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krittabug's reviews
342 reviews
It’s not that this book was BAD, it’s just that I hated the plot and the insufferable men. They were all terrible people, except Addie’s dad. Also Addie was terrible at communicating and the whole story of her relationship with Dylan made me want to throw a rock and also call a therapist on their behalf. There were too many things going on within the story, too. Deb and her baby. Rodney? Like, what? This would 100% be an excellent Netflix romcom that I’d devour, but I just could deal with it as a book.
This was a really sweet, typical Fredrik Backman. He has a certain writing style that I find I need to be in the mood for — but I loved this story and love Marin Ireland as his go-to audiobook narrator. He always has a way of making his wildly quirky characters super lovable and memorable. Sometimes he’s a little over the top with his writing, but this one’s probably a top Fredrik Backman for me.
Welp, listened to this audiobook in one sitting. It was good? Strange and beautiful and kind of depressing, but I was captivated by the story. 39 women and one girl who are kept alive in a bunker with all the basic necessities to stay alive, but no true recollection of how they got there or why. The girl simply knows no other life. And when they escape under just as mysterious of circumstances, there isn’t really a world left and they’re left to survive with what they know and each other. A really quick read that I’ll think about for a while.
This one is just a no for me. It’s not poorly written, but the story was SUCH a dud. It took literally 70% of the story to get to… a point? The “conflict”? I don’t know. The love story fell so flat. Also why is the author trying to romanticize INDIANA? Over ENGLAND? Gah, it was just such a bore. I was more intrigued by the side plot that ultimately wraps up with a bow by the end. Wren and Anders were not doing it for me. Yawn.
Oof. This was such a realistic, witty and vulnerable dive into a breakup that is uncharacteristically told from the guy’s perspective. I was hooked right away, but he got a bit insufferable about halfway through. But the final quarter of the book — after a list of reasons he loved her that made me weep — the story shifts to her perspective of the breakup, and the entire book turned around for me. It all felt so familiar and sad and honest. Great audiobook and bonus points for Vanessa Kirby narrating the girlfriend’s perspective.
OK so, much like DROWNING (another airplane trauma story), this reads very much like a suspense movie. I found this one less “good” than DROWNING, also doing very little to ease any anxiety I have about flying. 😅 It follows a very straightforward and stereotypical hijacking storyline that was kind of yawn and predictable to be honest, down to the Middle Eastern hijackers. But a quick read, a good audiobook and super stress-y if you’re in the mood for holding onto your butt. My rating is mostly due to the fact that I’m not much of a thriller/suspense reader. If you are, it’s probably pretty solid.
😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅 I beg your pardon? OK I admit this is NOT my usual (or even, for me, a likable) genre, so my rating isn’t reflective of how it holds up to other spicy romance (Thriller? Kink?) novels. People LOVE this book. The witty banter is pretty enjoyable, but I found the plot boring and the spice made me cringe (again, not my genre) and the relationship dynamic kind of annoying. Truly, the two stars are for the fun banter and good audio narrators. Also I’ve never read a book with such an EXTENSIVE list of trigger warnings. 😅😅😅😅
Thought I’d really love this one — right up my alley with an unlikely friendship and life journey situation — but it ended up being mostly just fine. The trans representation is so important, which can’t be left unsaid. But otherwise the characters were all a bit unlikeable and felt like caricatures. It’s definitely not, but it also gave a bit of a YA vibe, which I wasn’t really looking for either. I appreciated all the important talking points and societal issues it covered, but this story won’t be a standout for me this year.
OK I think I would have LOVED this novel as a story about Cora and her grief over the loss of her sister and all the struggles during Covid in NYC in 2020 — including her work as a crime scene cleaner. Where it lost me a bit (and I knew this was a horror story) WAS the actual horror bits and narrative. I don’t know that horror is the genre for me, NOT because it isn’t good (it totally is), but because the stories just aren’t as compelling in terms of connecting with the characters in any kind of deep and meaningful way. And I’m a goblin for deep, meaningful stories and plots. Also whew, those were some REAL Covid memories and early pandemic flashbacks in this book.
I couldn’t decide what this story was supposed to be about: A young man and his elderly friend. A ragtag group of restaurant employees that vaguely reminded me of The Bear. Both? I don’t know. I can see why this book is appreciated, but as I listened I found myself tuning out as it went on and on and lost my interest. The theme of found family was strong, and I did like that. But overall this one just didn’t do it for me. Maybe it would at another time.