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bookladyreads's reviews
580 reviews
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
3.0
I just finished reading The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine. This book was so damn good. The story was completely captivating. As I was reading the first 200 or so pages of the book which is part I, I thought it can't get any better or deeper or darker than this. And then I got to part II and my mind was blown by what I was reading. It got even darker and twisty and interesting. No wonder this was a Reesesbookclub choice. This book was a super easy read, one you don't want to put down.
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
2.0
In full disclosure, I did NOT finish this entire book. It was not an enjoyable read and I was suffering through it. I decided to skip ahead and read the last few chapters and then move on with my reading life.
There were a couple of things that really frustrated me about this book.
I don't mind when a story jumps back and forth, but this was done in such an excessive manner it often made me feel lost as to which story I was reading at that time. It also felt completely unnecessary to jump around that much. Especially since these stories within stories weren't significant enough to require so much revisiting.
The thing that almost made me want to pull my hair out was the constant mention of this "thing" that happened at the barbecue, but never getting to know what the heck actually happened until you were well over 200 pages in with the book. And then you finally read about this event and it's like, oh, is that it?
This book was a hit with many, but was a true miss for me.
There were a couple of things that really frustrated me about this book.
I don't mind when a story jumps back and forth, but this was done in such an excessive manner it often made me feel lost as to which story I was reading at that time. It also felt completely unnecessary to jump around that much. Especially since these stories within stories weren't significant enough to require so much revisiting.
The thing that almost made me want to pull my hair out was the constant mention of this "thing" that happened at the barbecue, but never getting to know what the heck actually happened until you were well over 200 pages in with the book. And then you finally read about this event and it's like, oh, is that it?
This book was a hit with many, but was a true miss for me.
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
2.0
I'm sort of struggling with my experience with this book. Let me start by saying I think I put too much "faith" in this book because of my extremely strong feelings of love and admiration for the Wayward Children series. I mean, that series is just incredible....And PERFECT! That being said I had super high hopes for Middlegame.
Middlegame was not a great read for me. I kind of hated the majority of this book.
What I liked about the book:
The beginning of the book gave me the impression this story was going to be engaging and full of mystery and fantastical things, and I guess to a certain degree (a very small degree) it was. But the only part of this book I enjoyed was the beginning parts of how Roger and Dodger met and communicated. I thought those parts were sweet and endearing and I ate those parts up.
What I didn't like about the book:
I found the majority of this book to be incredibly boring. I was really struggling to get through this book. I also found much of the story to be repetitive. I remember going from chapter to chapter and asking myself, "didn't we do that already?"
I read the physical book to page 401, and I just could not go any further and I put it down for a week. The other day I saw it was available as an audiobook in Libby, so I borrowed it and decided I'll finish it in audiobook form.
THIS WAS AN EVEN BIGGER MISTAKE.
Now, I admit I'm no fan of audiobooks. I keep giving them a try, but there have only been three or four I actually enjoyed. Middlegame is NOT one of them. I have never been as annoyed listening to an audiobook as I was listening to Middlegame. But, I powered through and finished the book. And my initial feelings did not change. It was still pretty unenjoyable.
I really wanted to love this book, but it was a miss for me.
Middlegame was not a great read for me. I kind of hated the majority of this book.
What I liked about the book:
The beginning of the book gave me the impression this story was going to be engaging and full of mystery and fantastical things, and I guess to a certain degree (a very small degree) it was. But the only part of this book I enjoyed was the beginning parts of how Roger and Dodger met and communicated. I thought those parts were sweet and endearing and I ate those parts up.
What I didn't like about the book:
I found the majority of this book to be incredibly boring. I was really struggling to get through this book. I also found much of the story to be repetitive. I remember going from chapter to chapter and asking myself, "didn't we do that already?"
I read the physical book to page 401, and I just could not go any further and I put it down for a week. The other day I saw it was available as an audiobook in Libby, so I borrowed it and decided I'll finish it in audiobook form.
THIS WAS AN EVEN BIGGER MISTAKE.
