celeste_velocci's reviews
489 reviews

Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz

informative reflective medium-paced

Haley James Scott is a beloved character in my eyes but I never realized how much was hiding behind the actress Bethany Joy Lenz’s character on my forever favorite show One Tree Hill. I love reading memoirs because I always learn something new. It’s so interesting to read about someone’s life and journey straight from them. I wish this had a bit more One Tree Hill and Hollywood in it but I find it so hard to judge a memoir because who am I to tell someone how to tell their life story. Was it my favorite memoir ever? No. I did enjoy some parts but think I went in hoping for something a bit different than what it was. 

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

I absolutely loved this one! It was by far one of my favorites of this series. I love these characters so much. I enjoyed that it was about two mature people who really strived for a healthy relationship. Every now and then I’m a sucker for a hockey romance! The spice was good - relevant to the plot. Great character growth and loved the tie in with mental health and dealing with childhood trauma. 

The Last Trip by Kiersten Modglin

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.0

Major lifetime movie vibes. I love a lot of this authors books but this one was kind of a miss for me! It just kind of seemed silly and far fetched. I wasn’t exactly sure where it was going and some things I feel like we still didn’t really get answers for? You can probably skip this one! 

Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Karin Slaughter is one of my top favorite authors and I loved this series sooo much. Unfortunately I am not in love with the final book Beyond Reach. I felt like it was longer than it needed to be and I found myself getting lost along the way. The ending seemed so rushed and unnecessary. I’m sad this is how it ended. I’m excited to read the Will Trent Series to continue on with these characters. This book was my least favorite in the series. 

When I Come Back by Alise Monroe

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

I’m a sucker for a second chance romance and this one did not disappoint. I’m such a huge believer in what’s meant for you will never pass you. This book was that and more. 

After tragedy strikes a man must return to his hometown to face his past. While dealing with grief he also has some loose ends to tie up with the love of his life that left him 8 year prior. 

Overall I enjoyed this one. I liked the characters , their growth , and I was cheering for them along the way. I loved the restaurant aspect / chef / distillery aspect of the story as some who’s been in the service industry for many years. It was well done. 

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

When I first read this book fifteen years ago I cried. When I watched the movie I cried. When I read it now fifteen years later I cried again. This has always been one of my favorite Nicholas Sparks books/movies. Now reading it in my late twenties I understand and feel more than I did the first time I read it. It evokes such emotion out of me much like Nicholas Sparks novels usually do but I feel like this one has always had a special place in my heart. I’m happy I did a reread so many years later. 

A story of first love, family, grief, forgiveness, and loss. I recommend going into this one blindly I think it will resonate even better for readers that way. 

Ronnie a rebellious teen gets shipped off to Wrightsville Beach with her younger brother to spend a summer with her estranged father. While there she meets a young man Will who will soon change her life. Through falling in love over the summer to learning to forgive not just others but herself Ronnie transforms her life and learns many lessons along the way. 

The Final Girl by Kenneth Preston

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a great police procedural / horror mix! I think I found my kind of horror genre. I love police procedural and the spooky spin on this one made me feel like Halloween in March! 

When a group of friends are brutally murdered at a campsite one lone survivor remains making her the final girl. A detective on the case is fighting her own demons and grief while trying to unveil the killer and the final girl’s trauma after this slashing. 

This was fast paced and interesting and kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed the psychological thriller aspect to it as well. 

Buried Deep by Margot Hunt

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

A twisty domestic thriller with secrets buried over decades? Say no more! 

What a fun and unique read this was. When a young girl vanishes on vacation with her boyfriend friends 25 years ago without a trace her friends will live with the guilt of not being able to save their friend. Fast forward decades later the missing girl’s boyfriend is now a married doctor who has kept most of his past to himself. When the remains of the missing girl are found find out how her former boyfriend’s marriage and present day life will be affected by this devastating discovery. 

This was a fast paced audible original that kept me hooked and wanting to know all of the answers. A couple of my theories were incorrect which made it an even more thrilling read. 

The Younger Woman by Cate Ray

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Many thanks to The Hive, Park Row, and NetGalley for the gifted copy of The Younger Woman by Cate Ray. I enjoyed this thriller. Anytime there's a domestic thriller with twisted spouses and unreliable characters you can count on me to read it. 

Gabby - a woman who has woken up and realized after her children fly the nest that she really can't stand her husband. While out one night Gabby indulges a bit too much and ends up drunkingly telling a stranger at a bar that she would love for her husband to be dead. This stranger takes things into her own hands and odd things begin happening after Gabby's fated meeting with this stranger. Some things should never be spoken out loud because you just never know who you are really talking to. 

This book was very twisty - cat and mouse games from beginning to end. I did figure out the major plot twist about 75% into the book. Even though I had guessed correctly I still enjoyed this fast paced domestic thriller.

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

I’ve always been a Britney Spears fan but I honestly learned so much from this memoir. This was raw , real , and sad. I’m grateful she has taken back her life and is stronger than yesterday (see what I did there lol) 

I’ll always be a fan and hearing her life story and all she’s gone through since she was younger makes me an even bigger fan and advocate for using your voice loud and proud.