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mari1532's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I was able to obtain a copy of this book from my local library. I was beyond excited when I was notified that the book was available because I absolutely loved Ramisetti's first book. I promptly devoured this book in a single day.
Synopsis: Advika is a woman who has lost herself in grief. However, one faithful night while she is working her bartending job, which was only meant to pay the bills until she made it big as a screenwriter, she meets a mysterious man who might change everything. As Advika falls in love the burden of her grief starts to lift and she finally sees a way for herself to be happy again, but the man she's fallen for might have other things in store for her.
Thoughts: This book had everything. A love story, mystery, grief, friendship dynamics, and even Hollywood drama. I loved the way that Ramisetti articulated Advika's grief. It felt raw and encapsulated the very real experience of grief where it washes over you in waves. Also, the way that Ramisetti managed to draw the reader through Advika's grief by integrating flashbacks was just a beautiful way to weave the narrative.
I also really enjoyed the relationship between Advika and Olive. The way that they strengthen their friendship throughout the book is beautiful and Olive is so funny sometimes. The narrator of this book did a great job capturing her voice.
If you were a fan of Ramisetti's first book or books that explore female friendships or books that explore grief I highly recommend this book.
Synopsis: Advika is a woman who has lost herself in grief. However, one faithful night while she is working her bartending job, which was only meant to pay the bills until she made it big as a screenwriter, she meets a mysterious man who might change everything. As Advika falls in love the burden of her grief starts to lift and she finally sees a way for herself to be happy again, but the man she's fallen for might have other things in store for her.
Thoughts: This book had everything. A love story, mystery, grief, friendship dynamics, and even Hollywood drama. I loved the way that Ramisetti articulated Advika's grief. It felt raw and encapsulated the very real experience of grief where it washes over you in waves. Also, the way that Ramisetti managed to draw the reader through Advika's grief by integrating flashbacks was just a beautiful way to weave the narrative.
I also really enjoyed the relationship between Advika and Olive. The way that they strengthen their friendship throughout the book is beautiful and Olive is so funny sometimes. The narrator of this book did a great job capturing her voice.
If you were a fan of Ramisetti's first book or books that explore female friendships or books that explore grief I highly recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, and Death
nataliebootlah's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Advika is grieving the loss of her twin sister and her parents’ abrupt move. After giving up on becoming a successful screenwriter, she works industry jobs to get by. One fateful A-list event drops a silver-fox Hollywood producer at her barstool. When Advika marries said Hollywood producer after a whirlwind romance, their 41-year age difference doesn’t bother her. But when news breaks that divorcing him will grant her one million dollars and a never-before-seen film reel from his first wife, she start questioning everything.
This isn’t typically something I would pick up on my own. I was stuck between rolling my eyes and needing to know what happens. If reality tv or Hollywood drama are your go-tos, this might be your juicy fix.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for the arc! 🎥💌
This isn’t typically something I would pick up on my own. I was stuck between rolling my eyes and needing to know what happens. If reality tv or Hollywood drama are your go-tos, this might be your juicy fix.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for the arc! 🎥💌
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, and Grief
daffodilcherry's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was absolutely hooked by this book, and read it in two days! This tale is almost a modern Bluebeard retelling, where Advika falls for rich, charming, powerful Julian and is told not to look into his past wives. I liked the clever way the red flags about Julian were woven into the start of the story, and how Advika is presented as a flawed, but understandable protagonist. I loved Advika's friends and the supporting cast! I'd love to see this novel optioned for a movie or limited series!
Wheelhouses: Hollywood glamour, toxic relationship, Bluebeard retelling, woman uncovering the truth, friends caring for each other, people in their mid 20s still trying to find themselves.
Wheelhouses: Hollywood glamour, toxic relationship, Bluebeard retelling, woman uncovering the truth, friends caring for each other, people in their mid 20s still trying to find themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Suicide, Racism, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Miscarriage, Drug abuse, and Pregnancy
rorikae's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
'Advika and the Hollywood Wives' by Kirthana Ramisetti is a gripping fast paced novel with mystery elements.
Advika is an aspiring screenwriter working at an Oscars afterparty when she meets Julian Zelding, a producer who has just won his latest Oscar. Swept into Julian's circle, Advika finds herself falling for him and they are quickly married. But when Julian's first wife dies, she leaves one million dollars and a tape to Advika. The catch is that Advika will have to divorce Julian to get both the money and the truth about her husband.
Ramisetti creates a quick paced and easily consumable mystery centered on the luxury of Hollywood. This story centers on the characters. Advika is easy to care for and Ramisetti does a great job of making the reader see exactly why Advika is swept away by Julian. But just as Advika begins to start questioning her relationship, Ramisetti begins to drop hints and moments with Julian that give an idea of his true nature. This story kept me gripped and fascinated. The audiobook is great and incorporates auditory elements like background music and audience laughter in appropriate moments. If you're looking for a great beach read or a fun audiobook to listen to on a roadtrip, 'Advika and the Hollywood Wives' is a great pick.
Advika is an aspiring screenwriter working at an Oscars afterparty when she meets Julian Zelding, a producer who has just won his latest Oscar. Swept into Julian's circle, Advika finds herself falling for him and they are quickly married. But when Julian's first wife dies, she leaves one million dollars and a tape to Advika. The catch is that Advika will have to divorce Julian to get both the money and the truth about her husband.
