beautifuldetour's reviews
26 reviews

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

I just finished this audiobook and cannot stop talking about it. The production value is phenomenal and one of the best I have listened to recently with multiple voice actors and a fake (but felt very real) podcast. This story follows Lucy who may or may not have murdered her best friend. No one knows, but everyone thinks she did it, even years later. Although Lucy has tried to start over, a true crime podcast “Listen for the Lie” has decided to investigate this cold-case and Lucy is forced to reconcile with the past. 

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Getting to read this book first thing in the new year was an absolute treat. This book comes out in May and you better pre-order it! If you loved her last book then this one will not disappoint. By the end of this book, you will fall in love with the characters. This book has loss, a lakeside setting that you feel like you are at, and a love story worth the nine-year wait.  

Careering by Daisy Buchanan

2.0

I don’t like writing negative reviews because I am a firm believer that while a book may not be my favorite it could be someone else’s. This book is said to take a “hard look at the often toxic relationship working women have with their dream jobs.” and it definitely does that. I just couldn’t connect with this book for some reason but if that blurb sounds interesting maybe check this one out! 

A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

A book that sat in my TBR pile for way too long. This book is such a fun read, think of a retelling of The Devil Wears Prada, except in the early 2000s during the decline of print magazines. You will fall in love, be frustrated alongside, and at the main character Noora as she navigates her first “dream job” which turns out to not quite be such a dream. 

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

3.0

I have to admit I saw this book mentioned so many times that I just needed to know what all the hype was about. If you struggle with creating habits that stick, want to spend time focusing on your habits/routines, or you feel unmotivated this could be a good book to read. None of the information was especially groundbreaking but I think that’s just because there have been a lot of similar books since this one has been published (all building on the same concepts). My favorite part was the chapter summaries. For a book like this, having actionable bullet points to come back to makes it that much easier to actually implement. 

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

It has been too long since I’ve read a thriller that I LOVED. I keep saying if Daisy Jones & The Six had a baby with Verity this would be their book. Emily & Chess are longtime best friends who haven’t been as close, lately. So when Chess invites Emily for a summer away in an Italian Villa she jumps at the chance, even if it has a haunted past. This book jumps between the present-day storyline and the 1970s where we learn what happened in The Villa that led to a very famous murder.