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chaptersofchase's Reviews (1.12k)
medium-paced
I really wanted to love this... but it just didn’t hit the same. 😞
Genre: Young Adult
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 8.29.2023
Pages: 480
Star Rating: ☆☆☆
Y’all, I’m so bummed. I devoured the first two books in The Inheritance Games series and was sure The Brothers Hawthorne would be another favorite. But something about this one just didn’t click for me.
The biggest shift? We’re following two separate storylines—mainly Jameson and Grayson—and I really missed the full-cast dynamic. The fun, high-stakes group banter from the earlier books? Pretty much gone. Avery pops in here and there, but the vibe was totally different.
And the pacing? Rough. We spend almost 400 pages watching the brothers do their own thing… only for a huge part of the puzzle to be solved in just a few pages. It felt rushed, uneven, and honestly a little disappointing after how strong the earlier books were.
Read this one if you enjoy:
🧩 Puzzles
✈️ World travel
🧬 Family drama
🗝️ Secrets
🧩 Puzzles
✈️ World travel
🧬 Family drama
🗝️ Secrets
I still recommend reading the full Inheritance Games series if you haven’t yet—but just know that book 4 feels like a departure, and the format may impact your experience.
______
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dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
That cover? Pure witchcraft.🖤
Thank you, Del Rey Books & PRH Audio, for the gifted copy of The Bewitching {partner}
Genre: Horror
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 7.15.2025
Pages: 368
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5
I knew I’d be reading The Bewitching the moment I laid eyes on that haunting, gorgeous cover. It called to me.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia remains one of the few horror authors I consistently reach for. She masterfully builds eerie atmospheres and unforgettable women who echo through time.
This book delivers on that front, weaving together three timelines of women haunted by shadows. The layered folklore gave the story a chilling richness, and much of the plot kept me intrigued.
That said, the pacing dragged in places, and certain parts felt repetitive. I also guessed the “big twist” early on, which might’ve been intentional, but it dulled the payoff. And one subplot didn’t sit right with me—icky in a way that took me out of the story a bit.
cw: animal death (you will see it coming)
Audiobook Review: ★★★
Narrated by Gisela Chipe, whose voice was warm and compelling (I kept picturing my favorite college professor). However, with multiple timelines and characters, this one would have benefited from having a different narrator for each time period. It was hard to track where and when we were. If you plan to read it, opt for a physical version.
Read if you enjoy:
✨ Folklore
🫶🏼 Multigenerational stories
🗣️ Multiple POV
💪🏼 Strong female protagonists
🖤 Dark academia
I recommend reading The Bewitching if you’re in the mood for folklore and witchy tales to get you in the mood for fall.
______
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Loveable characters:
Complicated
A sharp mystery with substance.
Thank you Bantam & Random House for the gifted copy of Happy Wife {partner}
Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 6.24.2025
Pages: 320
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆
This was the juicy mystery I didn’t know I needed—but I devoured every last page.
One of my favorite things about this story? The protagonist is actually likable. She’s pulled out of her everyday life and dropped into a world of designer homes and high society, yet she never loses her grounded, down-to-earth nature. It made rooting for her effortless.
What really stood out, though, was how the story explored class dynamics, performative marriages, social power plays, and the illusion of “having it all.” The authors tackled big ideas—what it means to be a perfect wife, a good neighbor, a real friend—without ever feeling preachy or heavy-handed. It all unfolded in a way that was sharp, smart, and completely addicting.
And the twists? 👏🏻 They didn’t take the easy way out. The story moved with intention, redirecting just when I thought I had it figured out—and I loved every turn.
Read if you enjoy:
📖 Short Chapters
✌🏼 Dual Timeline
🫶🏼 Lovable FMC
🤔 Social Dynamics
I recommend reading Happy Wife if you enjoyed reading The Last Thing He Told Me or Big Little Lies
______
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fast-paced
Short, sweet, and full of heart—now I just need more time in Oxford. ✈️
Genre: Romance
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 4.18.2024
Pages: 352
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆
“But the hardest thing is staying. The hardest thing is living with dying. Loving with dying. The hardest thing is love, with no expiration date, no qualifiers, no safety net. Love that demands acceptance of all things I cannot change. Love that doesn't follow a plan.”
Like any good bibliophile, I have to read the book before watching the adaptation. So when I saw the trailer for My Oxford Year pop up on Netflix, I grabbed a copy and dove right in!
A couple of years ago, I read Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan (which I adored), and I’ve always loved her audiobook narrations—so I’m currently kicking myself for waiting this long to read this one.
The story was engaging, the characters lovable, the setting pure escapist perfection, and the entire book had that cozy-meets-heartfelt vibe I love. Honestly, my only complaint? It felt too short. I would’ve gladly read another hundred pages just to stay in this world a little longer.
Read if you enjoy:
🏴 England
💗 Stories with heart
🥰 Charming characters
🫶🏼 Life lessons
I’m so excited to see it brought to life on screen—and to spend a bit more time with these characters I already miss.
______
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fast-paced
Started strong, lost its way—but I’d read this author again.
Thank you, St Martins Press & Macmillan Audio, for the gifted copy of The Locked Ward {partner}
Genre: Mystery
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 8.5.2025
Pages: 320
Star Rating: ☆☆☆
“The most dangerous animal on earth isn’t the great white shark or a hungry crocodile or a momma bear. It’s the human being.”
I really had high hopes for The Locked Ward—it had so much promise at the beginning. The atmosphere was unsettling, the setup was intriguing, and I was genuinely excited to see where it would go.
But by the halfway point, everything started to unravel. The characters lost momentum, their choices became frustrating or hard to believe, and the plot started to feel scattered. What began as a tightly paced mystery slowly shifted into something that felt less sure of itself, and honestly, I kept waiting for it to recapture that initial spark.
