brittmariereads_'s reviews
98 reviews

dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I didn’t really love any of the characters, but I fully enjoyed the story. I found the friendship dynamics to be really interesting and different than I’ve read in most books.

Cross-posted to: Instagram, Goodreads, StoryGraph, Amazon

Content Warnings

What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a nice quick read! I was able to figure out the who pretty early on, but the why and the twist at the end really got me. I enjoyed also enjoyed the added detail of each neighbor and their weird drama.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a digital ARC in exchange for my review. No other compensation was provided. Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books/St. Martins Press, and Melissa Adelman

Cross-posted to NetGalley, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Instagram (@brittmariereads_)

Content Warnings

Queen of Thieves by Beezy Marsh

Go to review page

adventurous challenging tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

I absolutely loved this as an Audiobook! The narrator was perfect and engaging.

I absolutely loved Nell and felt for her during everything she was going through. She started as sweet and naive, but ended as a strong and independent woman. I absolutely loathed Alice, even with parts of her backstory to explain away her flaws.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This books was beautiful and heartbreaking. It touched on so many different issues: familial, social, environmental. She somehow wove together a story that centered a sibling relationship and parent/child relationship, while weaving things like motherhood, race, sexuality, interracial marriage, culture.

At first I didn’t love the choppy chapters, but the further I got into the book, the more lyrical they became. They just felt right. I fell in love with so many characters, and that’s really where this book did it for me. I could empathize and feel for each of them.

This is easily going to be one of my top reads of 2022. My only regret is that I didn’t read it as soon as my December BOTM box came in.

The Block Party by Jamie Day

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

I really enjoyed The Block Party and the events leading up to it. I saw a lot of my younger self in Lettie - particularly her penchant to be a loner and activist. I also saw a fair amount of my older (mom) self in Alex - trying to juggle a work/life balance and learn who she is, even as an adult. I found many of the characters relatable on different levels and the who/why kept me guessing up until the end.

DISCLAIMER: I was given an ARC of this book from @netgalley in exchange for my review. I was not compensated in any way.

Cross-posted: NetGalley, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Instagram

Content Warnings

The Island by Natasha Preston

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I really hated the ending of this book and kind of felt cheated - how dare you, Ms. Preston! 😅 The book kept my attention and was a pretty easy and fun, albeit predictable (in some ways) read. I felt like the main character jumped to certain conclusions too quickly and with no real evidence to do so, but also couldn’t piece together what would have been genuine clues as to who the killer is. The ending.. it was absolutely the best and the worst part of this book.

I probably would have loved this book as a teen, so it’s perfect that it’s marketed to that age group. As an adult, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. And I wanted it to be. SO BADLY. The entire premise was so intriguing, but overall it just fell flat.

Disclaimer: I was given this book as a digital ARC in exchange for my review. I was not compensated in any way.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the digital ARC of this book.

Cross-posted to: NetGalley, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Instagram

Content Warnings

The Chaperone by M Hendrix

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

WOW. Just wow. My first five star review of 2023. I absolutely LOVED this book. I sincerely hope there will be a sequel, because I cannot get enough of our heroine.

So many parts of this book gave me chills because it is far too realistic in what “could be,” particularly in how it grapples with many social issues of our current America. It is by far the most realistic, and not at all Sci Fi, dystopian type book I have ever read. Yet, Stella still reminds me of so many many female main characters I loved in books like The Hunger Games and Divergent.

I cannot recommend this book enough - for young women, especially, but also for anyone who holds women in their hearts.

DISCLAIMER: I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my review via @goodreads giveaway. I was not compensated in any way for this review.

Cross posted to Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Instagram (@brittmariereads_)

A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney

Go to review page

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced