booklistqueen's reviews
612 reviews

Laura Dave aimed for a slow-burn thriller that mostly just fizzles out. You don't have to wonder if Liam's death was a murder because the very first chapter reveals he was pushed. Yet, the mystery of whodunit never felt compelling or even that interesting. The family drama sparked a little interest for me although the siblings fell rather flat, especially the brother. Though the story wasn't particularly memorable, I did like the nice twist near the end. 

Liane Moriarty's latest novel was an interesting read but the broad cast of characters kept it from being quite as gripping as her former novels. It took a while for me to get into Here One Moment. The initial flight takes up the whole first quarter of the book. However, once a got a feel for all the characters, I was surprisingly attached and dreading their deaths. Although I enjoyed the look at fate versus free will, I struggled with the chapters from the Death Lady's point of view. Fortunately, the entire story connected in a satisfactory ending that tied everything together well.

I completely fell in love with this family drama about addiction and grief. Mellors does a fabulous job showing the complicated and messy connections between sisters and yet also highlighting the enduring love running underneath. I enjoyed how each sister had a different way of coping with their chaotic childhood and the death of their sister, but each showed addictive tendencies in her own way. 

After her darling bestseller The Wishing Game, I was excited to see Meg Shaffer take on a new story with Narnia vibes. At first, I loved the mystery of Jeremy and Rafe and their time in a magical land when they were children. However, once they traveled through the looking glass, the book just completely tanked. The plot, pacing, world-building, dialogue and character relationships were all very poorly executed in the second half. A terribly disappointing read that I can't recommend to anyone.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

Lisa Wingate pens a feel-good historical fiction novel with a dual timelines that starts strong but lacks a satisfying ending. I thought Shelterwood's modern story was more compelling than I typically find in this genre. Wingate also did an excellent job researching the historical injustice in Oklahoma and showed how poorly children and Native Americans were treated. Yet, I didn't think the two story lines tied together well and they both lacked the emotional resolution I would have liked.

I was caught off-guard by how much I loved The Husbands. Instead of the steamy romance I was lead to expect (and slightly dread), The Husbands is a thoughtful contemporary fiction novel. Gramazio presents you with a clever premise and then plays out the narrative in an extremely realistic character study of how this circumstance affects Lauren. The Husbands presents you with the benefits and dangers of having an infinite choice and adds enough twists to keep the story engaging and discussion-worthy. 

In Firebrand, Kristen Britain balances the story between Karigan's latest Green Rider adventure and the political intrigue back at the Capital. Although the novel takes a grimmer tone than early books, it also does the most to advance the relationship between King Zachary and Karigan. While the supernatural elements are a bit overdone, I still really enjoy the series as a whole. 

Fans of the Green Rider series generally agree that Mirror Sight is their least favorite book. I felt the same way when I first read it as it's rather jarring to have a series stripped of all but one of the characters. Yet I didn't mind as much on this second reading. I especially like how Mirror Sight allows Karigan to mature and creates character development she couldn't have gotten otherwise. 

If the fact I read this series in just 3 weeks isn't evidence enough, I'll just say out loud that I absolutely love this series. Blackveil takes on a darker tone than the earlier books. Karigan is starting to chafe under the pressure of an impossible romantic situation and always being selected for dangerous tasks. In this extremely long story, Britain throws in plenty of good twists, side stories to advance the later books, and a cliffhanger ending. 

It's love at first sight for Laurie when she sees a man at a bus stop one snowy day in December. Having missed their chance, Laurie searches for him for a year before finally meeting him - as her best friend's new boyfriend. Josie Silver's novels give you a nuanced approach to how complicated love is for realistically flawed people. 

After reading so many lame new releases, I just wanted an audiobook that would capture my attention while I was working out. Looking at the books available on my Libby app, I settled for a reread of this nuanced love story. I devoured this holiday romance in a day, and I can't recommend it enough.