doodlebeanz's reviews
19 reviews

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.0

Bad.

Weyward by Emilia Hart

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was a rollercoaster. It was definitely not what I was expecting and in some ways it was far heavier than I anticipated. I was given the book from a coworker and she described it as being about the Salem witch trials, which I’ve always been obsessed with since I was born and raised in Boston and learned about it, but this was not about that. It was about witches, and it had the vibes of the Salem witch trials from Althea’s POV, but the main story didn’t really have that same vibe.

I loved Altha and Violet’s POVs the most. Kate was very sad, but as I do with most FMC, she made such idiotic mistakes. She righted the mistakes before they really affected her, which makes her a smarter FMC than some, but she just wasn’t as alluring as the other two women and her chapters/POV felt so bland in comparison of Altha and Violet. I think Violet was my favorite.

My two favorite topics are feminine rage and nature and this book combined the two. I absolutely loved that the Weyward’s are one with nature and that they love all creatures. I resonate with that a lot. I’m the type of person who moves out of bird’s way on the street and apologize to them if I scare them and cause them to fly away. I also chased a squirrel in central park once because he had a Doritos bag stuck on his head. I’ve always tried to usher a cockroach to safety while intoxicated. Reading this book and how these women had their little animal sidekicks (or familiars 🙄) and they each had different critters (Altha with her goat and crow, Violet with her damselfly and Kate with her bees…) I just loved the magical realism of it all!

The main lesson I took away from this story is that… women are incredible and men fucking suck and that’s that on that!

there are some disturbing and graphic scenes in this book, please need the TW for this book before reading!

Content Warnings

When She Returned by Lucinda Berry

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book was great! I really thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. I loved the cult aspect mixed with the domestic aspect. My only gripe was that I wanted to know more about Kate's psychosis and just how messed up mentally/emotionally she was. I also wanted to be a fly on the wall for

the phone calls between her and Ray,

that would've been really interesting to read. I think having a POV from Kate, maybe for the last chapter or just throughout the book, would've been REALLY interesting. I would've loved to see the story and how it all transpired (post-escaping, once she was home) from her own mind's eye. I probably would've preferred that over Meredith's POV at most points, tbh.

The story could be a bit slow at times and a bit triggering, but over all, it was definitely a fun ride! I have officially found another auto-buy author in Lucinda Berry and I cannot wait to read her other books that are available on KU!

Content Warnings

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

Sally Hepworth has become a new auto-buy author for me! I love her writing style. It was so addictive and dual POVs always make a story more interesting, especially considering one was coming from beyond the grave. The characters were so developed and they felt real to me, like they were people you would meet at the local cafe or a PTA meeting. Were they entirely likable? No, but the way Hepworth brought them to life made up for it.

Gabe and Pippa were horrible; talk about codependent toxic relationships. I felt bad for Pippa that she put up with all the crap that Gabe put her through, but she also should've left a long, long time ago. Standing by someone through mental illness is one thing, but letting said mental illness excuse horrible behavior is another.

Max and Amanda really stole my heart by the end of the story, which I think was the point. I think 'The Soulmate' that the title of the book is referring to isn't about Gabe and Pippa's relationship, but Max and Amanda's. They were the couple that was meant for one another, the couple that got through hard shit together and communicated as best as they could. Amanda defended a lot of Max's bad decisions, and he wasn't perfect, but it wasn't in the same way that Pippa did with Gabe. Max and Amanda's relationship was such a great parallel to Gabe and Pippa's. The way Hepworth writes it, you think you are supposed to be rooting for Gabe and Pippa... but in the end, you realize they are not good together and you end up happy that they get divorced.

It was definitely a slow moving book, there were chapters that felt filler and they didn't add anything to the story, and that would probably be my only gripe. This book could've been finished in 40-50 chapters, but instead it was 87... I don't think any book needs to be 87 chapters unless it is a fantasy book, tbh.

I would recommend this book to anyone, really. It isn't a thriller, it's just a domestic drama with true crime elements. Anyone who appreciates good writing and an interesting and twisty plot would enjoy this book! I've seen some negative reviews online and I'm not quite sure why... this book deserves more praise!

Content Warnings

The Teacher by Freida McFadden

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

OKAY FREIDA MCFADDEN HAS DONE IT AGAIN!

Like most of her books, I binged this one in basically 3 sittings. I could not stop reading once I started. Her writing is my FAVE and it always sucks me in immediately. From the blurb, I thought this book was going to be very different! It was a shocking surprise when I realized the direction it was going and it definitely isn't for everyone.

I felt it was the perfect length - usually anything over 330 pages for me is too much, but this book was such a breeze to read. I thought I wasn't even half way through but then I checked my progress, and I was already more than halfway done and only had 52 minutes left!

This book definitely touches on some VERY sensitive subjects so please read any trigger warnings before starting it. It was uncomfortable at times to read based on the subject matter and the character's relationships, but that was also the point of the story.

Nathaniel Bennet is a predator and he is absolutely disgusting, but Freida did SUCH a good job writing his character along with Addie's. His inner dialogue was perfect for his sociopathic and pedophilic ways and Addie's inner dialogue was spot on for a teenage CHILD who is being groomed and gaslit on a daily basis by an adult (not to mention that adult IS HER TEACHER).

