booktribe's reviews
584 reviews

I really wanted to like this, but it just can’t catch my attention. I’ve put it down & picked it up and tried again a few times, but I just can’t make myself care about the story. So, sadly I couldn’t finish. I was almost 40 pages into the book and nothing had happened. No character development, no plot development, nothing. I was hoping that after we got all the background information and history of the world out of the way it would pick up, but I can’t keep reading.

Thank you Little Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own. 

Although I cared about the characters, this book was very much a no plot just vibes story. I think if it had a subplot or two I could’ve continued reading. I needed more to happen, otherwise this could’ve just been a short story. 

But, if you’re a character driven reader who doesn’t need a plot to enjoy a story, then you may enjoy this one! 

Although I was very interested in the mystery of the story, the pacing was so slow. We weren’t getting any story. The writing was just full of random anecdotes about the main character’s life that have NOTHING to do with the plot. It became exhausting to read.

“I thought I was my best with her but she saw how wretched I was and she loved me for it—“ - Black Hole by November Rush

““I think I’m not well,” he whispers. “Hey, it’s okay. I’ll take care of you.” How that phrase, take care of, implies both nurturing and disposal.” - American Gothic by LC von Hessen

Overall I enjoyed this collection! There were definitely some hits and misses, but there were several stories that I really enjoyed! My faves were: Your Honor, I’d Like to Put You in the Shoes of One of Dr. Morehouse’s Thirty Proven Clients by M. V. Pine (absolutely horrifying), Black Hole by November Rush (horrifying & beautiful & heartbreaking all at once), Lost and Found by Charlene Adhiambo (I too feel like a dead body rotting in a tub that has nothing except her dreams) & American Gothic by LC von Hessen! 

I really enjoyed the continued use of second person POV in these stories, it really brought a haunting vibe to a lot of the stories! A lot of the stories were on the erotic horror side, which isn’t for me, so I think that’s why some of the stories didn’t connect with me. But, the ones I enjoyed, I REALLY enjoyed!

Individual story ratings:

📚 Your Honor, I’d Like to Put You in the Shoes of One of Dr. Morehouse’s Thirty Proven Clients by M. V. Pine: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

> TW: dead naming, transphobia

📚 This Body is not your home by Son M. : ⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 Curdled Song of the Broken Earth by Jonathan Louis Duckworth: DNF

📚 Fortune Favors Grief by Cassandra Khaw: ⭐️

📚 Cleodora by August Clarke: ⭐️⭐️✨

📚 Summer Night by Robbie Banfitch: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

> TW: hate crime

📚 Bad Axe by Ed Kurtz: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

> TW: suicide; grief

📚American Gothic by LC von Hessen: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚Sardines by Gretchen Felker-Martin: DNF

📚 Zero Tolerance by M. F. Rose: DNF

> TW: bullying

📚 Black Hole by November Rush: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚Lost and Found by Charlene Adhiambo: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

> TW: parental abandonment, drug use

📚Love Like Ours by Violet: ⭐️⭐️✨

📚 Filthy Animals by Thomas Kearnes: skipped (I can tell this one is not for my ace ass lol)

📚 Worth the Dying Shame by Matteo L. Cerilli: DNF (loved the idea, but couldn’t get into the writing) 

📚 All of Our Boys Are Missing by Joe Koch: DNF

Dead Girls Walking was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, but sadly I couldn’t finish.

It’s so hard when you’re reading a book with a story that you’re really interested in, but the writing just ain’t hitting. Do you keep reading to find out what happens, even though you know the writing is going to bother you the whole time? Or do you give up & save yourself the time, but always wonder what happened? 

I chose to save myself the time. The story was so interesting and I was very intrigued by the mystery. I still really want to know what happened at the end, but reading through that writing wasn’t worth it to me. There were superfluous descriptions of unimportant things, but the interesting parts aren’t described enough. And there was no horror ambience. Technically creepy things were happening, but the scene wasn’t being set, so I couldn’t FEEL it. The dialogue also felt very forced. This novel would be much better as a movie because while the description is lacking, the potential of a great story is there.

It was very fast paced with a summer camp slasher feel to it, but the writing just wasn’t for me. DNF at 20%.

Thank you to the author for this ARC. All opinions are my own. 

This is exactly why I have to stop trying to read enemies to lovers books. They’re always so mean spirited. The male MC is so mean. He said something to the woman MC that would’ve been unforgivable to me. I don’t root for their relationship after that and I feel like she deserves better. But, I also don’t understand her because I don’t understand people who annoy other people on purpose just to get a rise out of them. Enemies to lovers is just never going to be for me. But I will try more books by this author in the future because I was enjoying the writing style!

I had high hopes for this one! I always love a sci-fi thriller and I enjoyed The Space Between Worlds by this author. However, I couldn’t finish the book. I really just cannot connect to the writing style. It feels very discombobulated & all over the place. I’m interested in the mystery, but I know that I can’t get past this writing. But, the writing style may work out better for others, so if you don’t mind a more chaotic feel to writing, you could try this out!