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hannyc's reviews
74 reviews
The Coworker by Freida McFadden
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? No
3.75
π BOOK REVIEWπ
The Coworker - Freida McFadden
βAfter all, thereβs nothing that binds two people like a shared secret."
Holy cow π ! This was a wild ride from the very first page. I have to admit. I only started this yesterday. I just couldn't stop until I finished. Very chaotic & messy. I loved the catty drama.
I do feel like it got a little mucked up for me with too many details close to the end of the middle. It became tough to follow & I found myself rereading a lot of the pages. Still, it was what the doctor ordered at the end or the day! π
Borrowed from the Washington-Township Public Library on Hoopla in audio form & in digital format through Kindle Unlimited
3.75/5 βοΈ
Rounded to 4 for Goodreads
50% audio, 50% digital
The Coworker - Freida McFadden
βAfter all, thereβs nothing that binds two people like a shared secret."
Holy cow π ! This was a wild ride from the very first page. I have to admit. I only started this yesterday. I just couldn't stop until I finished. Very chaotic & messy. I loved the catty drama.
I do feel like it got a little mucked up for me with too many details close to the end of the middle. It became tough to follow & I found myself rereading a lot of the pages. Still, it was what the doctor ordered at the end or the day! π
Borrowed from the Washington-Township Public Library on Hoopla in audio form & in digital format through Kindle Unlimited
3.75/5 βοΈ
Rounded to 4 for Goodreads
50% audio, 50% digital
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
βοΈ BOOK REVIEW π
Behind Closed Doors - BA Paris
"Pretending to be broken would be much harder, simply because it was in my nature to fight back."
Oh man. This book felt like a black hole. Very dark. Lots of potential triggers. π overall, I was intrigued by it & it illicited a lot of emotion, both positive & negative. Some parts were incredibly hard to read for me personally do to the content. But i understood why that benefited the story. Loved the shout out to Sky News.
My main complaint is that it never really made me wonder what was going on? I love the aspect of mystery & there was very little throughout the story. Despite that, I did really enjoy the end & would recommend this book. Cannot wait to check put more from BA Paris.
Borrowed from the Washington Township Public Library
3.75/5 π
Rounded to 4 for Goodreads
Behind Closed Doors - BA Paris
"Pretending to be broken would be much harder, simply because it was in my nature to fight back."
Oh man. This book felt like a black hole. Very dark. Lots of potential triggers. π overall, I was intrigued by it & it illicited a lot of emotion, both positive & negative. Some parts were incredibly hard to read for me personally do to the content. But i understood why that benefited the story. Loved the shout out to Sky News.
My main complaint is that it never really made me wonder what was going on? I love the aspect of mystery & there was very little throughout the story. Despite that, I did really enjoy the end & would recommend this book. Cannot wait to check put more from BA Paris.
Borrowed from the Washington Township Public Library
3.75/5 π
Rounded to 4 for Goodreads
The Maid's Diary by Loreth Anne White
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
BOOK REVIEW ππ
The Maid's Diary - Loreth Anne White
"We areβor we becomeβwhat we pretend to be, so we must be very careful who we pretend to be."
This book was about a bunch of straight up psychos & let me tell you... I LOVED IT. Some of the characters had reasons to be terrible people & some were just terrible people π very love to hate it. I had to crack up at myself a little at the end because I was so far off in what I thought was going on.
I honestly can't say too much without giving it all away but I enjoyed this book & couldn't figure out what was going on. I felt like that GIF of Charlie Day when he's manically talking in front of the corkboard timeline.
Mal was fantastic. She was easily my favorite, smart & capable. Super dark. Lots of triggers. I really enjoyed this author's descriptive writing style. Very appropriate for spooky season π€
5/5 π
Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
50% audiobook
The Maid's Diary - Loreth Anne White
"We areβor we becomeβwhat we pretend to be, so we must be very careful who we pretend to be."
This book was about a bunch of straight up psychos & let me tell you... I LOVED IT. Some of the characters had reasons to be terrible people & some were just terrible people π very love to hate it. I had to crack up at myself a little at the end because I was so far off in what I thought was going on.
I honestly can't say too much without giving it all away but I enjoyed this book & couldn't figure out what was going on. I felt like that GIF of Charlie Day when he's manically talking in front of the corkboard timeline.
Mal was fantastic. She was easily my favorite, smart & capable. Super dark. Lots of triggers. I really enjoyed this author's descriptive writing style. Very appropriate for spooky season π€
5/5 π
Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
50% audiobook
She Started It by Sian Gilbert
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
π BOOK REVIEWπ
She Started It - Sian Gilbert
βIn reality, we all stick together because we know no one else would ever understand what we did in the past. And the trouble is, weβve all become so convinced that what we did was alright that weβve accepted an invitation from the very woman we did it to."
