ellieb_reads's Reviews (186)

Evenings & Weekends

Oisín McKenna

3.0

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I wanted to like this, but it just wasn’t for me. There were way too many characters/POVs. And despite the fact that the writing is largely internal with very little dialogue, we somehow only get a surface-level view into each of them. If this had been a bit more focused on just Phil, Maggie, and Ed, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more. There were some bright points, but I was mostly bored or confused.

The Quiet Tenant

Clémence Michallon

4.5

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

One of the most well-written thrillers I’ve ever read! It’s somewhat of a slow burn, but I was reading so furiously that it felt faster-paced. There are three narrators, and one is written in 2nd person, which threw me off for a minute but I ended up feeling it was an interesting (maybe kind of brilliant) choice. The ending let me down just a little, mostly because I wanted to hear from one of the narrators a final time. But all in all, an excellent read.

Grown Women: A Novel

Sarai Johnson

4.0

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

An engrossing picture of generational trauma and daughters learning to forgive their mothers. The characters are flawed. but sympathetic, so I was frustrated with them and rooting for them at the same time. It’s a heavy read (gonna need to pick up something happy & light next), but for the most part really well done. The ending felt rushed and left me a bit unsatisfied though. Maybe the point was to leave some questions unanswered and some conflicts unresolved? Not sure, but I didn’t like it. That said, this is a debut novel and I’m excited to read more from her!

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

Patrick Radden Keefe

5.0

This was an excellent blend of investigative reporting and storytelling. I didn’t expect so much about the Sackler family’s history before Purdue Pharma, and I was initially not sure I was interested in hearing about some messy rich people in the 1950s. But the author quite seamlessly blends the family drama with development of OxyContin, the explosion of the opioid crisis, and eventually the Sacklers’ legal takedown, and I ended up appreciating the backstory at the beginning. Empire of Pain is a compelling account, and I learned a lot as well!

Blue Sisters

Coco Mellors

5.0

emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I knew this would be 5 stars after reading just the first paragraph. I didn’t quite relate to any of the sisters entirely, but I was totally absorbed by them and their family dynamic. I just loved this book. Blue Sisters broke my heart and put it back together, and it made me appreciate the depth of sisterhood on a new level.

Prophet Song

Paul Lynch

4.5

dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This was so expertly done, I have to admit that it probably deserves 5 stars. But it was so upsetting that I just can’t do it. This is a dystopian novel that feels terrifyingly realistic, and it was perhaps not the best choice for my own mental health to read it given the shift in U.S. government happening this month. Paul Lynch absolutely deserved the Booker Prize for this one, and I know I’ll be haunted by it for a while.