booklistqueen's reviews
535 reviews

All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore

hopeful informative slow-paced

3.5

In 1837, Charlotte has escaped her life as a slave only to serve as a housemaid to her white-passing father in Philadelphia. Longing for more freedom but afraid of slave-catchers, Charlotte befriends Nell, an up-and-coming abolitionist from a prominent Black family. When Charlotte's former mistress arrives with her slave Evie in tow, Charlotte and Nell risk losing everything to help Evie gain her freedom.

Ashton Lattimore's promising debut is a solid historical fiction with a great setting and interesting characters. I especially enjoyed the look at racism and classism, especially within the Black community.

However, All We Were Promised was a bit rough around the edges. The slow plot would have easily been improved with heavier editing, cutting the length and needless repetition down. However, my biggest complaint was that the narration always keeps you at a distance; I saw the characters struggles but never truly felt them myself. I do think Lattimore's novels will improve with time and I'm excited to see what she has in store in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are the luckiest girls, or so they are told. After family tragedies, each was given a second chance at a happy family, living on a peaceful farm with a loving foster mom. Yet, the foster sisters' childhood was far from idyllic, though no one ever believed them. When a body is found buried on the farm, they soon find themselves prime witnesses and possibly prime suspects.

As usual, Sally Hepworth delivers a well-plotted page turner. Miss Fairchild proved to be a perfectly aggravating villain, fully despicable in her child abuse but clever enough to conceal everything at first glance. I was thrown by several of the revelations and loved the push-and-pull of the then and now timelines. Although the thriller obviously shows the worst scenario of foster care, Hepworth balances that out with a wonderful portrayal of Alicia as a social worker.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

dark hopeful informative sad slow-paced

3.5

In January 1918, recovering war nurse Laura Iven is reeling from the death of her parents in a local disaster when she learns her brother is missing in action. Months earlier, Freddie finds himself trapped in a bunker in No Man's Land with a German soldier. Forging a lasting bond from the near-death experience, Freddie and Winter can't bear to be separated until they find a man who promises to take them out of this hellscape. Searching for answers, Laura volunteers at a private hospital in Belgium, where she hears whispers of a fiddler who can make soldiers forget in this historical fantasy novel.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is five-star historical fiction dragged down by a three-star fantasy. Katherine Arden's impeccable World War 1 research shines throughout the novel. She beautifully describes the horrors of the war while also sharing interesting historical events I didn't know. Even better, I loved Laura and Freddie and wanted even more of most of the supporting characters. Unfortunately, the "Devil Went Down to Georgia" fantasy story didn't hold much force for me. I would have preferred a straight historical fiction novel instead.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Del Rey. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Growing up in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian will not let his family's doubts or inherent racism against Blacks stop him from becoming the world's best classical violinist. Which is why it's a dream come true when he realizes his grandfather's old fiddle is really a priceless Stradivarius. On the eve of the most prestigious music competition, his violin is stolen and replaced with a ransom note. Ray must do everything he can to get it back, all while the descendants of his ancestor's former slave owner claim the violin is rightfully theirs.

Brendan Slocumb has penned an intriguing mystery that packs a double punch with its powerful story of a Black man navigating the predominantly white field of classical music. I love it when a book can connect me with the characters and The Violin Conspiracy had me fully emotionally invested in Ray's journey; I was prickling at the actions of Ray's family, furious at the racist instances Ray faces, and heartbroken at the loss of his beloved violin. From start to finish, I was completely captivated by The Violin Conspiracy and if you can, I recommend listening to the audiobook with its compelling narration and snippets of violin music. 

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

With her divorce about to be finalized, Dr. Brianna Ortiz's life seems to have been sidetracked. Not only is her brother running out of time for a kidney transplant but also the new annoying doctor, Jacob Maddox, is likely going to steal her promotion. But after Jacob sends her a letter, she finds he is quite the opposite of what she thought. When he volunteers to be a kidney donor for her brother, she finds she can't resist him, especially when he calls in a favor she can't refuse.

Abby Jimenez's charmingly funny romance weaves together a ton of romance tropes: mental health and trauma from past relationships, coworkers fake dating, a little pen pal action, surprise pregnancy, and a whole lot of miscommunication. Technically a sequel to Part of Your World, you don't have to have read the first book (I didn't)  since the main character is just a side character, and vice versa. If you enjoy romance books, you'll likely love Yours Truly, though it is steamy in only a few spots. I really enjoyed the novel until about the 90% mark, and then the miscommunication trope got old, as it generally does for me. 

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

3.0

As Easter approaches in the tiny forgotten Quebec village of Three Pines, a group of villagers decide to hold a séance after a spiritualist comes to town. What starts as a lark quickly turns deadly serious when someone dies at a second séance at the Hadley House. Inspector Gamache and his trusty sidekick Jean-Guy Beauvoir must find the murderer while also finally dealing with the fallout of the Arnot case.

Three Pines must have the highest murder rate in the country the way this series is going. Sadly, the books are losing some of their charm for me. The novels are starting to feel a little predictable. Instead of building characters each novel. You keep the same core villagers and then add a new group, of which one is a victim and one is a murderer. I did like that The Cruelest Month heavily included the Arnot Case storyline that has building between books. I promised myself I would read at least the first five books, but I must say, I am quickly losing enthusiasm. 

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

In July 1962, a Mi'kmaq family travels to Maine to pick blueberries for the summer when four-year-old Ruthie disappears one day after lunch. For decades, Ruthie's disappearance haunts her family, especially her six-year-old brother Joe who was the last to see her. Meanwhile, Norma grows up as the only child to an overbearingly protective affluent white couple. Although she dreams of another life and another mother, she takes decades to trust her instincts and uncover her family's secret.

I can't believe I didn't read this gorgeous novel last year. The Berry Pickers alternates between a dying Joe reminiscing about his life and Norma as she grows up. Though I took longer to get into Joe's chapters, both were incredibly powerful stories describing the impact of Ruthie's kidnapping on both Norma and her family. If you are looking for a book club pick, I would highly recommend this emotionally charged family drama. 

End of Story by A.J. Finn

lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

3.5

 Nicky Hunter has corresponded with reclusive mystery writer Sebastian Trapp for years but is shocked when he invites her to his mansion to help him write his life story. Twenty years earlier on New Year's Eve, Sebastian's first wife and son disappeared from different locations. Did Sebastian commit the perfect crime? Why is he willing to start talking about it now?

A. J. Finn's follow-up to The Woman in the Window didn't have the tension I was expecting, leaning more toward cozy mystery than psychological thriller. Although not an edge-of-your-seat read, End of Story kept my interest piqued and throughout the slow-burn mystery. If you can make it through the slower narrative, the ending twist was particularly unexpected. 

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

funny mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

For Lucy, the night five years ago still remains a blank though their entire Texas town knows that Lucy killed her best friend Savvy. When a popular true crime podcaster chooses to investigate Savvy's murder, Lucy finally returns home on her grandmother's insistence. Now Lucy must face her ex-husband and her distrust family while trying to find out the truth about Savvy's death, even if it ends up pointing to herself.

Listen for the Lie had me hooked form the very first page. After ordering a physical copy, I found out I had received a free copy of the audiobook from the publisher which turned out well for me since the audiobook was fantastic. Lucy's cynical sarcasm kept making me laugh and the podcast chapters sounded so realistic in audio format. Although Lucy's personality was the highlight of the book for me, I also found myself fully invested in the mystery and was satisfied with Tintera's many twists.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

The Phoenix Crown by Janie Chang, Kate Quinn

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

3.5

In 1906 San Francisco, Gemma arrives in San Francisco to sing in the opera chorus. When she meets Henry Thornton, a rich tycoon willing to be her patron, her dreams of becoming an opera star seem within reach. Meanwhile, Suling lives in San Francisco's Chinatown, desperate to escape an impending arranged marriage. When she picks up embroidery work for Thornton, she finds she has a connection with Gemma. After an earthquake tears the town apart, Henry disappears and the girls eventually track him to Paris to finally find justice.

I love it when historical fiction transports you to an interesting time in history and The Phoenix Crown's best attribute was its setting: The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. I especially enjoyed seeing Chinatown through Suling's eye and feeling the rampant racial discrimination against Chinese. Although the story was charming and the alternating chapters between Gemma and Suling worked well, the story wasn't particularly deep or emotional. Unfortunately, the post-earthquake revenge plot that ended the book fell flat and ruined the pacing of the novel.