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bringmybooks's reviews
1157 reviews
The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
✨Bring✨ | Borrow | Bypass
Thank you to NetGalley, Dial Books, & Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
Review: Kimberley Brubaker Bradley's duology, The War That Saved My Life (#1) and The War I Finally Won (#2), are some of the absolute best books I've ever read in my entire life, and it's always a weird position to be in when an author that has written such beloved-to-you books comes out with their next ... what if it doesn't hit the same?
While I can say that I'm pretty confident nothing will ever affect me to the core the way that TWTSML / TWIFW have, I did think The Night War was well written with a hugely important story to tell, and in a way that would be accessible to younger readers. There are hard things presented, and I think discussions throughout the reading would be helpful to readers, but even without I think the point is well made.
The afterword of this book is also incredibly important and heartbreaking, but showcases the research that went into the novel and should definitely be read as well.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dial Books, & Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
Review: Kimberley Brubaker Bradley's duology, The War That Saved My Life (#1) and The War I Finally Won (#2), are some of the absolute best books I've ever read in my entire life, and it's always a weird position to be in when an author that has written such beloved-to-you books comes out with their next ... what if it doesn't hit the same?
While I can say that I'm pretty confident nothing will ever affect me to the core the way that TWTSML / TWIFW have, I did think The Night War was well written with a hugely important story to tell, and in a way that would be accessible to younger readers. There are hard things presented, and I think discussions throughout the reading would be helpful to readers, but even without I think the point is well made.
The afterword of this book is also incredibly important and heartbreaking, but showcases the research that went into the novel and should definitely be read as well.
Overall Rating: ★★★★★ / 4.63
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★★
Atmosphere ★★★★
Writing ★★★★
Plot ★★★★
Intrigue ★★★★★
Logic ★★★
Enjoyment ★★★★★
Pacing ★★★★
Dialogue ★★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
✨Bring✨ | Borrow | Bypass
Review: This was SO. MUCH. FUN. I've heard the audio is absolutely fantastic, although I read it via ebook - and honestly? It might even be worth a re-read via audio, that's how much I enjoyed it! I was genuinely surprised multiple times throughout the book, and I loved the way it played with how we view those around us, and how that interpretation can change depending on other information we're given. And Lucy's grandmother? LOVED HER. I will definitely be on the lookout for more thriller/mystery books from Amy Tintera!
Review: This was SO. MUCH. FUN. I've heard the audio is absolutely fantastic, although I read it via ebook - and honestly? It might even be worth a re-read via audio, that's how much I enjoyed it! I was genuinely surprised multiple times throughout the book, and I loved the way it played with how we view those around us, and how that interpretation can change depending on other information we're given. And Lucy's grandmother? LOVED HER. I will definitely be on the lookout for more thriller/mystery books from Amy Tintera!
Overall Rating: ★★★★★ / 4.88
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★★
Atmosphere ★★★★
Writing ★★★★
Plot ★★★★
Intrigue ★★★★★
Logic ★★★★
Enjoyment ★★★★★
Pacing ★★★★
Dialogue ★★★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
The Favor by Nicci French
Bring | ✨Borrow✨ | Bypass
Review: Honestly, this was way more of a character driven mystery than a thriller, and the main character is often ridiculous - but the writing & atmosphere of the book kept me intrigued throughout and I found it hard to put it down! Probably not her best work, but worth a library borrow!
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Review: Honestly, this was way more of a character driven mystery than a thriller, and the main character is often ridiculous - but the writing & atmosphere of the book kept me intrigued throughout and I found it hard to put it down! Probably not her best work, but worth a library borrow!
Overall Rating: ★★★ / 3.38
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★
Atmosphere ★★★★
Writing ★★★
Plot ★★★
Intrigue ★★★★
Logic ★★
Enjoyment ★★
Pacing ★★★
Dialogue ★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French
Bring | ✨Borrow✨ | Bypass
Review: Picked this up on a whim in the library during a pretty massive book slump, and super stoked to say that it had me hooked from the absolute beginning and can definitely be credited with moving me back to the land of the bookish!
There's enough here to have your gears turning from the very beginning, and plenty of twists throughout. Some are pretty obvious (hello red herrings) and others were way more surprising - but I liked that we got a little bit of both!
