Ahhhh, I loved this so much more than I thought I would. This story is such a slow burn, but I really connected with the protagonist and the writing sAhhhh, I loved this so much more than I thought I would. This story is such a slow burn, but I really connected with the protagonist and the writing style and the concept is fascinating!!! The Centre is this mysteriously place where you can pay a price to learn a new language within 10 days, but it’s very private and hush hush and invite only. I love weird stories like this with a unique concept. The writing was so freaking good, there were so many great quotes about language and translation and why it matters so much. This book was also packed full of great social commentary like this:
“gratitude and admiration when a white person speaks a non-white language, and only contempt and indignation for non-white people who don’t speak English”
I loved the discussion about female friendships and how friendships can be just as important as romantic relationships even though they are never celebrated in the same way. This quote about friendships: “the slow burning love of female friendship keeps the world turning” just really meant a lot to me.
I was really moved by so many thought provoking quotes like this:
“There can be something quite devastating in feeling a comfort you can barely remember. It can make you grieve, if I’m honest, for something that you’d always felt a vague sense of loss over but never know for certain you were missing.”
This book was exactly the kind of weird I like in my horror books, it had great atmosphere. I think if you enjoyed Catherine House or Natural Beauty, I would put those in the same category as this book! ...more
2.5 stars I'm not really the biggest fan of cozy mysteries of this kind, or whodunnit murder mysteries. I always think I'll be into it, and then I get 2.5 stars I'm not really the biggest fan of cozy mysteries of this kind, or whodunnit murder mysteries. I always think I'll be into it, and then I get soooo incredibly bored. So, this is definitely no fault of the book, the book was fine, and I think if you like Agatha Christie classic whodunnit feel type of mysteries, you'd probably love this! It just wasn't for me.
3.75 This surprised me a lot! I had a fun time with this, I love thrillers that focus on mother/daughter relationships and this one was especially inte3.75 This surprised me a lot! I had a fun time with this, I love thrillers that focus on mother/daughter relationships and this one was especially interesting because they hadn't spoken to each other in 2 years. I liked that we got both the mother and daughter's POV's and that we go back and forth after she has survived this plane crash and she's trying to survive in the wilderness. It was very action packed with short chapters and easy to fly through! Some of the ending lost me a little bit, it had a few tropes I typically don't enjoy in thrillers, but otherwise, this one was super interesting and a fun time!
I don't typically love thrillers where we follow a detective POV, but this book had multiple POV's which kept it interesting. I was very fascinated byI don't typically love thrillers where we follow a detective POV, but this book had multiple POV's which kept it interesting. I was very fascinated by Ellie's chapters which were taking place in the past, and I liked alternating timelines between the past and the present day after she returns. There were some things I really loved about this book, but unfortunately, I found it to be just okay. The writing style was so repetitive and clunky at times -- it just didn't flow very naturally, and while I appreciated some of the social commentary, some of it was just sooooo on the nose. The ending was also a little far-fetched for me.
I'm so glad I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I loved the friendship between Billie and Cassie, it was so fascinating to read about. I've always bI'm so glad I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I loved the friendship between Billie and Cassie, it was so fascinating to read about. I've always been a big fan of reading about toxic female friendships, and this book definitely had that. I also really connected with Billie in this book, and the way she talked about how she doesn't want children. I think as far as a mystery thriller goes, there wasn't anything super shocking in this story for me, it was mostly predictable. But I really connected with the characters in this book a lot so that's why I enjoyed it so much.
3.5 stars This was a fun time! I'm a huge fan of the nanny gone wrong trope, and I feel like this book did something totally different and unexpected w3.5 stars This was a fun time! I'm a huge fan of the nanny gone wrong trope, and I feel like this book did something totally different and unexpected with that trope! I really loved the New York atmosphere in this book and the slightly creepy atmosphere too. I thought the pacing in the middle started to drag a little bit, but the ending definitely picked up! There were a few plot twists at the end, some of them I saw coming, but some I didn't! I would definitely recommend this one, it's so fast paced with short chapters, the perfect book to get you out of a slump and easy to finish in one or two sittings! Very hard to put down, that's for sure.
As usual, with my typical Ruth Ware experience, this book was sooooo mid. It was fine. It just sucks because this one had so much potential, I was LOVAs usual, with my typical Ruth Ware experience, this book was sooooo mid. It was fine. It just sucks because this one had so much potential, I was LOVING the first half, the set up with the dating show was so fun. But then the second half really become just another boring survival story and it was so repetitive and slow.
More like a 3.75 lol I enjoyed this thriller! I listened to this one on audio during a long drive, and it really held my attention. I loved the locatioMore like a 3.75 lol I enjoyed this thriller! I listened to this one on audio during a long drive, and it really held my attention. I loved the location being in Napa Valley, California and all the talk about the wineries created the perfect atmosphere. There was a "twist" about halfway through if we can even call it that, that I was like ughhhhh oh no because I hate that trope and I don't find it surprising or interesting. But then the second half of the book got a lot more interesting, and I had fun with it. Some of it is a little farfetched or over the top, but it was still a good time, and I really loved the final chapter, I was shocked by that, didn't see it coming.
Damn, I was really enjoying this one and having fun with it till the ending. I love books that follow writers, and I loved the atmosphere in this bookDamn, I was really enjoying this one and having fun with it till the ending. I love books that follow writers, and I loved the atmosphere in this book of New York City and her taking on a job writing as a columnist for the newspaper. But there were about four "twists" at the end of this book, and I predicted every single thing that happened. It felt really obvious to me, and I wasn't sure why the main character wasn't picking up on what was happening, so that's a bummer.
Ahhhhh, I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this one! I'm a huge fan of the nanny gone wrong trope and that's only the beginning of this book. The ploAhhhhh, I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this one! I'm a huge fan of the nanny gone wrong trope and that's only the beginning of this book. The plot ended up being so unexpected and unpredictable! I would recommend not looking at too many reviews before reading this one, I feel like some reviews here are a little spoiler-y comparing this to other specific books and TV shows, I think it's best to read this without knowing too much about the plot! But this was such a fast paced, entertaining read! It also felt like it leaned into horror at times, some scenes were genuinely so creepy and I LOVED THAT. I need Catherine Steadman to write a horror novel immediately haha I would eat that up!
This was one of the most unique horror stories I've ever read. The concept in it is so cool, but hard to explain? It's kind of giving Under the Dome aThis was one of the most unique horror stories I've ever read. The concept in it is so cool, but hard to explain? It's kind of giving Under the Dome and Wandavision vibes. A street is haunted and inaccessible to the rest of the world, and only three women are still able to visit the street they grew up on. I was HERE for the sapphic relationship explored in this book, oh my god they were so cute, I would read an entire separate romance book written about these two, they had me so smitten. I also thought some of the ideas in this book were so COOL, omg it got so twisty in ways I wasn't expecting, and I loved that. The only reason I couldn't give it 5 stars is because the ending started to feel like it was getting a little repetitive, and some scenes with the flashbacks were a little confusing.
Ahhhhh, what the heck I loved this!!!! I would recommend going into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it, I just think it's better to experieAhhhhh, what the heck I loved this!!!! I would recommend going into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it, I just think it's better to experience it that way. I loved Sally's character, she was so interesting to read about and not only her perspective, but a second perspective in this book that got explored was my favorite. These characters were soooo fascinating and felt so real. There were so many shocking scenes, especially in the second half, I was GLUED to the page, I couldn't put it down.
I included this book and one other in a Patreon exclusive vlog, where I talk about spoilers for this one and get deep into my thoughts about it, you can see it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/106214157...more
I am so shocked that I ended up enjoying this book as much as I did! I haven't really enjoyed any books I've read from this author, but I was hearing I am so shocked that I ended up enjoying this book as much as I did! I haven't really enjoyed any books I've read from this author, but I was hearing great things about this one, so I decided to give it a go, and I'm so glad I did! This book was so fun and such a quick read. I love getting all 3 siblings POV's, their relationship was toxic but interesting and complicated, they had a lot of history there and haven't spoken in years. We also get their Mom's POV from back in the 90's, which I also really liked. I was invested in the mystery of this book, and I was pretty surprised by some things that happened at the end, I didn't see it coming and I really loved the final chapter of this book. I also liked that this book had less romance and felt a little more serious in tone than the other books I've read from this author.
2.5 stars I was really invested in the first 100 pages, I enjoyed reading about the generations of toxic mother daughter relationships. But I feel like2.5 stars I was really invested in the first 100 pages, I enjoyed reading about the generations of toxic mother daughter relationships. But I feel like this book really lost me in the second half, and I wasn't a huge fan of the ending either.
2.5 stars This ended up reading way more like historical fiction than mystery/thriller for me. I really liked the characters, and I loved the beachy at2.5 stars This ended up reading way more like historical fiction than mystery/thriller for me. I really liked the characters, and I loved the beachy atmosphere, it had great vibes, but I just did not care for the plot.
Ahhhh, it kills me to give this one 3 stars, because it had so much potential to be great for me. This book has the BEST atmosphere, the snowy small tAhhhh, it kills me to give this one 3 stars, because it had so much potential to be great for me. This book has the BEST atmosphere, the snowy small town in Alaska with vampires was everything? I loved it so much. I also loved the idea of the vampires in this book and how they existed in the same world as the humans, and how the protagonist specifically works as a detective that investigates crimes that involve vampires. It was all so cool and unlike anything I've ever read. But I feel like this book has sooooo many characters that it got to be a little confusing. And the writing style wasn't my favorite -- I don't typically enjoy detective fiction because I find detective POV's to be so boring and they read so clinical, and unfortunately this one was no different. But this one had all the potential to be a new favorite.
Ahhhh, this was so promising, I really thought at the beginning that this one could be a five-star new all-time favorite, but damn, this story really Ahhhh, this was so promising, I really thought at the beginning that this one could be a five-star new all-time favorite, but damn, this story really started to drag. I was so invested in this astrological retreat and the characters were so interested, but I couldn't care less about the character Rini (the host) and her back story, which took up so much of the story. It also started to feel more like romance and marriage drama between all these people, which had me losing interest very quickly. The ending was decent, but it didn't really wow me either.
Also, as a Capricorn, I was sad that there were no Capricorns in this lol. We get 8 characters with 8 different signs, but Capricorns were not one of them lol. (Neither were Gemini's, Libra's, or Sagittarius's)
I think this might be my favorite book from Rachel Hawkins so far! I really loved the setup of this book, Ruby's character was giving me Evelyn Hugo vI think this might be my favorite book from Rachel Hawkins so far! I really loved the setup of this book, Ruby's character was giving me Evelyn Hugo vibes. I thought this had great gothic southern atmosphere, and I see some people saying this read more like historical fiction than mystery / thriller, and I can see that. I usually don't love reading historical fiction, but this one felt so fast paced to me, and I just really enjoyed the characters and the atmosphere. I had a fun time with it.
3.5 stars This was my favorite book from Megan Miranda so far! This has really fun small town by the side of a lake vibes, I think this would be the pe3.5 stars This was my favorite book from Megan Miranda so far! This has really fun small town by the side of a lake vibes, I think this would be the perfect summer breach read. It's fast paced, it has some surprises along the way, the ending didn't quite stick the landing for me, but I still had a fun time reading this!
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