Take a photo of a barcode or cover
mandykool's reviews
537 reviews
I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
4.0
Is this book 4 stars? Or 3? I can’t decide.
What did I just read?
What?
My brain is goop.
The writing was phenomenal. I seriously loved how the author created suspense and fear with short, staccato-like sentences.
What is real and what isn’t? That is the true question.
Excellent book, but not perfect. Entertaining for sure.
What did I just read?
What?
My brain is goop.
The writing was phenomenal. I seriously loved how the author created suspense and fear with short, staccato-like sentences.
What is real and what isn’t? That is the true question.
Excellent book, but not perfect. Entertaining for sure.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
5.0
I wanted to give this book just a mere 4 stars because it was not without flaws. But I loved the book.
I loved the story.
Shadow grew on me as he evolved and had a heroic story.
The Gods were incredibly well done.
I didn’t care for the “Coming to America” parts and wish they would have been in a separate book. They were great for world building, but unnecessary to the plot.
My biggest gripe is that the world Gaiman built is so expansive that it’s hard to follow and the CtoA stories felt like backstory that made the story more confusing.
But in the end:
I want more Shadow stories. I want this to be a series. I had a wonderful time. So, I had to give it 5 stars. And it’s interesting since this is not a book I’d normally pick up.
I loved the story.
Shadow grew on me as he evolved and had a heroic story.
The Gods were incredibly well done.
I didn’t care for the “Coming to America” parts and wish they would have been in a separate book. They were great for world building, but unnecessary to the plot.
My biggest gripe is that the world Gaiman built is so expansive that it’s hard to follow and the CtoA stories felt like backstory that made the story more confusing.
But in the end:
I want more Shadow stories. I want this to be a series. I had a wonderful time. So, I had to give it 5 stars. And it’s interesting since this is not a book I’d normally pick up.
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
2.0
I’m so very sad to write this review.
This book was problematic at best. Christina Lauren books have been hit or miss for me. I enjoyed The Unhoneymooners and their Christmas book from last year.
This one had heavy themes that were treated as plot devices to make the character seem deep when they really just added nothing to the story.
I have seen single mom stories done very well. I have seen addiction stories done very well. Neither of these existed here.
The book begins with two friends staring at this guy who is a jerk (like he doesn’t tip the staff well) and then all of the sudden all these little behaviors she noticed that would be red flags in real life were just her misinterpreting him?
A man tipping poorly when no one is watching is proof enough he’s awful.
This did not work for me. With a plot this implausible, there needs to be plausibility to make it a good story. Or good characters. This has none of that.
I’m only giving this two stars instead of one because Juno. She was cute. Everything else, not so much.
This book was problematic at best. Christina Lauren books have been hit or miss for me. I enjoyed The Unhoneymooners and their Christmas book from last year.
This one had heavy themes that were treated as plot devices to make the character seem deep when they really just added nothing to the story.
I have seen single mom stories done very well. I have seen addiction stories done very well. Neither of these existed here.
The book begins with two friends staring at this guy who is a jerk (like he doesn’t tip the staff well) and then all of the sudden all these little behaviors she noticed that would be red flags in real life were just her misinterpreting him?
A man tipping poorly when no one is watching is proof enough he’s awful.
This did not work for me. With a plot this implausible, there needs to be plausibility to make it a good story. Or good characters. This has none of that.
I’m only giving this two stars instead of one because Juno. She was cute. Everything else, not so much.
Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
5.0
Punchy.
Woah.
My mind is blown. One of the best, most brutal horror books I’ve read in a long time. A survival story featuring none other than Sasquatch. This book was written in the form of interviews and journals and it worked so well.
I loved it.
I don’t want to say any more because it’s a wild ride and one any horror fan should take.
Woah.
My mind is blown. One of the best, most brutal horror books I’ve read in a long time. A survival story featuring none other than Sasquatch. This book was written in the form of interviews and journals and it worked so well.
I loved it.
I don’t want to say any more because it’s a wild ride and one any horror fan should take.
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood by Gregg Olsen
5.0
Devastating. Beautiful. I couldn’t put it down. This is hard to believe that all of this happened and it’s so sad.
The author told the story in a well thought, captivating way.
The author told the story in a well thought, captivating way.
Girl 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke
5.0
I couldn’t put this down.
Amazing.
I’ve decided that my favorite thrillers are ones with podcasts twisted in them. True crime serial killers. What I loved about this one is that the actual crimes weren’t sexual in nature and for some reason that was just a fresh spin.
This story was unique and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I needed answers just as Elle did.
One of the best books I’ve read in 2021.
I seriously hope this will become a series because I’m here for it.
Amazing.
I’ve decided that my favorite thrillers are ones with podcasts twisted in them. True crime serial killers. What I loved about this one is that the actual crimes weren’t sexual in nature and for some reason that was just a fresh spin.
This story was unique and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I needed answers just as Elle did.
One of the best books I’ve read in 2021.
I seriously hope this will become a series because I’m here for it.
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
3.0
This book is a solid 3-3.5 stars.
The concept was really interesting and fascinating, but the internal struggle was confusing and there were many times where I just didn’t understand the point of the book.
But, it was weird, interesting, and kept my attention. A Science Fiction book I actually enjoyed.
The concept was really interesting and fascinating, but the internal struggle was confusing and there were many times where I just didn’t understand the point of the book.
But, it was weird, interesting, and kept my attention. A Science Fiction book I actually enjoyed.
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
3.0
2.5-3 stars.
I loved Big Little Lies and this one sounded so good.
It was… unique. I’ll say that, but kind of ridiculous and unbelievable in not great ways. The children were interesting and that was the part I cared about the most.
I loved Big Little Lies and this one sounded so good.
It was… unique. I’ll say that, but kind of ridiculous and unbelievable in not great ways. The children were interesting and that was the part I cared about the most.