atleastelise's reviews
121 reviews

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison

mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

Felt like this was just kinda boring

Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

The only other Rachel Harrison book I’ve read was The Return and it wasn’t for me. But my next book is So Thirsty, maybe I just started on a bad note with her. 

This is a fun sister novel a la ginger snaps but has its own flare. 

My only critique of this book would that if the only bad thing that’s going to happen is Rory turning into a werewolf I wish we would have dove into the body horror-ness of it all?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Physical abuse

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth

dark funny tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Hahaha, holy shit I loved this. So dark and so funny. Really couldn’t get enough of it. 💍

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

dark 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? It's complicated

2.0

Ugh sorry but what? I feel like I didn’t read the same book as everyone. 

The synopsis of this book seemed so intriguing and it was eerie and dreadful throughout but like what the hell? I was so geared up for all the documents chapters to come together at the end and I felt like i didn’t get that at all. 

I dono they hyped this book up too much. Shocked it already has a Netflix deal. 

Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong-and What You Really Need to Know by Emily Oster

informative medium-paced

4.5

Honestly I only listened to the 3rd Trimester and L&D chapters because I found out about this book late in pregnancy. But I really wished I’d read this right at the beginning. I feel like it would have helped a lot of my anxieties and worries. If/when I have a 2nd child I’d reread this for sure. 

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I’m shocked by the 3.5 rating so I round up. But you *gotta* listen as an audio book!

Yooo I’m sorry but???? This is my first Paul Tremblay and it was incredible, definitely going to have to read more of his stuff. 

Didn’t really know what to expect, I had this shelved for spooky season but I’m like shook as hell. Just so fucking good. Loved how the story unfolded and while something’s may have been predictable they were still shocking. 

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

dark medium-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? Yes

4.0

Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster

informative slow-paced

4.5

This book is so dense with information it got a bit overwhelming for me at times, however I would 1000% recommend this book to any expecting parent!

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

dark slow-paced

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

2.5

…did anyone else feel like this was just one long run on sentence?

Malorie by Josh Malerman

adventurous dark slow-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

2.0

Ok, sorry but this did not need to be written. Bird Box was a 5 star read for me and this book was a terrible sequel. 

This book started out interesting enough, however completely fell apart for me when I 1. Realized this was the same book as Bird Box just slightly different and 2. How it ended — there were just so weird coincidences and everything was tied to neatly for me. There wasn’t that much of a big bad in the book and for the most part I found it extremely boring.