The perfect book if you love catty, petty, b*tchy girl drama. I enjoyed this one from start to finish & had a hard time putting it down. There was lots of dialouge, & I had ZERO issues with that. I loved the cheeky back & forth between all the characters.
The characters frustrated me & interested me at the same time. I had my suspicions of how it ended but I could never be sure, so the ending still felt surprising to me.
Borrowed from the Washington-Township Public Library
5/5 βοΈ
She Started It - Sian Gilbert
βIn reality, we all stick together because we know no one else would ever understand what we did in the past. And the trouble is, weβve all become so convinced that what we did was alright that weβve accepted an invitation from the very woman we did it to."
The perfect book if you love catty, petty, b*tchy girl drama. I enjoyed this one from start to finish & had a hard time putting it down. There was lots of dialouge, & I had ZERO issues with that. I loved the cheeky back & forth between all the characters.
The characters frustrated me & interested me at the same time. I had my suspicions of how it ended but I could never be sure, so the ending still felt surprising to me.
Borrowed from the Washington-Township Public Library
5/5 βοΈ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, and Murder
The Better Half by Asha Youmans, Alli Frank
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
BOOK REVIEW ππ
The Better Half - Allie Frank & Asha Youmans
"God I hope my thighs are looking more J. Lo than Jell-O."
Of course I had to read this at Mindy Kaling's recommendation. A book about coming into the better half of your life when Nina's world gets ROCKED in the most entertaining way. It gets so messy in the end and had me gasping aloud.
I do feel like I wasn't a fan of her relationship with Xondra. But I'm also not a mother so take that with a grain of salt π€·π»ββοΈ & i had my momemts of compkete frustration with Nina I love most of the side characters, especially Nina's father.
I enjoyed the audiobook narrator very much.
3.75/5 π (rounded to 4 for goodreads)
Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
100% audiobook
The Better Half - Allie Frank & Asha Youmans
"God I hope my thighs are looking more J. Lo than Jell-O."
Of course I had to read this at Mindy Kaling's recommendation. A book about coming into the better half of your life when Nina's world gets ROCKED in the most entertaining way. It gets so messy in the end and had me gasping aloud.
I do feel like I wasn't a fan of her relationship with Xondra. But I'm also not a mother so take that with a grain of salt π€·π»ββοΈ & i had my momemts of compkete frustration with Nina I love most of the side characters, especially Nina's father.
I enjoyed the audiobook narrator very much.
3.75/5 π (rounded to 4 for goodreads)
Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
100% audiobook
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
βοΈ BOOK REVIEW π
Mad Honey - Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan
"If you want to understand something, you first need to accept the fact of your own ignorance. And then, you need to talk to people who know more than you do, people who have not just thought about the facts, but lived them."
Phew. What a trip. This one was such an emotional read from the start. There are a ton of triggers right off the bat. I found myself crying MANY times while reading. I felt for Olivia. Although I still feel like there weren't enough consequences for other characters? Idk. I felt very conflicted at the end of this one.
I did enjoy it overall, and felt excited to continue reading. At times I did feel like it drug on a bit.
Borrowed from Hoopla through the Washington Township Public Library
4/5 π
Mad Honey - Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan
"If you want to understand something, you first need to accept the fact of your own ignorance. And then, you need to talk to people who know more than you do, people who have not just thought about the facts, but lived them."
Phew. What a trip. This one was such an emotional read from the start. There are a ton of triggers right off the bat. I found myself crying MANY times while reading. I felt for Olivia. Although I still feel like there weren't enough consequences for other characters? Idk. I felt very conflicted at the end of this one.
I did enjoy it overall, and felt excited to continue reading. At times I did feel like it drug on a bit.
Borrowed from Hoopla through the Washington Township Public Library
4/5 π
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
BOOK REVIEW ππ
The Writing Retreat - Julia Bartz
"That was the way of the world: if you were a woman, then you had a job to do, and that was to pretend to love everyone else walking all over your body, leaving imprints on your face. You were supposed to crave it, to beg for more."
This was a very very well written book. I enjoyed the concept and I found the characters all very intriguing & mysterious. To me, this one read like a Netflix series. It felt very vivid & I could picture everything happening in my mind. So, overall I did like this one.
Where it fell apart for me, was the 'twist' ending. It felt predictable & slightly disappointing. I saw it all coming in the last 75 pages. I liked the creepy factor though so I won't venture into the 3/5 star range. I would recommend this one for a spooky winter read. π€
4/5 π
Borrowed from the Washington-Township Public Library
The Writing Retreat - Julia Bartz
"That was the way of the world: if you were a woman, then you had a job to do, and that was to pretend to love everyone else walking all over your body, leaving imprints on your face. You were supposed to crave it, to beg for more."
This was a very very well written book. I enjoyed the concept and I found the characters all very intriguing & mysterious. To me, this one read like a Netflix series. It felt very vivid & I could picture everything happening in my mind. So, overall I did like this one.
Where it fell apart for me, was the 'twist' ending. It felt predictable & slightly disappointing. I saw it all coming in the last 75 pages. I liked the creepy factor though so I won't venture into the 3/5 star range. I would recommend this one for a spooky winter read. π€
4/5 π
Borrowed from the Washington-Township Public Library
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
βοΈ BOOK REVIEW π
Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus
"Imagine if all men took women seriously."
Ughhh, I feel like this was good but just not the perfect read for me. & it pains me to say a little bc when I liked it, I REALLY liked it. 100% worth reading, & I am looking forward to the series that's coming out. I'm also super happy that I did this one as an audiobook because the narrator did the story more justice than I could have.
I think for me, it was missing the pizzazz of when you connect with a character. Although it was very pro women, I just didn't see myself in any of the characters. Elizabeth & Mad were very extra, in the best ways; but again, not relatable. Overall, it was animated, funny, it's made me cry. Just a very solid book. It reminds me of the Jane the Virgin Series.
Borrowed from Hoopla through the Washington Township Public Library
4/5 π
Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus
"Imagine if all men took women seriously."
Ughhh, I feel like this was good but just not the perfect read for me. & it pains me to say a little bc when I liked it, I REALLY liked it. 100% worth reading, & I am looking forward to the series that's coming out. I'm also super happy that I did this one as an audiobook because the narrator did the story more justice than I could have.
I think for me, it was missing the pizzazz of when you connect with a character. Although it was very pro women, I just didn't see myself in any of the characters. Elizabeth & Mad were very extra, in the best ways; but again, not relatable. Overall, it was animated, funny, it's made me cry. Just a very solid book. It reminds me of the Jane the Virgin Series.
Borrowed from Hoopla through the Washington Township Public Library
4/5 π
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Foregoing my usual review template because this book was way too raw & personal to take apart in a review. I held back tears through the entire thing, then in the end, I just couldn't hold it in anymore.
Thank you for sharing your story Jennette. I will never see Hollywood the same way. I wish you only the best from here on out. β£οΈ
If you'll excuse me, I have to go cry now.
5/5 βοΈ
Borrowed from my good friend, Kayla π
Thank you for sharing your story Jennette. I will never see Hollywood the same way. I wish you only the best from here on out. β£οΈ
If you'll excuse me, I have to go cry now.
5/5 βοΈ
Borrowed from my good friend, Kayla π
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
π BOOK REVIEWπ
Pride & Predjudice - Jane Austen
βI believe, Maβam, I may safely promise you never to dance with him.β
This one took me a while because of the old English but I'm so thankful I stretched it out over a few weeks. Reading this one too quickly would have been a disservice to myself. Once you break down the language & get used to it, this is a book FULL of drama & romance. The anticipation waiting for Mr. Darcy to return was hard to manage. π₯΅ waiting for Elizabeth to realize her feelings was torture.
I really enjoyed Elizabeth's relationship with her sister & found it so cute that they grew closer after her 'falling out' with Charlotte. The thing that really threw me for a loop was her attraction to her cousin π this book does show its age at times. But the romance between Darcy & Elizabeth is truly timeless.
The OG 'enemies to lovers'. There is no way I'm giving this less than 5 stars. Any discomfort reading this was due to my own reading comprehension skills. I feel better for reading this one & taking my time to gain a full understanding of each chapter.
Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
5/5 βοΈ
Pride & Predjudice - Jane Austen
βI believe, Maβam, I may safely promise you never to dance with him.β
This one took me a while because of the old English but I'm so thankful I stretched it out over a few weeks. Reading this one too quickly would have been a disservice to myself. Once you break down the language & get used to it, this is a book FULL of drama & romance. The anticipation waiting for Mr. Darcy to return was hard to manage. π₯΅ waiting for Elizabeth to realize her feelings was torture.
I really enjoyed Elizabeth's relationship with her sister & found it so cute that they grew closer after her 'falling out' with Charlotte. The thing that really threw me for a loop was her attraction to her cousin π this book does show its age at times. But the romance between Darcy & Elizabeth is truly timeless.
The OG 'enemies to lovers'. There is no way I'm giving this less than 5 stars. Any discomfort reading this was due to my own reading comprehension skills. I feel better for reading this one & taking my time to gain a full understanding of each chapter.
Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
5/5 βοΈ