marekcornett's reviews
758 reviews

James by Percival Everett

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

This should be required reading. I really enjoyed learning more about Jim from his perspective, and this was such a powerful insight into slavery. Definitely pick this one up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Look In the Mirror by Catherine Steadman

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

What a wonderfully paced psychological thriller. At first, you have no idea what’s happening, but it’s very apparent that things aren’t normal. As the plot thickens, things finally click into place and then you’re fully invested. I couldn’t put this one down! 

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir

dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

Holy moly what did I just read. Short story lovers who like dark, mysterious, absolutely bonkers stories need to give this one a shot. 

This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

One issue with ARC books is that you don’t always have the benefit of trigger warnings. This one has quite a few that I generally stay away from, so it was a hard one for me to read. If you enjoy locked-room mysteries where quite literally everyone is/can be a suspect, then you’ll enjoy this if you can look past some of the tough stuff. 

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Murder

The Next Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

The ultimate plaited story. The author does such a great job of weaving together three separate stories into one incredibly insane tale. If you loved the first, you’ll love this one, too! Deranged characters abound. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Murder

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Overall, this book was fine. I liked the plot, the twists, the setup of the multi-character cast. But there’s this whole dark horror tilt that really held me back from getting into it. I was about halfway into the book and still thinking, “what the hell is happening here??” It wasn’t hard to follow, pre se, it was just very weird. 

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

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? Yes

3.0

This book was red herring central. The story was interesting, and I was definitely surprised by the ending. However, we were made to be skeptical of anyone and everyone throughout the book, so it felt like the ending was “this story has been so unreliable, I’m not going to believe it until the book is over.” I enjoyed reading it but was pretty exhausted by the *twists* that turned out to be nothing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord

hopeful lighthearted 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

3.0

The story was fun, but it went through so many will-they/won’t-they moments where I was begging the characters to have a mature convo. It’s a childhood friendship turned potential romance, so they drag a lot of things that happened in the past into today. That said, I didn’t absolutely love it but didn’t dislike it at all. I would have absolutely loved it if I had read this as a 28-year-old. 

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the chance to read this ahead of publishing in exchange for my honest review. 

What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This one had my pulse racing from page 1. Super fast read, and the narrators on the audiobook do it justice! “What Have You Done” is a statement we could ask pretty much any character during throughout this book which is full of red herrings. 

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

There’s nothing I don’t like about this book. It’s a wonderful read for moms, no matter the stage you’re in. Reading it as an older mom who is still in the thick of “little kid years,” I took away a ton from this book, even if the intended audience was 10-15 years ahead of me. It felt more like a memoir than a novel, and a vulnerable one at that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage and Abortion