sfbookgirl's reviews
412 reviews

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0

What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this novel? It’s heartbreaking, incredibly well-written, and has a plot that keeps you turning pages. And my goodness how is this a debut novel??? Every Summer After is easily one of my favorite books of the year. I read it on my Kindle but I may just need to purchase a copy to just hold and reread. The foundational relationship built between the main character Persephone Fraser and Sam Florek is believable in a manner that allows readers to easily lose themselves in this fictional tale. 
 
Many comparisons have been made between Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren. While I have not read Lauren’s novel, I tremendously enjoyed Every Summer After. And while I usually include a brief synopsis in my reviews, I hope you trust me enough to just go into this one without truly knowing what the book is about. I read this book 5 months ago, yet it is one I still think about to this day. Who am I kidding, I should definitely purchase a copy to cherish forever. 
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The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I don't even know what to think about The Last Housewife. When I finished it, my mind was ???? x 1000. After loving In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, another novel by Ashley Winstead, I was super excited to pick up The Last Housewife. But this one was a book I really wanted to put down, and also simultaneously keep reading. Time and time again I tell myself that cult books are not my thing but here we are, reading about cults. While in college, the main character Shay Evans and her roommates are seduced by her roommate's dad (ew) and are found consumed by a sex cult. Eight years later, one of her roommates is found dead and Shay finds herself back on her college campus to look for answers. 

But while obsessed with uncovering the truth of her roommate's death, Shay finds herself unable to separate the desire for justice and the reawakened need to delve into the dark desires she succumbed to in college. Similar to Shay, I kept reading to find out what happened to her roommate but found myself yet again consumed by a cult novel that made me want to throw it across the room. Forget domestic thriller, The Last Housewife is a domestic terror. Call me a hypocrite, but I still will read whatever Ashley Winstead throws my way next.
The Getaway by Lamar Giles

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challenging dark reflective 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

3.0

This is honestly one of the scariest book covers I have ever seen so therefore I had to read it. It starts off really spooky with a “utopian” society attached to a theme park (think Disneyland) called Karloff County. While I enjoyed the first half, the second half of the novel gets confusing with so many plot points and characters that went by more than one alias. The main character, Jay, is living his best life working as a janitorial staff on the weekends while receiving free housing for his family and excellent high school education during the week. 
 
It gets weird when Jay and his close group of friends start noticing strange changes around the park like disappearing workers. Then the super-rich starts arriving in hoards with no indication of leaving…The Getaway is a thrilling (at times) dystopian novel that doesn’t bring much new to the table but does offer excellent commentary on racism and classism. And it will definitely make you reconsider ever going to a theme park again. 
 
Content warnings: racism, violence, murder, animal death, hate crime, cannibalism, gun violence 
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Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

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adventurous funny lighthearted
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What better time than to review a book almost ONE YEAR after you read it? 😆 That said, I had no issues writing this review as this book is truly fabulous and is one I still think about. This spicy, yet also hilarious smut novel is truly out of the world…literally…they are on another planet…an ICE planet. After being abducted by aliens and finding herself stranded in a  spaceship on an unknown planet, Georgie braves the cold temperatures of an ice planet to find food and shelter. She quickly finds a barbarian who welcomes her with a bit more than just some food and shelter. 
 
This book is just honestly so wild and part of the reason I loved it was because it was hilarious. I am not sure if that was the intention but that is how I read it to be. The cover is also absolutely gorrrreous and that’s probably half of the reason I loved this book. All and all, a great read that fully deserves the hype.
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Coven by Jennifer Dugan, Kit Seaton

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adventurous dark hopeful reflective tense fast-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

4.0

Spooky season may be over, but the spooky reads will continue to be a staple on my bookshelf and TBR list. I read Coven a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. The art is incredible and I loved the detailed illustrations in tandem with vibrant colors and hues. This binge-able graphic novel is centered around Emsy and her family’s coven. While she would rather spend her days surfing the waves with her friends, a sudden death struck her family’s coven back east and Emsy is forced to return to her roots to provide extra aid and protection. 
 
I was expecting this to be very witchy and I was glad that it has a balanced mixture of contemporary and spooky spell vibes. I easily fell in love with all of the characters - especially her coven of whom Emsy was originally hesitant to attempt to re-establish a connection. While it reads quickly, the characters appear well-developed with excellent dialogue. It’s a great read for any time of year - not just during spooky season.

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy!
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It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

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dark 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

2.0

Happy Colleen Hoover day to all that celebrate! It’s only fitting that I finally post my review for It Ends with Us on the novel’s prequel pub date (re: It Starts with Us). After reading Verity by CoHo I thought,” oooo this is some twisted stuff, I should check out the rest of her work.” But after reading It Ends with Us, I think I am going to *end* that journey. I am not sure if I read a different book than everyone else, but this was not my cup of tea. I’m currently looking at Goodreads reviews…and oh god…”*sees only 5 star reviews*…yep, I definitely read a different book. 
 
Did everyone else’s book also include a sh*t ton of content warnings that were in no way mentioned beforehand? Like rape, emotional and physical abuse, death, sexual violence, domestic abuse, gun violence, and toxic relationships? Also, what love triangle? I was so overwhelmed by the main character’s painful situation that I must have missed the romance. The best part of the novel was the author’s note in which CoHo bravely shares her own experience with domestic abuse and violence. This isn’t the most coherent review by any means, but readers are either in camp obsessed or camp no thanks…and neither camp precisely has the words to describe this novel. I went ahead and put this in a Little Free Library where apparently someone else had the same idea (swipe to see photo). 
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Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

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challenging dark 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? Yes

2.5

This one, unfortunately, did not do much for me. I found myself turning pages quickly, but only because I wanted it to be over. The book begins with Paris Peralta, a woman found covered in blood in her own bathroom in which she looks pretty guilty sitting next to her dead, celebrity husband. But what worries Paris is not the murder charge, but the press who may or may not bring attention to her unwanted past. Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, was convicted of a similar murder, and when Ruby is released from prison around the time of Paris's incident, she threatens to reveal all of the secrets Paris has worked to keep hidden. 

To be honest, I don't even remember how this one ends. I think it was a little twisty? Clearly Things We Do in the Dark was not memorable for me. The reviews are pretty mixed for this one, so I recommend picking it up only if you encounter it by happenstance. Otherwise, I'd maybe skip it. 
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We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I went into this one with really high expectations after bookstgram raved about it last year. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it, but I can see how other readers found it memorable. The novel revolves around three central characters: Duchess Day Radley - a 13-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw, Walk - a police chief in a small California coastal town, and Vincent King - a friend of Walk’s who was recently released from prison. These three characters are intertwined in a complicated web of events that lead them to make difficult decisions. Please note that this novel includes some dark themes that may not work for all readers. 
 
It’s been a while since I’ve read this one and I think I avoided writing a review for it just because I didn’t especially enjoy the novel. I didn’t love the characters and I felt like the plot went in circles. I felt pretty meh about the whole thing, but I would be interested in seeing the plot in television form as Disney snagged the rights to it last year. 
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This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

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adventurous funny inspiring reflective sad medium-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

4.0

This was my first Emma Straub novel and I really enjoyed it! Her writing style is so easy to read and it almost feels like you are conversing with a close friend. This Time Tomorrow centers around Alice, a 40-year-old woman who finds herself back in 1996 on her 16th birthday after some mysterious time travel. There are some major 13 Going on 30 vibes…but in the opposite direction. I think that is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. 
 
This Time Tomorrow asks readers the question, “If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be? And would it alter your entire future?” It didn’t give me those 5⭐️ vibes, but it was pretty close. It also made me think about my relationship with my parents as the relationship between Alice and her father plays a major role in the novel. This touching, heartwarming story is one you will want to add to your TBR. 
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Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

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dark 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

3.0

Tiffany D. Jackson's heartbreaking young adult novel is not one for the faint of heart. Centering around the powerful friendship of Claudia and Monday, Claudia grapples with the absence of her best friend, Monday, after Monday fails to show up to school for several weeks. When Monday's absence continues over the course of several weeks, Claudia can't help but think that something is very wrong. This devastating novel brings to light the number of young Black children whose disappearances are not thoroughly investigated. 

The novel's chapters are titled "Two Years Before the Before," "One Year Before the Before," "The Before," or "The After" which can make for a confusing plot once you hit the mid-way point of the novel. While I liked Monday's Not Coming, the back-and-forth between the timelines was confusing and as a result, made the reading experience less enjoyable for me. I also did not love the plot "twist" - it seemed unnecessary and would have been made for an equally powerful story without it. That said, Monday's Not Coming is a hard-hitting read that sheds light on current issues.
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