Scan barcode
_chelseachelsea's reviews
98 reviews
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Sweet Bobby meets Making a Murderer in this thriller about a podcaster who finds herself interviewing a subject from hell.
First of all, if you’re going to read this book I CANNOT recommend enough that you listen to the audiobook. It is a PERFECT novel for this format, since the narratives are blended with clips from podcast recordings, news broadcasts, and interviews.
I was really impressed by the pacing of this book. Again, the audio format likely helped with this, but I never felt bored. The story drags a tiny bit in part two, but picks up very quickly in part three as it approaches its conclusion.
Perhaps the most impressive part of None of This is True was that it actually surprised me - not an easy feat when you’re a seasoned thriller fan. Though the tale of two women crossing paths and finding themselves irreversibly intertwined isn’t necessarily a - forgive me - novel idea, the podcast-host-turned-podcast-subject concept really adds a fresh twist. This is a story that would absolutely grip the nation if it really happened, but where a book about a true crime podcast could easily feel like a sermon on America’s obsession with violent programming, this one just feels fun. The protagonist is likable, but not perfect. The antagonist is diabolical, but difficult to loathe entirely. The twists are wild, but manage to stay just grounded enough. And the slightly ambiguous ending is intriguing, but doesn’t rob us of the closure we earned.
First of all, if you’re going to read this book I CANNOT recommend enough that you listen to the audiobook. It is a PERFECT novel for this format, since the narratives are blended with clips from podcast recordings, news broadcasts, and interviews.
I was really impressed by the pacing of this book. Again, the audio format likely helped with this, but I never felt bored. The story drags a tiny bit in part two, but picks up very quickly in part three as it approaches its conclusion.
Perhaps the most impressive part of None of This is True was that it actually surprised me - not an easy feat when you’re a seasoned thriller fan. Though the tale of two women crossing paths and finding themselves irreversibly intertwined isn’t necessarily a - forgive me - novel idea, the podcast-host-turned-podcast-subject concept really adds a fresh twist. This is a story that would absolutely grip the nation if it really happened, but where a book about a true crime podcast could easily feel like a sermon on America’s obsession with violent programming, this one just feels fun. The protagonist is likable, but not perfect. The antagonist is diabolical, but difficult to loathe entirely. The twists are wild, but manage to stay just grounded enough. And the slightly ambiguous ending is intriguing, but doesn’t rob us of the closure we earned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Abandonment, Child death, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I love a good mystery about rich people and their shenanigans, so naturally I was excited to get to the bottom of The Whispers. I was especially looking forward to this book because I really enjoyed Ashley Audrain’s other book, The Push, which is also a dark and twisty tale about motherhood and discontent.
I found myself disappointed by this book for, really, the same reason I was somewhat disappointed by The Push: it’s a well-written journey with a maddeningly dissatisfying ending. It’s not really a “mystery” (though it’s presented as one at times) so much as it is a slice-of-life glimpse at a neighborhood of awful people. It’s a pessimistic walk through the lives of several people who are unfathomably selfish and deeply miserable, and even the characters who appear to be approaching redemption fail to actually achieve it. This can be entertaining, to be sure, but only if it pays off at the conclusion, and The Whispers simply doesn’t.
I think Audrain’s writing is sharp and her pacing is excellent, but what this story really lacks is substance. There’s a lot of buildup to a resolution that never comes - multiple characters are left with flat, unresolved arcs that are so abrupt I was caught off guard, certain there must be another ten chapters missing. By the end of the book, everyone is simply more miserable than they were before.
If there’s a statement being made here about the futility of seeking happiness in marriage and motherhood, Audrain is shouting that statement in all caps. The problem is, without the hope of a happy ending for a single character, that insurmountable bleakness makes for a really dull read.
I found myself disappointed by this book for, really, the same reason I was somewhat disappointed by The Push: it’s a well-written journey with a maddeningly dissatisfying ending. It’s not really a “mystery” (though it’s presented as one at times) so much as it is a slice-of-life glimpse at a neighborhood of awful people. It’s a pessimistic walk through the lives of several people who are unfathomably selfish and deeply miserable, and even the characters who appear to be approaching redemption fail to actually achieve it. This can be entertaining, to be sure, but only if it pays off at the conclusion, and The Whispers simply doesn’t.
I think Audrain’s writing is sharp and her pacing is excellent, but what this story really lacks is substance. There’s a lot of buildup to a resolution that never comes - multiple characters are left with flat, unresolved arcs that are so abrupt I was caught off guard, certain there must be another ten chapters missing. By the end of the book, everyone is simply more miserable than they were before.
If there’s a statement being made here about the futility of seeking happiness in marriage and motherhood, Audrain is shouting that statement in all caps. The problem is, without the hope of a happy ending for a single character, that insurmountable bleakness makes for a really dull read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Child abuse
Never Lie by Freida McFadden
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Highly recommend this book in audio format! I really enjoyed the ending and truly didn’t see it coming. A tight mystery that genre fans will enjoy.
The Push by Ashley Audrain
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
While The Push doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the genre (and its ending will leave you a bit dissatisfied) it’s certainly fast-paced and tense enough to keep you locked in. A tight, quick read that explores the choice of motherhood (and how often women feel as though it is not a choice) and the crushing responsibility of it. An excellent pick for your year-end list.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Car accident, Suicide, Death, Child abuse, Dementia, Grief, and Child death
Minor: Miscarriage
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
In a world of truly excellent YA fantasy series, Fourth Wing is, well, fine. It doesn’t tread any new ground, and Yaros seems to struggle with deciding what kind of story she wants to tell, but it’s certainly not the wattpad-esque rubbish that haunts so much of the often frightening world of BookTok. Avid fantasy-smut readers will likely be bored by the lack of steam, and those looking for adventure and tension will likely be frustrated by the lack of challenging themes.
Personally, I found the greatest drawbacks are in the writing style. Yaros makes some really odd language and tone choices that don’t really fit the setting, and that is a massive weakness. I’m not opposed to the use of curse words, but it’s difficult to appreciate moments of sincerity when they’re constantly being punctuated by the word “fuck.”
In the same vein, the protagonist is insufferable. She is at her best when she’s working with a team of people much more interesting and reasonable than she is, and she’s at her worst when her pissy, whiny internal narrative is spinning without anyone to disrupt it. I found myself constantly fighting the urge to skim through chapters where I was alone with Violet for too long, desperately hoping someone else would appear.
Thankfully, there’s a pleasantly diverse cast of secondary characters, and where Yaros excels is in her ability to build intimacy and attachment to them. They don’t feel like cannon fodder, and even the minor losses feel heavier because of the time taken to get to know them.
Another plus is that the love interest in this book is fascinating (in addition to being hot), though Yaros does fall into the same trap many other YA authors have stumbled upon - making said love interest significantly more complex and interesting than your main character. Xaden is often the only voice of reason for Violet, which only highlights the misery of being stuck inside Violet’s head. At least we don’t have to suffer through a love triangle, I suppose.
Ultimately, Fourth Wing is entertaining, fast-paced, and exciting enough to keep you turning the pages - even if it’s a largely forgettable story wrought with familiar elements that other YA series have done better. I’ll be curious to see if the remaining books resolve any of the issues with the first.
Personally, I found the greatest drawbacks are in the writing style. Yaros makes some really odd language and tone choices that don’t really fit the setting, and that is a massive weakness. I’m not opposed to the use of curse words, but it’s difficult to appreciate moments of sincerity when they’re constantly being punctuated by the word “fuck.”
In the same vein, the protagonist is insufferable. She is at her best when she’s working with a team of people much more interesting and reasonable than she is, and she’s at her worst when her pissy, whiny internal narrative is spinning without anyone to disrupt it. I found myself constantly fighting the urge to skim through chapters where I was alone with Violet for too long, desperately hoping someone else would appear.
Thankfully, there’s a pleasantly diverse cast of secondary characters, and where Yaros excels is in her ability to build intimacy and attachment to them. They don’t feel like cannon fodder, and even the minor losses feel heavier because of the time taken to get to know them.
Another plus is that the love interest in this book is fascinating (in addition to being hot), though Yaros does fall into the same trap many other YA authors have stumbled upon - making said love interest significantly more complex and interesting than your main character. Xaden is often the only voice of reason for Violet, which only highlights the misery of being stuck inside Violet’s head. At least we don’t have to suffer through a love triangle, I suppose.
Ultimately, Fourth Wing is entertaining, fast-paced, and exciting enough to keep you turning the pages - even if it’s a largely forgettable story wrought with familiar elements that other YA series have done better. I’ll be curious to see if the remaining books resolve any of the issues with the first.
