommendation software when whatever book it was I was trying to download was not instantly available. Although it’s been more than a hot minute since I’ve read some teenie-bopper stuff, if you’re thinking to yourself . . . .
This isn’t a book that’s going to change the world, but if you have a young’un who enjoys reading this is a perfectly acceptable Young Adult selection. It has a little (strictly PG) romance, a little finding yourself, a little finding your people and it . . . .
Let’s be transparent here - I 100% requested this book from the library simply because I love that bird flip on the front (you’re lucky I loved this sLet’s be transparent here - I 100% requested this book from the library simply because I love that bird flip on the front (you’re lucky I loved this so much, cover artists, because shouldn't it have been a “V” since this took place in London????).
Even though Grace was a Read With Jenna pick I have not seen it making the rounds much on either The ‘Gram or Goodreads so I was able to go in completely blind.
Pretty much right from the start I thought this was the female equivalent of . . . .
(With maybe a little Where’d Ya Go, Bernadette? thrown in for good measure.)
And upon finishing I discovered that film was this book’s inspiration. I’ll be honest and say the all over the place timeline was a hindrance for me at the start and the not knowing what had happened between Grace and her daughter was aggravating until I settled in. That being said, it was miserable and rainy here so I read this in one day. Had I stopped and restarted my rating may have suffered while I tried to reboot my brain and get back in the rhythm of things.
Buuuuuuut that didn’t happen and as a woman of a certain age who always feels like she might be on the cusp of a quality Menty B I found a new best friend in Grace.
Man, it sucks to write that, but I’m nothing if not honest in my opinion. I’ve read offerings by Nick Cutter, Patrick Lestewka and Craig Da
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Man, it sucks to write that, but I’m nothing if not honest in my opinion. I’ve read offerings by Nick Cutter, Patrick Lestewka and Craig Davidson and none have been a mess like this. The story here is about a husband, wife and their young son who are moving into a new build in what is promised to be an up-and-coming subdivision. Immediately upon arrival they find they may have purchased a lemon, but hey no problem!
Okay, this had some potential. I mean as soon as you give me a father who has been put on some sort of administrative leave who moves out to the middle of nowhere vibes with the fam it calls to mind a certain other horror story with a real Father of the Year nominee . . . .
Throw in a little side of Monster House and it could have been #nomnomnomnomnom. But Cutter blows his load SUPER early and gives away what should have been a twisty twist at the end. Not to mention the narrative should have strictly been Trent’s up to that point for this to truly work because absolutely no time was spent trying to develop the wife or son characters. Cutter is still Cutter and doesn’t hold back on the gross-out moments whatsoever, but the storytelling itself is pretty thin. This either needed to be cut down to a super shorty short or sent back for a complete re-write and another hundred pages added to fix all the problems.
1.5 Stars and rounding up because I have been a fan in the past (just maybe don't do any more collabs)...more
Okay, so this wasn’t actually a recommendation from Cassie like The Grip of It was, but when I put it on my Currently Reading I noticed that she had read it to and we apparently dig the same type of spooky reads.
Oh this was gooooooood. You spend a lot of time in your own head wondering if what’s being told is real or is it Memorex just some sort of psychological mindf*ck.
Recommended!
If you haven’t yet tried Hoopla – maybe give it a whirl. I was about 100 weeks on the waiting list at the library for this one, but got instant gratification (FOR FREE!) by using this app....more
I love the idea of maybe a little whodunit wrapped up in a neighborhood drama since I’m always on the quest for the next Big Little Lies. I love skeletons falling out of closets and secrets lives and lying liars. And I love the idea of a grief-stricken mother spending her free time peeping on the potential local neighborhood manwhore. That being said, I was sooooo disappointed so early into this book when it came to Paige. Talk about shark jumpingly unbelievable/zero to sixty on the train to WTF is this bitch doing? Then Cora ends up being some dumb hoe too? Ick. Georgia’s story was the one which took me by surprise and I became fully invested. But I’m telling you if I were someone who DNFs – this would have been a strong candidate. I am happy to report explanations for certain things were given at about the halfway point, but it still didn’t make Paige’s actions make any sense and it just came off as some super telenova-type of storytelling.
Not to mention some of this was just lazy (or maybe a case of short-term memory loss while the author was writing) –some inconsistencies are so glaring that it’s impossible not to notice. A few examples:
1. Please don’t talk to me about a 6 month old baby and then tell me how she eats pancakes for breakfast and handfuls of Cheerios and goldfish crackers.
2. You get drunk at the neighbor feller’s restaurant and find the two of you singing with to the muzak playing on the speaker system, so why are you so terribly shocked when he takes the microphone on piano sing-along night? (Also, tipsy he sang terribly but sober he was wonderful????)
