kellylayne's reviews
477 reviews

The Dark Hours by Amy Jordan

4.5

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

4.5

We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin

4.5

Kept me hooked til the end andnwas great on audio. Felt a few things coulda been explained more clearly, but I also appreciated how it left me feeling unsettled

Twice Shy by Sally Malcolm

4.25

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

The mystery itself was entertaining and well-written for the first 80% but, oh boy, did I find the final act unsatisfying. In my opinion, the entire resolution was deus ex machina. I also felt the author's efforts to speak to the very real problem of mens words being believed over womens words fell flat in the context of this particularly story where the lead woman has amnesia and doesn't claim any particular version of events. That said I thought the relationship between the main character and her mother was very interesting from a feminist perspective.

To Catch a Firefly by Emmy Sanders

emotional hopeful lighthearted 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? No

3.75

Really enjoyed the first 80% of this book but felt the author made some odd choices in the final act that didnt quite work

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I Thought this was a fascinating read. The depiction of spies, diplomacy, and revolutionaries felt very human and realistic. I dont know much about this field but the human behavior and character development felt true in a way that say a James Bond novel does not (no shade to them of course). People should be aware going in that this is not a pulpy spy novel or one with clear lines between good and bad guys. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, War

Out of Nowhere by Roan Parrish

dark emotional hopeful

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

4.0

This is exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up (intense hurt-comfort). It really leans into the trauma of the characters so its not gonna be everyones cup of tea, but I appreciated the detailed and deeply flawed  characters

Yield Under Great Persuasion by Alexandra Rowland

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

This was a lovely balm of a book

Message Deleted by K.L. Slater

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I found the book compelling until the final 10% or so after the mystery wraps up. The biggest issue for me was finding every single character wildly unlikeable - and not in interesting or charismatic ways where you root for them anyway. They were annoyingly selfish or gullible to me. To be fair to the author, I do think these flaws made sense for the characters and were all very human, but it made reading an unpleasant experience for me.