How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Cringey beginning, decently entertaining middle, TERRIBLE ending. Atrocious. Falls flat and leaves you unsatisfied in so many ways. I’m genuinely mad that I trudged through the over-drawn third act (that literally goes ON and ON) just to be slapped in the face with a rushed, RIDICULOUS and unearned final twist.
So many abandoned storylines! So many unneeded characters! What emotional tie are we supposed to have to Millie and Eli when we barely interact with them the whole book? What happened to Wes if he wasn’t listed as one of Owen’s “victims” at the end? What the actual f*ck was going on with Final Girl? Why would Claire want to kill Millie and Eli anyway? She wasn’t displaying any controlling or obsessive behaviors toward her sister the whole book and then all of a sudden she’s Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction? And why spend an entire book building up this emotional conflict for Alice about whether it’s right to undo her sister’s death, just to yank the rug out from under any minute character development she achieved?
Do yourself a favor and just read a Kara Thomas book instead. This thing sucked.
So many abandoned storylines! So many unneeded characters!
Do yourself a favor and just read a Kara Thomas book instead. This thing sucked.
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Very funny, romantic, and a perfect beach read. This book has been criticized for fat-shaming, but I think the portrayal of the character’s insecurities is just extremely real. Bea loves fashion and knows she’s beautiful, but that doesn’t make her magically impervious to fatphobia. Personally, I loved how she was written.
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is okay. I’m not sure there’s much to say beyond that. The central story is a familiar one for anybody who’s read a thriller: a decades-old murder comes back to haunt the people who were closest to it, and one woman sets out to find the truth about the people she thought she knew. In classic Ruth Ware style, we swap back and forth between the past and the present, slowly unraveling what really happened the night April Clarke-Cliveden was brutally murdered.
You’ve read this book before. And while The It Girl is a perfectly fine locked-door (sort of) mystery, it’s hardly thrilling. Because we already know what’s coming, the tension never really swells in the Before timeline, and the search for The Truth™ in the After is bogged down by its unnecessary length.
Pacing becomes an especially big issue when the past comes to a close and we remain in the present for the remainder of the novel. Hannah is a decently interesting protagonist, but her friendship with April isn’t quite compelling enough to make you care about it. Perhaps if we’d gotten more insight into April beyond Hannah’s descriptions, which are often focused on how vapid and cruel she is, we could have felt greater sympathy. But April is just not a person most readers will relate to, and there’s very little emotional connection to her friendship with Hannah (or anyone else) because of that.
Ruth Ware has been very hit-or-miss for me ever since I read (and adored) her debut novel In a Dark, Dark Wood. I loved One by One, hated The Lying Game, and found myself so bored during The Woman in Cabin 10 that I put it away after a few chapters. I think Ware is at her best when writing in a limited setting - when the world of her novels becomes too open, or stretches across too broad of a time period, they lose a lot of intensity.
The It Girl doesn’t break any new ground, and it’s a little too long, but if you’re looking for a beach read this summer it’s a perfectly adequate choice.
You’ve read this book before. And while The It Girl is a perfectly fine locked-door (sort of) mystery, it’s hardly thrilling. Because we already know what’s coming, the tension never really swells in the Before timeline, and the search for The Truth™ in the After is bogged down by its unnecessary length.
Pacing becomes an especially big issue when the past comes to a close and we remain in the present for the remainder of the novel. Hannah is a decently interesting protagonist, but her friendship with April isn’t quite compelling enough to make you care about it. Perhaps if we’d gotten more insight into April beyond Hannah’s descriptions, which are often focused on how vapid and cruel she is, we could have felt greater sympathy. But April is just not a person most readers will relate to, and there’s very little emotional connection to her friendship with Hannah (or anyone else) because of that.
Ruth Ware has been very hit-or-miss for me ever since I read (and adored) her debut novel In a Dark, Dark Wood. I loved One by One, hated The Lying Game, and found myself so bored during The Woman in Cabin 10 that I put it away after a few chapters. I think Ware is at her best when writing in a limited setting - when the world of her novels becomes too open, or stretches across too broad of a time period, they lose a lot of intensity.
The It Girl doesn’t break any new ground, and it’s a little too long, but if you’re looking for a beach read this summer it’s a perfectly adequate choice.
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
An engaging mystery that’s a bit drawn out and spins one or two threads more than it needs to, but entertaining and polished nonetheless.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A solid, fast-paced mystery with a satisfying conclusion. The multiple POVs can be a bit hard to keep up with, but Foley manages to balance the characters and their motivations quite well. I’ve rarely enjoyed a whodunnit as much as I enjoyed this.