shereadytoread's reviews
718 reviews

This book is a haunting depiction of a woman consumed by grief whose inability to move forward (or her failed attempts to) with her son culminate in monstrous horror. I think this book succeeds so well at depicting the rumination and spirals that happen with grief. Unfortunately its success is also its failure. The novella is very short and so the large focus on those spirals makes the book feel repetitive and the ending feel very disconnected and abrupt. 

There is not enough fleshing out of the relationships or any other plot points outside of the grief to orient the reader to the world or really give any interest into wanting the character to succeed. I genuinely didn’t care what happened to a single person in the book because you learn nothing except they are grieving. There is no sense of their life before the death and no indication of what has bappened in the time since.

This was a quick reflective piece that combines the author's love for Jurassic Park with their upcoming and identity exploration as a queer kid dealing with the loss of their mother. I thought it made some great points in how we interpret this film through various lenses. It offers some great texts as supplemental reading (both similar to this book based on Jurassic Park, and others). It's a pocket read so not too long and definitely worth reading if queer studies and Jurassic Park are two of your interests.

We Had to Remove This Post is a queer social horror that follows our main character and her coworkers as they form relationship after becoming content moderators for a social media platform. Facing both the demands of the job, and the toll the exposure to the content takes on them, they are each affected by their new reality in different ways.

This is novella that doesn't waste any space and manages to hide most of its hand until the final twist hits. It's horror lies in social commentary and our ensemble of coworkers falling victim to the secondary trauma of content moderation in different ways. It touches on radicalization, indoctrination, capitalism, and how we use denial and distancing to protect ourselves and others. 

What I enjoyed most about this book is that the plot twist at the end really reframes (but doesn't undo because I hate that) a lot of what we knew or thought to be true during the story. I think it definitely leans for the possibility of a reread, and the potential of re-examining those prior events once we are aware of the ending. 

Because this is a book that is dealing with what the worst of us post online, TWs for mentions of violence, graphic content, antisemitism, racism, and animal death. 

This was marketed as a horror novella but is more akin to a dark academia mystery. There is some limited body horror elements but they are pretty minor. 
This is a great fall/winter night read. It’s short and punchy. The novella is heavy on the atmosphere and light on the depth. This book is far too short to waste time trying to misdirect the reader, and would have been better served by a less abrupt ending. 

The mystery itself is pretty interesting and the story taking place over a single night keeps the reader engaged. It jumps around and you have to piece together exactly what the real mystery is but it works out in the end. It is very open-ended and you don’t get a straight forward answer as to the character’s fate but it’s still pretty satisfying for me.

Audio specific review: the multiple narrators helps to keep the POVs straight. Because of the constant POV switches, I think it is probably better read in print or ebook format. 

WHAT I LIKED: The book was well-written, well-organized, and had a clear specific message. The content was often on the relatable side even though it is a celebrity memoir. The focus on different mindsets and how they serve us is easily applied to others. I like that she addressed scandals and issues without feeling that she had to justify or convince the reader to agree with her choices. If you've read her first book, the maturing and change is very clear between the two.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME: Because the book had a clear message, some of the details of her life felt glossed over. The intention was clearly that this was not to air out dirty laundry, but to share something important. it's not a bad thing, just a preference, but it leaned a bit too self-help for me at some points.

DIFFERENCE IN AUDIO/PRINT: The sections start with an audio clip of her podcast. I'm not sure how it is represented in the print edition. There are some asides or music inclusions that are specific to the audio, but not needed to enjoy the book. At the end of each section there is a quick "self-assessment" which is still included in the audio but formatted multiple choice so likely better in print.

NARRATION: Keke Palmer is a performer and it shines through in the book. Her narration is a major strength and I think made the book a lot more enjoyable.

Disclosure: I received a free ALC through Libro.fm and the publisher. 

This is on the lighter end of Christmas horror. While it is not written as middle grade or YA, it is definitely something that younger readers can enjoy as well. 

It has young protagonists who band together to save Christmas from some creepy carolers who are taking over the neighborhood.

I really enjoyed this read. It’s the first read for me of the “I found” collection of books and I’m excited to read another.

This book delivers exactly what it promises; it is a quick and cozy sapphic story. Heavy on the holiday charm and an appropriate amount of holiday spice. I found Merry and Bright (Margot and Jack) to be charming and gotta love a dog named “Loaf”.

Disclosure: I received a gifted eARC. No review was required and all opinions are my own.

I didn’t love this one as much as the first book, but still really enjoyed it. The initial connection of the mixed up bags felt a little icky to me, but I enjoyed the relationship as it became more intense throughout the book. 

I think this one was a lot less lighthearted than the first one. Throughout the entirety of the book both characters are dealing with heavy life issues like trauma, caring for aging parents, public shaming, and more. It gave the book a bit more depth in the first one but also caused some parts to drag for a little bit. 

I am excited to continue with the series.

Disclosure: I received a free eARC of this book.

This is a book that heavily leans into ambiguity. If you like everything to be wrapped up and linear, this is not for you. 

For me the two hardest parts were the very beginning and the very end. The mere thought of letting strangers into my house to just walk around is … no thanks. Once I had to suspend disbelief that anyone would do that, I rather enjoyed the next 80% of the story. 

I highly recommend the print. There are some symbols, formatting, etc that you don’t get in the audiobook and don’t really translate well in the ebook. 

Where this book dropped from a 4.75 or 5 star was the ending. Avoiding spoilers, it felt like the author used an ambiguous ending as an excuse to just let plot holes sit in some places. I was not a fan of that piece and it really made this feel a bit unpolished. Great idea. Good bones. Slightly above average execution.

Otherwise it builds really well. Lots of eerie and uncomfortable moments. Setting up feelings of dread and hopelessness. I think it was a really unique experience but the author bit off a little more than he could chew.