emilyrosebooks's reviews
492 reviews

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

HO-LY shit, this book had me on my toes! Very dark, and graphic crimes, but it was suspenseful and tense like a good crime novel. I loved Titus, the main character, the first Black sheriff of Charon county, and his backstory and character arc are fantastic. The writing makes it nearly a literary masterpiece, if it weren't for the murder-mystery aspect. Couldn't put this one down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Murder, Torture, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Blood, Racism, Hate crime, Colonisation, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, and Gun violence

The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.0

Proving there can be a rekindled romance even after 30 years of marriage.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.5

Friends to lovers is always so exhausting because you just see the love so clearly and want them to just shut up and be together already, but the growth of the characters and finding themselves before finally coming together is always so satisfying! Alex, the quiet, reserved teacher type, and Poppy, the bubbly world-traveling writer, have this super fun "summer trip" they started back in college. Emily Henry takes you on their current summer trip while flashing back to all the summer trips before. I laughed out loud, the banter is excellent, and I cried more than once. The perfect amount of *spice that satisfies, but keeps it out of the smut category for sure. 

Loved it!

The Amish Wife: Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy That Let a Killer Go Free by Gregg Olsen
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.

I loved Gregg Olsen's other book, If You Tell, but this one reads completely differently. For me to enjoy a true crime book it needs 2 things, an interesting crime, and good storytelling. I don't think this has either at this point in the book. 

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

Loved it! Fake dating trope, celebrity and "nobody" dating trope. What I really liked about this though was the underlying messaging of loving yourself first. Excellent little rom com that I couldn't put it down!

How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

I would not identify this as an enjoyable book, because the subject matter about how the democratic institutions in America are being dismantled piece by piece, but it was well written and informative. The history lessons of other democracies in history that have fallen into autocracies is much more in depth than what we learned in history class. I highly recommend this book because I think it is important and informative, but bring your barf bag.

Toxic: The Story of Nine Famous Women in the Tabloid 2000s by Sarah Ditum

informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

If you are a millennial, particularly a female, this was so incredibly informative and healing. Each chapter documents the rise, and often the fall, of all the 90s and 2000s icons. I remember so many of the instances referred to in this book, but looking at it through the lens of 2024 and the excellent insight of the author, paints it all in such a different light. If you were growing up and learning how to define and value yourself in this time frame, this is a must read.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

5.0

This was such a fun and quirky enemies to lovers romance and I’m absolutely obsessed!! Hart is a broody tough shell exterior with a mushy heart and Mercy is a compassionate literal sunshine and I think this story was so sweet and well written.

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

4.0

The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King

medium-paced

3.0

This is book 4.5 of the Dark Tower Series, and if you are someone who needs momentum to stick with a story, skip this one and come back to it. It is a story within a story within a story. Roland and the ka-tet are moving on and they get stuck in a big storm. While they wait out the storm, Roland tells a story of his youth, and within that story he tells a young boy another story. It is interesting, it does lend depth to Roland and his backstory, but absolutely NOT necessary to move on with the series and see what happens. 

If you like Stephen King stories with easter eggs of Randall Flagg/The Man in Black, this is one of them. In that sense, it is good, but I think it kills the momentum of Roland's quest for the dark tower.