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marie_22's reviews
304 reviews
The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
It’s amazing to me how this author manages to captivate me with her stories every time. One thing that contributes to that I think is that her books are never what I’m expecting going in but in a good way, like it’s better than what I was expecting, if that makes sense.
In this story we follow Emlyn who works as a guide for fishing and hunting tours. She lives by herself in a small community in Idaho and mostly keeps to herself after a traumatic experience in the past which has her struggling with trusting herself and others. Coming back from a fishing trip, she finds out that an old friend is missing. After her ex-boyfriend begs her to help, she reluctantly agrees, and together they set out to find her.
Emlyn was a great main character. I liked her from the start, and the more I found out about what had happened in the past, the more I was rooting for her. Sadly, the other characters kind of felt one dimensional to me, there wasn’t much (believable) character development and thus the stakes were low. Especially Varden was set up to be a great addition to the story, but then he was barely even in the book, missed opportunity imo.
Pacing wise, I found it to be a bit slow, it only picked up around the 60% mark. I didn’t mind it that much because I enjoyed the story and for the most part it has a nice flow to it, but the flashbacks just took away the suspense for me sometimes.
Overall, I was really excited about this one and while it didn’t quite meet my expectations, I still think it’s a great read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
In this story we follow Emlyn who works as a guide for fishing and hunting tours. She lives by herself in a small community in Idaho and mostly keeps to herself after a traumatic experience in the past which has her struggling with trusting herself and others. Coming back from a fishing trip, she finds out that an old friend is missing. After her ex-boyfriend begs her to help, she reluctantly agrees, and together they set out to find her.
Emlyn was a great main character. I liked her from the start, and the more I found out about what had happened in the past, the more I was rooting for her. Sadly, the other characters kind of felt one dimensional to me, there wasn’t much (believable) character development and thus the stakes were low. Especially Varden was set up to be a great addition to the story, but then he was barely even in the book, missed opportunity imo.
Pacing wise, I found it to be a bit slow, it only picked up around the 60% mark. I didn’t mind it that much because I enjoyed the story and for the most part it has a nice flow to it, but the flashbacks just took away the suspense for me sometimes.
Overall, I was really excited about this one and while it didn’t quite meet my expectations, I still think it’s a great read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
I was originally interested in this for the classical music element, and I also wanted to try another book by this author because while I didn’t like the first one very much, I still thought the plot sounded promising.
It started out quite well, I was really intrigued by the orchestra aspect, and I think that part of the story was very well done. But the further I got, the worse it got for me, unfortunately. I did kind of like Gwen, her passion for her music and her friendship with Jacob were entertaining.
But I really don’t understand what she saw in Alex. He was the definition of poor little rich boy, kept insulting her at every turn, and he literally didn’t care for anyone but himself. Also, he had no personality outside of playing various instruments and acting like a jerk.
I also felt like a part of this story was missing. Alex and Gwen go from never really even having a whole conversation and him insulting her in every single interaction they have, to him getting her off out of nowhere. And then they just act familiar with each other in a way that’s not earned at all.
In the end, this didn’t work for me. I need some built up, chemistry and connection between the characters for the romance to work, which is non-existent here, sadly.
But I will say that it was an easy read, it's nicely paced, and I wasn’t bored reading it, just annoyed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
It started out quite well, I was really intrigued by the orchestra aspect, and I think that part of the story was very well done. But the further I got, the worse it got for me, unfortunately. I did kind of like Gwen, her passion for her music and her friendship with Jacob were entertaining.
But I really don’t understand what she saw in Alex. He was the definition of poor little rich boy, kept insulting her at every turn, and he literally didn’t care for anyone but himself. Also, he had no personality outside of playing various instruments and acting like a jerk.
I also felt like a part of this story was missing. Alex and Gwen go from never really even having a whole conversation and him insulting her in every single interaction they have, to him getting her off out of nowhere. And then they just act familiar with each other in a way that’s not earned at all.
In the end, this didn’t work for me. I need some built up, chemistry and connection between the characters for the romance to work, which is non-existent here, sadly.
But I will say that it was an easy read, it's nicely paced, and I wasn’t bored reading it, just annoyed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Without Words by Ellen O'Connell
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
The first western romance I’ve ever read was Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold (also by this author) and now I’ll forever compare every western romance to it.
Everything else kind of pales in comparison, which makes it a bit difficult to objectively rate this one.
I did like it, Hassie and Bret were very cute together.
I enjoyed their adventures, I loved how he was soft only for her and from the beginning took care of her.
It just didn’t leave as much of an impression as the aforementioned book and there were a few instances that made me uncomfortable.
Still really enjoyed it, though!
Everything else kind of pales in comparison, which makes it a bit difficult to objectively rate this one.
I did like it, Hassie and Bret were very cute together.
I enjoyed their adventures, I loved how he was soft only for her and from the beginning took care of her.
It just didn’t leave as much of an impression as the aforementioned book and there were a few instances that made me uncomfortable.
Still really enjoyed it, though!
