Ooooof. This is a hard one. It had all sorts of swooney Ryan Goslingy types of dialogue to make a romantic heart go pitter-pat and while I knoooooooooOoooof. This is a hard one. It had all sorts of swooney Ryan Goslingy types of dialogue to make a romantic heart go pitter-pat and while I knooooooooooooooooow romance books aren’t steeped in reality, the plotline was sort of problematic for me.
I set aside the fact that most workplaces have anti-fraternization rules and simply went along with that trope for the sake of . . .
But this idea that the boy your entire family has blamed for your sister’s death for well over a decade somehow coinky-dinkily becomes not only your co-worker in a REAL niche profession of screenwriting, that also happens to be 100% across the country from where you grew up and then also can somehow become your love interest was a lot for my logical non-romantic brain. Also, I’m in a current phase where I prefer fade-to-black smexuals so all the dirty talk did absolutely nothing for either me or my lady garden.
I’m going to steal from Rotten Tomatoes and certify this one as fresh.
When Hannah’s most recent soulmate ghosts her and her BFF gets engage
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I’m going to steal from Rotten Tomatoes and certify this one as fresh.
When Hannah’s most recent soulmate ghosts her and her BFF gets engaged, Hannah takes her obsession with true crime to a whole different level and starts looking for love in all the wrong places. Specifically, as a pen pal with a suspected serial killer who has been charged with murdering four women and dumping their bodies in a ravine. What’s the harm, right? I mean all signs point to a conviction so it’s not like she’s actually at risk of being victim #5. That is until an actual fifth body is found while William is on trial which obviously makes him not guilty, he gets released and is ready for his happily ever after with his new girlfriend. Then it becomes a question of did he or didn’t he . . . or maybe more appropriate, will he or won’t he?
Simply put, this was a lot of fun. From the “Burn Book” style of cover art to the new take on “romance” in your 30s, I had a ball. The whodunit won’t be much of a shocker, but this made for a most enjoyable day out on the deck soaking up some unseasonably warm weather here in flyover country.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
Romantic Comedy was definitely one of my Top 5 reads in 2023, and I knew I would be returning to the works of Curtis Sittenfeld in short order. I loveRomantic Comedy was definitely one of my Top 5 reads in 2023, and I knew I would be returning to the works of Curtis Sittenfeld in short order. I love coming of age stories and love the idea of the goings on at some prestigious boarding school so it was easy to add this to the TBR. Little did I know this was going to be a first person experience that truly meanders through Lee Fiora’s four years at Ault. If you are of the DNF ilk, you will know right away this probably isn’t for you. And I wouldn’t blame you at all for putting it down because not a whole lot happens aside from residing in Lee’s head and dormitory room for hundreds upon hundreds of pages. It reads very much “MFA” course, which typically I can’t stand, but for some reason I became invested and kept on keeping on. I can’t say I would ever recommend this one, but I don’t regret reading it and I’ll definitely get around to Sisterland one of these days....more
We start off with Lee. She had fulfilled her dream of opening her own restaurant when the pandemic hit. Wrapped up with a real shady business partner Lee has ran across the country and is now homeless for fear that if she is found she’ll be ….
And if you think THAT is far-fetched - well, things haven’t even really gotten started yet.
If you can completely throw any semblance of reality out the window and don’t suffer whiplash due to eleventy twists and turns maybe give this a whirl.
So a long time ago my pal Val told me I haaaaaaaaaaad to read this book, but I just wasn’t in the mood so I failed her. But then I heard Chris StapletSo a long time ago my pal Val told me I haaaaaaaaaaad to read this book, but I just wasn’t in the mood so I failed her. But then I heard Chris Stapleton singing “White Horse” and, well . . . .
That song really got my engine revving for some sort of alpha male, maybe in the form of a motorcycle gang member, type of read and I remembered I had this loaded on the Kindle.
Now I’m going to tell you that my pal Val told me this wasn’t actually eleventy trillion pages long because porno pages aren’t the same as regular pages, but she LIED. Oh this was incredibly too long and I most definitely was ready for it to be over as the ending drug on and on (and on). The good news is, there actually was a plot unlike most smut I pick up. The bad news is this features a very taboo May/December romance so please save your breath if you’re even thinking about threatening to send Chris Hansen to my house (even I found it cringey when the male lead started referring to the female lead as “little girl” at the end of the book).
Oh, and as far as Chris Stapleton goes? There’s one thing I think is probably pretty accurate . . .
This is another old ARC that I completely forgot about until my library turn came around for McFarlane’s new release and it popped up on the Kindle . This is another old ARC that I completely forgot about until my library turn came around for McFarlane’s new release and it popped up on the Kindle . . . so I gave it a read first. This is the story about Harriet – a wedding photographer who realizes she and her live-in beau are probably not meant to be, calls it quits with him and takes a flatshare with landlord Cal. Like this author’s other works it’s very chick-litty. Unlike her other stuff, I wasn’t totally on board with the plot.
I liked the self-realization of getting out of a toxic situation (whether romantic or “breaking up” with a friend who doesn’t have your best interest), but the whole storyline with trying to run an intervention with a complete stranger about her relationship with your ex – and moreso that you are surprised when things backfire – was just a bit much for me.
I’ll happily keep picking up whatever Mhairi McFarlane puts down, this simply wasn’t my cuppa . . .
Let me unload one piece of baggage before I even begin here. My copy of You Shouldn’t Have Come Here DID NOT include the Colleen Hoover cover blurb. ILet me unload one piece of baggage before I even begin here. My copy of You Shouldn’t Have Come Here DID NOT include the Colleen Hoover cover blurb. If it had, I would hope that I would have been smart enough to avoid this like the plague due the incessant seven year trolling I’ve receive from CoHo’s rabid fanbase. Buuuuuut, since The Perfect Marriage remains on my TBR, there’s a decent chance I still would have read it. Although I didn’t know about the new and improved cover at all, I was immediately confronted with a paragraph on the very first page. And then one by Jennifer Hillier, and Kaira Rouda, and John Marrs and Alex Finlay????? Now that I’m finished I have one question to ask . . . .
For real, though. I mean was this a dare to see how quickly this thing could go viral on TikTok? Are these authors a caliber of likeswappers Goodreads and The ‘Gram have never before seen? Did they all sell their souls????
I picked this up to give Jeneva Rose a second chance after reading One of Us Is Dead - a book that wasn’t terrible for me, just not as over-the-top as it could/should have been when it came to the delivery. I had not known Airbnb “Rooms” was now a thing since I refuse to watch television with commercials, but lemme just say if you’re thinking about staying with a random stranger maybe read this book because obviously this would be a killer’s wet dream. I was hoping for a popcorn thriller and suspension of disbelief was not going to be a problem for me when it came to the story of Grace who rents a room on a ranch in Wyoming from Calvin for ten days. I figured at least one person would wind up dead and I was down for the stabbies. But this was so booooooooooooring. Good lord amighty what a snoozefest.
The stuff that did finally happen was what most people would think was going to happen all along . . . other than the “twist” at the end which was one of those last-pagers that’s just stupid and thrown in as an attempt to shock the reader, but it was all too little too late.
Oh, and to authors who do things like this???
“Finally, a thriller. This one promised a twisty ending I wouldn’t see coming. It seemed every thriller promised that these days, but few actually delivered.”
“When she appeared in the kitchen, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding in. Cliché, I know. But it’s true.”
It doesn’t make you seem clever to be “in on the joke” – it’s simply a confirmation that you don’t write well enough to come up with something other than the worn out lines every other pisspoor Wattpader comes up with.
Allow me a moment to age myself. When I was a kid, not only did I Walk Like an Egyptian and warble my tiny emo lungs out to “Close your eyes, give me Allow me a moment to age myself. When I was a kid, not only did I Walk Like an Egyptian and warble my tiny emo lungs out to “Close your eyes, give me your hand – can you feel my heart beating????” but I also WORE. THE. SHIT. OUT. Of the VHS tape of the instant classic (LOL) The Allnighter starring none other than . . . .
When I saw she was releasing a novel I was all over it . . . and I was lucky enough to score an early copy. And I give massive props to a 63 year old achieving her dream of getting a book published. But the story just was not great.
Jane is a 33-year old, one-hit-wonder (on a cover song, not even an original) who has somehow managed to never have to get a real job in the decade since her 15 minutes of fame were over. Instead she does things like corporate parties or, as is the jumping off point here, a bachelor party in Vegas. Recently broken up from her famous boyfriend (and watching his life with his new love unfold via social media), Jane’s BFF/manager Pippa offers up her guest room and a getaway to London. On the flight, Jane meets Tom – who then ghosts her for two weeks before making contact, they go out on one date and then they are in instalove and she moves in with him . . . .
Yeah, this was not it. Not only is instalove not my jam, but Jane having no sense of responsibility at over 30 and being a shit friend who immediately ditched her ride or die for some D made it even worse. Not to mention the entire storyline about “Jonesy” which hinted at a real #metoo experience (which could have explained some of Jane’s behaviors) only to amount to nothing and the bizarre Jane Eyre shoutouts made this one a real slog.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more
In case any of you are like me after finishing the absolutely unnecessary The Family Remains and were doubting Lisa Jewell, along comes None Of This IIn case any of you are like me after finishing the absolutely unnecessary The Family Remains and were doubting Lisa Jewell, along comes None Of This Is True and Ms. Jewell declaring . . . .
The story here is about Josie. She already has it in her head that she wants to make some changes in her life, so when she accidentally meets her “birthday twin” at a restaurant where they are both celebrating their 45th, discovers said birthday twin Alix has a podcast and suggests she be the subject for the next set of installments.
You may be thinking you know where this is heading and it’s another dime or dozen stalker situation, but oh would you be wrong! My oh my do I appreciate a quality unreliable narrator and this book has one of the best. And just look at all those houses on the cover!!!!!!! I loved it.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
Okay, this book doesn’t come out until July, but guess what? That is pool season, homies, and I am telling you THIS is what I’m talking abo
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Okay, this book doesn’t come out until July, but guess what? That is pool season, homies, and I am telling you THIS is what I’m talking about when it comes to poolside reads. If escapism in the form of tainted love is your jam, Wes and Ivy will deliver in spades.
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Samantha Downing’s My Lovely Wife back in the day and have happily stalked followed along on this author’s journey as she went from a serial killing spouse, to family fuckery to her take on dark academia to this “love” story. I’m a forever fan and will read WHATEVER she releases. Sooooooo many Stars!!!!
Seeing the paltry 3.26 (!!!!) Goodreads’ rating after taking a looky-look at the synopsis of this one I was sure everyone was just being a hater. BuuuSeeing the paltry 3.26 (!!!!) Goodreads’ rating after taking a looky-look at the synopsis of this one I was sure everyone was just being a hater. Buuuuuuuut now that I’ve read it and am only awarding 3 Stars myself, I get how it came to be.
The problem here is that are actually TWO potentially really solid (talking 4 Star minimum) stories in Sedating Elaine. The first would be the one that coincides with the title. Dear Frances finds herself with vivacious rebound girl Elaine – who, can I just say from the description was 100% . . . .
Frances owes a significant amount of money to her weed dealer so she bites the bullet and asks the wealthy Elaine to move in with her in order to ask her for the dough rather than a loanshark. Immediately upon cohabitation, Frances comes to realize there’s no way she can keep up with Elaine (and that’s in generic energy levels, actual physical activities such as running or her sexual appetite). How to solve the problem? A little sedation and a truly laugh-out-loudable dark comedy.
The other half of the novel is a maudlin tale of Elaine’s inability to move past traumas (sad ones, but thankfully not anything sexual or abusive) that happened when she was a child. She spends as much time as she can at the restaurant job she loves – but is unwilling (or feels undeserving) of moving beyond basic KP duties. She has no real friends (although well liked by her co-workers) and spends all of her time alone except when she is engaging in meaningless sex until she meets the too-goo-to-be-true Adrienne. The writing in this portion is hauntingly beautiful at times.
The problem lies that these two stories do not comingle well. Good news is this was Dawn Winter’s debut novel and she has proven to have some quality writing chops. I’ll definitely be looking for what she comes up with next.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
I mean WTF was that? I have never heard of Megan Hart before, but thanks for writing under a second name here so I have to remember to avoi
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I mean WTF was that? I have never heard of Megan Hart before, but thanks for writing under a second name here so I have to remember to avoid both of you in the future rather than only one. The big “twist” at the ending (which was guessable at the ¾ mark at max) is what most reviewers will probably be talking about, but I had already been there/done that a couple of years ago with another book that I can’t remember the name of at the current moment and am unwilling to invest any time looking up because it too was a 1 Star.
This entire thing was a convoluted (and predictable) mess featuring an every trope but the kitchen sink that could possibly be contained in a thriller approach to storytelling. Of course you have an unreliable narrator (ACCIDENT ONSET AMENSIA! HOW ORIGINAL! (said no one ever)), a philandering husband, an untrustworthy bestie, gaslighting, an obviously too helpful mother-in-law (*cough (view spoiler)[poison (hide spoiler)] cough*), addition of a third narrator midway through the book, more adultery, and on and on until the absolutely RI.DONK.U.LOUS. ending.
