kkenna7's reviews
270 reviews

This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.

Might pick this up again in print format. The narrator made the fmc sound like a petulant whiny baby child and I can’t fuck with it at all

Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest by Hanif Abdurraqib

4.0

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

**Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ELC. All opinions are my own.**

I struggled a little bit with this one, if I'm honest. The pacing was off for me, and I found myself struggling to want to go back to it, even as an audiobook, which is usually a much quicker read for me. While there was nothing wrong with the narrator, I didn't love her for this particular tone of book. It didn't seem to match what was supposed to be a more tense affair. Personally, I felt like a lot of the plot wasn't clicking for me. I kept thinking "why aren't we doing independent research instead of just talking to the same three people over and over again?" It just didn't grab me the way I hope for in a thriller/horror scenario. I'd also seen the plot twist coming from a mile away and that also had me un-immersed for a long time. 

What I did enjoy was the relationship building between Alice and Mina. That felt real and natural, the way I'd expect a child psychologist to interact with a child. I appreciated Fern and her entire character. I would have loved to spend more time in her world.

I say all of this to say that this book is absolutely for *someone.* There are good bones here, it's got a lot of the telltale signs of books that I would (and have) recommended to patrons at work ten times over. It's just not entirely for me, and that's okay.

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

adventurous dark emotional funny fast-paced

4.5

This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective

4.0

I had to sleep on this one before reviewing and I'm still not entirely sure how to go about it. The writing was, obviously, incredible. The audio, read by Hanif, was amazing as expected. If I'm being 100% honest (and it'd be off-brand of me not to), my rating might be more of a 3.5/3.75 out of 5, personally. While I love so much of this, there were times in the middle where I felt like I was getting lost? It's true that you don't have to know about or even care about basketball to read/enjoy this, but for me personally, using a metaphor of something that I have no personal connection to makes for a bigger hurdle for me and I struggled a tiny bit at the end of the day. Still wonderful, still worth the time spent, etc. I think I'm mostly disappointed in myself for not loving it as much as I wanted to lmao.

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective

4.5

This is my first by Hanif and it feels like the right place to start. I'm glad I chose to do it audibly. Hearing it straight from Abdurraqib's mouth made it so much more special. Essay collections, short stories, anthologies, etc. are all very hit-or-miss for me (usually more miss, if I'm being honest). I don't usually gravitate toward this format of writing, I often require a longer form to be immersed. That being said, every single one of these essays was a banger for me. There's not a moment in time during this book where I felt like the point was missed. 

Reviewing nonfiction is so hard for me, but I loved this. Just know that.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
Did not finish book. Stopped at 51%.

Was looking for more Absinthe Underground vibes and did not receive them :( quite boring imo

First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison

emotional funny hopeful

• 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

**Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the e-ARC, all opinions are my own.**

THE FEET KICKING AND GIGGLING I HAVE DONE IS SO UNLIKE ME!

This was soooo much fun. Those that know me know I'm a certified hater and a super picky romance reader. I take my romance in small doses and if the vibes aren't right, I'll ditch it so fast. BK's Lovelight books weren't something that worked for me, personally. I gave two or three of them a try and they weren't for me at all. THIS?! This is everything. It's been so long since I've sacrificed actual sleep to finish a book and never have I done so for a romance. This is what falling in love feels like directly translated into written word. This is what those butterflies feel like on a page.

The pacing felt natural. The character development felt satisfying. I'm the most wary of longer contemporary romances. I'm usually a firm believer that they don't need to be over 400 pages, ever. This one did not feel like that, I promise. (I'd tell you if it did. You'd know.)

My point is, I didn't expect to hate this. But I definitely didn't expect to love it as much as I did either. An easy 5 stars. I'll be thinking about Aiden and Lucie for probably the rest of my life, idk. 

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

emotional hopeful reflective

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

4.75

This was very sweet! Picked this up on recommendation by coworker and I had a lovely time. The characters are so well-developed and the interactions between the main characters are so tender. It all just feels very tangible and real. Evvie’s arc in particular was really good, in my opinion. I felt so proud of her by the end.