The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
<i>“You opened me up,” he whispered to his sleeping wife. “And took my heart from my chest. Now how will I live?”</i>
This story is based on Butch Cassidy, a real person, who was an infamous outlaw in the Wild West. I personally had never heard of him before, probably because I’m not American, and I also didn’t care about anything related to the Wild West until very recently.
The story starts out when Butch decides to change everything and leave his former life as an outlaw behind.
I kind of don’t want to say more about the plot because I didn’t know much about the story going in, and I think that made this an even better experience.
It’s a beautifully written story that I could have finished in one sitting, but I made myself slow down to really enjoy it. The pacing is great and the built-up to the end was excellent.
The ending itself felt a bit rushed to me and didn’t really deliver imo, kind of felt too easy and convenient. Like I wanted more from it.. but that’s really just criticism on a very high level.
It didn’t take away from the overall amazing story.
The characters were so clear and vivid to me, the author really brought them to life. The love story was beautiful, so sweet and tender, and I didn’t want it to end.
(This included some triggering content. I won’t mention it here because some of it could be considered spoilers, but do check other more detailed reviews to be on the save side.)
This story is based on Butch Cassidy, a real person, who was an infamous outlaw in the Wild West. I personally had never heard of him before, probably because I’m not American, and I also didn’t care about anything related to the Wild West until very recently.
The story starts out when Butch decides to change everything and leave his former life as an outlaw behind.
I kind of don’t want to say more about the plot because I didn’t know much about the story going in, and I think that made this an even better experience.
It’s a beautifully written story that I could have finished in one sitting, but I made myself slow down to really enjoy it. The pacing is great and the built-up to the end was excellent.
The ending itself felt a bit rushed to me and didn’t really deliver imo, kind of felt too easy and convenient. Like I wanted more from it.. but that’s really just criticism on a very high level.
It didn’t take away from the overall amazing story.
The characters were so clear and vivid to me, the author really brought them to life. The love story was beautiful, so sweet and tender, and I didn’t want it to end.
(This included some triggering content. I won’t mention it here because some of it could be considered spoilers, but do check other more detailed reviews to be on the save side.)
The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.75
I love mysteries and this sounded like it would be right up my alley, so I was stoked to receive an arc for this book.
I found the premise of the story to be very intriguing. Ariel receives a mysterious text from her dead boyfriend's old number, asking her to meet him. Confused and shocked by this message, Ariel sets out to uncover what’s going on, and the story takes off from there.
Unfortunately, it didn’t really deliver though, imo. The beginning was slow and a bit messy, which made it kind of hard to get into. I was still interested to find out what happened to Drew and where the story was going, but the pacing was so slow, I kept getting bored. Also, I just never really cared about any of the characters, they felt one-dimensional, and therefore the stakes were kind of low for me.
All in all, it was an easy read once I got past the first few chapters, but I think this story would have benefitted from being way shorter, 432 pages weren’t necessary to tell this story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
I found the premise of the story to be very intriguing. Ariel receives a mysterious text from her dead boyfriend's old number, asking her to meet him. Confused and shocked by this message, Ariel sets out to uncover what’s going on, and the story takes off from there.
Unfortunately, it didn’t really deliver though, imo. The beginning was slow and a bit messy, which made it kind of hard to get into. I was still interested to find out what happened to Drew and where the story was going, but the pacing was so slow, I kept getting bored. Also, I just never really cared about any of the characters, they felt one-dimensional, and therefore the stakes were kind of low for me.
All in all, it was an easy read once I got past the first few chapters, but I think this story would have benefitted from being way shorter, 432 pages weren’t necessary to tell this story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
It started out promising, and it was definitely an easy read that for the most part was nicely paced.
Now that I’ve finished it, though, I honestly don’t even know what to say other than Elliot was a fucking jerk from beginning to end, like why did she even like him? I really don’t get it lol
Now that I’ve finished it, though, I honestly don’t even know what to say other than Elliot was a fucking jerk from beginning to end, like why did she even like him? I really don’t get it lol
Whisky Business by Elliot Fletcher
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
This was a sweet, light-hearted romance between April, an actress coming back home to Skye after her career took a turn for the worse and her grandfather passed away leaving her the family manor, and Malcolm, a local whisky distiller running April’s late grandfathers’ distillery.
The two of them have known each other since they were kids but haven’t seen each other in a long time. It's a grumpy/sunshine romance, which I thought was well done and entertaining.
Malcolm was probably my favourite character in this. He struggles with anxiety and is quite shy, and I thought this was very well depicted, I really felt for him. I also liked that the hero was the one with anxiety here, as it’s often the heroine who struggles with that.
The romance between the main characters was cute, but unfortunately, I just didn’t really feel their connection at all. I felt like there were a few times when the story dragged pacing wise, and I was just kind of bored throughout.
Overall, I thought it was a cute slow-burn romance and I enjoyed it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
The two of them have known each other since they were kids but haven’t seen each other in a long time. It's a grumpy/sunshine romance, which I thought was well done and entertaining.