I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul. This is my punishment for having an endless supply of FOMO that sends my itchy fingers directly to the library website to download garbage rather than reading the advanced copies I’m lucky enough to receive and getting my NetGalley ratio up to a non-failing grade. ...more
In addition to my house cover addiction, I have to confess that if you put “kill” in the title, there’s about a 112% chance Imma want to read it. If fIn addition to my house cover addiction, I have to confess that if you put “kill” in the title, there’s about a 112% chance Imma want to read it. If for no other reason than to carry it around the office so others can see it while waiting for their turn at the coffee bar or the copy machine . . . .
Last week I read How to Kill Men and Get Away With It, then I read this, and coming soon it’s Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. Ahhhhhhh, it’s like hanging out with my besties.
This selection was absolutely a had me at hello with the premise of triplets who spend their free time murdering their boyfriends. And having it not be all about the gore or twists and turns was once again super satisfying to my hate-everything lately self.
Sissy has always had the role of the “cleaner” when it comes to her sisters’ shenanigans, but now it’s her turn. She’s identified her mark and now has a maximum of six months to make him fall in love with her before offing him, disposing of his body and moving on to the next. It’s her time and she’s ready . . . until she starts catching some feels.
This slow roller didn’t include a lot of shock and awe, but it kept me engaged right from the jump and I read it in a day. There was a bit of jumping of the shark with the added neighbor narrative muddying up the waters, but for the most part I really enjoyed this one. 3.5 Stars and rounding up because I’m full of the holiday spirit.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more
I recently read The Writing Retreat by this author’s sister and commented that, although I did not enjoy that selection, I had liked We Were Never HerI recently read The Writing Retreat by this author’s sister and commented that, although I did not enjoy that selection, I had liked We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz. When I saw this early copy on NetGalley I didn’t hesitate to request it. I mean, look at the cover alone . . . .
The premise here is that Kelly (hey, girl, hey!) has been told by her fiancé that he would like to “pump the breaks” on their upcoming nuptials . . . . and it’s not because they’re in the middle of the pandemic. Kelly shares her story with Sabrina - a former high school friend turned influencer/bestselling romance novelist she has reconnected with over social media – and Sabrina offers Kelly a spare room with she and her husband Nathan in their Virginia mansion. And then they become a throuple????
Yeah. I’m pretty clear that romance in general tends to hinder my enjoyment when it comes to stabby good times, but this was some serious Lifetime Movie of the Week stuff. I’ll go with 2 Stars because it is coming up on pool season so I could see people losing themselves in this bit of nonsense.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more
My new approach to disliking books by authors I have previously loved is to simply blame all of their latest releases on Covid. Sally Hepworth has beeMy new approach to disliking books by authors I have previously loved is to simply blame all of their latest releases on Covid. Sally Hepworth has been a go-to-gal for me and I’m the first to tell people they read her books wrong if they don’t’ like them. But not really, though, because I am nothing but kind and forgiving ; ) Really I blame the marketing. Her stuff is always released under the moniker of “thriller” or “domestic suspense” – which I guess is sorta true, but I have found once I get invested in the families she writes about I often forget there’s been a superbadawful that will eventually be explained.
Unfortunately that wasn’t the case with The Soulmate. I always love Hepworth’s characters and I immediately didn’t like either Pippa or Gabe. And the entire premise that there’s some “suicide death leap” (utilized by an absolute bevy of people every year because the hubbo has made a name for himself for being able to stop from taking their final leap since the couple moved in) that (1) hasn’t been secured in some fashion either by fencing or at least by some seriously bright lighting and surveillance to act as a deterrent or (2) that you would willingly move there (no matter what your finances) with two small children thinking they wouldn’t plummet to their own deaths just because you said stay back??? Well . . . . .
“The Spot” most certainly was NOT a perfect place to raise their daughters as the blurb states. And the twist??? Meh. Not great, Bob. All that being said, this sucker is currently sitting at a 4.29 on Goodreads so I’m obviously the wrongreader here and your mileage most definitely may vary.
2.5 Stars.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
The Last Housewife is the story of Shay who has just heard the news that she has lost a second friend from college to suicide. Shay is convinced that something is rotten in Denmark and another college pal Jamie feels the same so they decide to do some poking around.
