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breeburkitt's reviews
542 reviews
Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Gus Ryder is a grumpy, overworked ranger and single dad. His family knows he can't do it all, so they enlist his sister's best friend, Teddy Anderson. Unfortunately, they can't stand each other. But Teddy needs a job and agrees to take care of Gus' daughter for the summer. Soon the forced pair realize they may have misjudged each other and they might actually like each other after all.
I was so excited to see "Lost and Lassoed" pop up on NetGalley. It's such a great addition to the beautifully pastoral universe of the Rebel Blue Ranch and the Ryder family. This arc was a long time coming and author Lyla Sage did not let us down.
My only negative is I feel like we did not get enough of Teddy and Gus' day-to-day bonding that took them from enemies to friends and beyond. It just feels very sudden and, as a reader, I almost felt a little cheated that I didn't get more of it. However, we do have to remember that they've had a whole life adjacent to each other and interactions before this that we weren't privy to.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Dial Books for the advance copy! Cannot wait for book four!
I was so excited to see "Lost and Lassoed" pop up on NetGalley. It's such a great addition to the beautifully pastoral universe of the Rebel Blue Ranch and the Ryder family. This arc was a long time coming and author Lyla Sage did not let us down.
My only negative is I feel like we did not get enough of Teddy and Gus' day-to-day bonding that took them from enemies to friends and beyond. It just feels very sudden and, as a reader, I almost felt a little cheated that I didn't get more of it. However, we do have to remember that they've had a whole life adjacent to each other and interactions before this that we weren't privy to.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Dial Books for the advance copy! Cannot wait for book four!
Lilith by Eric Rickstad
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Easily one of my top books of 2024. As I'm sure author Eric Rickstad knows, the premise of "Lilith" is particularly resonant at this moment. It's powerful, haunting and compulsively readable. This one is not to be missed.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Mass/school shootings
All the World Beside by Garrard Conley
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The setting of 18th-century Puritan New England serves as the backdrop for the decades-long love story of Reverend Nathaniel Whitfield and Arthur Lyman that defies societal norms and rigid moral standards of the time. The tension between the two men is palpable as they grapple with their desires and the fear of condemnation from their community as they struggle to reconcile faith with identity.
Their story is slow but so evocative and filled with such sad longing. It's both heartfelt and heartbreaking and left me wrecked. "All the World Beside" is a beautiful and worthy read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Their story is slow but so evocative and filled with such sad longing. It's both heartfelt and heartbreaking and left me wrecked. "All the World Beside" is a beautiful and worthy read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"Love of My Afterlife" by Kirsty Greenwood is a charming and quirky romantic comedy. The witty dialogue and endearing characters made for an enjoyable read. However, I found some parts of the plot to be a bit predictable, and the pacing occasionally felt uneven. Overall, it's a fun and light-hearted read perfect — a feel-good romance with a supernatural twist.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
"Annie Bot" by Sierra Greer presents a compelling futuristic world where robots and humans coexist but falls short in execution. While the premise is intriguing and the writing engaging, pacing issues and underdeveloped characters hinder the story's impact. Despite its flaws, it offers some thought-provoking themes that would be interesting to speculative fiction fans.
The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste
medium-paced
3.75
Gwendolyn Kiste's "The Haunting of Velkwood" invites readers into a realm where ghosts are not just apparitions but integral to one small neighborhood's entire fabric.
Talitha's home and her entire neighborhood just disappeared one day — along with everyone in it. Years later, Talitha desperately wants to forget everything that happened in Velkwood, but she also cannot let go knowing her sister may still be there stuck eternally in what was once her home. Then, she's offered a chance to return home and maybe find some answers.
"The Haunting of Velkwood" is a beautiful gothic novel set in a suburban neighborhood. The premise itself is so compelling. I hesitate to say much more because this is a book best gone into blindly. Kiste's writing is lyrical as she delves into secrets from the past and the way we carry our trauma throughout our lives.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Saga Press for the advance copy!
