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kendallreadsitall's reviews
313 reviews
Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Dez, an aspiring fashion designer, has a plan to get to the famous editor-in-chief of Nouveau Magazine, Marie Ruskin through her son, Patrick. She craves an internship, or really anything that can be put on her resume. He ends up inviting Dez to their secluded family island for their Easter family reunion, so Dez packs up all of her best designs and is ready to impress. Soon after arriving, things get weird… and bloody…
I absolutely LOVED THIS BOOK! Female rage, revenge, and eat the rich vibes, and I couldn’t get enough! I don’t want to give up much about the plot because it was so much fun going in blind, but get ready to audibly cheer as you read this one. I truly loved every second!
The audiobook was narrated by Elisabeth Ashby, who slayed this performance. Truly a spectacular short lil audiobook at only a 5 hour listen.
I absolutely LOVED THIS BOOK! Female rage, revenge, and eat the rich vibes, and I couldn’t get enough! I don’t want to give up much about the plot because it was so much fun going in blind, but get ready to audibly cheer as you read this one. I truly loved every second!
The audiobook was narrated by Elisabeth Ashby, who slayed this performance. Truly a spectacular short lil audiobook at only a 5 hour listen.
Little Ghosts by Gregg Dunnett
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
An incredibly heartbreaking and moving story about a family stricken in grief over the kidnapping and murder of their 10 year old daughter Layla. Two years later, little brother Gail is turning 10, the age Layla was when she was taken from this earth, and still there are no suspects in the case. Gail, introverted and quiet, sees his sister Layla but assumed, mostly via his therapist, that it was a figment of his imagination caused by his overwhelming grief, until she speaks to him. After the shock of his ghostly sister actually speaking to him, they work together to finally find the missing pieces to this seemingly unsolvable puzzle.
Wow, y’all. This book was intense. All of the suspense you want in a thriller, amazing character development, and no stone unturned. The writing was immaculate, though the story was tough to stomach at times. This one has been in my tbr list for a while now, and I’m so glad I was able to fit it in before the end of this year. I’ll say, I guessed the twist a little early, but that truly didn’t even matter because the book was so incredibly good.
The audiobook was narrated by Katie Villa who told this story excellently.
TW: Child death, abduction, child abuse
Wow, y’all. This book was intense. All of the suspense you want in a thriller, amazing character development, and no stone unturned. The writing was immaculate, though the story was tough to stomach at times. This one has been in my tbr list for a while now, and I’m so glad I was able to fit it in before the end of this year. I’ll say, I guessed the twist a little early, but that truly didn’t even matter because the book was so incredibly good.
The audiobook was narrated by Katie Villa who told this story excellently.
TW: Child death, abduction, child abuse
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Child death
Stacking Doll by Carlton Mellick III
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wish I could be Mellick’s brain worm so I could have a further glimpse into his mind because who the heck comes up with this stuff?! Stacking doll was simultaneously insane and so very beautiful in a way I didn’t expect. I always think it’s best to go into Mellick’s books blind, so I won’t say much more than that. But wow, I really loved this bizarre and touching story about a man falling in love with an unusual being.
Things Don't Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This moving story uses multiple timelines and multiple points of view to create the poetic structure that revolves around grief, sisterhood, unfinished love, and family. Willa’s sister, Laika, went missing when she was just 13. Willa never learned to cope with this loss and had completely defined her life. Everyone believes Laika is dead, but Willa refuses this notion and wholeheartedly believes her sister is still out there. Going back and forth from Willa’s childhood of navigating her new life without Laika, to adulthood at dinner with her childhood best friend and first love, Robyn, we see the story of these girls take shape in a beautifully gut wrenching way. It’s almost tough to describe this story because of the nature of how it’s written, but the main theme is Laika’s disappearance and how it has affected Willa and the lives that surround her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Character driven with likable, or at the very least, extremely interesting characters. It was an excellently crafted story that fit in multiple themes without making the plot too muddy, which I applaud the author for. The structure of this story really made the mystery build and led up to a satisfying and well rounded ending.
