Jo
The first like 150 pages of this book are amazing. There were so many notable ideas and quotes that resonated with me. The way she talks about the soul and body in chapter 5 was absolutely beautiful and was by far my favorite.
However, the last 70ish pages dragged on so much all I wanted was the book to be over.
Seemed like the author really loved the story he was writing but then his publisher upped the deadline and he had to rush the ending.
I'd definitely recommend this for lovers of psychological horror and thrillers. There are so many moments throughout the story that will have you questioning reality. The author described it to me as a mix between “Rosemary's Baby” and “Nightmare on Elm Street”. There were also heavy “They Look Like People” vibes! I think most horror fans will enjoy this – especially fans of A24 films cause it would fit perfectly in that universe.
While it is a modern setting, there was an older vibe to the story as if it could have been written in the 70s. I feel like I cant give away too much of the plot as itll be spoilers, so I'd definitely recommend going in blind to really amp up the wtf-ness of the book. The basic premise is a college student moving away from his overbearing mother who is plagued with nightmares about a woman.
Id recommend this to any readers that love introspective and psychological horror! I really enjoyed the ending and feel like most readers will enjoy it as well. Im not gonna spoil it but I do want a prequel and sequel – however that may dispel the mystery of the story.
Thank you to the author @deranged for sending me this ARC!
So many biographies about her out there that I could've/should've read I read of this one. A lot of it was focused on fact checking “Mommie Dearest” and so many historical tangents on other celebrities that weren't relevant to Crawford.
Also, if there was an editor — which it appeared there wasn't — they should rethink their job because the ungodly amount of spelling errors was insane.
Despite the length, it was such a quick read. Author did a great job at making everything come full circle with no plot holes despite so much going on.
Lost a star cause of there being so many POVs without any title indicating who was talking. It would take almost a full page before I realized who it was. Definitely recommend writing down character names and just brief plot points for them cause some people tended to blend together for me.
This was a really fun read! It felt like I was watching a movie with its fast pace and intense atmosphere. I did have some struggle following along at first and there was one sex scene that threw me off but it still was worth the read. 3/5
The other novella included, “The Masterpiece”, was even better! I'm not big on psychological thrillers but I throughly enjoyed this one and it proved to be much more. 5/5
Terrific job at showing all the different aspects of ASD. Great read for both children and adults to help them better understand those on the spectrum. One of the few depictions in media that doesn't show the disorder as a negative but rather a feature of the person that makes them special.
Also adorable artwork and inspiring author!
A great book for an overview on ways to help depression and general self-care. The author's use of short paragraphs and bullet points allowed for easier understanding and a much smoother read. Much better than usual self-care books
Had to DNF because the story felt never ending and the gore was too much for me. So a definite must read for readers that like over the top gore
An excellent novella! Loved how you started and went through the story knowing that the girl wasn't human because it really left you smirking the whole time. It also contained some sad movements when it depicted the other sacrifices.
This was such a fun read with some surprisingly brute imagery that really left an impact on the reader. Absolutely loved how everything tied together and came full circle.
The nightmare of this just creeped out of my subconscious and my god I want it put back. The artwork is just so awful to the point where it's grotesque and it's painful on the eyes. Definitely did not appreciate the depictions of Native Americans and the plot was all over the place.
As someone who hasn't read a rom-com in a a few years this reignited my love for them!!!
Not a bad read but was expecting something more exciting and inspiring as an introvert myself. The first half of the chapters were interesting but the ideas became redundant by the second half. An overall decent read, but nothing too amazing.
Had high expectations going into this book and they really weren't met all the way. Some of the chapters fell short, but there were also some great takeaways from it.
Interesting way of showing the history of Burma through the lens of Orwell. The comparisons to some of Orwell's books as a breakdown of Burma's history — this offers an interesting outline when analyzing past and future places undergoing similar circumstances. A good timeline that leads into the current issues and atrocities happening there now.
Absolutely amazing! The use of multiple narrators and perspectives added so much more depth to this story and allowed you to relate to characters more. Such a great idea to take a current controversial issue and turn it into a what-if of the future.
I didn't expect to get a first hand experience of the unwinding but wow it was so heartbreaking and powerful. I got a little nervous midway but the ending was better than I hoped for.
A definite must-read!
Great story! Can definitely tell where future authors got their inspiration from. I personally couldn't get into the writing style and some aspects of it required rereading to keep up with the plot. The ending was less than what I hoped for but definitely realistic.
The first half was interesting and gave some insight into the life of a librarian, but the second half was repetitive and seemed to lend to the modern stereotypes of the field. I was hoping for this to be much more informative than it was.
I read this to find out what the main character was and waited the whole time just to never find out. It was an okay read but there was just nothing really special about it.
This elicited such intense feelings of anxiety and confusion in me that it could've gotten a higher ranking but that ending pissed me off.
It's so hard to express how good this story was. It's definitely now one of my favorite romance novels. I read it almost entirely in one sitting cause I just had to know how it ended. Usually books in this genre follow the same model but I was honestly on the edge of my seat the whole time.
It was such a great take on the big tropes by having both friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers. There was also a lot of comedic relief throughout the novel, which solidified it as an amazing romcom like all the nostalgic movies it referenced. It mentioned How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days a few times and it really reminded me of it — not in the plot but in vibe and the joy it brought me.
I'm just absolutely in love with the story between Lana and Seth. There was just so much intensity and longing throughout the novel — it felt like I was living it! There's a major quote in the story that just took my breath away and it hits you like a ton of bricks when it happens.
There was also so much beyond this story besides romance. It was hugely about finding yourself and really highlighted the importance of therapy and communication. Lana's story is really touching and she's one of the best leading ladies I've seen.
Highly, highly recommend this one!!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. And thanks to Falon Ballard for sharing this story with the world.
This is for rom-com lovers that YEARN for the slow burn and love the friends-to-lovers trope. It had all the warm and cozy feelings of your favorite romance movies.
Sophie Sullivan does such a great job at making her characters multidimensional, full-fledged people that you can see yourself in. Some moments felt like I was actually enjoying the holidays and friend gatherings with them.
I love novels like this that go beyond the general plot and touch on important topics. This especially goes for the way the author showed how the characters' past traumas completely distorted their thinking and impeded their present lives. Everyone can relate to this in some form and it was just great to see the characters learning that they can change their habits and negative thinking.
A major aspect of this novel was community and found family. There was so much love written within the pages that made me want to jump into this cozy world.
This is the 3rd book in the Jansen Brothers series by Sophie Sullivan. I haven't read the previous ones so you can definitely read this as a stand-alone. Past characters are heavily mentioned through the story so readers of the previous books get updated on their favorite characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is the 2nd book in the Supernatural Singles series by April Asher. I haven't read the 1st book, Not the Witch You Wed, but it can definitely be read as a stand-alone. There is a lot of mention of the main characters from the 1st one so I'll definitely be checking out that one soon.
It's absolutely insane how spicy this read was and, more importantly, it was female-focused spice. There was also a lot of romance, action, and fantasy involved in the story as well. This is a perfect blend for romcom and fantasy readers. There's also a little dictionary in the back for readers newer to the genre.
The plot is centered around witch Rose and half-demon Damian who become engaged in a friends with benefits arrangement. Now reading that you may think to expect that spice but I'm telling you it surpasses your expectations. It's really enjoyable to see their relationship form and meet their friends and family along the way. I also loved reading about the animals they worked with and their storylines were so cute. This is a very character heavy book and they was such a likable ensemble that it was such a joy reading their stories. There was also a lot of comedy, hence the romcom genre, and there were many moments I audibly laughed. I NEED to read a book about Olive finding love now.
Some of the supernatural dialogue was cringey at first but it didn't take long to get used to. The characters' lovability made up for any qualms I had. The ending was also a little rushed but I feel like that's a typical complaint for any romance book.
I definitely recommend this one, especially for romcom lovers looking to read something slightly different within the genre. There's also representation with the leading lady, Rose, who is plus-sized and tall, which is definitely nice to see in romance.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for a review.
Poetry like this is so important. There's never enough ways to read about self-love and the journey to it. This collection does such a wonderful job at capturing the feelings that come with mental health struggles like anxiety and depression.
Honestly, it's so hard to put into words how meaningful this was to read. Just seeing thoughts you've had during some of your darkest moments reflected back at you but with a hopeful undertone is just breathtaking. You hear so many times “it gets better” that you start to turn it out but when you read them in what feels like your own voice that is what's truly comforting and why these verses are so powerful.
I highlighted so many lines that I'm definitely going to be getting a physical copy to reread during hard times.
Thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for sending me this arc!
Thanks to Shelby Leigh for sharing her words and experiences!