annamariesreads's reviews
66 reviews

adventurous dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I'm freeee! Worst experience of my f****** life !!

I picked up this book because I love American lit and particularly Southern literature.

Firstly the pacing was crazy slow. I don't actually mind this but I was on chapter 20 of 23 before I thought it was starting to get good.

Was hoping it would have a twist ending that would change my mind about it all but unfortunately, it didn't.

Maybe I just didn't get it, but it wasn't for me. I think this one is for the hardcore McCarthy fans, I fear.

I can't even begin to list the trigger warnings below because there are just too many! Be warned!

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

3.5

I picked up this campy little read to get me through the reading slump I'm having at the mo.
Very light fun! I enjoyed the premise and the characters are entertaining. Always good to find a book with strong racial diversity and LGBTQ rep. It was nice reading about OCD as well, even if their OCD is different to mine.
Didn't change my life but glad I read it! If I could give 5 stars to the big reveal of

Daphne being a lesbian

, I would.
Sometimes you need a silly little book to take your mind off things and this fit the bill.

How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

Go to review page

dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Wow... I wouldn't usually bother with a review on a book I hated but I couldn't believe how much I hated this novel.

Every character lacked believability, mostly because they were horrendously one note. Characters don't have to be likeable (I actually love to hate characters) but they do need to compel you into following their story.

The writing is heavy handed. I don't need the narrator to tell me when something is ironic!

Also the fatphobia and body image comments really drove me up the wall.

The beauty of interpretation is that you could possibly chalk this down to the anti-heroine (if you can call such a flat character this) being repulsive. But it shouldn't feel like the reader is being hit over the head with a mallet.

I did actually have a chuckle at some astute observations of British people, so this gained the book one star. However, these observations were not just comments, they went on way too long (sometimes for paragraphs) and we would lose the plot a bit. They would go from a funny gag to another snide comment real quick.

I hesitated from dnfing because I wanted to see if there would be a raison d'être for this novel. It all seemed rather pointless.

It was clear she wouldn't stay in prison for long on such tenuous charges.

and somehow the ending was even worse. I did read Bella Mackie's interview where she justified the ending by saying (paraphrasing here) that

women get shit on by men all the time and therefore it was the appropriate ending.

This made me laugh because this comment is just as heavy handed as the clunky writing I had just witnessed.

I wouldn't waste your time with this one. This will be the last time I read a "most popular" listed book.

Content Warnings

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'll be honest, I thought everyone's reviews of this would be 5 stars across the board because I loved it.

I feel bad deducting points because of the feeling of

frustration

I felt at the end. Ultimately I think it's realistic that

Ayoola would get away with it (again) as Korede's devotion to her was nothing short of incredible.

However, what I liked most about this novel is that that the relationship between the two sisters is nuanced fascinating. Worried my above comment makes it sound simplified.

I have read alot of slow paced books year so far and this one zoomed by. Just what I needed to get out of the slump.

Although the characters weren't lovable, they were fascinating. I would like to shout-out Weruche Opia on the audiobook. The sheer number of voices she did... Astounding!

I leave this review with one final comment-

alot of the time with serial killers, you don't get their 'why.'

So I think this is the perfect ending for Ayoola and Korede.

Content Warnings