celeste_velocci's reviews
490 reviews

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

WOW EXCELLENT. This will definitely be a top contender for my favorite book of 2025. It was beautifully written and incredibly captivating. I loved the characters, the setting, the plot - everything was just phenomenal. This book was almost 500 pages but it did not feel like it while reading. The writing style was more wordy than I am used to but I feel like that is what pulled me in even more.

A cop in Philly is searching for her missing estranged sister who is an addict. Told during past and present timelines see what made and broke the sisters bond. I loved the way addiction was depicted in this book. It was real and raw and done so well. 

I went in pretty blind to this book and I recommend that you do as well - it made my reading experience even better. 

Coming to Peacock this month as a mini series and I cannot wait!!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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

4.0

This was my February book club pick and overall everyone enjoyed it. 

I listened to this on audio which I loved because it felt like I was reading a memoir which if you aren’t new here then you know it’s no secret I absolutely love memoirs. 

There is a lot of hype around this book and I was worried about going into it and seeing where I would fall. Overall I really enjoyed this - had I not listened on audio I don’t think I would have enjoyed it AS much. It was a solid 4 star read and I would recommend it. The lessons along the way and the overall conclusion was very well done. 

A Hollywood starlet seeks out a young woman who works for a magazine to write her life story. During the book Evelyn Hugo (the Hollywood starlet) reflects back on her life and her seven marriages she had during her lifetime. She covers everything from fame to life to love to loss and you might be surprised at some of the things someone so prominent in the spotlight actually has never showed the public eye. 

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I never reread books but I really wanted a refresher for when the sequel comes out in a couple of months. 

I read this book for the first time four years ago and absolutely loved it and I can say four years later I loved it again just as much. I did not see this twist coming the first time around and the second time I was trying to look for clues to see if any hints would be dropped. 

I’m so happy I bought the collectors edition because it had bonus chapters at the end and just was perfection all over again. 

If you haven’t read this one what are you waiting for it’s seriously SO GOOD. 

Watch Your Back by Terri Parlato

fast-paced

4.0

This is the third book in this thriller series and I think it has been my favorite. This was such a solid thriller with many shady characters. I only figured out about a quarter of the twist which is unlike me but I love to be stumped. I recommend going into this one pretty blind like I did - can be read as a standalone the only series topics that remain throughout the other books is the lead detective. Available on kindle unlimited too!

D7 by Philip Fracassi

dark mysterious fast-paced

3.0

I’m newer to the horror genre and last year I slowly dipped my toe in the genre. This was an entertaining short story. I’ll definitely be looking into this author’s other works. 

A couple lost on a dark road makes their way to an abandoned bar that is anything but cheers and good times. Everyone in the bar seems to be stuck there and controlled by a higher evil within the bar. Why are these patrons trapped in the bar and will they ever be free? 

Many thanks to Shortwave Publishing for the gifted copy. All opinion are my own. 

My Sister's Daughter by Liv Constantine

mysterious fast-paced

3.5

As an avid thriller reader I enjoy all kinds of twisty tropes and themes but one I don’t always gravitate to is the “creepy kid” trope. It honestly kind of freaks me out haha! But this was a solid audiobook. Unreliable characters , shady family drama , “accidental” deaths you know the usual in a thriller. Very fast paced and a good palette cleanser if you’re looking for something easy to help toward your reading goal for the year! 

After the sudden death of her sister a woman named Ashley takes in her thirteen year old niece who is now an orphan. As soon as Ashley’s niece comes aboard her house strange things start happening to Ashley’s children and everyone else around them. A sweet thirteen year old can’t be as sinister as she seems? Maybe it’s just a coincidence and she’s dealing with grief in her own way?

Multiple Sclerosis, You Picked the Wrong Warrior by Tara Fetcko

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

It is no secret that I enjoy a memoir and comeback story. One about resilience and inner strength and overcoming any kind of struggle is always my go to. I enjoy listening to someone’s experiences and figuring out what I can learn from them to educate myself about topics I didn’t have a lot of knowledge on and to help me apply what I’ve learned in my everyday life. 

Tara Fetcko writes another incredible story about her diagnosis and life with Multiple Sclerosis. This book focuses a lot on Tara’s mindset and she reveals how she really feels about being diagnosed with MS. 

I am not someone who has an autoimmune disease but I have experienced an injury that has been life changing for me. Though I do not struggle daily to the degree that someone with MS does I can empathize and sympathize with the feeling of your life going one way and then quickly changing. Everyday Tara learns something new about her strength and perseverance to combat her disease. I can only hope to apply the same kind of strength , knowledge, and fierceness in my own personal life. 

I appreciate the braveness Tara shows in sharing her story with the world and I look forward to learning more about her as she navigates her warrior story. 

Swear On This Life by Renée Carlino

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

This ended up being a heavier read than I had anticipated going in. I enjoyed it! Please make sure you check your trigger warnings.

This story follows two teenagers young and in love who found peace and a home within one another. Due to their traumatic lives and upbringing they’re ripped away from one another. Fast forward over a decade later and they have the chance to reconnect after one of them decides to write a novel about their love and life experience with one another when they were kids. The story has alternating timelines between when they were fifteen and in love to adults who are virtually strangers in present day. 

I’m a sucker for a second chance romance and I’m always rooting for the underdog. This book is heartbreaking and healing all at once and reminds us to take chances , live with no regret , and to never give up especially on ourselves. 

The Outlier by Elisabeth Eaves

challenging mysterious slow-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

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted copy of The Outlier by Elisabeth Eaves. All opinions are my own. Unfortunately this one did not hit for me in the way I thought it would. I really enjoyed the first 25% of the book but then it kind of lost me moving forward from there. The characters were not very likeable and I found myself being very confused by the plot line and where the story is going. Just because this was not for me doesn't mean it won't be for you. 

Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker

adventurous mysterious tense fast-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

This was a very fast paced thriller that I listened to in less than a day. It was fine! I feel like the entire time i was reading I just kept telling myself “this whole thing could’ve been avoided if you just called the police from the start” that being said…I don’t want to say that it was far fetched because I understand why the characters did what they did but it just seemed kind of meh to me with how believable the plot was and how the case was solved in the book. 

Thirteen years ago a couple was in the middle of adopting a daughter. They had had the daughter with them as a foster child and felt as if she was already theirs. The daughter’s birth mother decides she wants to keep the baby. Being obviously devastated the couple is tries to deal with the loss of what they thought was to be the beginning of parenthood. A sudden knock on the door one evening starts a domino effect of diabolical chaos. The birth mother appears on the couple’s doorstep recently attacked and dying. She tells the couple that they need to protect her daughter at all costs and that she’s in danger. They tried to save the mother but her attack was too far gone. Fleeing from their home the couple takes their daughter on the run and quickly puts themselves in a new life. Because of the devastation of the adoption falling through the FBI and all others believe this couple is responsible for the birth mother’s murder and for the fact that she is now dead on their property.

You can only run so far before you get caught up to. Now present day the past is quickly sneaking up on them and the law will stop at nothing to bring justice to the mother who was killed and her daughter who was taken all those years ago.