The one thing that kept me going? The short chapters. They gave the book a sense of pace and urgency that made it easy to keep reading, even when I wasn’t fully invested. And to the author’s credit, I thought I had the ending all figured out—but I was wrong. I always appreciate when a story surprises me, and this one didn’t take the obvious route, which I applaud.
Even though The Locked Ward didn’t fully land for me, I’d still pick up another book from this author. There’s clearly talent here, and I’d love to see how their next story unfolds with stronger execution.
Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆☆
The audiobook for The Locked Ward is narrated by January Lavoy and per usual she did an excellent job brining the book to life. My only criticism is that I think the story would’ve been better if there had been more than just one voice actor — I did find myself getting confused on which POV I was listening to.
Read if you enjoy:
💨 Quick Reads
📖 Short Chapters
🗣️ Alternating POV
_____
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fast-paced
Creepy start, but the mystery couldn’t keep its momentum.
Thank you, Grand Central Publishing & Hatchett Audio for the gifted copy of Night Watcher {partner}
Genre: Mystery
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 7.8.2025
Pages: 336
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆
This was one of those mysteries that had so much potential… but in the end, it just didn’t quite work for me.
The opening had that perfect blend of eerie atmosphere and unease that I love in a mystery, but somewhere along the way, the tension fizzled out. Maybe I’ve just read too many stories about serial killers and unsolved cases, but this one felt overly familiar—too convenient, too cliché.
The characters didn’t do much to elevate the story, either. One of the male leads, a police detective, kept missing obvious details that made him come across as strangely aloof and a little unbelievable. I did enjoy the female protagonist and the way her story unfolded—but even that didn’t feel like enough to carry the whole book.
I wanted more complexity. More edge. Something that would keep me up late flipping pages. Sadly, this one just didn’t get there.
Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆☆.5
I think that the reason I kept reading Night Watcher is because the narration was perfection! It added the perfect eerie element and kept me hyper focused on what was happening. If you’re going to give this one a read, I highly recommend reading it with your ears.
Read if you enjoy:
🎙️ True Crime Podcasts
🕵🏽♀️ Unsolved Mysteries
🗣️ Multiple POV
📖 Debut Novels
I recommend reading Night Watcher if you enjoyed the pacing of Someone in the Attic or Nightwatching.
______
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slow-paced
If you could step into any painting and wander around, what would it be?
Thank you, Random House, for the gifted copy of The Art of Vanishing {partner}
Genre: Magical Realism
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 7.1.2024
Pages: 304
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5
I love spending an afternoon getting lost in a museum — being surrounded by the work of some of the most creative minds in history or standing just feet from a priceless artifact. There’s something magical about it that always helps me see the world more clearly.
That’s precisely what drew me to The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager. The idea of stepping into artwork? Yes, please! Pager brought both her characters and the art itself vividly to life, and I truly admired that about the book.
That said, the story started strong but lost some of its spark for me as it progressed. The pacing felt rushed, and the romance didn’t quite click for me. I can’t pinpoint exactly why, but I felt like something was missing — though there’s so much promise in Pager’s writing, and I’m excited to see what she does next.
Read if you enjoy:
🖼 Art museums
🗽 New York City
📜 History
Even though it wasn’t a perfect fit for me, I loved the concept, and I think many readers will enjoy the blend of art, history, and imagination. I recommend reading The Art of Vanishing if you enjoyed The Night at the Museum or Kate & Leopold.
______
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fast-paced
Rich people + family drama + secrets = my favorite kind of summer storm.
Thank you, Random House, for the gifted copy of These Summer Storms {partner}
Thank you, Random House, for the gifted copy of These Summer Storms {partner}
Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 7.8.2025
Pages: 400
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
“Everything would be chaos again in the morning; secrets didn’t go back to being secrets by the light of day.”
These Summer Storms was THE book that I had been craving. I needed something with a juicy storyline and characters that you love to hate and hate to love. Sarah MacLean delivered everything that I needed and then some.
I did not expect to find a romance in this story, but I did, and it gave off the perfect “touch her and die” vibes. This is my first book by the author, and apparently, romance is her specialty, which is definitely evident in These Summer Storms.
However, don’t worry; romance is not the sole focus of the book. You don’t get that much of it (but what you do get it 👌🏼). You will also find the perfect salacious family drama, full of secrets, character conflict, and obscenely wealthy people misbehaving.
Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆☆☆
Julia Whelan narrated this book so 🤩😎🥳 That is all.
Read if you enjoy:
🎭 Family drama
😎 Character conflict
🤑 Wealthy people misbehaving
🙌🏼 Inheritance Games (not the YA book)
🤫 Lots of secrets
There’s a little bit of everything for everyone, which will make it the perfect read to throw in your beach bag this summer!
______
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funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Nothing says family bonding like chasing down the dad who ghosted you. 🚗 💨
Thank you, Ecco Books, for the gifted copy of Run for the Hills {partner}
Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 5.13.2025
Pages: 256
Star Rating: ☆☆☆
Run for the Hill is my first book from Kevin Wilson, and it definitely won’t be the last! I know from reading reviews of the author’s previous book that I could expect quirky yet relatable characters, and I found that in this book.
At the heart of the story is a group of siblings trying to come to terms with their father’s abandonment and lies while simultaneously setting out to try to find their long-lost father. What ensues is a bunch of hilarious road trip drama that will leave you tearing up from emotions or laughter.
Read if you enjoy:
😜 Dysfunctional family
🥺 Emotional stories
🚗 Road trips
📖 Character-driven reads
While I wouldn’t say that I loved the book, I did find it highly entertaining, and it provided the perfect escape read during a rather difficult week. I would encourage you to add it to your summer reading list!
______
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