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cordelia_gretson's reviews
283 reviews
Little Black Dress by James Patterson
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Almost an attempt at a woman taking control of her sexuality and feeling empowered, but without a plot and FMC slutshaming herself.
Binge through it or skip it. Nothing memorable and probably won’t remember reading it a year from now.
Binge through it or skip it. Nothing memorable and probably won’t remember reading it a year from now.
The Medical Examiner by James Patterson
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Book shots are like being dropped off at an amusement park and told you can ride one rollercoaster and you’re done- quick, adrenaline pumping, but ultimately too short to completely satisfy the thrill factor.
Really enjoyed following someone other than Lindsay, especially with the series continuing to decrease emphasis on the integration of all four women- you know the entire concept of WMC.
Cindy- I could strangle you (as per usual). I will never forgive Jim for killing Jill and not Cindy and then serving Yuki the short stick with every installment.
Really enjoyed following someone other than Lindsay, especially with the series continuing to decrease emphasis on the integration of all four women- you know the entire concept of WMC.
Cindy- I could strangle you (as per usual). I will never forgive Jim for killing Jill and not Cindy and then serving Yuki the short stick with every installment.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
The first 5⭐️ of 2025!
A rich and deeply emotional story bringing the resilience of human kind through one of the darkest periods of documented history.
Isabelle’s journey from reckless and obstinate girl, to fearlessly defiant woman gives an important POV of women’s resistance and determination.
Vianne’s journey of dutiful and obedient wife, mother, and woman in society, following the straight and narrow more or less, to tenacious and preserving matriarch and savior of the forcibly abandoned.
Both sister’s give an emotionally devastating glimpse of the battles endured off the traditional battlefield. The discover their own strength while maintaining who they are at the core despite how the war challenged and changed them. The typical fights and differences between sisters and strained relationship with their father make them feel even more realistic and tangible, which helps the narrative when so much happens that seems impossible, but realistically did.
Love the unknown, present day narrator and went from one to the other and back again (ultimately landing on the correct person, but a gut punch served with its reveal).
If I hadn’t read several other WWII Occupation and Holocaust stories before, it probably would have made me cry- and almost did at the very end. I did feel the tension, anxiety, and fear throughout the book and therefore sat on the edge of my seat and devoured it.
A rich and deeply emotional story bringing the resilience of human kind through one of the darkest periods of documented history.
Isabelle’s journey from reckless and obstinate girl, to fearlessly defiant woman gives an important POV of women’s resistance and determination.
Vianne’s journey of dutiful and obedient wife, mother, and woman in society, following the straight and narrow more or less, to tenacious and preserving matriarch and savior of the forcibly abandoned.
Both sister’s give an emotionally devastating glimpse of the battles endured off the traditional battlefield. The discover their own strength while maintaining who they are at the core despite how the war challenged and changed them. The typical fights and differences between sisters and strained relationship with their father make them feel even more realistic and tangible, which helps the narrative when so much happens that seems impossible, but realistically did.
Love the unknown, present day narrator and went from one to the other and back again (ultimately landing on the correct person, but a gut punch served with its reveal).
If I hadn’t read several other WWII Occupation and Holocaust stories before, it probably would have made me cry- and almost did at the very end. I did feel the tension, anxiety, and fear throughout the book and therefore sat on the edge of my seat and devoured it.
The 18th Abduction by Maxine Paetro, James Patterson
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
As a book, it gets 3 ⭐️ I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.
As an installment in the WMC series? Are we sure they are even considering themselves that anymore? The lack of integration of the four women really steals the excitement and love of this series to the point of asking - Jim, when is enough, enough? Do you need 27 to edge out Sue Grafton’s 26 book collection? It’s like Grey’s Anatomy, being strung around because you were there from the start and want to see it to the end, but you’ve stopped caring about the characters, everything seems generic, and you question if you or the author is in life support.
The 5 year flashback for most of the book is a bizarre choice and about 8 books out of sequence. Not as bizarre as the flash back in the flash back for a few chapters that had zero purpose or development. The ending was a lackluster - womp womp. Lack of justice and a how tf would that have even happened in the ICC.
As an installment in the WMC series? Are we sure they are even considering themselves that anymore? The lack of integration of the four women really steals the excitement and love of this series to the point of asking - Jim, when is enough, enough? Do you need 27 to edge out Sue Grafton’s 26 book collection? It’s like Grey’s Anatomy, being strung around because you were there from the start and want to see it to the end, but you’ve stopped caring about the characters, everything seems generic, and you question if you or the author is in life support.
The 5 year flashback for most of the book is a bizarre choice and about 8 books out of sequence. Not as bizarre as the flash back in the flash back for a few chapters that had zero purpose or development. The ending was a lackluster - womp womp. Lack of justice and a how tf would that have even happened in the ICC.
The Coworker by Freida McFadden
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
If you ever want to read a book where you hate every character and scream JFC at your book every third page as a form of stress relief from your daily life - boy do I have a recommendation for you. Not a single likable character.
This book does follow a favorite plot tool of Frieda’stwisting a person’s name into something just obscure enough it doesn’t send up too many red flags. But looking at my annotations I nailed that twist concretely at page 35.
I liked turtles, and now I’m going to side eye every single one until this book falls from my memory.
