chaptersofchase's Reviews (1.12k)

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Gabrielle Zevin

3.5

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Book Review for Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Genre: Fiction
Trope: Coming-of-age
Format: 📖🎧
Pub Date: 7.5.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5

"The way to turn an ex-lover into a friend is to never stop loving them, to know that when one phase of a relationship ends, it can transform into something else. It is to acknowledge that love is both constant and a variable at the same time."

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is unquestionably a bookstagram made me do it book. If I hadn't seen such glowing reviews all over the place, I doubt I would've picked it up at my local bookstore.

I started by reading this one to get acquainted with the writing style, the characters, and the book's pacing, and then I moved on to listening to the story through Libro. FM. I can't say I preferred one over the other, but the audio did make me feel less overwhelmed by this chunk of a book. I just allowed myself to get lost in the storyline.

There wasn't an overwhelming amount of video game talk — there was definitely some, but it was nowhere near Ready Player One (which I was expecting). There's one chapter that felt odd to me and gave me the sci-fi vibes I felt in RPO, and, in complete honesty, I don't think it with the book. Also, I would like to point out that the video games in Tomorrow and Tomorrow weren't the action-heavy games I anticipated, but they had more of an Oregon Trail feel.

The story was alive with details about mundane events, which made me feel like the story could've been shortened a smidge. However, I did enjoy the nod to real-life people, places, and things, as that helped bring the story to life.

I can't say I liked the characters; Sam and Sadie each came with many proclivities that left me feeling meh towards them. Out of everyone, Marx was definitely my favorite person to follow. He seemed to be the most aware and compassionate of the main characters.

📖 Long detail oriented chapters
👀 Real-world influences
🤷🏽‍♀️ Somewhat likable characters
🛤 More Oregon Trail video game theme

❌ - suicide, mass shooting (this was the hardest part of the book to read because it was just so sad)

If you're looking for a detail-oriented book with character growth, I recommend reading tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.

______
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Content Warnings

The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie

Rachel Linden

4.25

emotional lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Thank you, Berkley Publishing and Uplit Reads, for the gifted copy of The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie. {partner}

Genre: Romance/Magical Realism
Trope: Second Chase
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 8.2.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

"Life doesn't work that way. If you cling so tight to something that's already broken, to a life and a dream that can never come true, you don't have space in your life for anything else."

I started my reading month with the Magic of Lemon Drop pie by Rachel Linden, and it was just what I needed to set August off on the right foot. It took me about 100 pages to get into the story, but then I didn't want to put it down.

You all know that I love magical realism, but I also love second-chance life stories. At some point in time, we have all been in Lolly's shoes, and reading Magic of Lemon Drop Pie had me thinking about the pieces of my life I would like to do over. This book looked at our decisions, where they lead us, and the repercussions our choices can have on our future selves.

I'm so pleased with how the ending of The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie turned out. It was a charming story that made me happy and left me smiling as I closed the book.

⏰ Past & Present
✌🏼Dual Timeline - glimpses at young romance
📖 Slow to start, but I was fully invested by page 100
💗 Second chance at love
🥰 Story of self-discovery

I recommend you read The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie if you enjoyed reading One Italian Summer.

______

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The Family Remains

Lisa Jewell

4.5

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Thank you, Atria Books, for the gifted copy of The Family Remains. {partner}

Genre: Mystery
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 8.9.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

Their secrets refuse to stay buried.

Oh, boy, was I anxious to start reading The Family Remains! I was excited because I love love love Lisa Jewell - she is one of my auto-buy authors, but I was nervous as it's been close to three years since I read The Family Upstairs, and I was afraid I'd forgotten everything. I considered a re-read but then didn't have time.

But, of course, Jewell had me covered! She supplied a family chart at the beginning of the book (why don't all authors with lots of characters do this?), and she also explained pieces of the first book I had forgotten. It felt like a natural continuation of The Family Upstairs.

