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bookstobarbellsbabe's reviews
158 reviews
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
4.0
Olga is dead. The perfect Mexican daughter, the daughter that is smart, innocent and makes her immigrant parents proud is gone. The perfect daughter is gone.
And whose to blame? Well, it was a bus accident, but Julia, her younger sister, blames herself because instead of their motet picking up Olga, she was at Julia’s school, dealing with the principal about her suspension.
This review has been very hard for me to write and I’m not quite sure why.
I connected with Julia on a deep level. I, Claudia, and not your perfect Mexican daughter. My mom will be the first to tell you. This is my culture. This is my background. Many emotions that Julia felt I had already experienced myself growing up.
To be quite honest, at first, I was irritated with Julia. I felt like she was portrayed very annoying. But I saw myself as Julia. I didn’t want to be portrayed like that. I saw teen Claudia with the rebellion, the depression and the feeling of never being good enough.
That’s why I was annoyed. I felt like I, myself, my culture was portrayed in a negative light, sigh Julia talking back to her parents and the rebellious streak she had.
All that being said…I love Julia. I loved the story. I love that I finally felt represented. And the mystery storyline of Olga’s perfection being questioned after her death was a plot line I liked exploring.
I think this is a wonderful Latinx YA novel that is spot on with Mexican culture and the realities of being a 1st generation Mexican daughter.
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And whose to blame? Well, it was a bus accident, but Julia, her younger sister, blames herself because instead of their motet picking up Olga, she was at Julia’s school, dealing with the principal about her suspension.
This review has been very hard for me to write and I’m not quite sure why.
I connected with Julia on a deep level. I, Claudia, and not your perfect Mexican daughter. My mom will be the first to tell you. This is my culture. This is my background. Many emotions that Julia felt I had already experienced myself growing up.
To be quite honest, at first, I was irritated with Julia. I felt like she was portrayed very annoying. But I saw myself as Julia. I didn’t want to be portrayed like that. I saw teen Claudia with the rebellion, the depression and the feeling of never being good enough.
That’s why I was annoyed. I felt like I, myself, my culture was portrayed in a negative light, sigh Julia talking back to her parents and the rebellious streak she had.
All that being said…I love Julia. I loved the story. I love that I finally felt represented. And the mystery storyline of Olga’s perfection being questioned after her death was a plot line I liked exploring.
I think this is a wonderful Latinx YA novel that is spot on with Mexican culture and the realities of being a 1st generation Mexican daughter.
Follow me on IG @bookstobarbellsbabe
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
5.0
Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen. Everyone loved her.
And then she was gone.
Her mother, Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed.
.
Then he meets a man. Everything seems perfect. She meets his daughter is who the SPITTING IMAGE of Ellie.
.
Those questions of where Ellie went are still lingering. What happened to Ellie ?
.
This was my first Lisa Jewell book and IT WILL NOT BE MY LAST! This is actually the book that made me start my Bookstagram. The twists that happened I literally did not see coming. The author did such a good job luring me in to keep me guessing. It was crazy. It was nuts! I loved it .
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And then she was gone.
Her mother, Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed.
.
Then he meets a man. Everything seems perfect. She meets his daughter is who the SPITTING IMAGE of Ellie.
.
Those questions of where Ellie went are still lingering. What happened to Ellie ?
.
This was my first Lisa Jewell book and IT WILL NOT BE MY LAST! This is actually the book that made me start my Bookstagram. The twists that happened I literally did not see coming. The author did such a good job luring me in to keep me guessing. It was crazy. It was nuts! I loved it .
Follow me on IG @bookstobarbellsbabe
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
4.0
Then the lights went out.
Then the lights went out
Then the lights went out.
“The Guest List” follows a range of guests that attend the wedding of reality TV star, Will Slater and magazine publisher, Jules Keegan and a murder that happens at this wedding. Its a interesting list of guests.
* Hannah, the plus one. Her husband is the brides best friend.
* Aoife, the wedding planner.
* Jules, the bride.
* Johnno, the best man.
* Olivia, the bridesmaid, and Jules half sister.
The story bounces back and forth on the timeline from different characters perceptive, which was kind of thrilling in a way. But I have to be honest. This book had a slow start. Slow, but it kept intrigued. Once I hit the WTF moment, it was like really WWWTTTFFFFFFFFFFF...….
Lucy Foley does such a beautiful job of connecting everyone in ways that I honestly did not see coming. And if you haven't read it, you wont either.
So.....what happens when the lights when out??
With some dead bodies and everyone pointing fingers, the final twists just kept coming and coming !
Follow me on IG @bookstobarbellsbabe
Then the lights went out
Then the lights went out.
“The Guest List” follows a range of guests that attend the wedding of reality TV star, Will Slater and magazine publisher, Jules Keegan and a murder that happens at this wedding. Its a interesting list of guests.
* Hannah, the plus one. Her husband is the brides best friend.
* Aoife, the wedding planner.
* Jules, the bride.
* Johnno, the best man.
* Olivia, the bridesmaid, and Jules half sister.
The story bounces back and forth on the timeline from different characters perceptive, which was kind of thrilling in a way. But I have to be honest. This book had a slow start. Slow, but it kept intrigued. Once I hit the WTF moment, it was like really WWWTTTFFFFFFFFFFF...….
Lucy Foley does such a beautiful job of connecting everyone in ways that I honestly did not see coming. And if you haven't read it, you wont either.
So.....what happens when the lights when out??
With some dead bodies and everyone pointing fingers, the final twists just kept coming and coming !
Follow me on IG @bookstobarbellsbabe
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen
5.0
Can 10 seconds really chance your life?
That's the question Jessica Farris ends up asking herself when she realizes she is in too deep in Dr. Shields' moral and ethics study. But is that really what Jess is doing? Could it be just a sick game that Dr. Shields is playing?
.
This novel is sooooo beautifully written. I love when I read a book that is told with 2 different perspectives. It makes it that much more interesting and I feel like I get a better sense of what’s going on all around. I enjoyed that it was so fast paced. It’s about moral and ethics so that always kept things interesting for me. I often found myself wondering what I would do in the situations and the study that Dr. Shields was asking of Jessica. Makes you really dig deep and realize that not everyone is worthy of trust and some people take advantage of certain situations. It kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. It DID NOT turn out the way I expected , which I love! Highly recommend this. I loved it.
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That's the question Jessica Farris ends up asking herself when she realizes she is in too deep in Dr. Shields' moral and ethics study. But is that really what Jess is doing? Could it be just a sick game that Dr. Shields is playing?
.
This novel is sooooo beautifully written. I love when I read a book that is told with 2 different perspectives. It makes it that much more interesting and I feel like I get a better sense of what’s going on all around. I enjoyed that it was so fast paced. It’s about moral and ethics so that always kept things interesting for me. I often found myself wondering what I would do in the situations and the study that Dr. Shields was asking of Jessica. Makes you really dig deep and realize that not everyone is worthy of trust and some people take advantage of certain situations. It kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. It DID NOT turn out the way I expected , which I love! Highly recommend this. I loved it.
Follow me on IG @bookstobarbellsbabe
Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
5.0
Every mothers nightmare. You let go of your 4 year old's hand for just a second and seconds later, he's gone. And NO ONE can find him.
Marin Machado has it all. Built her own salon up to be one of the high class salons to go to. She's rich, and she married to her college sweetheart, Derek. Then one day, her whole world falls apart. Someone has taken her 4yr old , Sebastian, out from under her while doing some last minute Christmas shopping.
The police investigation goes nowhere, so Marin hires a PI. Only the PI discovers additional information that wasn’t meant to be discovered.
The characters are so well written. The narrative is 2 female POVs. I’ve always been a fan of multiple POV. I feel like I get in other peoples minds.
To say this was fast paced and captivating would be an understatement. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through.
I didn’t see the twists that came together in the end and I loved it. This book is full of secrets , twists, turns , discoveries, epiphanies and much much more. If you need a edge of your seat thriller, Jennifer Hillier is ALWAYS the way to go.
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Marin Machado has it all. Built her own salon up to be one of the high class salons to go to. She's rich, and she married to her college sweetheart, Derek. Then one day, her whole world falls apart. Someone has taken her 4yr old , Sebastian, out from under her while doing some last minute Christmas shopping.
The police investigation goes nowhere, so Marin hires a PI. Only the PI discovers additional information that wasn’t meant to be discovered.
The characters are so well written. The narrative is 2 female POVs. I’ve always been a fan of multiple POV. I feel like I get in other peoples minds.
To say this was fast paced and captivating would be an understatement. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through.
I didn’t see the twists that came together in the end and I loved it. This book is full of secrets , twists, turns , discoveries, epiphanies and much much more. If you need a edge of your seat thriller, Jennifer Hillier is ALWAYS the way to go.
Follow me on IG @bookstobarbellsbabe
A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight
2.0
Right away, I'm going to start off my saying that this book is slow. It took me about a week to finish and I usually finish a book within 2 days if I get invested in it quick and it took me a long time to get invested. I didn't find myself reaching for this book. I couldn't get invested in the characters.
The story follows 2 very different women and their marriages, Lizzie and Amanda. Only thing is …. Amanda is dead.
Lizzie is a associate lawyer at a big time law firm. She is married to writer, Sam, who is an alcoholic. Amanda is a housewife and stay at home mom , who is married to self made millionaire businessman Zach. They have a very distant marriage. I almost get a feeling very early on that their marriage is very lacking in love and seems more of a business transaction kind of marriage.
It did have its plot twists towards the end that I did not see coming, but I didn't enjoy it like I had hoped.
I don't know. I did not care for this book. And I feel really bad saying that, but this just wasn't my cup of tea. Have you read this? What did you think? Let me know in the comments. I'm sorry if you liked this one. I usually LOVE thrillers and suspense novels. I don't know why this one just didn't get to me in the right way.
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The story follows 2 very different women and their marriages, Lizzie and Amanda. Only thing is …. Amanda is dead.
Lizzie is a associate lawyer at a big time law firm. She is married to writer, Sam, who is an alcoholic. Amanda is a housewife and stay at home mom , who is married to self made millionaire businessman Zach. They have a very distant marriage. I almost get a feeling very early on that their marriage is very lacking in love and seems more of a business transaction kind of marriage.
It did have its plot twists towards the end that I did not see coming, but I didn't enjoy it like I had hoped.
I don't know. I did not care for this book. And I feel really bad saying that, but this just wasn't my cup of tea. Have you read this? What did you think? Let me know in the comments. I'm sorry if you liked this one. I usually LOVE thrillers and suspense novels. I don't know why this one just didn't get to me in the right way.
Follow me on IG @bookstobarbellsbabe