While I appreciate the inclusion of a spectrum character, I hate that she was so unlovable and unredeemable. An unfair slam, imo.
This book does follow a favorite plot tool of Frieda’s
I liked turtles, and now I’m going to side eye every single one until this book falls from my memory.
While I appreciate the inclusion of a spectrum character, I hate that she was so unlovable and unredeemable. An unfair slam, imo.
Choice by Jodi Picoult
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
113 Minutes by James Patterson
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
3.0
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? No
3.0
Felt good to get this off the perpetually growing TBR, where it has sat according to my records since 2015. So a decade later, I finally picked it up.
Ok, so this absolute brick of a book…
Has a cast of colorful (erhmm, happily monochromatic) characters. A deep deck to pull from and intertwine, which kind of happens - more like braided together, part of the story but not completely feeling connected in all aspects for the author to treat them as all main characters.
Plot- is there one? You’re there to observe and take in the circus, the labyrinth of tents and rooms that lure you in and the keepers/designers of the rooms. You jump in time and place to an endless number of locations that are wonderfully built, but ultimately feel a bit disjointed.
As for this “competition”… if that isn’t the most vague and loose definition of the word, then I don’t know what. More like forcibly entwined with no real definition of what would put one ahead, what the goals were, or even who was each’s competition. The inventors of the competition are pretty vile and cruel individuals whose extensive time on earth has robbed them of empathy and humanity more than anything else.
If you like time jumps- this book is for you. Personally, I’m often a fan of following say two timelines, but this often felt chaotic and had to constantly flip back to the beginning of the chapter to reorient myself if it came before or after a previous chapter. As such, there were long sections of dialogue that only used pronouns and I would lose track of what characters were even speaking and who else was in the room.
Strangely enough, my favorite character ended up being one of the side characters, and became much more attentive in chapters that included him.
Without saying who, I found the deaths of characters to be oddly abrupt, reading back through to make sure that’s exactly what did happen. One character you don’t even know is in the setting and another just alive one breath and gone in the next.
If we’re going to chug through 500+ pages, I would have liked a better ending.There’s too many questions left unanswered. What happens to Marco and Celia after the fire is relit and this grand competition is left in a freaking stalemate? If Hector and A. H.’s students are left in a stalemate, how does this not backfire on them as their binders- how do they exist in any fashion? Why are the Murray twins now running the circus? How did relighting the flame draw that conclusion?
Overall: I liked it. Is it life changing? No. Would I read it again? Also no. Would I recommend it? Only to certain people and not to anyone that wants to get into reading or out of a reading slump.
Ok, so this absolute brick of a book…
Has a cast of colorful (erhmm, happily monochromatic) characters. A deep deck to pull from and intertwine, which kind of happens - more like braided together, part of the story but not completely feeling connected in all aspects for the author to treat them as all main characters.
Plot- is there one? You’re there to observe and take in the circus, the labyrinth of tents and rooms that lure you in and the keepers/designers of the rooms. You jump in time and place to an endless number of locations that are wonderfully built, but ultimately feel a bit disjointed.
As for this “competition”… if that isn’t the most vague and loose definition of the word, then I don’t know what. More like forcibly entwined with no real definition of what would put one ahead, what the goals were, or even who was each’s competition. The inventors of the competition are pretty vile and cruel individuals whose extensive time on earth has robbed them of empathy and humanity more than anything else.
If you like time jumps- this book is for you. Personally, I’m often a fan of following say two timelines, but this often felt chaotic and had to constantly flip back to the beginning of the chapter to reorient myself if it came before or after a previous chapter. As such, there were long sections of dialogue that only used pronouns and I would lose track of what characters were even speaking and who else was in the room.
Strangely enough, my favorite character ended up being one of the side characters, and became much more attentive in chapters that included him.
Without saying who, I found the deaths of characters to be oddly abrupt, reading back through to make sure that’s exactly what did happen. One character you don’t even know is in the setting and another just alive one breath and gone in the next.
If we’re going to chug through 500+ pages, I would have liked a better ending.
Overall: I liked it. Is it life changing? No. Would I read it again? Also no. Would I recommend it? Only to certain people and not to anyone that wants to get into reading or out of a reading slump.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The Inmate by Freida McFadden
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There should be a prize for every single character being unlikable- it’s almost impressive if not a bit annoying.
FMC is infuriating, often saying the right thing to do and blatantly disregarding it and doing the stupid alternative. In addition to her ability to be gaslit by everyone, including herself, she lacksthe ability to recognize people she once knew. It doesn’t seem feasible that she forgot this many people. The whole trial seems like a sham with her watery testimony she doesn’t even believe to be true, getting a guy a life sentence then saying oh gosh I think I was wrong, sprinting that guy from prison and incarcerating another without repercussions. I don’t think so.
Always go into a Freida book accepting the boundaries of feasibility, but this time the Queen of Redundancy (and boy did she like to repeat herself in this book) asked the reader to stretch too far. It’s not feasible, but rather a farce.
FMC is infuriating, often saying the right thing to do and blatantly disregarding it and doing the stupid alternative. In addition to her ability to be gaslit by everyone, including herself, she lacks
Always go into a Freida book accepting the boundaries of feasibility, but this time the Queen of Redundancy (and boy did she like to repeat herself in this book) asked the reader to stretch too far. It’s not feasible, but rather a farce.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol