Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Even though this is a thriller on the surface, I think it’s actually a psychological story about female friendships at its heart. It’s about what happens when we’re on the outside. What we’re capable of when we’re pushed and excluded. It’s about female friendships and how amazing and how toxic and how complicated they can be. It’s about what happens when we do things we never thought we were capable of.
The characters here are not likable. You’re not rooting for either of them. And yet they both endure things no human should have to go through. And they are both deeply messed up. It messes with your head quite a bit as you read this story. It’s like an accident you can’t look away from.
with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This story took me forever to get into. Each of the characters were so dislikable that I had to force myself to keep reading. And if I hadn’t requested it as an ARC I might have stopped reading it.
But I’m so glad I didn’t.
They each grew throughout the novel and they also made their way into my heart and as the plot got more and more convoluted, I was so invested in each of them and in finding out what happens. I loved the way the story came together and I laughed and I cried and I cheered.
I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this one.
with gratitude to netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed Serle’s previous novel and I loved the premise of a character receiving a notice with how long each of her relationships are meant to last. I loved reading about her previous relationships and also they juxtaposition of fate and free will on this lighthearted story. I loved each of the characters and found myself rooting for every single one of them.
with gratitude to netgalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a very unusual story. I don’t even know how to explain it. First of all, the world building is super unusual. I loved the idea that if you walk to the east or west of your valley you move forward or backward in time. I’d never read such a premise before.
Some of the other parts (like kids applying for jobs, etc) made me think of “The Giver” and I found myself enjoying both the story and the characters.
But in a novel like this, the best part not the story itself but how much you end up thinking about the ideas in the book. The moral around how one should decide who gets to visit the past or the future and why. The unintended consequences of our actions and decisions and freewill. There is so much in this novel that in can make you think for weeks all wrapped up in a slow and beautiful plot full of its own moments and twists and turns.
with gratitude to netgalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a fun and sweet book this was. If you are looking for a sweet and light book that will feel cozy and make you laugh, make sure you pick this one up. I loved both Lexi and Jake and really enjoyed their journey back to each other.
with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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The Women by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Kristin Hannah does it again. From the moment I started this story, I could not stop reading it. Even though it was a 450+ page novel and historical fiction, which while I like, is not one of my top genres, this book is unputdownable. The characters, the plot, the stories, the historical details keep your attention the entire time.
I loved every single moment i spent with this book.
with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I had never read this author before and didn’t know what to expect. This is a fantasy novel so the world building is really interesting and the story is also fascinating but the best part of this book for me was the characters. They are funny, interesting, complicated and so much fun to spend time with.
Even though it starts a little slow, the story really picks up pace about halfway through and by then you’re so deeply invested in the characters, too, that it’s impossible to put it down.
I can’t wait to read the next one in the series and I now have to go back and read the author’s previous novels!
with gratitude to netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lauren Groff’s writing is so exquisite that it’s not possible to not like her books. Even though I liked the previous one a little more, I loved reading this and can’t wait for more from her.
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Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book.
I liked Reid’s previous book and was looking forward to reading this despite the mixed reviews. I will say that the first 75% of the book is just character studies. It introduces each character and sort of pulls back to give you a snippet of their life and how they ended up here. It’s interesting but it reads a bit like a character study. Nothing major happens until around the end of the book where things crescendo and there’s some good food for thought. But it requires that you have a lot of patience with this book that I think is too long for that type of buildup.
I still enjoyed my time with it and i like her writing and will definitely read her next book but this wasn’t one of my favorites.
with gratitude to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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The Senator’s Wife by Liv Constantine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
fast moving, forgettable palette cleanser. not sorry i read it but it was nothing to write home about.
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Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I saw this book everywhere, EVERYWHERE, so i felt like I had to read it. It was sweet and I am glad I read it but it also wasn’t amazing. I am not sure why it’s on every single list.
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The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
4.5 stars
wow. this book was unlike anything i’ve read. it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and it was disturbing and frustrating and a really creepy book. I enjoyed it.
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projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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