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Under Story by Chloe Benjamin My rating: 5 of 5 stars Oh my. This book is one of a kind. As a person who reads a lot, it's rare that I read something that's so unique and so unlike anything else. But this one, this one absolutely checks that box. It's so unusual that I think people will either love it or really not care for it. Consider me 100% in the first category. I loved every minute I spent with this unusual, one of a kind story. First of all Benjamin's writing is absolutely beautiful. The settings, the characters, the crazy plot. But what's even more beautiful is all the emotion in this story. The things we will do for love, because of grief, for science, trying to make up for regret. The chances we miss and the deep desire to get even one more moment with the people we love. There are a ton of nitpicks I can have with it but at its heart it's a story about love, grief and regret and the rest are just details. And those...

The Shattered King by Charlie N. Holmberg My rating: 5 of 5 stars I read this one in one swallow. It was fun, interesting and visually stunning. Loved it. View all my reviews

Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane by Lindy West My rating: 2 of 5 stars Here's what's interesting. I loved Shrill and when I first started reading this book, it felt similar and I found myself in the same zone where I loved West' voice and the way she told her story. But then at some point, the voice memos really started to annoy me and so did the narrative. It felt almost like she was trying to convince me of something she herself didn't believe. Or maybe I didn't get it. Either way maybe this was the wrong book at the wrong time for me. I wish her nothing but joy and if West writes more, I will read those too. View all my reviews

Ideal Life: A Novel by Evelyn Skye My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've read every Evelyn Skye book. Not only do I love her writing style but I love her as a human being I get to call a friend. How lucky am I? This was both a departure from her other stories and not really. As someone who works in tech, I really enjoyed the setting of this book. And even though as a reader, I could totally see that Talia was making poor choices and getting addicted to the ability to undo even the smallest of mistakes, I completely believe that if any of us actually had this power, we would have a really hard time not using it both for ourselves and for the people we love. Especially if it seemed like it didn't have adverse reactions, who wouldn't want to tinker and make things just right. Or to give others (or themselves) an opportunity to correct things. The thing is, throughout this whole story Talia never uses the power to truly take advantage of anyone else o...

Innocent by Scott Turow My rating: 3 of 5 stars I read this because I was stuck looking for something to read and I knew this wouldn't be terrible. And it wasn't. It held my attention all the way through. It was interesting. But not nearly as captivating as the original. View all my reviews

Under the Falls by Richard Russo My rating: 3 of 5 stars I'm not entirely sure why the reviews for this book are so so bad. I thought it was perfectly average. Yes, there are a lot of open plot-points and several things don't seem to make sense but once i started reading I found myself wanting to read more and more. In fact, I read the whole thing in a single sitting. I think there are two main issues with this story: it wasn't well-developed. The characters are not interesting and as the reader I didn't feel like I understood any of their motivations enough to figure out why they made the choices they made (I felt like Curt was the only one that came close.) And they all make such terrible choices the whole time. So if you don't understand them, they are not textured enough and they make poor choices, it becomes harder to read the story. Second issue is that this novel is written by an author who is clearly capable of writing so ...

Under the Falls by Richard Russo My rating: 3 of 5 stars I'm not entirely sure why the reviews for this book are so so bad. I thought it was perfectly average. Yes, there are a lot of open plot-points and several things don't seem to make sense but once i started reading I found myself wanting to read more and more. In fact, I read the whole thing in a single sitting. I think there are two main issues with this story: it wasn't well-developed. The characters are not interesting and as the reader I didn't feel like I understood any of their motivations enough to figure out why they made the choices they made (I felt like Curt was the only one that came close.) And they all make such terrible choices the whole time. So if you don't understand them, they are not textured enough and they make poor choices, it becomes harder to read the story. Second issue is that this novel is written by an author who is clearly capable of writing so ...

If You Must Go, I Wish You Triplets by Virginia DeLuca My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars ok this one hit a little close to home. but it was good. relatable and well written. View all my reviews

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser My rating: 4 of 5 stars What an excellent, excellent story. Would have absolutely never picked this one up if it weren't for my friend Lauren. And the audio is outstanding. It's about Cinderella but also nothing about it. It's about being a mother, about doing the right thing, and about bravery. Great story. View all my reviews

