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chaptersofchase's Reviews (1.12k)

The Last to Vanish

4.5

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

BOOK REVIEW ✨ Thank you, Scribner Books, for the gifted copy of Last to Vanish (partner).

Genre: Mystery
Trope: Disappearance
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 7.26.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

“Everyone here is afraid of disappearing. And that no one else would notice before it was too late.”

Maybe it’s because I’ve been out on the Appalachian Trail, but this book just called to me and drew me in. I will say that the first 200 pages of the story are a bit slower than I would’ve preferred, BUT I did love the descriptions that Miranda provided the readers. There is an air of mystery to the trail, and I think Miranda did a fabulous job drawing attention to those details.

For the last part of the book, I felt like I was sitting on the edge of my couch, holding my breath. Y’all, I even stayed up until 12:30 AM to finish this one.

All of Miranda’s earlier details suddenly made sense, and it became apparent that I’d missed some obvious clues along the way. I knew there was something there, but I couldn’t put my finger on it, and then there the twist was!

The only reason that I knocked this day half a star is there is one aspect of the twist that I felt didn’t make sense. But, other than that, it was just the mystery I needed!

💨 Slow to start, but then it takes off
⛰Appalachian trail
🕵🏽‍♀️ Pay attention, or you’ll miss the clues
⁉️ Missing person(S)

Do you have a favorite hiking spot? We love to go down to the Red River Gorge.

______

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The Forest of Vanishing Stars

Kristin Harmel

5.0

adventurous challenging dark inspiring 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: N/A

Kristin Harmel has, once again, written a story that captured my heart.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Time: WWII
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 7.6.2021
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

"In the times of greatest darkness, the light always shines through because there are people who stand up to do brave, decent things."

I loved The Winemaker's Wife and was worried that I wouldn't get the same feelings from Forest of Vanishing Stars. While I was right that I didn't have the same feelings, it was because this was a wholly different story. I'm glad that I finally took the time to read/listen to this book and appreciate the beauty of Kristin Harmel's writing.

I appreciated so much about this book, but I'd have to say the all-encompassing teachings provided by Jerusza were my favorite; she included several religions (including witchcraft), but there was also a deep appreciation for the earth and what it can provide. I loved seeing how Yona came to grasp the importance of what she learned from Jerusza.

Forest of Vanishing Stars was a unique look at the WWI era. I learned about a new faction of the war and the very real people who were able to escape to the forest when their lives became endangered.

🎧 Perfectly narrated audiobook
🌳 Unique look at WWII
👩🏽 Complexity of female relationships
💔 Raw, emotional, and masterfully told story
❗️Must read Author's Note

I recommend you read The Forest of Vanishing Stars if you're a fan of The Nightingale or The Huntress.

What has been your favorite fictional WWII novel?

______

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When We Left Cuba

Chanel Cleeton

4.0

adventurous informative medium-paced

Don't mind me; I'm just over here reading Chanel Cleeton's books out of order...

Genre: Historical Fiction
Time: 1960s
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 4.9.2019
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

"If I'm going to have regrets in this life, I'd rather them be for the chances I took and not the opportunities I let slip away."

I have no idea how I missed reading When We Left Cuba. I was looking at the Chanel Cleeton books on my shelf (mentally preparing for her newest title releasing in May) when it clicked that I had somehow missed reading her second book __ But, to be fair, I've never really felt like her books need to be read in order.

Cleeton has the most beautiful writing style and always incorporates vital parts of our world's history into her storylines. She always manages to transport me into the pages of her books, allowing me to only surface to look up a landmark that she has referenced. I will forever love her books, and When We Left Cuba is no exception.

At first, I didn't love Beatriz Perez; she seemed immature and spoiled. However, by the end of the book, her character had grown on me, and I enjoyed reading about another Perez.

I recommend you read When We Left Cuba if you've enjoyed reading other Chanel Cleeton books and enjoy historical fiction.

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The Maid

Nita Prose

4.5

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Thank you. Ballantine Books, for the gifted copy of The Maid {partner}

Genre: Mystery
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 1.4.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

“It’s easier than you’d ever think—existing in plain sight while remaining largely invisible. That’s what I’ve learned from being a maid.”

I’m not even going to lie to you all — I went into this book without reading the synopsis. Or, if I did, it was a looooong time ago. Sometimes going into a book without an expectation is my favorite way to completely immerse myself in the story. For example, I had no idea this was a mystery.

Molly Gray might just be one of the most sincere characters I have read about in a book. She holds no grudges, is honest, and loves with her whole heart; we could all stand to learn a little something from Molly the Maid. With that being said, I had a tough time when people treated her unkindly. I wanted to enter the story and maybe take a few people out (I’m looking at you, Detective).

Overall, this was an entertaining story, and the audio narration was excellent. I encourage you to add it to your reading list, so hopefully, you can fall in love with Molly.

❤️ Lovable MC
💨 Quick Read
🕵🏽‍♀️ Mystery
🥰 Heart Warming

The Maid gave me a lot of All the Lonely People vibes 😍

What are you currently reading?

______
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Book Lovers

Emily Henry

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Summer Reading ☀️ Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the gifted copy of Book Lovers {partner}

Genre: Romance
Trope: Enemies to Lovers? Office?
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 5.3.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

"That's life. You're always making decisions, taking paths that lead you away from the rest before you could see where they ended. Maybe that's why we s a species love stories so much. All those chances for do-overs, opportunities to live the lives we'll never have."

Well, folks, I do believe I have my favorite romance of 2022. Emily Henry has always written books that appeal to book lovers, but this one? This story is extra special and holds a place in my heart. I may have cried the last 25% of the book because it was simply… perfect. Nora is the main character that I have been waiting for, and I want to read Book Lovers again and again.

I loved how Henry gave her characters flaws at the beginning of the story — I was annoyed and thinking, "whyyyy are you doing this, Emily Henry?". But, alas, she knew what she was doing and when the character flaws were explained, it made sense, and I was left feeling like I probably shouldn't judge a character by their flaws 🙈

Then there's Charlie, and isn't he just the most lovable grump I've read? I've seen comparisons between Charlie & Roy (from Ted Lasso), and I must say, it fits, and I love every bit. The banter between him and Nora was sweet and natural — even when it was occurring through text messages.

👍🏼 Relatable
📖 Book inside a book
🔥 One sexy library scene
😍 Charlie
🙌🏼 Nora
📝 Beautiful quotes to remember
🤩 Definite re-read

Every page of Book Lovers was a delight, and I can't wait to read the next book that Emily Henry writes. In the meantime, I'll just be over here re-reading Book Lovers. But, seriously, add this witty, heartfelt, and satisfying book to your reading list today.

What book are you most excited to read this summer?

______
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The Cartographers

Peng Shepherd

4.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Look at me checking a Book of the Month off my reading list!

Genre: Fantasy
Sub-Genre: Mystery
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 3.15.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

"Maps were love letters written to times and places their markers explored. They did not control the territory — they told its stories."

The Cartographers has been high up on my reading list since I heard about it last fall. The story seemed to be an eclectic mixture of academia, mystery, fantasy, and art! I was so excited to see it as a BOTM option and immediately started reading when the little blue box arrived at my door.

If you are looking for a fast-paced mystery, I urge you to wait to pick up this book. It is definitely a slow burn that, at times, felt over my head, but I didn't want to put it down. By page 200, I felt like I had a greater understanding of the story and the characters. I also think that's when the pace of the story stepped up.

I'm not so secretly hoping for a sequel to the Cartographers because I loved the characters so much that I'm not quite ready to give them up yet.

Besides the characters, I was also enamored by how Shepherd crafted her chapters. While the reader mainly sees the perspective of Nell and Felix, there are chapters from the other character's perspective, and it is told as if the character is speaking directly to Nell. But, Nell doesn't have any dialogue throughout that chapter. It was unique and definitely added to the storytelling vibe of the book.

🥰 Lovable characters
🗺 Illustrated maps throughout the pages
👨🏽‍🏫 Academia setting
👌🏽 Perfect for new fantasy lovers
⏳ Slow pace but picks up

The writing style and story setting reminded me of Ninth House, but not nearly as gruesome.

Have you recently read a BOTM title or any celebrity book club picks?

______

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The Kindred Spirits Supper Club

Amy E. Reichert

4.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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: Complicated

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for gifting me a copy of The Kindred Spirits Supper Club{partner}

Genre: Romance
Trope:
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 4.20.2021
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

“I’m not interested in an old-fashioned. My last old-fashioned left me for a craft mocktail.”

What a refreshing read this was! I was unsure going in and almost gave up on reading it as I was a little confused by the storyline. But, in hindsight, it wasn’t the book’s fault — sometimes it takes me a little while to get into audiobooks and become acquainted with the characters.

This story was refreshing, but it was also such a unique concept for a rom-com. Sabrina Monroe is a character that I would love to see more of, and I spent entirely too much time cheering on Molly. I figured out what was going on with Molly reasonably early on (and I also knew how it would end), but I thoroughly enjoyed the mini-romance that Reichert nestled in the pages.

And then there was Ray, who was a refreshingly charming character. All of his actions felt genuine, and I would’ve loved to have more chapters from his POV.

I never felt the need to roll my eyes or want to skip any pages of the book because I enjoyed Ray, Sabrina, Molly… all of the characters.

Personally, I think Amy Reichert needs to write another book and turn this into a series so I can have a chance to spend time with the characters again.

Who was the last character that you genuinely enjoyed reading about?

____

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Station Eleven

Emily St. John Mandel

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Re-Read and Re-Review ✨

Genre: Fiction
Trope:
Format: 📖🎧
Pub Date: 11.16.2021
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

“First, we only want to be seen, but once we’re seen, that’s not enough anymore. After that, we want to be remembered.”

Station Eleven is a re-read for me. I first read Station Eleven back in 2018 (pre-bookstagram for me). By this point, I’d say most of us are familiar with the synopsis of the book - a pandemic turns civilization upside down, and everything we know is now gone. Obviously, in 2020, this book hit way too close to home. I remember learning about COVID and thinking, ‘isn’t that what Station Eleven’ is about?’.

Before writing my review, I read my old review of the book, and honestly, not much has changed. Except in some way, I think the story resonated even more with me.

Emily St. John Mandel is truly a gifted writer, and I will gladly read everything she writes, even if it does make me uneasy at times because it feels a little too real for science fiction.

To repeat my earlier review, Station Eleven brought to light the things that we take for granted each day; the flip of a light switch, a hot meal, running water, a comfortable bed, safety, security, and family.

If you haven’t had a chance to read Station Eleven, please add it to your reading list and add Sea of Tranquility while you’re at it. Next on my St. John Mandel reading list is The Glass Hotel.

What was the last book that you re-read?

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Sea of Tranquility

Emily St. John Mandel

5.0

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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: No

Thank you, Knopf Books, for gifting me a copy of Sea of Tranquility {partner}

Genre: Science Fiction
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 3.5.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

“… we still don’t know why one person gets sick, another doesn’t, or why one patient survives, and another dies. Illness frightens us because it’s chaotic. There’s awful randomness about it.”

Sci-Fi is generally not for me, but the way Emily St. John Mandel writes, I always find myself getting lost in her books, her words, and the beautiful way she describes the most mundane events. Not to mention, I also love the way her brain works and wish I could come up with half as much as she does.

Sea of Tranquility is the first book that I’ve read, of hers, since Station Eleven, and maybe it was because I re-read Station Eleven at the same time as I read SoT, but I found all these parallels between both books. Perhaps it’s that they both orbit around pandemics. Either way, it was still fascinating to read them simultaneously.

I loved how SoT was set across thousands of years and that there were all these recurrent numbers and themes between the characters. And then that ending? Yeah, that ending made all of it make a lot more sense.

I’ve never been much on annotating books (besides using my colorful tabs), but SoT made me want to start annotating. I plan to re-read this one, and I can’t wait to see what Emily St. John Mandel writes next.

Do you annotate (highlight, underline, write in the margins)? Or, are you a tabs only type of reader like me?

_____
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One Night on the Island

Josie Silver

3.0

lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Thank you, Penguin Random House, for gifting me a copy of One Night on the Island {partner}

Genre: Romance
Trope: Forced Proximity
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 2.15.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

“I’m here, attempting to focus on me, to love my thirty-year-old self instead of some nebulous other, and I’m worried that either I’m not going to be enough, or I will never be enough, and I’ll be alone forever.”

I’ve recently discovered that I am on the hunt for a romance novel that doesn’t have a 20-something trying to check off society’s self-imposed list. Maybe that makes me a weirdo, but I am determined to find that book.

Unfortunately, One Night on the Island was not that book for me. While I did appreciate the storyline and that Cleo was trying to enter her 30’s by self-coupling (?), I just didn’t connect with her character. In my opinion, she was an entitled brat who was in desperate need of a reality check.

🤷🏽‍♀️ Self-coupling
🙄 MC’s were bland
✌🏼 Dual-perspective
🇮🇪 Ireland setting

I really wanted to love this one as I loved The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, but this one was just not for me.

What romance trope do you tend to enjoy the most?

_____
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