Ramisetti creates a quick paced and easily consumable mystery centered on the luxury of Hollywood. This story centers on the characters. Advika is easy to care for and Ramisetti does a great job of making the reader see exactly why Advika is swept away by Julian. But just as Advika begins to start questioning her relationship, Ramisetti begins to drop hints and moments with Julian that give an idea of his true nature. This story kept me gripped and fascinated. The audiobook is great and incorporates auditory elements like background music and audience laughter in appropriate moments. If you're looking for a great beach read or a fun audiobook to listen to on a roadtrip, 'Advika and the Hollywood Wives' is a great pick.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Death and Drug use
klinbenson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked this book much more than other people who wrote reviews. I didn’t find it lighthearted at ALL—the POV character is deeply unhappy, guilty, and grieving for a lot the book. When she falls for a kind of fairytale that ends up being not what it seems, it felt extremely on brand for the kinds of decisions that people make to avoid dealing with their actual problems. I don’t think that Advika is naive. I think she is a young woman, a child of immigrants who hasn’t adhered to the kinds of dreams they want her to have, who is grieving the death of her twin and the ways she feels she could have prevented it, and gets a kind of fairytale meet cute wirh a rich, much older producer. He has charm (even if the reader and her friends see through it,, haven’t we all made this mistake at least once?), money, fame, and he’s doing the thing she desperately wants to do—make movies. I thought the author did a great job of writing from this POV so that the reader often feels as disconcerted as the character herself does.
My favorite part was the way that finding out about her husband’s previous wives not only brought her into her own power, but back into relationship with the people who do actually care about her. The end of the book and the epilogue were a little soap opera-y, but I didn’t mind that.
My favorite part was the way that finding out about her husband’s previous wives not only brought her into her own power, but back into relationship with the people who do actually care about her. The end of the book and the epilogue were a little soap opera-y, but I didn’t mind that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, and Death
Financial abuse isn’t a tag, but it’s extremely graphic throughout the novelbabayagaofficial's review against another edition
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
Killer premise, clunky prose. The narrative voice doesn't trust the reader's ability to make connections or inferences, which is one of my biggest pet peeves. This needed one or two more editorial passes to cut overly explanatory narration and raise the stakes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Sexism, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Stalking, Abandonment, Racism, Classism, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Addiction, Violence, and Pregnancy
Spoilers:sarafrancesreads's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death, and Emotional abuse
litletters's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Miscarriage
gretchenplz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I'm not really sure what to say about this book because I'm not entirely sure what I just read. This book was 100% not what I expected, and I'm not sure if that disappoints me or not.
I think that this book covered a lot of topics, like sisterhood (both biological and chosen), power dynamics within relationships, and grief, and I'm just not sure how well it was all woven together. I expected drama, and emotional highs and lows, but this book just did not give me that at all.
I'm not sure if it was purposeful for the author to create a book that left the reader feeling very much like how Advika felt throughout her relationship with Julian — overwhelmed, confused, nervous — but I never knew what to expect from this book.
Julian never came across as charming to me (was he supposed to? or does this link with my above thought, that perhaps the reader was supposed to feel like Advika and not really be very attached, confused that this was all happening so fast, expectant that Julian had good intentions, etc.?) and it really just gave me pause the whole time I read the book.
I wish the author could have done more showing vs. telling, as I caught myself skimming the many pages of paragraphs of internal dialogue or pop culture detail for dialogue. There was just so much to digest and I am still not sure what exactly I was supposed to get from this book.
The power of grief? Following your dreams? Leaning on your friends? Chosen family? Sisterhood?
I don't know. I don't think it was a bad book. Just not a favorite of mine.
I think that this book covered a lot of topics, like sisterhood (both biological and chosen), power dynamics within relationships, and grief, and I'm just not sure how well it was all woven together. I expected drama, and emotional highs and lows, but this book just did not give me that at all.
I'm not sure if it was purposeful for the author to create a book that left the reader feeling very much like how Advika felt throughout her relationship with Julian — overwhelmed, confused, nervous — but I never knew what to expect from this book.
Julian never came across as charming to me (was he supposed to? or does this link with my above thought, that perhaps the reader was supposed to feel like Advika and not really be very attached, confused that this was all happening so fast, expectant that Julian had good intentions, etc.?) and it really just gave me pause the whole time I read the book.
I wish the author could have done more showing vs. telling, as I caught myself skimming the many pages of paragraphs of internal dialogue or pop culture detail for dialogue. There was just so much to digest and I am still not sure what exactly I was supposed to get from this book.
The power of grief? Following your dreams? Leaning on your friends? Chosen family? Sisterhood?
I don't know. I don't think it was a bad book. Just not a favorite of mine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Pregnancy
hahibbard's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I didn't find Julian charming enough to understand why Advika married him. The first half of the book was very frustrating due to Advika’s choices. Advika seemed to waffle between ace detective and burying her head in the sand, which was confusing. In the end I felt like there were a lot of loose ends that were ignored and it didn’t really delve into just how awful Julian. Did he kill Nova? What happened to Jamison Reeds? What was up with Hartley Harts? He got to die with his legacy intact, which didn’t feel fair. I guess I’m still thinking about the book days after finishing it, so I guess there was something intriguing about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Miscarriage