oraclereadings's reviews
105 reviews

I really thought that this would be right up my alley.

<i>The Final Girl Support Group</i> is based off the old school slasher movies, featuring each final girl from titles such as <i>Friday the 13th</i>, <i>Halloween</i>, <i>Nightmare on Elm Street</i>, <i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i>, and <i>Scream</i>.

Well, based is putting it lightly. These girls have the exact same backgrounds as their movie counterparts, and even get their own movie franchises (even the horrid <i>Jason X</i> is mentioned). While I appreciated the references, it would have been nice for some originality instead of complete copies. Or, at the very least, the girls getting movie franchises could have been left out to make it feel more realistic.

I was hoping for a slasher type, but this fits more along the mystery/thriller vibes.

Kate Robb’s charming debut This Spells Love that will make you laugh, smile, and feel overall enjoyment.

After suffering through a rough breakup with her boyfriend, Gemma gets drunk with her sister, her wacky aunt, and her best friend Dax. After one too many margaritas, they decide to perform a love-cleansing spell, which promises to Gemma’s ex from her memory. However, when Gemma wakes up the next morning, she finds herself in an alternative universe.

In this alternate timeline, there is no record of Gemma dating her ex, but that’s not the only thing that is different. Instead of working her so-so job that pays the bills and provides okay health insurance, she now runs her own business providing skin products. This has been a dream of hers for years, but due to her ex always questioning and doubting her, she never found the courage to go through with it.

She wakes up in a different bed than the one she fell asleep in. Since she never met her ex in this timeline, Gemma is now the girl that hooks up with random men. I was honestly expecting to see more of this random man that she hooked up with and woke up in his bed, but it was a throwaway point in the book. Gemma no longer lives in her condo and instead lives in a basement apartment. I guess??

But also, in this timeline, Gemma and Dax are not friends. Turns out that she and Dax originally became friends the night that she hooked up with her ex. And since this is now a timeline where they never got together, her and Dax never hit it off and became friends.

That doesn’t stop Gemma from trying to pursue a friendship with this new version of Dax. Soon their friendship blossoms into a romantic relationship. And Gemma is 100% that she doesn’t want to go back to her old life.

But then a lady from her aunt’s book club notices that she’s “not from this world” and warns her about messing with the ties of the universe. Gemma writes her off as just another of her aunt’s crazy friends and ignores her warnings. And then something devastating happens.

Now Gemma is torn between staying in the universe where she has her own business that is about to become part of a bigger franchise and her and Dax are madly in love, or back to her old life with her okay job and her and Dax are just friends.

I really enjoyed this book, though there were still some moments that were just left unsaid. Like the random man when she first wakes up. I was honestly expecting him to be her boyfriend or daily hookup that would later enter the picture. And obviously the spell didn’t work because she still remembered everything about her ex.

This was my December BOTM. You can get the book <a href="https://bookofthemonth.com/all-books/this-spells-love-1495?referCode=mfbg48ep3z">here</a>.
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 Apr 23, 2024:
I've read this after watching the Quiet on Set series and I do not think that I will ever be able to watch nostalgic Nickelodeon ever again.

Apr 30, 2022:
good for her 

This is my first time reading a book by Lisa Unger. It wasn’t on my tbr shelf and was a spur of the moment pick from the library.

It confused me at first because at the beginning of the book we get the history of this girl named Mia Thorpe. And then the story begins with our main character, Wren. I thought that maybe Mia was Wren (because in the backstory of “Mia”, she talks about wanting to change her name, but her parents won’t let her because she’s still a child) but that wasn’t the case.

Well . . .

Spoilers. And all.

Anyway, our main girl Wren is talked into downloading a dating app by her best friend and ultimately swipes right on a dude. Turns out, dude’s kinda fishy. Except, it’s not the kind of story you’re expecting. . . Or at least, I wasn’t expecting it. . .?

Home girl goes and gets involved with a private investigator, because her man is somehow involved with the disappearance of another girl SPOILERS

It’s Mia

.

And then. . . she tries to. . .track down the guy? Because she has a traumatized past or some shit.

The pandemic and Covid is frequently brought up, which I didn’t need that reminder but thanks. It has nothing to do with the story, just “Oh yeah, and people are wearing masks” and “A sickness is going around” and all that. Just in case you need another reason to NOT READ THIS BOOK.

I liked every single part except for the minor miscommunication at the end.

I will put a spoiler warning.

<b>Disclaimer:</b> I have not read [book:Icebreaker|61767292]. I did not notice that this was part of a series – or rather. . . I didn’t know that the characters from the first book would be a thing in the second. 

I mean, I think you could read this without reading <i>Icebreaker</i> (I may change my mind after reading the first book). 

The characters aren’t a big deal or anything. They’re just there and they are livelier than you would expect them to be.

<b>HOWEVER</b>, with all that being said, Wildfire is a great book to pick up during for a summer read.

Honestly, I am on summer vacation (hello fellow educators!), and this made me want to go camping.

And I haven’t wanted to go camping since I was ten.

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<b>DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WANT ENDING SPOILERS!!</b>

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<b>FOR ALL MY MOBILE USERS, THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!!!</b>

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<b><u>SPOILERS!!!</u></b>

Idk I just thought that Russ being mad at Aurora was just total bs. Like, calm down dude. She answered your phone because an unlisted number kept calling you over and over. It wasn’t like she went through your messages. Sheesh, man.

And then the argument didn’t even last a whole chapter. So, what was the point? What was the reason? Like, <i>*shrug*</i> what?

<i>@24%</i> I keep checking the published date to confirm that this book came out in 2020 and not 2010.

Think <i>Twilight</i> with a mix of <i>Harry Potter</i>.

Main girl character has just lost her parents in a tragic accident and is sent to live with her long lost uncle in Alaska. The moment she arrives, Jaxon Vega decides that she needs to leave immediately because she is in danger if she continues to stay. 

And he's right because one tragic event after another finds our main character in the hospital or with the smallest paper cut to convince her that someone at this school doesn't want her here.

I don't know.

Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this.
Maybe I'm just not into YA at the moment.
Maybe it's Maybelline.

I am a slut for pretty covers and this book cover sunk its teeth into my skin and pulled me in the darkest depths.

The premise had me in a choke-hold that left me craving for water just like when Spongebob went to Sandy's house for the very first time.

Margaret Welty is on her own, yearning for the day her mother comes back. When she spots the hala, a mythical creature and the last of its kind, she is determined to join the hunt in hopes of killing the creature. The reward is riches and fame with the ability to unlock a magical secret, but Margaret just wants her mother to come home. And she hopes that this will be her ticket to make that finally happen.

And while she's the best sharpshooter in town, Margaret can only join the hunt if she has a team member. An alchemist.

Enter Weston Winters-not yet an alchemist, but he's trying. After failing at every other apprenticeship ever given to him, Weston resorts to taking his chances with Master Welty (Margaret's mother). Margaret turns him away at first, but decides to let him stay on one occasion: he joins the hunt with her.

I actually don't know why I didn't enjoy this as much.

Part of it was because of the dual POV with no indication. The book is in third person, so at least there wasn't the confusing "I"'s while trying to figure out who "I" is. I feel that I would have enjoyed the book a lot better if it was 1) from a specific perspective and 2) shorter.

 Tim the dog is my favorite character.

Loosely based off Scooby Doo, this follows the aftermath a teen sleuth investigation thirteen years later.

In 1977, teen detectives known as the Blyton Summer Detective Club solve their final case.

Now, 1990, the group hasn't seen each other since that fateful day. Andy is on the run, wanted in two states. Kerri spends her days bartending in New York, working on her own issues at night. Her reliable companion Tim, a descendant from their original team member (Sean), stays by her side. Nate has spent his last few years in and out of mental health institutions (Arkham, of all places). The only friend he still sees is Peter, but Peter's been dead for years. 

Poppy and Alex met in college and became best friends, even though they have nothing in common. Every summer they take a glorious vacation together, despite her living in New York City and him in a small town. The two have been inseparable throughout the years, with nothing coming between them.

Well.

That is until two years ago.

They seemingly have had a falling out and haven't spoken to each other since.

Finding herself unhappy with her dream job, she's asked when was the last time she was truly happy. Of course it was with Alex. So she takes a chance and texts him one night, finds out about his brother's upcoming wedding, and "plans" a vacation around it. She asks him if he would be interested and surprisingly agrees.

Poppy tries to keep everything original, to do what they used to, make the same jokes. But everything is different now. Their relationship is different now. And somehow Poppy has to find a way to be okay with that.