Now, I admit I'm no fan of audiobooks. I keep giving them a try, but there have only been three or four I actually enjoyed. Middlegame is NOT one of them. I have never been as annoyed listening to an audiobook as I was listening to Middlegame. But, I powered through and finished the book. And my initial feelings did not change. It was still pretty unenjoyable.
I really wanted to love this book, but it was a miss for me.
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
4.0
Many have said wonderful things about this book and they were not wrong. I don't think I've ever read a courtroom drama, but Miracle Creek was fantastic. I think this book is really well written and atmospheric. I really felt like I was in that courtroom with them.
I also thought the pacing of this story was pretty well done. The way Angie Kim walked us through how each person could have had a hand in the crime that was committed in this story was spot on.
I had mixed feelings about the Young character. At times while reading the story I was so angry with her for some of her decisions, and at other times I really felt for her as a woman, as a mother. Now Pak, on the other hand, was a character I could not stand. He made me angry almost every time I read a part in the book about him. I think parts of me were mad at him for Young.
There were a lot of lessons in Miracle Creek about truth, marriage, the mother/daughter relationship, friendship, parenting in general, patience, and ambition.
I think this is a book everyone should read.
I also thought the pacing of this story was pretty well done. The way Angie Kim walked us through how each person could have had a hand in the crime that was committed in this story was spot on.
I had mixed feelings about the Young character. At times while reading the story I was so angry with her for some of her decisions, and at other times I really felt for her as a woman, as a mother. Now Pak, on the other hand, was a character I could not stand. He made me angry almost every time I read a part in the book about him. I think parts of me were mad at him for Young.
There were a lot of lessons in Miracle Creek about truth, marriage, the mother/daughter relationship, friendship, parenting in general, patience, and ambition.
I think this is a book everyone should read.
I Found You by Lisa Jewell
3.0
I really enjoyed reading I Found You. I found it to be kind of fast-paced and that definitely helped keep me engaged as a reader.
Can I just say how much I loved the character Alice? Alice is a mom of all these kids, she's single, she works at home selling crafts, and from the outside, her life seems like an utter mess. But I loved her and there was something so gentle and sweet about her. I wanted to be her friend.
Lisa Jewell did a great job at the character Frank. She gave us this wonderful push and pull of who is Frank, can he be trusted, should we root for him--protect him, are we being played by him, have people been cruel to him? I loved it. I loved not really knowing where I should stand with him. Those parts were done so well.
The story itself was really good. I was entertained, engaged, and I wanted to know what the end held.
This is the second Lisa Jewell book I've read. I Found You makes me want to continue reading her other books.
Can I just say how much I loved the character Alice? Alice is a mom of all these kids, she's single, she works at home selling crafts, and from the outside, her life seems like an utter mess. But I loved her and there was something so gentle and sweet about her. I wanted to be her friend.
Lisa Jewell did a great job at the character Frank. She gave us this wonderful push and pull of who is Frank, can he be trusted, should we root for him--protect him, are we being played by him, have people been cruel to him? I loved it. I loved not really knowing where I should stand with him. Those parts were done so well.
The story itself was really good. I was entertained, engaged, and I wanted to know what the end held.
This is the second Lisa Jewell book I've read. I Found You makes me want to continue reading her other books.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
3.0
The Silent Patient has been on everyone's tongue for months and there was a lot of hype around this book. I'm glad I was finally able to read it.
I read The Silent Patient in one sitting and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book did a good job of taking you on a journey of two couples and how their lives lead them to the current events at hand. I also found all the psychology talk kind of interesting. It was written in a way that any novice could understand and grasp, and not be bored by it all. It added another layer the story needed.
There were a couple of parts that lagged, but it didn't last for long. For the majority of this book, I was deep in the story.
The Silent Patient was a pretty good read for an otherwise uneventful Tuesday.
I read The Silent Patient in one sitting and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book did a good job of taking you on a journey of two couples and how their lives lead them to the current events at hand. I also found all the psychology talk kind of interesting. It was written in a way that any novice could understand and grasp, and not be bored by it all. It added another layer the story needed.
There were a couple of parts that lagged, but it didn't last for long. For the majority of this book, I was deep in the story.
The Silent Patient was a pretty good read for an otherwise uneventful Tuesday.