Malcolm was probably my favourite character in this. He struggles with anxiety and is quite shy, and I thought this was very well depicted, I really felt for him. I also liked that the hero was the one with anxiety here, as it’s often the heroine who struggles with that.
The romance between the main characters was cute, but unfortunately, I just didn’t really feel their connection at all. I felt like there were a few times when the story dragged pacing wise, and I was just kind of bored throughout.
Overall, I thought it was a cute slow-burn romance and I enjoyed it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
What Is Love? by Jen Comfort
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Okay, this was actually delightful!
The plot was entertaining and interesting, which honestly surprised me because I generally don’t like books with TV show settings, but it was enjoyable here.
I loved the characters. They had such perfect chemistry and the tension between them kept building over the course of the story. Also, the sex was hot.
And up until like almost the very end, I was very close to giving this 5 stars.
The pacing was a bit off, especially around the 50% mark, but it got its dynamic back quickly, so it didn’t bother me too much.
What did bother me though was that ending. This is of course a purely personal preference, but I just cannot with cheesy over the top endings. It almost felt like I was reading about two different people all of a sudden, it felt so out of character to me.
Despite that though, it was a great story with loveable characters, ADHD rep, and a (to me) unique game show setting. Would recommend!
These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have to admit this was not at all what I expected after reading the synopsis, but wow, what an amazing story!
It was beautifully written, very suspenseful, had great characterisation and was so emotional that I found myself tearing up by the end of it.
I don’t want to say any more than that because I think going into this not knowing more than the synopsis makes this a perfect reading experience.
I'll finish this review with the last four lines of Mary Oliver's The Summer Day, one of my favourites, which is mentioned in this book and for that I love it even more:
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
It was beautifully written, very suspenseful, had great characterisation and was so emotional that I found myself tearing up by the end of it.
I don’t want to say any more than that because I think going into this not knowing more than the synopsis makes this a perfect reading experience.
I'll finish this review with the last four lines of Mary Oliver's The Summer Day, one of my favourites, which is mentioned in this book and for that I love it even more:
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Falling for Gage by Mia Sheridan
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Rory and Gage meet after Gage’s car breaks down and he and his friends end up in the bar Rory works at. They spend the night together but go their separate ways the next morning, thinking this was a one-time thing and that they wouldn’t see each other again.
But Rory’s search for her father takes her to Gage’s hometown, and they are thrown together again to figure out who her father is.
I listened to the audiobook for this, and I do really love audiobooks. But I’m so bad at finishing them, they always take forever, no matter if they’re good or bad. And this one was really good!
Gage had it bad for Rory from the very start, which isn’t necessarily my favourite especially if the heroine is also immediately into the guy. But I was okay with it here because it was more like insta-lust than insta-love. Rory and Gage had great chemistry, the sex scenes were fine, and I really enjoyed their dynamic for most of the story. The mystery about her father was entertaining but drawn out a bit too long.
Overall, I really liked this story and would have given it 4 stars, if it wasn’t for this one thing that happens, that was just so weird to me. I wish this would have been left out entirely, or at least dealt with more quickly.
I’m going to explain what I mean below to avoid spoilers, even though I don’t really think it is that much of a spoiler. But just to be sure, if you don’t want to know anything more than what I’ve already talked about, don’t continue.
Spoiler:
Again, I would have given this 4 stars, if it wasn’t for the whole ‘we had sex, but maybe we’re also siblings’ thing that was so weird and unnecessary? Like, Rory’s reasoning for this was a stretch at best, but I guess there was a possibility. And despite that possibility, they were still lusting after each the whole time while they waited for the DNA test results, like wtf..
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
But Rory’s search for her father takes her to Gage’s hometown, and they are thrown together again to figure out who her father is.
I listened to the audiobook for this, and I do really love audiobooks. But I’m so bad at finishing them, they always take forever, no matter if they’re good or bad. And this one was really good!
Gage had it bad for Rory from the very start, which isn’t necessarily my favourite especially if the heroine is also immediately into the guy. But I was okay with it here because it was more like insta-lust than insta-love. Rory and Gage had great chemistry, the sex scenes were fine, and I really enjoyed their dynamic for most of the story. The mystery about her father was entertaining but drawn out a bit too long.
Overall, I really liked this story and would have given it 4 stars, if it wasn’t for this one thing that happens, that was just so weird to me. I wish this would have been left out entirely, or at least dealt with more quickly.
I’m going to explain what I mean below to avoid spoilers, even though I don’t really think it is that much of a spoiler. But just to be sure, if you don’t want to know anything more than what I’ve already talked about, don’t continue.
Spoiler:
Again, I would have given this 4 stars, if it wasn’t for the whole ‘we had sex, but maybe we’re also siblings’ thing that was so weird and unnecessary? Like, Rory’s reasoning for this was a stretch at best, but I guess there was a possibility. And despite that possibility, they were still lusting after each the whole time while they waited for the DNA test results, like wtf..
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.