3. Magically the “we’d have to keep you until your arraignment, which will probably be Monday since it’s after noon on a Friday” somehow turns into only a 30 minute wait to be processed and let go on bond.
Are editors members of the writers’ strike? WTF has been going on the last year or so??????...more
This series has been everywhere so of course I had to read it. You don’t need my nothing opinion in order to put it on or keep it off your TBR to begiThis series has been everywhere so of course I had to read it. You don’t need my nothing opinion in order to put it on or keep it off your TBR to begin with so let’s just keep this short and simple:
1. I went into this one blind (other than seeing the cover everywhere) and I’m telling you the title makes no sense with the plot. The title had me thinking it was going to be a second chance romance.
2. I was scared this was going to be one written for CoHo fans and leave me trolled for another effing decade for daring to not love it. I’m happy to report it’s way more like a Kristen Ashley (including never ending page count).
3. Speaking of – WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too long. I told my friend Rachel it’s pretty obvious when an author is writing her own imaginary boyfriends because the pages never stop paging in fear she’ll eventually have to “break up” with her creations.
4. That being said, Val is right that porny pages aren’t like regular pages. I read this in a day because it was highly dialogue driven (and also I skip over the smutty scenes at this point because you read one you read ‘em all and nary a one does anything aside from dry up my ladygarden).
5. This covers many of the tropey tropes. You have a grumpy sunshine/runaway bride/banging the boss/alpha male/dresses like a biker/millionaire/bad guy out to get you/kidnapping/and even a hint of a “fake” relationship.
6. And of course there’s the stupid break up only to make up Hail Mary toss at the end.
Basically, it wasn’t life altering. But you KNOW my bitch ass already requested #2 from the library.
Once again, I pretty much went into this one blind. Jennifer McMahon is an author who I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up to begin with and what
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Once again, I pretty much went into this one blind. Jennifer McMahon is an author who I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up to begin with and what I had seen was that people said this was scary and un-put-down-able. I am happy to report that FINALLY in a sea of spooky season specific reads I finally came across a couple of winners this weekend.
The story here (in case you are a person who wants a synopsis) is that Alison has always kept her mother at arm’s length since she moved out of the family home. Mavis was a woman who Alison would have considered a pretty good mom – until her father committed suicide and Mavis fell into a downward spiral of alcohol abuse with a hefty side of emotional and physical child abuse to Alison and her brother Ben to boot. Now Alison has received a call that her mother is dying of pancreatic cancer with only a few weeks to live. Her last request? To spend her remaining days with Alison and her family. But something is off about Mavis. Is it simply the combo of medication and cancer or is it something else?
Okay, this was IT when it comes to Halloween (and so many extra props for this creepy creep taking place in December when the fam has been decking the halls - be still my Christmas lovin' heart!!!). Really my only complaint was the very ending. If you are a freak and watch endless amounts of paranormal shows that “twist” wasn’t twisty whatsoever.
Still, HIGHLY recommended and a 4.5 that I am rounding up because FINALLY a f*^%ing Halloween success!...more
But OF COURSE I’m the only one who thinks that as I now see the paltry 3.20 Goodreads rating. I’m a consistent wrongreader if nothing else.
The back cover of this compared it to House of Leaves and those were the vibes I got the whole time . . . but in easy-reader format. Well, hopefully. My copy was from the library and despite it being pretty easy for me to follow that the narration rotated every chapter from James to Julie, apparently that was super hard for another patron who had previously checked this out and at around the halfway point they started annotating the beginning of each new chapter like so . . .
Despite not loooooooving The Last Housewife (to me it really was just a cut and paste of the actual Nxivm headlines from a few years ago), I really dug In My Dreams I Hold a Knife so I requested the library to buy this immediately after being denied the ARC. I didn’t know anything about it before beginning – and then I saw the cover blurb by Clare Mackintosh . . .
Yep. That was pretty spot on. Kudos to you, Ms. Winstead, for having the backing behind your fan fiction and for willingly admitting your love for all things Twilight even all these years later. ...more
For the first 2/3 of this novel I was feeling my most recent favorite vibes while living in Irina’s world – those that remind m
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OH. MY. GOD.
For the first 2/3 of this novel I was feeling my most recent favorite vibes while living in Irina’s world – those that remind me of Fleabag. But then things got nutty. American Psycho but make her a hot ginger who instead of working on Wall Street makes her living via fetish kink photography.
