Farrah is determined to fall in love during her year abroad in Shanghai. The problem? Her possible leading man is her new friend’s boyfriend. But she Farrah is determined to fall in love during her year abroad in Shanghai. The problem? Her possible leading man is her new friend’s boyfriend. But she can’t stop fantasizing about someone else, a cocky blond athlete with a big ego. Ryan is a college football star who has now quit after his third national championship. Instead of dealing with the fallout of his decisions, he escapes to Shanghai. But no matter his intentions of keeping things simple, he can’t keep a certain beautiful brunette out of his mind.
I loved the setting of IF WE EVER MEET AGAIN. Shanghai sounds like a really cool city to visit and an excellent opportunity for a study aboard option.
I really liked both main characters, Blake and Farrah. The romance that develops between them is done over the course of a year, and I really enjoyed how it was done. Huang writes a virgin trope like no other – she expertly crafted a virgin FMC who is not innocent or naïve like so many other books I’ve read. It was truly refreshing.
To be truthful, when I picked up this book I didn’t know it was a duet whose story finished in a second book. This is entirely my fault because I didn’t read the synopsis and was entirely drawn in by a pretty cover. That said, the ending felt very abrupt and, ultimately, was very disappointing to me as I was expecting and hoping for a HEA.
The audiobook narration was very well done and both Blake and Farrah’s perspectives are narrated by a separate narrator which worked really well!...more
Perry was ready for a carefree summer until a fender bender leaves her working to pay back her Auntie Daunis for repairs to the Jeep. At a local univePerry was ready for a carefree summer until a fender bender leaves her working to pay back her Auntie Daunis for repairs to the Jeep. At a local university meeting, Perry learns about the “Warrior Girl”, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives. This changes Perry’s outlook and she becomes determined to return Warrior Girl to her tribe by learning everything she can about NAGPRA. The university has been using legal loopholes to keep Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors’ remains. Perry and her summer program team quickly realize the only way to get these items back to their rightful resting place is via a heist.
I really enjoyed WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED but I think Firekeeper’s Daughter packed a bigger punch for me. I loved that the Ojibwe community we got to know in Firekeeper’s Daughter is still present here and this continuation in the same setting with some of the same characters allowed for continued learning about the Ojibwe community, particularly with relation to sacred ancestral items and their history. It was really interesting to learn a little bit about NAGPRA through this story.
Boulley writes in an authentic and engaging way, easily capturing her readers from early on. I love how Boulley intersperses the dialect particular to this community within the dialogue in a natural way that lets the reader understand based on context. I think the audiobook narration does a phenomenal job with giving the reader the opportunity to hear how these words should be pronounced.
WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED has a very interesting plot with Perry learning more about her own culture and history, as well as how cultural and ancestral items are cared for and how they get returned (or not) to their respective communities. I enjoyed the mystery aspect and was shocked a couple of times as certain reveals were made.
I enjoyed Perry as the main character of this story — she’s brave, resilient, and caring — but did feel she was a little less mature in comparison to Daunis in Firekeeper’s Daughter.
Regardless, I’ll be picking up whatever Boulley chooses to write next!...more
Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis is biracial and an unenrolled tribal member. DauniDaunis Fontaine has never quite fit in in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis is biracial and an unenrolled tribal member. Daunis puts her dreams on hold when tragedy strikes her family so that she can care for her fragile mother. She witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into a criminal investigation, for which she agrees to go undercover. As deceptions keep adding up, Daunis soon feels the threat strikes too close to home.
FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER is a book that I’ve seen recommended across Booksta for quite sometime. I finally decided to pick it up after seeing numerous glowing reviews and I’m so happy that I did – it’s a great story.
I loved that it is infused with rich cultural influences and shares a lot about the Ojibwe community, as well as their language, history, values, beliefs, and traditions. I think listening to the audiobook was very beneficial as it allowed me to hear how certain words should be pronounced which I don’t think I would have appreciated as much from the written text.
Daunis is an excellent main character whom I found to be relatable. She’s also brave, smart, caring, and courageous. I loved her narration of the story as she learns about herself, her identity, and her own personal values and beliefs.
I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this novel — there are many layers to filter through and the author did a great job of weaving this into the story. I did find there were parts of the novel that were a bit slower paced comparatively to the overall tone of the rest of the novel, but nevertheless, I was intrigued from beginning to end. The ending was action-packed as all the pieces come together, leaving me eager to see how the story would end.
Overall, an excellent read! I’ll definitely be checking out the sequel soon....more
In 1975 in the small town of Monta Clara, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, Patch, a local boy withIn 1975 in the small town of Monta Clara, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, Patch, a local boy with one eye, saves the girl, leaving heartache in his wake. Patch and those who love him discover that their search for answers will lead to truths that could mean losing each other.
I have seen many, many glowing reviews for ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK so was beyond excited to pick this up as a buddy read with several ladies on Bookstagram. Unfortunately, I think this one is over-hyped and it very much missed the mark for me. Honestly, I have never been so excited to finish a book in my life. I should have listened to my gut when I wasn't enjoying it by the 30% mark and dropped it, but I was hopeful that things would pick up.
The writing style is unusual, almost poetic, with an odd, jilting sentence structure. It certainly takes some time to get used to and maybe a little extra focus to not miss anything important. I was getting used to it by the 15-20% mark, but unfortunately the story is so boring and dry that I was struggling to focus. Each chapter is less than a handful of pages, which makes you think that the story will progress quickly - that's not the case (for me, at least). At the 30% mark, I decided to give the audiobook a try to see if this would help my case and make this story more palatable. It did not. I think this 600+ page book would benefit from a chop of 200-250 pages as there's a lot of filler and unnecessary details.
I have trouble with the fact that this book is being labeled as a thriller. I typically expect thrillers to be more fast-paced, tense, with some action.... and actually thrilling. I think that this novel leans more towards mystery whilst having a very character-driven focus, and a lens that looks closely at obsession, love, and hope. All this aside, I found the plot to be slow and winding with little happening to incite me to want to read more. The ending wasn't even that much of a shock, more of a disappointment. Despite this being a character-driven novel, I never really found the characters to be relatable or for me to connect to them in any type of way, lacking in substance and dimension. It's a very long book to not connect in any type of way with the characters.
Alas, this one was not for me but I'm glad everyone else is loving it!...more
Sawyer Stone III and Dani Fox are a young couple who are sailing the world and sharing their adventures on their fledgling Youtube channel Sailing witSawyer Stone III and Dani Fox are a young couple who are sailing the world and sharing their adventures on their fledgling Youtube channel Sailing with the Foxes. They've currently anchored in Exuma, in the Bahamas, and are waiting for the price of crypto to rebound so they can provision and continue their journey. In the meantime, they are partying and exploring with their fellow cruisers. On the surface, their lives look perfect. But one night, Dani disappears after a boat party and Sawyer has no memory of her disappearance. The search for Dani is fueled by concerns that she may have drowned on one of her daily swims, but when Dani's pre-scheduled Youtube videos post and show a darker side to her relationship with Sawyer, suspicion turns in his direction.
ON THE SURFACE is a fun 'locked room' type thriller set in Exuma, Bahamas. The setting of the Bahamas and mostly on a boat is excellent, making this a perfect summer beach read. It's a quick and easy read that keeps you wanting to know more as the plot thickens.
I really enjoyed the cruisers aspect of the story with the tie in to social media influencers and the reality vs what you see online. The world of cruisers is something I had no clue about so it was fun to discover this lifestyle in this thriller.
ON THE SURFACE is told in multiple POV in the first person, with Sawyer, Dani, and Detective Knowles as the main POVs. The characters here are all fairly unlikeable but they are well-developed, compelling, and hiding a host of secrets. I enjoyed the plot of this book which is relatively fast-paced, binge-worthy, and intriguing, hooking me in from early on. It's a twisty read that kept me guessing right up to the end. I will say that I personally found the ending to be too open-ended for my tastes and I was left feeling adrift with too many questions unanswered.
I really enjoyed the full cast audiobook narration which was very well done.
Overall, a great debut!
