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heidirgorecki's reviews
1054 reviews
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.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
Lots of twists and turns in this book, and I enjoyed the process of it. I thought it was well written, bouncing between Georgia and Mandy, and trying to figure out who killed Georgia’s sister, who was lying and what was real, as well as what was going to happen in the meantime.
The concept of the mental ward certainly added another layer of creepiness and suspense to the book. And the way Georgia’s chapters were written in second-perspective did the same. Well done to build the story.
While there were a couple things that felt a little too easily explained away by the end, overall I really liked it and how it unfolded. Held my attention and had my thinking thru all the possibilities.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.
The concept of the mental ward certainly added another layer of creepiness and suspense to the book. And the way Georgia’s chapters were written in second-perspective did the same. Well done to build the story.
While there were a couple things that felt a little too easily explained away by the end, overall I really liked it and how it unfolded. Held my attention and had my thinking thru all the possibilities.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.5
Cute. It was a creative spin on the characters and elements in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
The English Wife by Anna Stuart
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
4.5
Well written and a really great look at the little known wife of Winston Churchill. I thought both Clementine and Jenny, who was modeled loosely off of Janet Murrow, were well developed and I felt both women’s ups and downs in the story and was invested in their characters.
I liked how the author compared both women’s lives - and other peripheral women like Eleanor Roosevelt - in viewing independence and purpose in their lives and the war. It was a great look at how some women find fulfillment in having autonomy and independence and being successful in their endeavors working, but it is equally important for other women who invest their purpose in being selfless and supporting their husbands and making them successful instead. It is worth noting that if Churchill didn’t have Clementine putting her own needs second and putting his dreams first, he may not have been successful or won the war. She had just as important a role as more visible women but she was ok with someone else taking the lead and getting the credit. It’s a hard balance that isn’t black or white - I think each woman’s purpose is different and neither should be diminished.
Really enjoyed the book. Love looking at women in history who made a huge impact but were never well known.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.
I liked how the author compared both women’s lives - and other peripheral women like Eleanor Roosevelt - in viewing independence and purpose in their lives and the war. It was a great look at how some women find fulfillment in having autonomy and independence and being successful in their endeavors working, but it is equally important for other women who invest their purpose in being selfless and supporting their husbands and making them successful instead. It is worth noting that if Churchill didn’t have Clementine putting her own needs second and putting his dreams first, he may not have been successful or won the war. She had just as important a role as more visible women but she was ok with someone else taking the lead and getting the credit. It’s a hard balance that isn’t black or white - I think each woman’s purpose is different and neither should be diminished.
Really enjoyed the book. Love looking at women in history who made a huge impact but were never well known.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.
The Lost Girls of Ireland by Susanne O'Leary
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The writing on this, while flowing decently, was simplistic and repetitive in the storyline, the dialogue was cheesy and often unnatural especially for the male characters, and I really disliked Lydia. She was naive, child-like, timid to the point of incapable most of the time, and seemed to be inept constantly. She had to have her 14 year old daughter explain everything to her, even how to do her job, which Lydia had supposedly been successful for years doing. It was bizarre. It constantly turned their relationship on its head where Sunny, the daughter, was the adult and Lydia was the child.
I get that Ireland was neutral during the war and their systems for POWs was quite bizarre, and the crashing of the plane actually happened, but every reference to the Nazi POWs by Lydia in modern times was stripped down to only that they were “German” and completely romanticized, talking about how sweet it was that her great aunt fell in love with a Nazi, or how romantic. I would understand it back in the 40’s given the nation’s stance and being so early in the war before everything came out, but in modern times? When we know the atrocities committed by their military and their ideological and moral stance that post-war are well known? It was like the giant Nazi elephant in the room that no one wanted to mention and completely ignored to make the story interesting.
On that note, Nellie’s translation work was ridiculous as well that she’d just get random mail like that with no security measures. It just all felt super imaginary and not fact checked.
The only reason I kept going on this and didn’t abandon it was I just kept thinking the absurdity of some of the things in here had to resolve themselves. But nope, they didn’t. Not a fan.
I get that Ireland was neutral during the war and their systems for POWs was quite bizarre, and the crashing of the plane actually happened, but every reference to the Nazi POWs by Lydia in modern times was stripped down to only that they were “German” and completely romanticized, talking about how sweet it was that her great aunt fell in love with a Nazi, or how romantic. I would understand it back in the 40’s given the nation’s stance and being so early in the war before everything came out, but in modern times? When we know the atrocities committed by their military and their ideological and moral stance that post-war are well known? It was like the giant Nazi elephant in the room that no one wanted to mention and completely ignored to make the story interesting.
On that note, Nellie’s translation work was ridiculous as well that she’d just get random mail like that with no security measures. It just all felt super imaginary and not fact checked.
The only reason I kept going on this and didn’t abandon it was I just kept thinking the absurdity of some of the things in here had to resolve themselves. But nope, they didn’t. Not a fan.
