brookelostinlit's reviews
53 reviews

A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime by Monica Murphy

funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

This gave me those first love, completely obsessed with each other, nothing else in the world matters vibes and I ATE THIS SHIT UP!!! I am also head over heels for both Crew and Wren. It was a bit cheesy at parts but I mean I remember being that way at that age with boys too. I throughly enjoyed this story and spice! Also really loved the way the author wrote. When I first picked up this book I was a bit overwhelmed with its size but the pace of the book is so quick which made it such an easy read!! 

Sundial by Catriona Ward

dark

2.5

*MAJOR TWs with this one please check those before reading this book if it’s on your TBR* I went into this book completely blind. And honestly I almost DNF’d it. I feel like there was sooooo much happening in this story. So many storylines to keep up with. I had to reread a few chapters so that I truly understood what is happening at points. There were moments that PULLED me in, left me speechless, and gave me that WTF moment… they are the reason I finished the book. Also, the story that is sprinkled through the book (grey pages) those TOTALLY could have been left out and it honestly left me with more questions. I just didn’t love this one, it left me bored, confused, and let down. 

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

challenging emotional mysterious tense

4.0

Woah. What a ride!! I picked this up to read for Spooky Season and boy did it deliver!! I loved the twist of this story and I loved how the author included the drawings! But the ending was a bit quick for me and kinda saw it coming, &&& I really want to know more about the “testing” mentioned in the first chapter… other than those two things this book really sucked me! And I did love the epilogue chapter! For sure a thriller I won’t soon forget!!

Hide by Kiersten White

dark mysterious tense

3.0

It was okay… I got through the whole book pretty quickly but it just left me wanting more… what that “more” is I’m honestly not sure. Not a horrible read, but not good either… just meh. It feels like one of those books were I will probably forget everything that happened in a few months.

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers

dark mysterious sad tense

3.0

I’m a HUGE Crime Junkie fan so when I found out Ashley had written a book I immediately pre-ordered it… 

I wanted to love this, but it just landed kinda flat for me. Like many other reviewers stated, the JonBenet story line has been done so many times that there really wasn’t any originality to it. It felt like an easy play. Which maybe for a debut novel is a good idea, but I was expecting SO much more. 

Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

challenging dark hopeful sad tense

4.5

The real, raw-ness of Aldo & Regan drew me in instantly. I loved that this was a REAL love story. Two messed up souls that find one another and collide together in such a way that is Messy. Painful. Chaotic. Beautiful.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

3.5 stars /// My first CMQ book and I hate to say I was a bit let down. I feel like the wild goose chase was drawn wayyyyyyy out and a few times I skimmed most of the chapters bc I could guess what was happening. I just had a hard time connecting with both Chloe & Shara. And while I didn’t enjoy the main storyline I like a lot of others was drawn more to Smith and Rory and wanted more of their story! I also understand the importance of the story as someone who grew up in the South and raised in both the Pentecostal & Southern Baptist churches. But the story was so hard to keep up with a times. I think maybe having multiple POVs could have helped this story tremendously! So while it did not live up to my expectations fully I still think it’s a fun, cute, ya read that brings a lot of good attention to being queer in the south. 

The Arrangement by Kiersten Modglin

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

Woah. What a wild ride!! I INHALED this book in two sittings. My mind feels like I just stepped off a crazy fast roller coaster where I’m still trying to grasp what just happened. My jaw fell open multiple times… normally this many twist make me hate a book, but I LOVE the way this played out. Excited to read the next book in the trilogy!!

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

Wow. I very very much enjoyed this book! It’s so different than what I normally go for but man it sucked me in immediately. Once I got more than halfway I literally could not put it down and had to keep reading to see how the story ended. Olivia is AMAZING and I am just blown away with her character. I will say, I felt like there could have been a little more to the ending but I still will be recommending this book! My first V E Schwab read and for sure not to be my last!!

Normal People by Sally Rooney

I trrrrried so hard to like this and finish it but I just can’t do it. Nothing happens in this book… I made it more than halfway and NOTHING HAPPENED. The back and forth “relationship” between Marianne and Connell drove me nuts!!! And I just did not connect with either of their characters. This was just a drrrrrrry read. Seriously, I fell asleep twice reading it… It was just beyond frustrating and I truly do not understand the hype.