I've looked into Nicci French's series (Frieda Klein #1) and I don't necessarily think that one is going to be for me - although if you liked Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? at all, I would definitely recommend giving it a look - people seem to be somewhat lukewarm on this one but LOVE her Frieda series.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Review: Picked this up on a whim in the library during a pretty massive book slump, and super stoked to say that it had me hooked from the absolute beginning and can definitely be credited with moving me back to the land of the bookish!
There's enough here to have your gears turning from the very beginning, and plenty of twists throughout. Some are pretty obvious (hello red herrings) and others were way more surprising - but I liked that we got a little bit of both!
I've looked into Nicci French's series (Frieda Klein #1) and I don't necessarily think that one is going to be for me - although if you liked Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? at all, I would definitely recommend giving it a look - people seem to be somewhat lukewarm on this one but LOVE her Frieda series.
Overall Rating: ★★★★ / 4.38
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★
Atmosphere ★★★★
Writing ★★★★
Plot ★★★★
Intrigue ★★★★★
Logic ★★★★
Enjoyment ★★★★
Pacing ★★★★
Dialogue ★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Murder
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
✨Bring✨ | Borrow | Bypass
Thank you to Edelweiss, Atria Books, & Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
Review: Rebecca Serle's books seem to be finding a particularly formulaic groove, but I don't know that I mind it too much - it's predictable in it's way, but it works so well for her that it's not a problem. As in her previous books, I genuinely loved these characters and enjoyed watching the back and forth between them (as well as really enjoying the now and then of the storytelling, and getting to see each of her relationships since the letters started arriving).
There were a couple of quibbles I had with some parts at the end, and that's where it kind of lost me on the enjoyment, plot, and pacing factors - but overall it is definitely recommended (and with a "Bring" rather than "Borrow" because her covers are just too good!)
Thank you to Edelweiss, Atria Books, & Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
Review: Rebecca Serle's books seem to be finding a particularly formulaic groove, but I don't know that I mind it too much - it's predictable in it's way, but it works so well for her that it's not a problem. As in her previous books, I genuinely loved these characters and enjoyed watching the back and forth between them (as well as really enjoying the now and then of the storytelling, and getting to see each of her relationships since the letters started arriving).
There were a couple of quibbles I had with some parts at the end, and that's where it kind of lost me on the enjoyment, plot, and pacing factors - but overall it is definitely recommended (and with a "Bring" rather than "Borrow" because her covers are just too good!)
Overall Rating: ★★★★ / 3.88
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★★
Atmosphere ★★★
Writing ★★★★
Plot ★★★
Intrigue ★★★★
Logic ★★★★
Enjoyment ★★★
Pacing ★★★
Dialogue ★★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
The Women by Kristin Hannah
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
✨Bring✨ | Borrow | Bypass
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, & Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
Review: One of my favorite authors, Kristin Hannah continues to prove that she has an unbelievable way with words. It's unbelievable how quickly she sucks you into a novel and makes you care so much about all of the characters. There are parts of her books (especially her more recent ones) that are a bit melodramatic and require a bit of suspended disbelief, but to be honest I don't know that it bothers me so much.
While there is a bit of heightened drama on the interpersonal side, the research and care that Hannah provides to the historical aspects of her novels is top tier and so welcomed. I feel like I learned a ton about the Vietnam War that I was not aware of before (mostly the women's experience of it), and I was very grateful for this book so that I could do more of my own research.
I did really enjoy the characters in this novel, even when they're making the most piss poor decisions - but my favorite part of the novels, and pretty much all of Hannah's novels, is the way she writes relationships between women. I do think this book is her penultimate example of that, and the relationships between the Frankie and her two best friends will stick with me for a long time.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, & Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
Review: One of my favorite authors, Kristin Hannah continues to prove that she has an unbelievable way with words. It's unbelievable how quickly she sucks you into a novel and makes you care so much about all of the characters. There are parts of her books (especially her more recent ones) that are a bit melodramatic and require a bit of suspended disbelief, but to be honest I don't know that it bothers me so much.
While there is a bit of heightened drama on the interpersonal side, the research and care that Hannah provides to the historical aspects of her novels is top tier and so welcomed. I feel like I learned a ton about the Vietnam War that I was not aware of before (mostly the women's experience of it), and I was very grateful for this book so that I could do more of my own research.
