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hermusings's reviews
271 reviews
The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Fantastic! The most accurately hyped book right now.
I don’t know how Jessica Joyce knows me but she really didn’t have to write this book for me.
I don’t know how Jessica Joyce knows me but she really didn’t have to write this book for me.
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
Honestly, felt like getting the local tea on some middle aged women — entertaining.
This is my first book by Hilderbrand & it has the exact vibe you would think from the cover. This was my book club’s pick for the month and I was genuinely surprised by it.
There’s a big cast of characters and they all have some sort of story occurring at the same time.
Which was entertaining, yet at the scale it was done, it caused some character arcs to be superficial and rushed while others dragged on for too long.
Also, one too many pop references for my taste.
This is my first book by Hilderbrand & it has the exact vibe you would think from the cover. This was my book club’s pick for the month and I was genuinely surprised by it.
There’s a big cast of characters and they all have some sort of story occurring at the same time.
Which was entertaining, yet at the scale it was done, it caused some character arcs to be superficial and rushed while others dragged on for too long.
Also, one too many pop references for my taste.
Five Times Theo Spencer Thought About Loving Noelle Shepard by Jessica Joyce
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
The Endless War by Danielle L. Jensen
4.25
Enjoyed this one significantly more than the inadequate heir.
This focused more on the geopolitical issues and well developed heist/rescue moment.
I also enjoyed the fact that this wasn’t a different pov to events that we already knew; which allowed me to truly submerse myself into the journey.
This focused more on the geopolitical issues and well developed heist/rescue moment.
I also enjoyed the fact that this wasn’t a different pov to events that we already knew; which allowed me to truly submerse myself into the journey.
Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Had a hard time putting this one down!
Absolutely adored the format of this book. It was the perfect mix of a behind the scenes/E! True Hollywood special, meets Netflix crime doc mini series. It had the story broken up into “episodes” with insight to the reception from the press and internet which added a submersive touch.
This is one of those books that’s more about the fun of the journey than the destination. Which is interesting as it’s a whodunit.
It constantly poses the question of “how well do we know a person?” as twist and turns change the expected trajectory of the story.
Overall, it was quick and enjoyable read with some good twists but an uninspired ending.
Also, I read this in conjunction with the audiobook which I also recommended as it’s a full cast.
Absolutely adored the format of this book. It was the perfect mix of a behind the scenes/E! True Hollywood special, meets Netflix crime doc mini series. It had the story broken up into “episodes” with insight to the reception from the press and internet which added a submersive touch.
This is one of those books that’s more about the fun of the journey than the destination. Which is interesting as it’s a whodunit.
It constantly poses the question of “how well do we know a person?” as twist and turns change the expected trajectory of the story.
Overall, it was quick and enjoyable read with some good twists but an uninspired ending.
Also, I read this in conjunction with the audiobook which I also recommended as it’s a full cast.
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Honestly, incredible!
This depicted being in your early twenties, in NYC, exploited and on the road to burn out eerily well.
Gwen and Alex/Xander’s love story was sweet and lovely to read. This story also opens a window to the orchestra/classical music space that I’m not personally familiar with but was completely captivated by in this story.
Julie Soto keeps hitting the mark on writing romance in such a grounded and enjoyable way. And I absolutely loved seeing characters from Forget Me Not interconnect with this story.
This was cathartic, intriguing and hot. I’m purchasing a ticket to the New York Pops asap!!
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
adventurous
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
The formatting was fun and visually stimulating. However, the story dragged on for longer than I would have liked and I had a hard time reading this subject matter at some points.
You could tell a twist was going to occur but I did not expect it to beEzra’s mom is Biotech .
Overall, I think this would be a great read for middle grade readers or those who enjoy a conspiratorial sci-fi read.
You could tell a twist was going to occur but I did not expect it to be
Overall, I think this would be a great read for middle grade readers or those who enjoy a conspiratorial sci-fi read.
Down the Drain by Julia Fox
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
4.0
Did I read this because of 360 by Charlie xcx? Yes, of course.
The lives this woman has lived!! She’s extremely resilient and it was such an engaging read. Her voice as a writer is clear and purposeful. She truly paints a picture of what it was like to be there at some of her lowest lows and how being a drug addict can taint experiences yet it’s a personal choice to continue to push forward. And one that not many around her were strong enough to make.
I’ve seen this get some bad reviews because it was not introspective enough but I felt like Julia really wanted to be factual and as impartial as possible. Which is extremely difficult to do when telling one’s own story but something women constantly get told to do. “Set your feelings aside”.
I also think to have lived through this much there is a point where you either own it or give up on yourself. Julia clearly has some regrets but she owns her choices constantly.
There’s so much to unpack here but this added layers to “I’m everywhere I’m so Julia” and I will be thinking about it for a long time!!