beauty_andbooks's reviews
530 reviews

What I liked:
✔️easy easy read! Could be enjoyed by many of different reading levels
✔️I really liked one of the major plot twists 
✔️”magazine featured story” vibes 
✔️gossip girl here😉

What I didn’t like:
✖️none of the 3 main characters were super likable
✖️not a lot of plot growth overall. More character based 
✖️not sure I’ll remember this one much after a month goes by

What I liked:
✔️Family drama 
✔️Gothic vibes (think Rebecca)
✔️The house is a character 
✔️The dual timeline POV (loved the letters the most)
✔️1929 setting 

What I didn’t like:
✖️Main twist was a tad unrealistic 
✖️Plot holes in timeline
✖️Main character needed to be a bit smarter about her decisions😂

What I liked:
✔️historical fiction set in other countries than the US is always the best 
✔️I didn’t have much pre-existing knowledge of Russia during the time period of the book, so that was a fun learning experience
✔️I liked the main character. He was quirky 

What I didn’t like:
✖️Plot was similar to Anne of Green Gables where there isn’t much main plot, and just a bunch of sub-plots. Not my fave type of book.
✖️Slow most of the time. Really had to push myself to binge so I could just “get it over with”, which is not something you want to say about a book

Things I loved: 
✔️Perfect summer read! All I could picture was warm summer nights on the East Coast with fireflies and humid air! 
✔️I liked the main character. I wouldn’t have made the choices she did because maybe I’m not as brave! But she was persistent in her beliefs
✔️The overall twist!! How different was that one??
✔️The added element of drawings within the book. I looked forward to the next page that had a picture. Made the reading experience go fast

What I liked:
✔️the overall premise. I love anything about disasters. I was the child that hyperfixated on the Titanic 😂
✔️the interactions and differing personalities of the characters. They all seemed to blend well together and it was super believable how they bonded over tragedy 
✔️I learned stuff! Nonfiction elements within a fiction thriller

What I didn’t like:
✖️some of the military moments were hard to keep my attention. The lingo was difficult at times

*I was in a terrible reading slump when I read this book so bare that in mind when reading my review 

What I liked:
✔️The main basis plot of the story was very interesting! Especially interesting that the author based it off real experiences 
✔️A house near a seaside cliff was a super cozy setting (even if the plot was sad and depressing lol)

What I didn’t like:
✖️Ending was too HEA (happily ever after) for me. And sorta too good to be true 
✖️Maybe a tad too slow for my liking (but could have felt that way because of my slump)

I have to give credit where credit is due. This book helped me get out almost completely of my worst slump yet in my reading career. I was really hooked by the writing of this book and I enjoyed learning about the inside scoop of what I’d imagine game creation looks like. This book surprised me because it is very character driven and I usually prefer books more plot oriented. I found the main plot points of the book to be exciting and kept my attention. 

I read this book with my bookclub, SoCal Story Swappers, and most of us enjoyed this book! Whether or not we felt it was perfectly popularized like we saw on bookstagram a year ago, we all agreed it was an enjoyable read.

*I was in a terrible reading slump when I read this book so bare that in mind when reading my review 

What I liked:
✔️The multiple POV was enjoyable 
✔️A detective type thriller I actually did enjoy because it was heavily based in detective lingo
✔️Plot twist was fun!

What I didn’t like: 
✖️Felt slow going in the first half (reading slump may be a factor)
✖️characters weren’t super likable

I had somewhat high expectations for this book since I loved The Last Housewife. But I preemptively gave the book grace knowing I didn’t love academia books, which I knew this one was. Once again I went in blind and I had a slow start. I didn’t have any issues really. I liked the peeks into the truth throughout the book where we got more information about the murder. That definitely had me keep reading. It was good but just not a favorite. I didn’t like any of the characters but I think that was quite purposeful.