Very rarely does a book ACTUALLY scare me. I literally could barely read this at night I was so unsettled.
The horror is subtle, eerie more than in yoVery rarely does a book ACTUALLY scare me. I literally could barely read this at night I was so unsettled.
The horror is subtle, eerie more than in your face, and the constant wondering if something is off or if you’re just overreacting is incredibly effective.
The (seemingly random) documents and snippets included in between chapters are also a really creative way to ramp up the tension even more.
Took a bit of effort to keep track of how everyone was related but was worth it. I do love me an Irish lit fic (even though this is set in London, theTook a bit of effort to keep track of how everyone was related but was worth it. I do love me an Irish lit fic (even though this is set in London, the author was born in Dublin so to me it still counts lol). ...more
Shocked at how much I actually liked this. I understand why all the girlies underline it within an inch of its life.
I really enjoyed the writing stylShocked at how much I actually liked this. I understand why all the girlies underline it within an inch of its life.
I really enjoyed the writing style. It kind of felt like a combination of reading someone’s diary entries or getting coffee with one of your friends who has a really dramatic love life.
Also, if you told me this started out as Chuck and Blair fan fiction I would believe you. ...more
This kind of reminded me of The Last Time I Lied with the summer camp back drop to a mystery/thriller centering around missing campers. The issue I haThis kind of reminded me of The Last Time I Lied with the summer camp back drop to a mystery/thriller centering around missing campers. The issue I had with this one was I felt like there were a few two many characters/POVs and I should have made a character map (at least for all the adults) but by the time I realized I needed one it was too late, so instead I spent most of the book thinking the original camp grounds keeper and the volunteer firefighter guy were the same person lol....more
**spoiler alert** Okay maybe this is my fault for not fully understanding the synopsis before I picked this up, but I don't know if I really needed a **spoiler alert** Okay maybe this is my fault for not fully understanding the synopsis before I picked this up, but I don't know if I really needed a book in my life with an incel redemption arc....more
First of all, I probably shouldn’t have read a book that was even remotely about the Vietnam War so close to having finished The Women by Kristin HannFirst of all, I probably shouldn’t have read a book that was even remotely about the Vietnam War so close to having finished The Women by Kristin Hannah.
I started this on audio, got put in Spotify audiobook jail, read some of the e-book, and then FINALLY got access to the audiobook again from the library. Because of that it might not be the book’s fault that I felt like it kind of dragged on and I started to lose interest.
Of the three Elin Hilderbrand books I’ve read this was more similar to Hotel Nantucket which didn’t really work for me compared to The Perfect Couple. I think because this time the characters were all related the the different plot lines felt a little less disjointed than in Hotel Nantucket but it did still have a ton going on and when it’s that chaotic it’s kind of hard to care about every character and plot line equally. ...more
My favorite Annabel Monaghan to date! I almost gave up on her after not loving Same Time Next Summer and having some issues with Nora Goes Off Script.My favorite Annabel Monaghan to date! I almost gave up on her after not loving Same Time Next Summer and having some issues with Nora Goes Off Script. This is more similar to NGOS in that it follows a single mom, but this time we got all of the best parts of NGOS with a better male MC and without a dumb as hell third act conflict.
I’m glad I gave her another chance with this one. I was squealing and kicking my little feet. ...more
The pacing of this was the main problem for me. I ended up having to listen to the first 25% twice and almost gave up (I was fighting off a reading slThe pacing of this was the main problem for me. I ended up having to listen to the first 25% twice and almost gave up (I was fighting off a reading slump so part of it was probably a me problem) but right as I was about to stop there was a break in the plot and I became invested.
I did predict most of the plot once things started to go off the rails. I can’t tell if it was supposed to be obvious or not so maybe we were just waiting for the characters to catch up to what the readers know. Even knowing what was going on, there was still some intrigue in waiting to see which way things were going to shake out so there was still stuff going on to keep my attention (even if it was a bit far fetched). ...more
This was so fun!! A bit goofy and a bit over the top, but does have a sprinkle of serious topics which kept it still feeling grounded. This did fake dThis was so fun!! A bit goofy and a bit over the top, but does have a sprinkle of serious topics which kept it still feeling grounded. This did fake dating so well and it actually made sense why they would need to do that.
I also ate up the dynamic of her constantly trying to be buttoned up and professional and him being flirtatious and unbothered and getting a kick out of trying to wind her up.
It has the same regular woman movie star man that Norah Goes Off Script had but in my opinion I liked this one better....more
Definitely got on with this one worlds better than my last attempt with this author, the plot was a lot more cohesive and the drama was fun to follow.Definitely got on with this one worlds better than my last attempt with this author, the plot was a lot more cohesive and the drama was fun to follow.
I still can't tell if Elin Hilderbrand is writing satire of the rich waspy Nantucket stereotype or if she just IS the rich waspy Nantucket stereotype....more
Wanted to give this a try after I read Norah Goes Off Script and liked the writing but mostly had an issue with a major plot point.
This one didn’t reWanted to give this a try after I read Norah Goes Off Script and liked the writing but mostly had an issue with a major plot point.
This one didn’t really work for me, not necessarily because it was a terrible book (although I didn’t really like any of the characters) but it just had a bunch of tropes I don’t like.
I don’t really like childhood friends to lovers when they spend a lot of time as teens on the page because I don’t want to be reading about teenage sex at this stage in my life. I also have a hard time when characters are SO hung up childhood exes from a decade ago. It just pulls me out of the story a bit although when we learned why with this particular couple it made a little more sense. I had the same issue with The Ex Hex which I couldn’t get over and ruined that book for me. ...more
Really conflicted because I was loving this and even was willing to overlook the insta-love and Leo being a bit of a man baby because it was such a fuReally conflicted because I was loving this and even was willing to overlook the insta-love and Leo being a bit of a man baby because it was such a fun romp but now I understand what people mean when they say they can’t stand the miscommunication trope....more
Better than book #3 (thank GOD) but still not as magical as the first one. I think because it’s been so long since I read the other books in the serieBetter than book #3 (thank GOD) but still not as magical as the first one. I think because it’s been so long since I read the other books in the series and this was designed to kind of book end the first installment of the series there were some call backs that I didn’t necessarily pick up on. It kind of caused me to lose interest in the last 25-30%.
I did enjoy the setting for the most part though I wish they had done Atlantic City during the summer instead of the off season so we could get some interactions with some kooky tourists.
I’ll be saying goodbye to Finlay and friends here and with this as the “finale” I’m not mad I saw the series through to the end. ...more
I love Gilian McAllister’s writing and I love sister stories so this was right up my alley. I’m slowly but surely making my way through her back list I love Gilian McAllister’s writing and I love sister stories so this was right up my alley. I’m slowly but surely making my way through her back list and I’ll honestly be sad when I finish up.
This book, like her others from this era, have a quiet sort of suspense. The set ups are painfully feasible and she does such a good job of capturing the emotional fall out from them.
I will say I guessed part of this ending a bit, but I didn’t guess exactly how it would pan out. However, it didn’t necessarily take away from my enjoyment of the book because the book is equal parts about trying to figure out what happened and also about seeing the impact on this family. ...more
I feel like this was trying to be a Seven Year Slip/Happy Place combo and it didn’t quite land for me as well as either of those two did.
I did like tI feel like this was trying to be a Seven Year Slip/Happy Place combo and it didn’t quite land for me as well as either of those two did.
I did like the setting but I HATED the prologue (who acts like that???) and once I read that it was always going to be an uphill battle for the story to win me back....more
This was a fun and fast paced thriller with a bit of a cat and mouse chase. It usually takes an off the wall major plot twist for a thriller/mystery bThis was a fun and fast paced thriller with a bit of a cat and mouse chase. It usually takes an off the wall major plot twist for a thriller/mystery book to get 5 stars from me and this was a bit more about a web of elaborate breadcrumbs all going together. It felt a little like House of Cards except with a con artist instead of politicians....more
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