I did really enjoy the characters in this novel, even when they're making the most piss poor decisions - but my favorite part of the novels, and pretty much all of Hannah's novels, is the way she writes relationships between women. I do think this book is her penultimate example of that, and the relationships between the Frankie and her two best friends will stick with me for a long time.
Overall Rating: ★★★★★ / 4.63
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★★
Atmosphere ★★★★★
Writing ★★★★
Plot ★★★★
Intrigue ★★★★
Logic ★★★★
Enjoyment ★★★★
Pacing ★★★★
Dialogue ★★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
Bring | ✨Borrow✨ | Bypass
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, & Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
Notes: My first Rachel Hawkins book, but I know it won't be my last! The pacing could have been a bit tighter at points (lost my interest and had to get it back with a couple of well placed twists!). Speaking of twists, there were a couple in here that I was 100% expecting, but at least one of the larger ones that hit me upside the head so hard when I got there! Made the end of the story so hard to put down! Excited to try The Villa and Reckless Girls soon, I've heard such good things about those.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, & Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
Notes: My first Rachel Hawkins book, but I know it won't be my last! The pacing could have been a bit tighter at points (lost my interest and had to get it back with a couple of well placed twists!). Speaking of twists, there were a couple in here that I was 100% expecting, but at least one of the larger ones that hit me upside the head so hard when I got there! Made the end of the story so hard to put down! Excited to try The Villa and Reckless Girls soon, I've heard such good things about those.
Overall Rating: ★★★ / 3.38
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★
Atmosphere ★★★
Writing ★★★
Plot ★★★
Intrigue ★★★★
Logic ★★★
Enjoyment ★★★
Pacing ★★
Dialogue ★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Classism
Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
Bring | ✨Borrow✨ | Bypass
Notes: The 6th in the "The Improbable Meet-Cute" novella series (6 stand-alone novellas released around Valentine's Day 2024), this was my third favorite and quite enjoyable! Follows very reliable tropes regarding royalty pretending to be one of us, but was nonetheless a quick and fun read!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Notes: The 6th in the "The Improbable Meet-Cute" novella series (6 stand-alone novellas released around Valentine's Day 2024), this was my third favorite and quite enjoyable! Follows very reliable tropes regarding royalty pretending to be one of us, but was nonetheless a quick and fun read!
Overall Rating: ★★★ / 3.38
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★
Atmosphere ★★★
Writing ★★★
Plot ★★
Intrigue ★★★
Logic ★★
Enjoyment ★★★★
Pacing ★★★★
Dialogue ★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
Bring | Borrow | ✨Bypass✨
Notes: The 5th in the "The Improbable Meet-Cute" novella series (6 stand-alone novellas released around Valentine's Day 2024), and probably my least favorite, which makes me SO SAD because I love Ashley Poston! (Do not let this novella turn you away from her novels!) I think we just tried to put way too much into way too short of a novella, and it's always hard to do anything any kind of love-triangley in such a short span of pages.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Notes: The 5th in the "The Improbable Meet-Cute" novella series (6 stand-alone novellas released around Valentine's Day 2024), and probably my least favorite, which makes me SO SAD because I love Ashley Poston! (Do not let this novella turn you away from her novels!) I think we just tried to put way too much into way too short of a novella, and it's always hard to do anything any kind of love-triangley in such a short span of pages.
Overall Rating: ★★ / 2.38
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★
Atmosphere ★★★
Writing ★★★
Plot ★★
Intrigue ★★
Logic ★★
Enjoyment ★
Pacing ★★
Dialogue ★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory
Bring | ✨Borrow✨ | Bypass
Notes: The 4th in the "The Improbable Meet-Cute" novella series (6 stand-alone novellas released around Valentine's Day 2024), I liked this one well enough. I think some stories are well suited to novellas, but this one felt like it had so much potential to be a longer novel and have the relationships and characters explored more fully.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Notes: The 4th in the "The Improbable Meet-Cute" novella series (6 stand-alone novellas released around Valentine's Day 2024), I liked this one well enough. I think some stories are well suited to novellas, but this one felt like it had so much potential to be a longer novel and have the relationships and characters explored more fully.
Overall Rating: ★★★ / 3.00
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★
Atmosphere ★★★
Writing ★★★
Plot ★★
Intrigue ★★★
Logic ★★
Enjoyment ★★
Pacing ★★★
Dialogue ★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury