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amandas_reading_nook's Reviews (372)
I enjoyed this book, but ultimately wanted more from it. More female rage, more revenge, more horror. I didn't love the ending, I felt like it made the entire third act of the book pointless. But I did like the themes of friendship and found family as the girls tried to survive the home together.
Abby has done it again- I loved everything about this book! I know some readers weren't a fan of the instant connection between Samantha and Xavier, but so much about their relationship reminded me of my own love story. I empathized with them so much as they struggled to make a long-distance relationship work through extenuating circumstances. I laughed, I cried (at the most random scene, too), and I can't wait for her next book.
I love a quirky, silly holiday romance, and this delivered on all fronts! I really enjoyed the competition aspect and how it affected Storee and Cole's relationship. However, there could have been 1 or 2 fewer rounds, as the book was long for a romance and the ending felt a little rushed. But overall, a super fun book that gave me a serious craving for hot chocolate, and that I may just have to reread during the holiday season.
Wow, I went on quite a journey reading this book! I felt instantly hooked, but as the story went on I was convinced that I was going to hate the ending. I felt sure that I knew exactly what was going to happen and I had decided that I hated Beth's character. While I did correctly guess some parts of the ending, other parts genuinely took me by surprise. And just when I felt like Beth could be redeemable in my eyes she went and made me hate her all over again, lol. I love how the story was told in bits and pieces, split into "before", "now", and "the trial." I feel like that's really what kept me turning the pages, trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together.
This was such a fun book! I love a heist novel, but throw in snarky teenagers, petty revenge, and a little romance and I was sold from the very first chapter.
I really enjoyed the way this story was structured. We meet our cast when the last crew member is getting in the van and the group is on their way to the job, and then it is slowly revealed to us why Olivia organized this, what it is she's planning on stealing, why she chose each of the crew members, etc. Getting those little breadcrumbs had me instantly hooked and kept me reading to find out more. Throughout the book, we get a lot of Olivia's inner monologue as she works through all the feelings that come up for her as she's trying to decide if she really wants to go through with this or not- which I enjoyed, but I did feel like it made the pace of the book start to drag toward the end, which is the only reason this wasn't a five star read for me.
I loved Olivia's character and genuinely can't wait to read about her next heist!
I really enjoyed the way this story was structured. We meet our cast when the last crew member is getting in the van and the group is on their way to the job, and then it is slowly revealed to us why Olivia organized this, what it is she's planning on stealing, why she chose each of the crew members, etc. Getting those little breadcrumbs had me instantly hooked and kept me reading to find out more. Throughout the book, we get a lot of Olivia's inner monologue as she works through all the feelings that come up for her as she's trying to decide if she really wants to go through with this or not- which I enjoyed, but I did feel like it made the pace of the book start to drag toward the end, which is the only reason this wasn't a five star read for me.
I loved Olivia's character and genuinely can't wait to read about her next heist!
I don't know how Suzanne Collins managed to take a story that we all knew the ending to and still managed to make it completely devastating. The first-hand account of everything Haymitch went through gave me a new appreciation for his character and made me look at many moments throughout the series in a new light. I think this may be my new favorite out of The Hunger Games universe (which, ironically enough, previously has always been Catching Fire). The messages of the power of propaganda and why who is in control of the narrative matters were expertly woven into this story. I'd give this book a million stars if I could.
I really liked the first 20-30% of this book, and I thought it had some beautiful writing on loss and grief, but then it kept taking unexpected turns and I felt like I had no idea where we were headed. In general, I would say this book lacked focus. We start the story with Hannah and her failed engagement, then switch to Lainey and her myriad of issues. And that would be fine if you thought about this book as a character study of a group of friends, but we don't spend much time on Tyson so that dynamic is uneven. At a certain point, I found it hard to keep sympathizing with the characters as I found them increasingly frustrating. I kept questioning how they were even still friends as they seemed to keep their group together out of a misplaced sense of guilt rather than genuine affection for each other. I also thought the relationship between Tyson and Lainey was forced and unnecessary.
Overall, not bad but not my favorite.
Overall, not bad but not my favorite.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was so entertained by this book I read it in one sitting!
Our FMC, Arleta, is a magicless human in a world full of magical creatures. She spends her days struggling to earn enough to keep her market booth open. Unbeknownst to her, her well-meaning, and father-figure of a neighbor has sent in her application for Baking Battle, a competition for amateur bakers with a grand prize that is more than enough to allow her to buy her own bakery. When a handsome elf, Theo, shows up with Arleta's invitation to the Baking Battle, she is in disbelief as no human has ever competed before. Despite believing that she won't be able to keep up with her magical competitors, Arleta sets out for the Battle with Theo nervous, but excited to show everyone that she has her own "little dash of magic."
I really loved both the physical and emotional journey that Arleta had to go on to be able to compete in the Baking Battle. The physical because can a romance really get any better than having both Only One Bed and Only One Horse? The emotional because I found Arleta's character extremely relatable as she worked to push past her imposter syndrome and go outside her comfort zone. Plus, the friendships she makes really made the story for me. I loved all of the side characters and found their unwavering support of Arleta incredibly endearing.
While there isn't anything that I disliked about this book, I did feel like the ending wrapped up a little quickly, with most of the action happening off-page. I also wish that the romance had been developed more. For example, I would have liked to see a few more on-page interactions between Arleta and Theo as they adjusted to life after the Baking Battle.
I would recommend this to lovers of cozy fantasies, The Great British Bake Off, found family, and sweet romances!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.
Our FMC, Arleta, is a magicless human in a world full of magical creatures. She spends her days struggling to earn enough to keep her market booth open. Unbeknownst to her, her well-meaning, and father-figure of a neighbor has sent in her application for Baking Battle, a competition for amateur bakers with a grand prize that is more than enough to allow her to buy her own bakery. When a handsome elf, Theo, shows up with Arleta's invitation to the Baking Battle, she is in disbelief as no human has ever competed before. Despite believing that she won't be able to keep up with her magical competitors, Arleta sets out for the Battle with Theo nervous, but excited to show everyone that she has her own "little dash of magic."
I really loved both the physical and emotional journey that Arleta had to go on to be able to compete in the Baking Battle. The physical because can a romance really get any better than having both Only One Bed and Only One Horse? The emotional because I found Arleta's character extremely relatable as she worked to push past her imposter syndrome and go outside her comfort zone. Plus, the friendships she makes really made the story for me. I loved all of the side characters and found their unwavering support of Arleta incredibly endearing.
While there isn't anything that I disliked about this book, I did feel like the ending wrapped up a little quickly, with most of the action happening off-page. I also wish that the romance had been developed more. For example, I would have liked to see a few more on-page interactions between Arleta and Theo as they adjusted to life after the Baking Battle.
I would recommend this to lovers of cozy fantasies, The Great British Bake Off, found family, and sweet romances!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.
I recently rediscovered my love for romantic suspense, and this book scratched that itch perfectly!
I always love a podcast element in a book and this one was no exception. It just adds something a little different to your typical detective or amateur sleuth novel. I thought I had who the killer was figured out about halfway through the book, but the author did a good job of making me second-guess myself with every twist and turn in the case. For this specific story, I liked that the suspense and trying to find Emerson's kidnapper was the main focus and the romance felt like the subplot. This is a bit of a random note, but I also enjoyed the inclusion of all the pets (Long Live Princess Tater). Not enough books have an abundance of pets.
I'm going to have to read the author's entire backlist now, I fear.
I always love a podcast element in a book and this one was no exception. It just adds something a little different to your typical detective or amateur sleuth novel. I thought I had who the killer was figured out about halfway through the book, but the author did a good job of making me second-guess myself with every twist and turn in the case. For this specific story, I liked that the suspense and trying to find Emerson's kidnapper was the main focus and the romance felt like the subplot. This is a bit of a random note, but I also enjoyed the inclusion of all the pets (Long Live Princess Tater). Not enough books have an abundance of pets.
I'm going to have to read the author's entire backlist now, I fear.
This was such a fun thriller! I was hooked from the jump and I read this in one sitting. Some parts were a little predictable, but I didn't mind it because the book was so fast-paced that I didn't feel like I had to wait forever to find out if I was right or not. Plus, there were some parts that genuinely surprised me. I would recommend this if you are looking for something quick and entertaining!