My reaction to this one???? Hmmmmmmm. Once again here’s a narrative that relies on podcast recordings to complete the story. At this point I’m pretty sure I’m not a fan of that device (but to be honest I’m not always real keen on the wibbly wobbly timeline period). The positive this time around is that at least the podcast host had a journalism background which made the investigation a big more legit and a bit less “Nancy Drew” with the two just magically scoring interviews, etc. That being said, the idea that these two (Shay in particular) could just imbed themselves into these sex club scenarios with nary a question asked (or without being recognized by any of the players) was waaaaaay farfetched. I also had the issue of the “ripped from the headlines” feeling the same I had with All Good People Here. Not only was the branding of the sex cult members taken straight out of the Nxivm playbook, but a literal shout-out by name was given near the end of the book. Do authors just assume we readers live in caves with no access to any true crime programming from the past billion years?????
I’m giving this 2 Stars strictly for the page turnability factor....more
Unfortunately it’s definitely NOT Lisa Jewell. I try to stay away from follow up novels simply because they don’t generally work out for me
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Unfortunately it’s definitely NOT Lisa Jewell. I try to stay away from follow up novels simply because they don’t generally work out for me, but I like Jewell’s stuff so much that I thought this time might be different. Yeah, no. Much like other stand-alones that decide to go for another round, there just wasn’t enough story left to tell to keep me interested. Seriously, Henry goes full Joe on Finn? Pass. A too good to be true husband? Who cares? Bones found in the “house of horrors?” Meh. Once again I’ll go ahead and blame the entire world being in lockdown while this was written for being the driving force behind this underwhelming new release....more
Everyone knows the old saying “there’s three sides to the truth.” In this case, it’s his, hers, and the stanky bloated corpse that’s been rotting in tEveryone knows the old saying “there’s three sides to the truth.” In this case, it’s his, hers, and the stanky bloated corpse that’s been rotting in the bathroom for a couple of weeks.
If one thing is for certain during the lockdown of the dilemma it’s that writers had time to write. Now all of the fictional tales of the COVID experience are making their way across the publishers’ desks and into readers greedy little hands. I’ve read some hits, some misses, some in which the pandemic was simply a backdrop, some which were hyperfocused on the experience. 56 Days jumps off with a sort of melty body in a shower . . . .
And takes the wibbly wobbly her take, his take and the detectives take on just how it came to be.
It all begins with a supermarket meet/cute between Ciara and Oliver. The setting is Dublin, the timing is just a couple of weeks before the initial lockdown begins. The two have a few dates, they hit it off. Then no one is allowed to socialize. The solution? Co-habitation. Sounds creepy, right? Moving in with an almost complete stranger? Good news is, both Ciara and Oliver are well-aware that it’s an odd set up. However, it’s a strange time and it’s only a couple of weeks. Plus, neither of them have any family close enough to help them out should anything bad happen. So they move in together, temporarily, and something real bad happens.
That’s all you get as far as storyline. I can tell you I was tricked by a bit of a “red herring” here and didn’t put two and two together regarding the wrap-up coming on this one until nearly the end (and I usually spot it from about a mile and a half away). And while I wasn’t the biggest fan of Oliver’s narrative popping up to re-hash things with his take when I had already settled in to the telling of the story being done via Ciara and the detective, it didn’t end up reducing my enjoyment level at all once he got to explaining. And speaking of the detective . . . .
“Here I was thinking I might treat myself to a curry and veg out on the couch tonight . . .” “Why? Because you’re overdue a break from your hectic social life? You know, I was thinking this morning, Lee—have you even noticed we’re in lockdown? Like, how has your life changed, actually?”
The author even Easter Egged her own self and The Nothing Man which has been on/off my library checkout waiting for appropriately dark and stormy weather. I’ll definitely be reading that one come October now because I dug this one....more
When it comes to pop culture, I have determined there are two types of people – those who love the movie Almost Famous and me. In this new release reaWhen it comes to pop culture, I have determined there are two types of people – those who love the movie Almost Famous and me. In this new release readers are told right from the jump that Josie will be covered in blood in nine months’ time. You just have to read three-quarters of the book to find out why (but it’s not really a shocker). I’m eleven trillion reviews behind so I’m not going to waste a lot of time bashing this one. Different strokes for different folks. I’m sure many will love this, but I couldn’t stand Faun and unlike Almost Famous these gals were most definitely not there for the music, they truly were groupies . . . .
Kelly (and the Book Boar)
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