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Review: The Burning Side

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The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff My rating: 5 of 5 stars Damoff is a truly truly excellent writer. Her characters are the true definition of three-dimensional. They are all flawed and working so hard to become better versions of themselves and jump off the page so well that you find yourself rooting for each of them and missing them so so much when the story is over. This story is filled with so much trauma and grief. How broken we each are regardless of our upbringing (and sometimes because of our upbringing) and how we internalize so much grief and self-blame/shame even when the things that happen to us aren't because of us and how much harder that makes it for us to then be in healthy relationships of our own. How do we save ourselves and our families and how to we form healthy marriages and families when we have so much of our own work to do? I enjoyed every single second I spent with this book. I felt sad, laughed out loud, full of love and ...
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Review: Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books

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Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller My rating: 4 of 5 stars not sure why i waited so long to read this book. Maybe because I didn't love Miller's previous one. But this one was fun and quick even if it was maybe a little too on the nose :) View all my reviews
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Review: Mad Mabel

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Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth My rating: 5 of 5 stars Oh Man. I've always been a fan of Hepworth's novels but this one stands out amongst the others. There's no way to finish this book and not to fall completely in love with Mabel and not to find yourself cheering for her, wanting to hug her and apologize to her on behalf of the world and truly cruel people that ruin it. It's hard to say that I loved reading this book because so much of it is so sad. So much of it was spent with me trying to jump into the pages of the book and protect Mabel. And also it's such a sweet, dear, at times funny, and mostly devastating book. The audio is truly fantastic and brings both of the mabels to life so well. A true gem from Hepsworth. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews
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Review: How to Get Away with Murder

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How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson My rating: 4 of 5 stars I had mixed feelings about this book. Even though the book in book format was interesting, I really hated the book inside the book and wanted those chapters to end as quickly as possible. And I really loved Samantha's chapters so for a long time, her chapters are what sustained me. But then towards the end it all started coming together and loved all of it and found myself admiring how the author brought it into a full circle. I am confident most people will enjoy this one. And the narration was absolutely perfect. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews
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Review: Last One Out

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Last One Out by Jane Harper My rating: 3 of 5 stars With any Jane Harper book you're guaranteed to read a story seeped in atmosphere and deep in character development. That's where this author shines and where her novels stand out. In Last One Out, Carralon Ridge, the town, is so atmospheric that it's a character of its own. The town people's relationship with the town is a major part of the story. And so are each of the characters, their history, their connection, their sense of loyalty and betrayal. On its face this story is not as twisty and interesting as many of Harper's other novels. But it still has all of her characteristic style so if you go in with the right expectation you will enjoy this story a lot. And the audio is absolutely excellent, transporting the reader to Australia adding just the right texture to the story. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review ...
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Review: Last Night in Brooklyn

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Last Night in Brooklyn by Xóchitl González My rating: 4 of 5 stars Xóchitl González creates the most memorable characters, and then puts them in an interesting time and location in the middle of interesting conversations. The characters feel so real, they jump out of the book, especially with this excellent narration. I loved this one even more than usual because it's about early 2000s in Brooklyn and I was living in Manhattan at the time. And the conversations and settings felt all the more real. Each character is three dimensional and you can't help but love these characters and see the world a little from their eyes. Another excellent, excellent offering from Xóchitl González. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews
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Review: Dolly All the Time

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Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan My rating: 4 of 5 stars What a complete fun ride this book was! I love Monaghan's voice and it shines through in this novel. This is the story of Dolly, a single mom to Gus, competent daughter to a dad who's set in his ways, and sister to a brother who doesn't like to leave the front porch (or wear pants), and she has a sister too who lives further away and is not involved enough. When her childhood house almost burns down, Dolly comes home to help out her Dad for the summer. A chance encounter where she's helping Stewart (the rich son of the rich family their island is named after) turns into a thing and Dolly gets an offer she can't refuse because it will mean she can truly help her dad and make sure her house is saved. And of course things don't go as planned. There's so much good in this book but the best part, for me, is what an awesome character Dolly is. She's strong, kind,...
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