The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love Christina Lauren so I already knew I was going to love this book before I started it. And yes the premise of this one is a bit crazy, and yes you have to suspend your disbelief. But it doesn't matter because their playful and sweet dialogue is still there. Their fun side characters are still there. The story flows and you don't want to let go of these lovely characters. Especially now, all I wanted to do was to live in their world for a little longer. And this one has a bonus awesome dog, too! Read it in a single sitting! with gratitude to netgalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Man Overboard! by Kathleen Rooney My rating: 4 of 5 stars Rooney's previous book was one of my favorites when it came out so I couldn't wait to read this. But then I started it and it dragged and dragged. Enough that I had to put it aside for a while. I tried to come back to it a few times but I couldn't engage with it. Finally when I knew I had a chunk of time, I sat down to get through it and I grew to love it more and more and more and by the end I was completely invested in the future of Kick and rooting for him. This story unravels slowly, with lots of things thrown in the middle, but it's truly lovely if you stick with it. with gratitude to netgalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Keep Them Close by David Ellis My rating: 4 of 5 stars David Ellis knows how to weave a story. This one was both expected and unexpected in places, for me. It's about the murder of Allison's cheating husband. Or is it about a childhood story? or is it about a drug bust? Or is it about a girlfriend she doesn't like? Or an awful car accident? Which one is it? Or is it all of them? You'll have to read to find out. I read this one in a single sitting. Love David Ellis. with gratitude to netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu My rating: 4 of 5 stars Great story in the vein of Addie LaRue but with more African American history. It was absolutely excellent on audio. View all my reviews

Brawler by Lauren Groff My rating: 4 of 5 stars I'm not a short-story fan but I am a Groff fan so I had to read this collection and I am so glad I did. Even though every story wasn't my favorite, there were several that I absolutely was awed by. I really hope her next one is a novel though! View all my reviews

Land by Maggie O'Farrell My rating: 5 of 5 stars Maggie O'Farrell has a way with words. And not just words but characters, settings, and so much more. The story begins with Tomas, the dad whose job is to survey the land in Ireland in 1865. He is doing his job with his son as an apprentice when something unexpected happens. And then the story goes both deeper and wider. The reader is thrust into The Great Hunger and Irish history. But the best part of this book, of course, is Tomas' family. The story of how he grew up and met his wife. The way they get and settle into the house and their four kids who are unique and unforgettable in their own magical ways. Each character leaps off the page and stays with you long. long after you're done reading. You heart is broken again and again and again and yet you can't stop cheering for these characters and holding on to hope. What a complete gift O'Farrell is. with gratitude to netgalley...

And Now, Back to You by B.K. Borison My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars This was fun and joyful and entertaining even if predictable. It brought me joy. View all my reviews

Heather by Caitlin Mullen My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is compared to Moore’s The God of the Woods which I thought was an apt comparison. It's about an event that unearths a mystery from years ago. It's in a small town. It's a quiet story which ends up not being about the mystery. All of these I think are reasonable parallels. This is a slow burn but, for me, it was an excellent read from beginning to end. I loved Callie from the very beginning and was invested. The audio book was truly excellent. The narrators brought the story alive and made it so there wasn't a moment of boredom in this slow moving story. I loved it from beginning to end. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Winter's Redemption by Mary Stone My rating: 2 of 5 stars 2.5 stars For some reason even though this was indeed Winter's Redemption, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others. It felt more stilted and I didn't like the preacher so i hated having his POV. View all my reviews

The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny My rating: 4 of 5 stars Wow this was quite the political thriller. If political thrillers are your genre, you will absolutely love this rich and thoroughly intriguing story. It was fast-paced with really interesting characters. Layers of plot that kept you on your toes the whole time. I am confident that if you like this genre, you will love this book. The audio was absolutely outstanding, making the story come to life and adding so much to the experience of reading this book! with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth My rating: 3 of 5 stars I'm a Veronica Roth fan. I loved the Divergent series and loved having more of her voice and storytelling in this novel. For me, this was a much bigger undertaking and took a lot longer to connect to. I loved the intricacies and creativity of the world-building. Loved the strong and smart main character and loved the love interest, too and especially loved that neither the story nor the love interest were there as a token. The story in of itself was interesting and the characters were, too! I do assume there's more coming and it's a series. I am excited to read more of it! with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page My rating: 0 of 5 stars Another one that didn't keep my interest and I finally had to give up. This was fun for a while but also relatively formulaic :( View all my reviews

To Kill a Cook by W.M. Akers My rating: 4 of 5 stars Really enjoyed this one. I liked the narration, i liked the main character. It wasn't as funny as Finlay Donovan but it was interesting and i loved all the food details. View all my reviews

So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder My rating: 0 of 5 stars I am not rating this story because I had to walk away from it about halfway through. Maybe it's because I am not a millennial and wasn't the target audience. Either way, this one did not keep my interest. maybe at some point i can come back to it. View all my reviews