Obviously from the two references above, this sucker is for those who like things dark. Don’t read it if you are of a sensitive nature. There’s your warning. For those of you who like a whole lot of fuck-up-ed-ness in your fiction? This one is worthy of all the hot button marketing terminology: fresh, original, edgy, riveting, twisted, page-turner, you name it.
Eliza Clark, you are a fucking GIFT. I can’t wait to read more of what you come up with.
In a sea (*hyuck hyuck*) of modernizations and reimaginings and dime a dozen stories, Whalefall is one that is completely unique. Part Jonah and the WIn a sea (*hyuck hyuck*) of modernizations and reimaginings and dime a dozen stories, Whalefall is one that is completely unique. Part Jonah and the Whale, part lesson on where and who you came from, part making it through the grieving process – it’s a story unlike any other I’ve read.
The premise is that Jay’s father committed suicide via the sea after being diagnosed with an incurable cash of mesothelioma. The two had a very contentious relationship and Jay’s choices in the final years of his father’s life have led to a strain on his ties with the remaining members of the family and the diving community his father was such a part of. Jay decides his shot at redemption is to find Mitt’s skeletal remains in order to give him a proper burial . . . . and then he gets swallowed by a whale . . . .
I noticed on Goodreads this is classified first as a horror and . . . no. I’d call it The Martian for the marine lover. It will blind you with science, but it is written beautifully. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but I’m so glad Shelby put this on my TBR during our weekly phone chat.
And I didn't even know MTV Books was a thing, but I'm here for it....more
It’s that time of year again and since I live in Karen central, I always make sure to read at least one banned book per year. And what bett
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It’s that time of year again and since I live in Karen central, I always make sure to read at least one banned book per year. And what better author to pick than the queen herself, Judy Blume?????
According to the interwebs, Blubber is banned “because of vulgar language and bullying. In the book all the girls in the class pick on a fat girl and call her mean names and never get punished, they also curse and are disrespectful.”
I’ll admit, it would have been great to see all these little d-bags get expelled for being such horrible humans, but I think the whole point in children reading books like this is for the parents to, you know, actually talk to them about the subject matter at hand. The ones who would opt to ban the book instead are probably the ones raising sociopaths like these relentless mean girls....more
Per usual I went into this one blind without taking a gander at any blurbs. I’ve enjoyed Shari Lapena in the past and apparently a tree house is stillPer usual I went into this one blind without taking a gander at any blurbs. I’ve enjoyed Shari Lapena in the past and apparently a tree house is still house enough of a cover for me to gravitate toward it. I was a little worried upon beginning that this was going to be a fail for me because I’m not super into missing child stories. But man oh man what a page turner. I was totally invested right from the jump.
The story here is about Avery who has some sort of unnamed oppositional defiance disorder type of condition. She is missing and it could be anything from she ran off to her daddy doing her or someone else. The first 200 pages of the story play out sort of like The First 48 and a Lifetime Stabby had a baby while the police do their thing and you meet all of the neighbors – who of course are almost all hiding something.
You won’t up your I.Q. reading this one, but if you’re like me you’ll be invested throughout and breeze through it in a matter of hours. Oh and the very end????
Are you looking to brighten? Tighten? Lighten? Whiten? Do you need to firm up? Plump up? Lift up? Do you wish to glow? To glisten? Then Treatment™ migAre you looking to brighten? Tighten? Lighten? Whiten? Do you need to firm up? Plump up? Lift up? Do you wish to glow? To glisten? Then Treatment™ might be for you.*
*Don’t take Treatment if you are allergic to Treatment. Side effects may include numbness, burning, cracking mirrors, lost time, missing words, delusions of grandeur, suicidal ideations, hallucinations, jellyfish, going the way of the roses or Tom Cruise.
Mona Awad’s latest release is a warning to all about the quest to find the fountain of youth. It is part . . .
It’s batshit crazy which I think just has to be expected from this author and it is a case where I truly wish there were half stars on Goodreads. I’m giving this one 3.5 and rounding down because, while I’m in for a ride on the crazy train, at some point I was also ready to get off and this one probably went about 100 pages too long for me.
If you previously were a fan of Chuck Palahniuk who has been disappointed in his past few offerings, maybe give Mona Award’s stuff a spin. She’s nucking futs. ...more
If you’re new to my space let me begin with a little recap of my reading style. #1, I hate face covers. #2, I generally don’t read blurbs. I 100% did If you’re new to my space let me begin with a little recap of my reading style. #1, I hate face covers. #2, I generally don’t read blurbs. I 100% did not read a blurb here and was willing to overlook my own opinion about a face cover because ever since I read Luckiest Girl Alive I have been dying to get my hands on a new release by Jessica Knoll.
Which leads to #3, I am an idiot. As soon as I started reading this I was like “hmmmm, they’re straight up naming Florida State as the place where this sorority killer did his killing??? Usually authors tend to name a fictional place.” And then I kept reading and was like “man, this is reading like a true crime story about something that really happened.” BECAUSE IT WAS! Good lord . . . .
If you like serial killer stories and fictionalizations of true crime, this one is not to be missed. It is so quietly powerful with regard to not only the mind of the murderer, but in general with how female victims and witnesses were treated (especially back in the 1970s, but I’m sure still today). And the delivery is matter-of-fact – not preachy or TED talky – it just is what it is. Obviously I had no clue what this was about before (or while) reading, but I was fully invested the entire time.
(That’s supposed to be a chef’s kiss, but I’m thinking Snoop may be doing summin’ else.)
To me it’s like the author knew how she wanted this one to end too and just ended up throwing everything but the kitchen sink into the plot in order to make the grand finale happen.
Got any good haunted house recommendations? I’ll take ‘em! (The Night House, The September House, and A Haunting on the Hill need not apply. I already read and didn’t like any of them.)
I was all prepared to say I have such a better result with the Read With Jenna selections than I do with America’s Darling, Reese . . . and
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I was all prepared to say I have such a better result with the Read With Jenna selections than I do with America’s Darling, Reese . . . and then this one came along.
Chain Gang All-Stars tackles the penal system the same way S.A. Cosby tackled homophobia in Razorblade Tears . . . with a lot of gore and a heavy-handed Ted Talk sort of delivery. Per usual, the people who need a lesson on how unjust the American justice system can be will 100% be the people who would never even consider reading this. For me dystopia stories just aren’t really my jam to begin with and since I’m an old lady this had a been there/done that vibe a la the afore-giffed Mad Max, Gladiator, The Running Man, The Hunger Games, etc., etc., etc. but this one was somehow extremely boring.
Oh, and I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE bajillions of footnotes. (Because I am stupid and a wrongreader. There, save your breath folks. I trolled myself so you don’t have to.) ...more
You know what the problem is with reading REALLY good books? When I’m done the only review I am capable of writing is one that looks like this . . . .You know what the problem is with reading REALLY good books? When I’m done the only review I am capable of writing is one that looks like this . . . .
If you know me you know this new release checks all of my boxes:
1. House cover? Check.
2. Mystery? Check.
3. Family drama? Check.
4. Somebody or other’s book club recommendation that my FOMO won't let me not read? Check.
The story here at its base is one of a missing person. Fifty-something Adam Parson went out for a hike with his son and did not return. Now the only person who might know the answer to where he might be is fourteen year old Eugene . . . who just so happens to be nonverbal.
So as I said above, this one delivered for me in abundance. I was soooooo invested in this family (and Mia’s voice was perfection – complete with the footnotes I just claimed a week or so ago to hate in another book). The missing person aspect had me checking and rechecking how long it had been since Adam was last seen. And the science?????? Oh Angie Kim, you shed so much light on being "nonverbal" to this dumb bunny and you did it in a way that all of your smartypants research didn’t bore me whatsoever.
The easiest recommendation would be to say this is maybe for those of you who loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, but I realize that’s probably considered pretty low hanging fruit since it also features a character on the spectrum. It just so happens I really liked that book as well so I don’t feel one bit guilty about making the comparison ; )
Really, that’s probably how I feel about mystery/thrillers in general. They are a dime a dozen and it takes a lot to really blow my socks off. Good Bad Girl (that my brain insisted on calling Good Girl, Bad Girl and I kept trying to figure out which character was supposed to be the good one and which the bad) was perfectly satisfactory. There was a bevy of secrets and reveals and even though I (and most of you) will probably know the big picture of what is going on right away, the “twist” was one I did not see coming. ...more
I don’t know how this book came to be on my TBR (because you KNOW it wasn’t from that cover!). All I know is I was still eleven trillion on the wait lI don’t know how this book came to be on my TBR (because you KNOW it wasn’t from that cover!). All I know is I was still eleven trillion on the wait list for a Kindle copy so I snagged it off the first come/first served shelf last Thursday at the library on my way home from work. I didn’t remember what it was supposed to be about so I took a quick looky-look at the synopsis and saw the potential for a culty church and your girl was down to clown. It also was clearly marked as a “novel of suspense” to which I now have to say . . .
Unfortunately all I can say about this one now that I’m finished is it was nothing but wasted potential. It’s fine if you’re an author who doesn’t want to write dark stuff . . . but you really need to just stay out of the lane of stories that make the reader anticipate really dark stuff. ...more
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