The audiobook was narrated by Christina Cole, Emily Lucienne, and Nathalie Buscombe, all of whom did an amazing job at delivering this story and maintaining the underlying tone of sadness that this book holds.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Character driven with likable, or at the very least, extremely interesting characters. It was an excellently crafted story that fit in multiple themes without making the plot too muddy, which I applaud the author for. The structure of this story really made the mystery build and led up to a satisfying and well rounded ending.
The audiobook was narrated by Christina Cole, Emily Lucienne, and Nathalie Buscombe, all of whom did an amazing job at delivering this story and maintaining the underlying tone of sadness that this book holds.
Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
One of the only romance series you’ll catch me reading, and I just have to say that this was by far my favorite in the Rebel Blue Ranch Series. I feel like each book has gotten better and better, and I already cannot wait to see what Wild and Wrangled brings!
Gus and Teddy’s love story was one for the ages. Teddy is Gus’ sister, Em’s, childhood bestie who he cannot stand, and Teddy returns that sentiment. These two survive each other’s presence by giving each other digs at every corner and making sure they have a comeback ready to go. After Teddy loses her job and Gus is in need of a nanny for his daughter Riley, their world’s collide in a way they didn’t expect, seeing the qualities in each other that they never knew to look for until living under the same roof.
The audiobook was narrated by Jason Clarke, Samantha Brentwood, and Lyla Sage. I’ll be honest, at first I didn’t love the voice choices for these characters just because it wasn’t what I had pictured them sounding like in the previous books, but as the story went on, I grew to enjoy the way they portrayed Teddy & Gus and understand why these voices fit so well.
This series should probably be read in order, but you can read these books as a standalone too!
Gus and Teddy’s love story was one for the ages. Teddy is Gus’ sister, Em’s, childhood bestie who he cannot stand, and Teddy returns that sentiment. These two survive each other’s presence by giving each other digs at every corner and making sure they have a comeback ready to go. After Teddy loses her job and Gus is in need of a nanny for his daughter Riley, their world’s collide in a way they didn’t expect, seeing the qualities in each other that they never knew to look for until living under the same roof.
The audiobook was narrated by Jason Clarke, Samantha Brentwood, and Lyla Sage. I’ll be honest, at first I didn’t love the voice choices for these characters just because it wasn’t what I had pictured them sounding like in the previous books, but as the story went on, I grew to enjoy the way they portrayed Teddy & Gus and understand why these voices fit so well.
This series should probably be read in order, but you can read these books as a standalone too!
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I had originally been approved to listen to the audiobook arc of Private Rites, but I also selected this as my December Aardvark book. So, I guess this is a book and audiobook review being my first immersive read! One thing I found interesting is the Before section was not included in the audio, which made me wonder how much text I’ve missed in other audiobooks I’ve listened to.
Private Rites is an apocalyptic literary fiction with very slight horror elements. Three semi-estranged sisters, Isla, Irene, and only half-sister, Agnes, are all queer women living in a world slowly immersing itself under water with constant rain and unspeakable weather. Their father, architectural genius, passes away, which brings these sisters back together for an awkward reunion. Isla and Irene bond over their dislike of Agnes, while Agnes, mostly a pessimist, finds joy in the small things like writing the wrong name on coffee cups at her job. As the weather gets worse and their world becomes more flooded, the turmoil between the sisters increase.
This one unfortunately missed the mark for me. Overall, it felt like it was just the juxtaposition of menial sibling fights continuing even as the world is quite literally ending, but then the last 50 pages happen and things just got weird and almost didn’t even fit to me. I wish it would have either had way more of the weird “horror” elements, and I say horror extremely lightly, or none at all. The pacing was slow, and I know that if I hadn’t read it immerssevely, this would have been a dnf for me more than likely.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this audiobook.
Private Rites is an apocalyptic literary fiction with very slight horror elements. Three semi-estranged sisters, Isla, Irene, and only half-sister, Agnes, are all queer women living in a world slowly immersing itself under water with constant rain and unspeakable weather. Their father, architectural genius, passes away, which brings these sisters back together for an awkward reunion. Isla and Irene bond over their dislike of Agnes, while Agnes, mostly a pessimist, finds joy in the small things like writing the wrong name on coffee cups at her job. As the weather gets worse and their world becomes more flooded, the turmoil between the sisters increase.
This one unfortunately missed the mark for me. Overall, it felt like it was just the juxtaposition of menial sibling fights continuing even as the world is quite literally ending, but then the last 50 pages happen and things just got weird and almost didn’t even fit to me. I wish it would have either had way more of the weird “horror” elements, and I say horror extremely lightly, or none at all. The pacing was slow, and I know that if I hadn’t read it immerssevely, this would have been a dnf for me more than likely.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this audiobook.
A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill quickly intrigued me. Starting out in the POV of Margaret, a former-nepobaby-rich girl turned into the daughter of a failed businessman trying to work her way through college in a bookstore. She meets Harry, McDonald’s employee and Lovecraft/Horror connoisseur, and they quickly fall in love, despite her mother’s insistence that she find a wealthy man to marry. I loved the beginning of this story with Margaret and Harry’s quick romance through horror and supernatural elements of monsters afflicting their world, but we jump quickly to later down the road. Margaret and Harry are in a seemingly loveless marriage with their two daughters, Sydney and Eunice, running a local family owned haunted house as their day job. The POV then switches to Noah, the semi-unwanted conceived son, and we view the rest of the book through his eyes. Monsters target this family in nightmarish ways, which brings the supernatural element to this story, but as a child, Noah gets targeted by one monster in a very strange, friendly, and eventually romantic way. I fear I would give up too much of the story if I were to go on, but this is the gist of the story.
I have to start by saying that I wish I would have read this physically. Not at all that the audiobook was bad, it was actually very well produced with an incredible narrator, Sean Patrick Hopkins, and sound effects throughout. I always love sound effects and mood-setting music in audiobooks, and I think it adds a sort of an extra quality to the book that makes it special. However, this book jumps timelines and settings quite often, and through audio, I had a hard time grasping where I was in the story, which was tough. Besides this, I thought it was a gorgeously written literary horror book with a very unique premise while nodding to Lovecraft in many elements.
I definitely would recommend this book, but like I said, I recommend picking up a physical copy. This would be a great book to do an immersive read on, as the audiobook truly was gorgeously produced.
I have to start by saying that I wish I would have read this physically. Not at all that the audiobook was bad, it was actually very well produced with an incredible narrator, Sean Patrick Hopkins, and sound effects throughout. I always love sound effects and mood-setting music in audiobooks, and I think it adds a sort of an extra quality to the book that makes it special. However, this book jumps timelines and settings quite often, and through audio, I had a hard time grasping where I was in the story, which was tough. Besides this, I thought it was a gorgeously written literary horror book with a very unique premise while nodding to Lovecraft in many elements.
I definitely would recommend this book, but like I said, I recommend picking up a physical copy. This would be a great book to do an immersive read on, as the audiobook truly was gorgeously produced.
Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book starts off with Jonah, our main character, taking the stand in a court case for a trial in defense of someone we just know as “you”. What a way to start this incredibly heartbreaking book. Told through Jonah’s eyes and letter writing to “you”, we watch Jonah as a young boy born into an evangelical family. A pastor father and a trad wife mother who see their only son as a gift from god. Until they find out he’s gay. Fast forward a few years to Jonah living in New York City, a wannabe playwright and struggling waiter by trade, who sets himself to meet Richard Schriver, famous playwright and gay icon. Everything goes according to Jonah’s plan and he’s soon dating the seemingly wonderful, much older Richard and entering a life of hopeful fame, until he is invited to Richard’s Hamptons compound for the summer and things get unimaginably horrific for Jonah.
I cannot express how incredible this book is. It is disturbing, upsetting, and horrifying to hear what happened to Jonah and many other boys who find themselves in the company of Richard Schriver. This was kind of a perfect time to read this book with everything coming out about Diddy, as Richard seemed to be a mirror to these horrific real life stories. With that said, massive trigger point for sexual assault, rape, religious trauma, abuse, homophobia, etc.
The audiobook was narrated by Kevin R. Free. He did an impeccable job adding a certain flare to each character that made them unique. He voiced Jonah in such a way that made your heart just ache for him. Absolutely phenomenal job.