It took me about 50 pages to keep up with the alternating perspectives and timelines, but once I had it figured out, I felt I could dive into the book. I loved reading along as all of the pieces of the Lamb-Thomsen family puzzle came together.

And the ending? I've seen how some people didn't love it. But, in my opinion, it was just what I needed. I felt like I had the closure that I needed since finishing The Family Upstairs in 2019.

📖 Short chapters that keep you turning the page
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family chart (so you can have a character refresh)
❗️You absolutely must read The Family Upstairs first (no skipping!)
😏 Morally grey characters that keep me hooked

❌- rape

As I mentioned above, you must read The Family Upstairs before reading The Family Remains, or you will be sorely disappointed. I recommend reading TFR if you are searching for a well-developed character-centric mystery!

______

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Content Warnings

Homicide and Halo-Halo

Mia P. Manansala

3.0

funny mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the gifted copy of Homicide and Halo-Halo. {partner}

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: 📖🎧
Pub Date: 2.8.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

“I wondered at what age you stopped caring what other people thought about you and just spoke your mind.”

Homicide and Halo-Halo was a fun break from some previously heavy reading. I also skipped the first book (whoops) and dove right into the second of the series. I don’t feel like I missed much, as the author did clue me in to a few events that occurred in Arsenic and Adobo. In my opinion, this is a cozy mystery, so there weren’t too many tense moments.

Fair warning, I advise you not to go into this one hungry because it is FULL of incredible-sounding dishes, and the author even leaves room for recipes at the back of the book.

🇵🇭 Philippine cuisine & culture
🤔 Felt more YA than Adult
🙉 Didn’t love the audiobook narrator
😵‍💫 An abundance of characters to keep track of

Overall, this one felt more of a Young Adult title than an Adult Fiction - maybe it was because it’s a cozy mystery (although I have read others from the genre and didn’t have that opinion). Homicide and Halo-Halo is a good palate cleanser that will leave you renewed and ready to take on some of the heavier books.

Out of the Clear Blue Sky

Kristan Higgins

4.5

emotional funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the gifted copy of Out of the Clear Blue Sky. {partner}

Genre: Women's Fiction
Format: 📖🎧
Pub Date: 6.7.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

"People can be ripped out of your life for all sorts of different reasons. Sometimes you'll never see it coming."

I always love Higgins's books; her books are wonderfully written, and she creates memorable take-no-crap female characters. In 2020, her novel Pack Up the Moon was my favorite book of the year (if you haven't read it, add it to your list now).

Out of the Clear Blue Sky is no exception. I alternated between reading and listening to this one as I couldn't get enough of the story. It is the first book I've read told from the perspectives of the wife, Lillie, and the other woman, Melissa. And dang it if I didn't end up liking Melissa after spending 80% of the book disliking her 😒

Everything about Lillie's character felt so honest - I can see myself reacting as she did if my husband left me for another one after 20 years of marriage. I was rolling laughing as she described all the underhanded things she did to him.

Speaking of Brad (not Bradly, btw) - I have not encountered a more obnoxious, narcissistic moron of a human in my entire life. I can't tell you how often I wanted to crawl into the book and smack him. I still feel my blood pressure rise when I think of everything he said to Lillie.

☀️ Perfect end-of-summer read
👏🏼 Well-developed characters
✌🏼 Dual Perspective
🙌🏼 Will have you laughing & cheering Lillie on
🤬 Brad
😬 An authentic look at the end of a marriage

I will say that I felt like Out of the Clear Blue Sky was Higgin's heaviest read yet. She tackles adultery, infertility, graphic miscarriage/stillbirth, drug use & sexual assault.

______

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Content Warnings

In the Middle of Hickory Lane

Heather Webber

5.0

emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

Thank you, Forge Books, for the gifted copy of In the Middle of Hickory Lane. {partner}

Genre: Magical Realism
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 7.26.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

"I think darkness can be peaceful. Sometimes you can see more clearly in the dark than you can the light. The absence of color makes you focus more intently."

Just add In the Middle of Hickory Lane to my growing list of books by Heather Webber that have swept me off my feet and transported me to the world of small-town southern magic.

Webber always writes with an immense appreciation for nature and how it protects and nourishes our bodies. While In the Middle of Hickory Lane felt different from her other books, it inevitably gave me the same feelings that all the others left me with… love. Love for the characters, the setting, the magic, and the message.

I cherish Webber's character development in her stories, but Hickory Lane felt different to me, and I think it's because the characters in this story were dealing with a lot of hurt and grief. They'd been through some pretty dark times. Still, I loved watching as they all grew and discovered what it means to be loved unconditionally.

Also, it's worth noting that this is the first book in months that has actually surprised me. It was just what I needed to get out of my reading slump.

❤️ Character development
✨ Small-town Magic
🥰 Beautiful descriptions of people, places & flowers
🤩 Finally, a book that surprised me

In the Middle of Hickory Lane is a must-read if you have loved Heather Webber's previous books (Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, South of the Buttonwood Tree & Lights of Sugarberry Cove).

______

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Content Warnings

Thank You for Listening

Julia Whelan

5.0

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted 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: Complicated

Thank you, Avon Books, for the gifted copy of Thank You for Listening. {partner}

Genre: Romance
Trope: All of them!
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 8.2.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

“To live HEA is to say, from today onward life will be happy. I mean, how can you know that? Shit happens. Over and over…. I don’t think you can know if you lived happily ever after until your life’s over... Maybe that’s why your whole life flashes before your eyes when you die. So you can see the movie from beginning to end and know.”

I genuinely do not know how to put into words how much I loved this book. I opted to listen to it (because, hello, Julia Whalen is my favorite audiobook narrator, so of course, I had to listen to the book she wrote). I rarely ever pause an audiobook to flag quotes from the book, but with Thank You for Listening, I was constantly pausing the audio and tabbing the book. And just now? I started crying when I reviewed all the quotes to figure out what to write for my review. Because this book was more than a romance, it looked at life and what it means to live, fall in love, get hurt, lose everything, grieve, and heal.

All tears aside, I also laughed out loud SO many times. When I wasn’t crying or laughing, I was listening with a constant smile on my face. The characters were all so delightful, refreshing, and REAL. I had to remind myself that I was not listening to a friend recount her story to me but listening to a fictional story about fictional people....and dang it, why can’t these people be real??

And then there was Blah Blah, and gosh, her character made me miss my grandmother. There’s one particular scene where Blah Blah asks something Sewanee does not want to comply with, and it just wrecked me. I wanted to step into the book and hug both characters.

💯 Supremely lovable characters
💜 Blah Blah
🔥 Steamy - mix between open-door & closed-door romance
🥹 Prepare to smile, laugh & cry a lot
🥵 That male MC

If you haven’t already figured it out, this will be in my favorites for 2022, and you will never convince me otherwise. I recommend reading Thank You for Listening if you enjoyed reading any of Emily Henry’s books.

______
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Two Nights in Lisbon

Chris Pavone

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Book Review ✨

Genre: International Thriller
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 5.24.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

"It's a tone that a man uses when he thinks he's being a reasonable one. A tone that transcends generations, cultures, and languages. The universal tone of condescension."

Well, this book was a surprise! It's been a while since I read an international mystery/thriller, but after several recommendations from friends, I decided to read Two Nights in Lisbon. I decided to go into the story blind - I knew it was about a woman who wakes up in Lisbon to find her husband missing. But that's all I knew; my unknowing unquestionably added to the story's mystery.

I rarely praise male authors for writing a female main character. It often feels off or icky — they make women seem fragile, indecisive, and incapable of doing anything on their own. This is not the case with Two Nights in Lisbon and Chris Pavone. He created such a badass, confident, knowledgable woman in April Pryce - she was precisely the female character I needed.