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Dreamscape Media, of this advanced listener copy for the opportunity to listen to this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own....more
Melvin Mars is a convicted murderer counting down his final hours before execution. He was convicted of murdering his parents twenty years ago. But juMelvin Mars is a convicted murderer counting down his final hours before execution. He was convicted of murdering his parents twenty years ago. But just before his final hours come to an end, another man confesses to the crime. Amos Decker has recently been hired on the FBI special task force and takes a keen interest into Mars’ case because it has striking similarities to his own life – both were talented football players whose careers were cut short, and both have families who were brutally murdered. When one of Decker’s team disappears, it becomes clear that something much larger is at play.
I loved this second installment in the Amos Decker series. I enjoyed seeing how Decker’s perfect memory is being used by the FBI to solve ‘cold’ cases. In this case, it is an inmate on death row who has another person step up and confess to the crime. While these books can be read as standalones, given that the cases in books one and two are not connected, the character development is very important and starting with the second novel will lose some of that connection, backstory, and development.
Amos is an interesting and likable character – he is unusual given his perfect memory and his social skills need some work, but you can’t have everything, right?
I really enjoyed the plot of THE LAST MILE – it was intriguing with many twists and turns that kept me guessing until the big reveal. There are some aspects of this story that require suspension of disbelief, but this is fiction, so I think that should be expected, and overall, it’s a solid story. I’ll be picking up book three without question!...more
Amos Decker returns home from work one day to find the bodies of his wife and only daughter. His life falls apart as he is overcome with grief – he’s Amos Decker returns home from work one day to find the bodies of his wife and only daughter. His life falls apart as he is overcome with grief – he’s lost his job as a police detective, his house, and his self respect. When his former partner comes to tell him that someone has confessed to the murder of his family, he knows he must seek justice for their loss. Amos suffered a serious brain injury as a professional football player, leading him to gain an incredible gift that can help the police solve a school shooting. As Amos seeks justice for his family, he is forced to relive memories he would rather forget.
MEMORY MAN is the first book I’ve read by David Baldacci but it will not be the last!
Amos is a flawed main character who has been through a lot of tragedy and he’s trying to find his way after the loss of his wife and child. Baldacci writes him in a way that is realistic and relatable. I enjoyed learning about the brain injury that Amos suffered as a professional football player that leads to him having these new abilities. It was interesting to see how he used these abilities to solve the case.
The plot is interesting and well developed with two cases to solve. The execution of the twists and plot is well done and kept me intrigued. I had no clue what was to come but was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I’ll be starting book 2 in this series soon! ...more
Georgia is facing a fresh start after she’s given up almost everything in a brutal divorce. She’s back at her great-grandmother’s estate in 4.5 stars.
Georgia is facing a fresh start after she’s given up almost everything in a brutal divorce. She’s back at her great-grandmother’s estate in Colorado and finds herself face-to-face with Noah Harrison, a best-selling author whose covers always feature people nearly kissing. He’s handsome and very arrogant and is the publisher’s ideal fit to finish off her great-grandmother’s final novel. As they read Scarlett (Georgia’s great-grandmother’s) manuscript and her box of letters, they begin to realize why Scarlett never finished the book – it’s based on her real-life romance with a WWII pilot, and the ending isn’t a happy one. Georgia knows all too well that love never works out but the chemistry between her and Noah is undeniable and she’s more determined than ever to learn from her great-grandmother’s mistakes – even if that means destroying Noah’s career.
Having read Yarros’ beloved Fourth Wing I was intrigued to try out some of her other works. THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED is a story that I absolutely adored. Although, I do caution that its contents are heavy with featured themes of strength, courage, and perseverance; it’s also a story that may require having a box of tissues handy.
It’s told in dual timelines – 1940s England and the present. I am torn as to which timeline I preferred because I am a sucker for historical romances, particularly during times of war – there’s just something about them that sets them apart from the rest. Each timeline was excellently written, and I adored the characters that were featured. The characters are well-written, tangible, and relatable. The events that are described are well detailed and moving, making the story easy to envision, and add an emotional punch as the story builds.
I did anticipate one of the twists just before it was revealed but was absolutely shook never the less. Yarros is an excellent historical romance writer and I’ll be quickly checking out others that she has written! Notably, the audiobook narration is always very well done, easily bringing this story to life. ...more