I cannot express how incredible this book is. It is disturbing, upsetting, and horrifying to hear what happened to Jonah and many other boys who find themselves in the company of Richard Schriver. This was kind of a perfect time to read this book with everything coming out about Diddy, as Richard seemed to be a mirror to these horrific real life stories. With that said, massive trigger point for sexual assault, rape, religious trauma, abuse, homophobia, etc.
The audiobook was narrated by Kevin R. Free. He did an impeccable job adding a certain flare to each character that made them unique. He voiced Jonah in such a way that made your heart just ache for him. Absolutely phenomenal job.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia
The Woman in the Dark by Vanessa Savage
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
3.0
The Woman in the Dark is a creepy little thriller/mystery novel told through our unreliable narrator, Sarah. Sarah is married to Patrick with two teenage children. Upon receiving a letter in the mail that Patrick’s picture perfect childhood home is for sale, Patrick convinces Sarah to use her inheritance and uproot their family to move.
I found this book to be just fine. Not bad, not great, just fine. I liked the story enough that I wanted to see how it wrapped up, but there wasn’t really any hint dropping that you find in a typical mystery/thriller to keep you guessing. It was kind of just laid out on what was going to happen, other than the second pov that was sprinkled in, who was the “watcher” as soon as they moved in. I think the main issue was the length, it was a little too long for what it was and that had me like “chop, chop, we already know what’s going on, let’s wrap this up”.
The audiobook was narrated by Siriol Jenkins, and I really enjoyed her performance! She did an excellent job with voicing each character.
I found this book to be just fine. Not bad, not great, just fine. I liked the story enough that I wanted to see how it wrapped up, but there wasn’t really any hint dropping that you find in a typical mystery/thriller to keep you guessing. It was kind of just laid out on what was going to happen, other than the second pov that was sprinkled in, who was the “watcher” as soon as they moved in. I think the main issue was the length, it was a little too long for what it was and that had me like “chop, chop, we already know what’s going on, let’s wrap this up”.
The audiobook was narrated by Siriol Jenkins, and I really enjoyed her performance! She did an excellent job with voicing each character.
Liars by Sarah Manguso
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you want to read a book about the audacity of men in marriages, this is the only book you need to read. Jane, a writer, meets, dates, and eventually marries John, a failed artist that eventually can’t hold a regular job down. From the jump, it is clear that John absolutely sucks, so we’re like “Jane, what’re you doing girl??? Run!!!”, but the thing is, he’s not extraordinarily abusive - he just sucks. Jane is an accomplished writer, and John is so visibly and loudly jealous of her accomplishments. Instead of celebrating her, he blames her for all of their problems. As soon as money gets tight, solely because John constantly loses his jobs, he blames her again and tells her to pinch her pennies, but then goes out and buys hundreds of dollars worth of gardening equipment to start a new hobby that he eventually fails at. It’s a never ending cycle for Jane, but as soon as John shows his “good side” again, she falls back under his spell.
I really enjoyed this book. At the core, even without an awful husband like John, this book portrays a lot of relatable marital issues that I found cathartic to read. I was simultaneously rooting for Jane and also so angry with her for continuing to let John treat her this way, make her look and feel crazy, and destroy her sense of self. She deserved better but refused to let herself have it.
The audiobook was narrated by Rebecca Lowman, and she portrayed Jane and this story so well.
If you’re a Love Island UK fan, I couldn’t stop thinking about Davide’s famous quote to Ekin-Su, “you’re a liar, an actress, go the fuck out!” (Me to John the entire book 😂)
I really enjoyed this book. At the core, even without an awful husband like John, this book portrays a lot of relatable marital issues that I found cathartic to read. I was simultaneously rooting for Jane and also so angry with her for continuing to let John treat her this way, make her look and feel crazy, and destroy her sense of self. She deserved better but refused to let herself have it.
The audiobook was narrated by Rebecca Lowman, and she portrayed Jane and this story so well.
If you’re a Love Island UK fan, I couldn’t stop thinking about Davide’s famous quote to Ekin-Su, “you’re a liar, an actress, go the fuck out!” (Me to John the entire book 😂)