Two Nights in Lisbon was the perfect read for the post-Roe world and is full of astute observations relevant to current events. And to think this book was published in May, so for me, it was an even more significant read.

Usually, with books approaching the 500-page mark, I may feel more editing could've been done to shorten the story. But not with Two Nights in Lisbon — there were intricate details provided by Pavone that added to the story and ultimately allowed everything to come together in the end.

🌍International thriller
✍🏼 Full of intricate details that all come together
🗣 Alternating points of view
💪🏼 Strong Female Protagonist

‼️ I want to point out that this story does have some graphic details of a rape/sexual assault. There is a lead-up to that part of the story, so you know it's coming and can skip ahead. I have marked the pages in my book if you need more information.

Final take — Two Nights in Lisbon is a must-read!

______

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Content Warnings

Meant to Be

Emily Giffin

5.0

emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Thank you, Penguin Random House, for the gifted copy of Meant to Be {partner}

Genre: Romance
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 5.31.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Do you ever wonder what would have happened if JFK Jr. and Carolyn hadn't died? I thought today, on the 23rd anniversary of their death, would be a good time to post my review of Meant to Be by Emily Giffin.

I grew up with this starry-eyed admiration for the couple, and I remember learning of their death and not being able to make sense of what had happened. So, when I heard that Giffin had written a book loosely based on the couple, I immediately added it to my reading list.

Friends, this book was such a timeless love story that I can see it being made into a movie. The book follows Joe and Cate through their early childhood until they finally meet, and from there, their story begins. I don't think I will be able to pick a favorite character; they were both so authentic and respectful of one another. Joe never seemed to be that rich boy who didn't appreciate what he had. He knew Cate was perfect and their love for one another shone through the pages. Cate supported and loved Joe for who he was and not who the world saw him as.

I had to stop researching anything about JFK/Carolyn because I just wanted to pretend that this was "their story". I was utterly enamored with Giffin's writing style, and I didn't want the book to end. If you have a chance to listen to the audiobook of Meant to Be, I recommend it. The narrators were perfect — soft-spoken, enthusiastic, and full of love.

When the story's ending came, I cried because I knew there would be one of two ways that the book would end. I'm not going to go into details on how Giffin chose to end her book, but let's say it left me both heartbroken and happy.

💞 A timeless love story
📖 Read the author's note
🥹 The ending
🎧 Excellent audiobook narration
☺️ Easy to get lost in the story

______

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Death in the Family

Tessa Wegert

4.0

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Book Review 🕵🏽‍♀️

Genre: Mystery
Trope: Locked Room
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 2.18.2020
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

"Only by living the lie can guilty people deliver believable accounts."

I finally sat down and read the first book in the Shana Merchant series by Tessa Wegert. After finishing and having some time to think about the story, I see why so many people recommended it to me.

I loved the Agatha Christie vibes that Death in the Family gave me. It was a novel with A LOT of complex characters, but it fit the overall story well. I felt that if I let my mind wander, I would miss something important. Oh, btw, all those characters? I'm genuinely unsure if there is one I liked - they were all borderline crazy, and I wouldn't have been sad to see them all locked up.

One big thing that I didn't like was Tim. He started as a good guy; he sounded supportive of Shana and the decision that she was making, but then his character flipped, and he made a few misogynistic remarks? But then it seemed like his character returned to being the good guy. I'm still not 100% sure I didn't miss something there, but I didn't particularly appreciate that Shana tolerated his attitude.

Another aspect of the story that I liked was Shana's flashbacks to what happened to her before this incident. There is SO much more to Shana's story that Wegert hasn't let her readers in on, and I'm eager to find out where she will lead us next.

🙅🏽‍♀️ Unlikeable characters
🔎 Agatha Christie vibes
👥 LOTS of people to keep track of
⏮ Flashbacks
🗣 Multiple perspectives
🕵🏽‍♀️ Police investigation

I'm so glad that Death in the Family ended with a cliffhanger — I can't wait to read book two and three (which comes out soon).

______

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