The English Masterpiece: A Novel by Katherine Reay
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.0
Great mix of mystery, history, and art. I liked all the many working pieces of figuring out the forgery of the art, tracking down the clues, trying to show innocence or guilt, and dealing with all the fall out. Diana’s and Lily’s characters were a good contrast and complement and gave a lot of life and complexity to the book.
Lily’s story held some great nuggets about guilt and isolation and the damage it does not just to yourself but to those who love you. I liked her character quite a bit.
I did struggle a little with the first, maybe 25% of the book, just getting into it. I think it was a mix of all the art references which I don’t know much about, and obviously being a visual thing, felt kind of lost in, and also in the context clues that were left out initially to lead the reader into the story little by little. While normally that’s great and lends to greater investment and imagination, maybe it was just me but I felt like there were so many missing all at once without anything to anchor on. Along with the art references, it felt like walking into a conversation already in full swing and feeling like I missed something that everyone else understood.
Over everything started to come together in the second part, I enjoyed it a lot, and had a hard time putting it down.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.
Lily’s story held some great nuggets about guilt and isolation and the damage it does not just to yourself but to those who love you. I liked her character quite a bit.
I did struggle a little with the first, maybe 25% of the book, just getting into it. I think it was a mix of all the art references which I don’t know much about, and obviously being a visual thing, felt kind of lost in, and also in the context clues that were left out initially to lead the reader into the story little by little. While normally that’s great and lends to greater investment and imagination, maybe it was just me but I felt like there were so many missing all at once without anything to anchor on. Along with the art references, it felt like walking into a conversation already in full swing and feeling like I missed something that everyone else understood.
Over everything started to come together in the second part, I enjoyed it a lot, and had a hard time putting it down.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.
Finding Grace: A Novel by Loretta Rothschild
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.5
Well written and deep tho very sad. The book takes a very real, very methodical look at grief and choices, for better or worse, made out of that grief as well as hope and the aftermath of loss.
The pacing of the book is fairly slow, which is understandable since the content is so deep and methodical. I thought the concept of grief and loss was very well done. It took the complexity of living with it and really told an excellent story.
I felt for Tom and was invested in him as a character, as well as his decision making. While part of it felt like watching a car accident in slow motion, that’s what really caught you at the same time - you wanted so badly for a happy ending because he was just such a good guy.
Overall would recommend and enjoyed it, it’s just not a fast read.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.
The pacing of the book is fairly slow, which is understandable since the content is so deep and methodical. I thought the concept of grief and loss was very well done. It took the complexity of living with it and really told an excellent story.
I felt for Tom and was invested in him as a character, as well as his decision making. While part of it felt like watching a car accident in slow motion, that’s what really caught you at the same time - you wanted so badly for a happy ending because he was just such a good guy.
Overall would recommend and enjoyed it, it’s just not a fast read.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Sexual content
The Filling Station by Vanessa Miller
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
4.0
Such a sad, true story of the Tulsa Race Massacre and a look at the aftermath and what it would have been like to live thru it. It's one of those events that no matter how many times I hear and learn about similar events and attitudes in our country's history, feels incomprehensible that we as human beings ever allowed it to happen to other human beings. As much as I wish it was entirely fictional, I'm glad to have learned a new aspect of history and what black people in Tulsa went thru, that is only recently been talked about and taught. The bravery and endurance that the people in that town had to not just lose everything in a horrific way, but to have to rebuild with obstacle after obstacle in their path, as well as no acknowledgment of the injustice.
It was also inspiring to learn about the town and Black Wall Street and how it thrived at the time despite all the discrimination and everything that came against it - that the men and women had enough courage to push the imposed boundaries and live their dreams rather than be intimidated by the white people around them.
I thought the book honored the emotional toll an event like that would take on those living thru it, show the justifiable anger following, but also added such purpose to it as people decided to stay and rebuild. I don't know that I could have done it, to be honest, so that's even more commendable. I liked that there was a clear and realistic battle with not just the helplessness and anger at the situation, but the struggle with understanding God's role in it. I liked the wrestle of that and that the characters weren't afraid to ask questions but still seek God in the midst of immensely painful things. The way the community banded together was inspiring.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.
It was also inspiring to learn about the town and Black Wall Street and how it thrived at the time despite all the discrimination and everything that came against it - that the men and women had enough courage to push the imposed boundaries and live their dreams rather than be intimidated by the white people around them.
I thought the book honored the emotional toll an event like that would take on those living thru it, show the justifiable anger following, but also added such purpose to it as people decided to stay and rebuild. I don't know that I could have done it, to be honest, so that's even more commendable. I liked that there was a clear and realistic battle with not just the helplessness and anger at the situation, but the struggle with understanding God's role in it. I liked the wrestle of that and that the characters weren't afraid to ask questions but still seek God in the midst of immensely painful things. The way the community banded together was inspiring.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs