heidirgorecki's reviews
1051 reviews

Truly Medley Deeply by Kate Watson

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

So so good. There was so much depth and both Lou and Patty were so relatable in their hopes and struggles with past mistakes and regrets, being enough, insecurity and comparison, betrayal and trust… I felt their emotions and struggles, and the character development and writing was excellent. The mystery in Patty’s background also added such a great layer.

This book relied more on both their families rather than the Janes, and I really enjoyed the different take on Lou’s and Patty’s peripheral relationships with it. I loved both characters so much throughout the book. There was a tiny bit of a plot hole at the very end that I wish was fleshed out a little bit to fill the gap but it didn’t bother enough to change my rating. 

It was also a fun tie in with “Since There’s No Place to Go” and am looking forward to that expanding more with Sean on the next book. 

I had such a hard time putting the book down and loved it a ton. Thanks to Kate Watson for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine. 

One Good Thing: A Novel by Georgia Hunter

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

Interesting perspective of WW2 in Italy from the perspectives of Lilli, a Jew, her friend and their journey both to help other Jews with IDs but also to escape across the country. 

It was different than most books on Italy I’ve read, and I liked the different take on it but I felt sort of detached from Lilli and her story. It sort of started to just feel like one event followed by another. But overall, a good read and new information to color the landscape of Italy in WW2. 

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson

informative slow-paced

3.5

Really good information but soooo much detail about peripheral people and things that wasn’t really necessary nor added much to the book. It just made it long and hard to stay interested. 

The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple by Joanna Davidson Politano

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

The writing style was so unique, it kind of became mesmerizing. It had a whimsical and old fashioned quality of it, and I’m sure the audio helped since the narrator was perfect for it. 

I loved the elements of mystery, of restoration and redemption, and how stories don’t always end the way we hoped they would, but they can bring restoration in their own form, and an ending that’s still good. 

The Boxcar Librarian: A Novel by Brianna Labuskes

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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

Engaging and so much history, and really great nuggets about how impactful and important books are, as well as the importance of friendship and community. 

The book follows 3 beautifully crafted women on a backstoried span of time - the current being 1936, then bounces back and forth on a timeline beginning at 1914 until it meets up to the current one, explaining what happened to get us to this point. Besides the boxcar library, it also highlights the Federal Writers Project, which I’ve read about, but only in relation to the stories of former slaves, so it was some great information there too. 

Besides the history there was good mystery and really great characters. And books. Lots and lots of lovely books. I enjoyed it a ton.

In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer

challenging hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Really loving this series. I loved Maggie as a character and how bold but compassionate she was. The 3 timelines were great for history and world events creating tension, where you knew what she was about to be up against but not how she was going to handle it. And I liked the wrestling against what to do when there isn’t a clear choice and you don’t know what the best option is. 

Joy Moody Is Out of Time by Kerryn Mayne

dark hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It was a creative story of a mother who raises her “daughters” on a sort of fairy tale to cover up the truth until it runs away from her, while the girls wade thru trust, betrayal, questions and sort of redefine and relearn their family in the end. 

Some of the elements on motherhood are relatable, and I thought the effects of ultra-sheltering of the girls was well portrayed. I especially liked the undercurrent of community even when a character pushed them away for self-protection, how people pull together in a crisis or just to show someone they’re seen. 

The first part of the book was honestly really slow. The second half I liked a lot more as it picked up, but I struggled thru a little in the beginning. That said, I really liked the author’s writing style. It had a sort of honest subtlety to it that felt real and transparent. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine. 

When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Really well done. I loved the characters and the complexity of relationships and choices. The author did such a good job at making you feel whatever the characters did - good or bad - and I didn’t see the final ending coming. The history in it was also perfect. I totally got sucked into the story in every way. 

She also did so well at dealing with difficult circumstances and wrestling with God about what doesn’t make sense or is out of our control. It wasn’t preachy but compassionate and full of insight and wisdom. 

The Danger with Diamonds by Sian Ann Bessey, Traci Hunter Abramson

adventurous hopeful mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

Nice mix of suspense and a little romance. I liked the continuation from the first Falcon Point story and how it’s broken up. Switching between all 4 characters sometimes felt like I couldn’t really invest as much as I wanted in each, but it kept the book moving well regardless. 

Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery

slow-paced

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

2.0

First, the title has nothing whatsoever to do with the book. It’s a little bizarre. The entire book was about relationship and friendship drama. Nothing else actually happened from a plot standpoint.

Both female main characters were insanely naive and gullible. There was such a conflict-avoidant theme throughout the book, and even the individuals who had a sense of seeing people for who they were never did more than hint at character issues and let the women carry on with their blindly self-destructive decisions. It was pretty obnoxious. I was constantly eye-rolling thru the book.

There was so much repetitive inner dialogue, weird character dialogue, and a severe lack of boundaries between various characters the majority of the time, and cringey content or conversations here and there. I ended up increasing the speed of the audiobook to get thru it and if it wasn’t an ARC I would have ditched it pretty early on. 

Not a fan in the least, and a second strikeout by this author, so I’ll be avoiding in the future. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content