ashley_schulte's reviews
252 reviews

Submerged by

adventurous sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

I enjoyed reading this futuristic story about searching for answers in the depths of the ocean. The author does a great job of getting you hooked into the main character, Charlie. I really liked Charlie and going on this journey under the sea with her. I wasn't a fan of most of the other characters, but it could be that I just didn't know enough about them. I think what could have brought my rating up to five stars would be further development of the other characters of the sub team, including more backstory on Charlie. It was a very fast book and I did enjoy the story. I would be interested in reading the follow up book because I have a lot of questions on what will happen next. I really enjoyed this story and it is another good reminder that we need to take care of our planet.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Wow I really enjoyed this book. I had a hard time putting it down once I got into it. It definitely kept you guessing throughout. The author did a great job with this mysterious thriller. I don’t think I will be putting it on my reread list, but it is definitely worth at least one read! 

Band of Sisters: The Women of Smith College Go to War by Lauren Willig

adventurous emotional inspiring slow-paced

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

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is a truly fascinating story that is based off of true events. I had never pictured American women traveling to France during the world war to help communities rebuild. It is a remarkable story that is well worth a read. It had a wonderful combination of historical tidbits mixed with fictionalized personal accounts. It gave me a whole other perspective of this time period that I pictured knowing a lot about. I occasionally had a hard time keeping track of who was who, but you eventually get a handle on it as you get through the book. This was wonderful and o highly recommend you pick this book up!

PlantYou: 140+ Ridiculously Easy, Amazingly Delicious Plant-Based Oil-Free Recipes by Carleigh Bodrug

informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

I would give this cookbook 10 stars if I could. I love it so much and use it almost daily. I have loved everything I have cooked from it so far and cannot wait to try each and every recipe. My husband and I have loved all of the various options and flavours and our kids have enjoyed most of them and I know they will love them all as they get older and are willing to branch out some. I will say the breakfast cookies are definitely a hit with them. My only problem with this book is that I will try a recipe and love it so much that I then cook it ten more times before trying another recipe! I also just love the book and format itself. Carleigh has made it crazy easy to follow her recipes and made it beautiful to boot. The ingredient list with little pics of each ingredient is so helpful. You can easily glance at the page and see if you have everything you need. I cannot recommend this book enough, everyone needs this in their kitchen! As a vegan it's amazing and all the non vegans I have cooked for have loved the food as well. Love this book!

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

3.0

I struggled reading this book at times. I thought it was pretty good overall, but it was just very hard to follow at various points. It was very fantastical and the other did a wonderful job describing this environment in fascinating details. This book will not be going on my repeat read list, but it was an enjoyable read and I recommend it if you are in the mood for something different.

The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

I enjoyed listening to this as an audiobook. They have done a great job with the narration of this series and I highly recommend listening these in addition to or instead of the physical book. In regards to the story I enjoyed it overall and it is one of my favourites so far of this series. I still would not want to read it again and I am not a huge fan of the storyline of this series. I do think the author wrote a great book and it really wrapped you up in the story and made it a bit of a heart wrenching read.

The Anarchist's Wife by Margo Laurie

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.5

This was an interesting read during a period of history that I am woefully ignorant of. It take place in the 1920s Boston area and tells the story of a group of anarchists from the perspective of one of their wives. I don’t remember learning about anarchists and this period of unrest in school. This author told this story from an fascinating and heart wrenching viewpoint of the wife of Mr. Sacco. It was quite a sad story from any perspective and it touched the lives of so many. The author wraps you into their lives from the beginning and adds interesting historical bits throughout. I thought this was a great historical fiction. The only reason I give it 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because I do not think it will be on my repeat read list. But, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to any historical fiction fan.  

Mission to Disaster by Justina Ireland

adventurous medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

This was not my favorite book in the series, but it was interesting and filled in some gaps for some characters. I don’t think I would read again, but it is worth one read in order to complete the overall story. 

Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

This book was okay, but I just did not enjoy the story. I finished it out of obligation to the series and overall story. These characters are my least favorite and that probably went into my feeling of the book. This story did not help my opinion of these characters and I don’t look forward to coming across them in future books. I will not be reading this book again. 

The Courier's Wife (Secrets of the Blue and Gray, #1) by Vanessa Lind

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

4.25

This was an interesting historical fiction placed during the Civil War. I am not too knowledgeable of the spying that took place during this time, so it was a very interesting read. It definitely made me more interested in learning about how each side employed spies and the impact it had on the war. The story did pull me in and I grew invested in the characters. It moved a little slowly, but overall it was enjoyable. I was disappointed in the ending, but when I realised it was a series I understood and will just have to be patient to see how the story progresses. A good and interesting start!

*I received this advanced reader copy for my fair and honest review.