I was going to give this book a basic 3-3.5 stars, which is pretty usual for me for McFadden books, but the last chapter... BAM another twist! I just stared at my wall for 10 minutes trying to grasp the twist and what it meant for the story.

The fact that Eve was ALSO sleeping with a student... INSANE. I never once suspected that to be the twist. I did expect Mr. Tuttle to make a reappearance, maybe as the one who was antagonizing Nate after Eve's "death", but I never once expected Jay to be HUDSON! That changes Eve's character TREMENDOUSLY! Also, adding in the layer of Kenize Montgomery and the poem and the fact that Nate had also groomed EVE and was sleeping with her when she was a student of his... man, the last chapter was wild and it definitely propelled this average 3 star read up to a 4.5 for me!

Content Warnings

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

Scarred by Emily McIntire

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dark tense medium-paced

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

1.0

Content Warnings

Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Content Warnings

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I was very hesitant about picking up this book since most of my BOTM books have left me quite disappointed… but this one pleasantly surprised me! I have never read a spy-themed book before, I am not usually into that sort of thing (besides Spy Kids which is a phenomenal movie) but this book was so different than anything I’ve ever read before and it was SO entertaining!

The writing was SUPERB! I got so lost in the story so many times and everything was so descriptive and well explained. Between the character building/development and the story going between past and present, I was never confused. I never had to go back and re-read something to figure out who a certain character was or how something had gone down in the past, it was all very clear. I could see the scenes and characters in my head as if I was watching a movie which made the read 10x more entertaining and fun!

I found myself rooting for Evie the entire time! I was a bit worried that the story would be sappy and cheesy <spoilers>considering she was in a relationship with Ryan who she was lying to because she’s a spy - I knew there was going to be an element of her being stuck between doing her job and being with the man she is pretending to love - but I ended up loving their relationship and really liking Evie’s character. The way Elston wrote Evie’s characterization and development was incredible. The ending was a bit cheesy but it made sense and I really did like it!

Besides Evie, the other characters were very well-written as well! Would I say they were diverse? No, they were all pretty similar and slightly one dimensional BUT they were still really entertaining and I loved watching certain characters work together and also how everyone’s secrets kinda came to light by the end!

Like most thrillers I’ve read recently, I figured out the twist pretty quickly 😭😢 but it wasn’t obvious from the start and I did end up writing a bunch of theories in my Storygraph journal which was super fun! Even once the twist was executed, the story didn’t lose any momentum or become boring, it held my attention until the very end!

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

I DON'T EVEN HAVE THE WORDS FOR THIS BOOK! I hate that I put off reading it for so long! I finished ACOMAF about a year ago, so it felt fitting to read the next book a year later (oops) but damn, I wish I started it sooner.

People said that this book was 'boring' and that it was too much about war and not enough spice and smut happened which is mostly true but this book was far from boring. I love a good Feyre x Rhysand spicy scene as much as anyone else, but I really appreciated the other relationships that were built throughout this book.

Getting a glimpse of Nesta and Cassian was probably my favorite part, tbh.

I loved reading the banter and conversations amongst the inner circle. I know you get a lot of it in ACOMAF, but this time, you actually got to see them work together and how all their minds worked as one and how much they fucking love one another. Also getting to see Nesta and Elain come into themselves (a bit) and try to deal/cope with their sudden and unwanted change... incredibly written. Getting to know Cassian, Mor, Azriel and Amren all on a deeper level too was PHENOMENAL. I will always be a Rhysand girl, always&forever, but Cassian... sheesh. I cannot wait to read ACOSF, apparently that book is pretty much all about Cassian and Nesta and I am HERE FOR IT!

I did want to scream at Feyre a couple of times throughout the story because... she's Feyre. She really doesn't make great decisions and is quite impulsive at times, but I still love my girl. Feyre was also much less annoying in this book; it finally felt like she grew up and matured. Rhys was perfect, like always.

I legitimately cried during the last probably 5+ chapters... like, real tears streaming down my face while at work. it was embarrassing but I could not put the book down for a moment and I had to know what happened.

Unfortunately, since these books are SO popular and hyped up, I know a lot of what happens in the end so I knew going into the battle/war scenes that none of my babies were going to die but STILL -

the tension of Sarah J. Maas' writing was beautiful and it really sucked me right in until the very, very end!

Also, and I mean this with my entire heart - fuck Tamlin.

He has a slight redemption at the end, sure, but seriously... fuck that guy. I am not sure if he is in ACOSF or not, but I hope he finds happiness and stops moping around like a sad angsty teenager and finds love with someone else. Also, he better forgive Lucien because that's his best friend and if he doesn't then he's really just a piece of shit.

All in all, I LOVED this book! I didn't know I could love a book more than I love ACOMAF, but they are definitely tied for my favorite right now. I cannot wait to start Silver Flames and to re-read this book and series in the (very near) future <333

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doodlebeanz's reviews 19 reviews

doodlebeanz's reviews
19 reviews