Talitha's home and her entire neighborhood just disappeared one day — along with everyone in it. Years later, Talitha desperately wants to forget everything that happened in Velkwood, but she also cannot let go knowing her sister may still be there stuck eternally in what was once her home. Then, she's offered a chance to return home and maybe find some answers.
"The Haunting of Velkwood" is a beautiful gothic novel set in a suburban neighborhood. The premise itself is so compelling. I hesitate to say much more because this is a book best gone into blindly. Kiste's writing is lyrical as she delves into secrets from the past and the way we carry our trauma throughout our lives.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Saga Press for the advance copy!
Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“Four dates, one kiss and a break up”
"Just for the Summer" introduces us to Emma and Justin and their curse. For both of them, every person they date goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up.
Like all Abbey Jimenez books, this one is again packed with great banter and the right amount of comic relief. It's such a fun contemporary romance, but it also deals with quite a list of heavy issues ranging from trust to trauma, feelings of abandonment and much more.
"Just for Summer" is more than your typical beach read. It earns a solid 4/5 from me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
"Just for the Summer" introduces us to Emma and Justin and their curse. For both of them, every person they date goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up.
Like all Abbey Jimenez books, this one is again packed with great banter and the right amount of comic relief. It's such a fun contemporary romance, but it also deals with quite a list of heavy issues ranging from trust to trauma, feelings of abandonment and much more.
"Just for Summer" is more than your typical beach read. It earns a solid 4/5 from me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Mercury by Amy Jo Burns
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
"Mercury" by Amy Jo Burns takes us on a nostalgic journey to a small Pennsylvania town where secrets simmer beneath the surface and friendships are tested by the weight of the past.
The book shines in its portrayal of complex characters and the dynamics of family.
While "Mercury" is rich in atmosphere and emotion, some readers might find the pacing a bit slow, and certain plot points could use more fleshing out. The back-and-forth between past and present is a tad disorienting at times.
While it may not be the most gripping read, it offers moments of insight and reflection with its lyrical prose and poignant exploration of identity and belonging. I'd give it a solid 3.25/5 stars.
The book shines in its portrayal of complex characters and the dynamics of family.
While "Mercury" is rich in atmosphere and emotion, some readers might find the pacing a bit slow, and certain plot points could use more fleshing out. The back-and-forth between past and present is a tad disorienting at times.
While it may not be the most gripping read, it offers moments of insight and reflection with its lyrical prose and poignant exploration of identity and belonging. I'd give it a solid 3.25/5 stars.
Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell
4.25
Hannah's life is a mess. She is just another aimless thirty-something stuck in a dead-end job and unable to make her one-time boyfriend want to be with her. Hannah finds community in a true-crime forum fixated on solving the brutal murders of four women in Atlanta. A handsome lawyer named William is arrested for the killings. Hanna writes him a letter in a moment of pent-up frustration and rage over both her life and the crimes. But William writes back. Hannah's interest in both the case and William rapidly develops from curiosity into obsession. as their relationship turns romantic. As her life implodes, she abandons everything to attend William's trial in Georgia. Her proximity to him — to a suspected killer — is intoxicating. But William is acquitted after a fifth body is discovered while he's still in custody. Soon, he's at Hannah's door and William's role transforms from a suspected serial killer to a doting boyfriend. Yet Hannah still can't seem to stop investigating him…
I had so much fun with "Love Letters to a Serial Killer." I always adore a story about an unhinged, messy and completely feral woman and that's exactly what Hannah is. No one is likable in this story. It's a different sort of thriller than what you usually get, but engrossing and intoxicating.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Berkley for the advance copy!
I had so much fun with "Love Letters to a Serial Killer." I always adore a story about an unhinged, messy and completely feral woman and that's exactly what Hannah is. No one is likable in this story. It's a different sort of thriller than what you usually get, but engrossing and intoxicating.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Berkley for the advance copy!