beautifuldetour's reviews
26 reviews

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

informative inspiring slow-paced

5.0

 I had heard a podcast book club on this book and was intrigued. I downloaded the audiobook and finished it in just four days. If you like learning about things like minimalism, anti-productivity culture, slow living, etc. then definitely give this a read. And if you are feeling constantly burnt out, looking for the best way to hack your time, or are always putting off what you want to do then definitely pick this book up. 

Go Back and Get It: A Memoir of Race, Inheritance, and Intergenerational Healing by Dionne Ford

challenging emotional inspiring slow-paced

5.0

we read this for our Literary League book club this month and it was such a powerful memoir. Dionne Ford shares her journey to learn about her genealogy and connect with her family. It is a story of intergenerational trauma, race, and family. This book has photos and family trees included in the physical copy which are helpful to reference. 

Daisy Haites by Jessa Hastings

emotional inspiring relaxing medium-paced

4.0

this book is the second in a series that can best be described as UK Gossip Girl, but everyone is over the age of 21. This book is told from the perspective of Daisy Haites who you are introduced to in the first book. I am definitely a Daisy stan and thoroughly enjoyed this book. 

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book follows the mystery of a four year old Mi’kmaq girl who goes missing from blueberry fields in Maine. An unsolved tragedy that haunts her family for the more than fifty years and who never stop searching for their missing girl. If you loved The Vanishing Half then you will love this book too. 

Bad Tourists: A Novel by Caro Carver

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

this book comes out in July and was sent to me by Avid Reader Press and it should be on everyone’s summer reading list! This book was such a fun thriller to read and I was left guessing the whole way through the book. I don’t want to give too much away but picture the ultimate divorce celebration vacation gone terribly wrong. There are multiple POVs and if you enjoy watching White Lotus you will be obsessed with this thriller. 

Sex Cult Nun by Faith Jones

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

A recommendation after talking about one too many cult docuseries I had recently watched. This memoir is about the cult The Children of God and Faith Jones life growing up in The Family as well as her escape and remarkable story. Best described as if Educated and The Vow had a baby. 

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

a highly anticipated 2024 read for me and I was not disappointed. Dolly Alderton has a way with writing about relationships and life that is unmatched. The book follows the point of view of Andy, a male comedian, who was recently broken up with. I felt like I went on a roller coaster reading this book and ultimately the last 40 pages made this book one of my top reads of the year so far. Highly recommend reading this and I heard great things about the audiobook version during our Literary League meet up for this book!

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I have left this sitting on my shelves for multiple years just waiting till it was the moment to sob my way through a book. If I am being honest the want to read this book never came, but a friend was reading it and I decided to join in on the fun. This book is perfect and you should absolutely read it, but be prepared to cry big fat tears and salivate at the flavors as you grieve alongside the author, Michelle Zauner. I am currently listening to the album she wrote and referenced in the book and loving it. 

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

an immediate five star thriller for me! This has everything I love including deeply complicated and disturbing female friendships. Bye, Baby is told from multiple POVs Billie and Cassie who have been life long friends but they aren’t as close as they once were. This book opens with a startling couple of chapters that will absolutely hook you and the suspenseful writing will keep you listening. Multiple narrators that do a great job! 

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

mysterious slow-paced

3.0

this audiobook was a little bit of a struggle to get through and I think it may be a better physical read. The narrator was hard to understand at times. A thriller about the disappearance of a 15 year old girl, but instead of focusing on the missing girl you follow the aftermath of her family several years later. I don’t want to give away anything more than that. This book was good but you could see the ending coming and it wasn’t my favorite ending.