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mayhemboundbookshelf's Reviews (600)
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong, and Forever for the opportunity to read this ARC. I’ve read a few sports romances recently and I have to say, this was one of my favorites! I love the layered dynamics, the fact that the characters weren’t super young, and that the FMC had her own budding career as an author. It was a fun ride with defeating the mean girl from HS and rekindling a 2nd chance romance with a HS crush. Really enjoyed this one!
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to #macaudio2025 and Emma Rosenblum for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. It’s not often that you find a book where you really kind of loathe many of the characters… and are happy about it. This was an almost satirical portrayal of the ultra wealthy and the dramatic twists and turns of the result of hidden sociopathy. It was at times quite funny, and other times quite tense and dramatic, but through it all… you’re left waiting to find out “who did it” until nearly the end. What an engaging listen this one was!
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you #macaudio2025 and Sarah Castille for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC. I thought the narration of this audiobook was extremely well done and the narrator selection was perfect. Castille writes books that I always want to read… in this one, she balanced tension, political drama, romance, and family dynamics… a winning combination for me. I was a big fan of the MMC and while the FMC frustrated me at times… girl, just preserve your safety… she was also quite endearing. All in all, I liked this one quite a bit.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this as part of my banned book series. I have to say, I saw absolutely no reason for this book to be challenged but what I did find is that it highlights the plight of undocumented families, mental health struggles, low income struggles, complicated family dynamics, and struggling to find your place… all things that only should only readers to gain compassion and understanding through reading about them. This was engaging and the narration was well done. I’d definitely let and encourage older middle grade and high school students to read this one.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was one of those books that you absolutely love and hate simultaneously. As a mom, as a wife of an educator, as a human being... it was absolutely heart-wrenching. It's one of those book that you go into thinking you'll know how you'll feel, but then you get tested over and over again with new information that contorts your feelings, your reactions, and makes you reflect on your own life. I read this book as part of my banned book series (shout out to WAKE UP with Bill Finch who hosts me every other week on WICC in CT), and I can honestly say it was one of the more difficult reads we've done. Sometimes, it's the books that push us to the brink of an emotional breakdown that are the ones we need the most. This book in particular did just that for me, I had to keep taking breaks because it was all so hard to think about. That all said... I feel incredibly strongly that this book should be curriculum reading for high-schoolers. It touches on so many scary realities, and truthfully, now more than ever, we need to be having these discussions. So forget banning it, it should be promoted and read by anyone who is entering high-school in my parental opinion.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was lucky enough to not only receive a complimentary copy of the audiobook, but also a PR box which included a couple very lovely items to go along with my book from Macmillan Audio and the author. I have to say, while I liked the idea behind this story and the tie-in to Jane Austen, I just felt like it took off quickly and then suddenly moved very slowly and felt kind of wishy-washy. I think that this is the type of book that had I read a physical copy, I'd probably have loved taking my time with it, but in audio, the biggest draw was the narrator... but somehow that was also the biggest struggle for me. His voice was incredible and felt well suited for the story, but it also sort of lulled me off to sleepiness which had me constantly rewinding because I'd miss things. Overall a really lovely story, that I wish I had read with my eyes instead of my ears.
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you #MacAudio2025, Jamie Day, and narrators Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole. This audiobook was so well-done and engaging. The narrators were phenomenal and really brought the whole story to life. The story itself was a little slow to start for me, but once it got going, I was hooked and couldn't bring myself to press pause. I don't read a ton of thrillers because they are a little mentally draining for me - I'm constantly trying to solve the mystery before the book tells me what happens. This one was no different, but what was different was that I really had no idea what was going to happen, even though i thought I did! I definitely enjoyed this one and all the twists and interconnections and plot reveals.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book as the second book in a traveling book club where each person involved gets to pick a book and then it gets circulated through 16 people. We are all reading each other's books and annotating them and reviewing them and having a general good time getting in each other's minds. I can honestly say, I LOVED this book. I was so invested in the story and the characters and it felt really cool, kind of like a little bit Hunger Games, a little bit demented game show, and a little bit Gods & mortals & mosters. This was super fun and I am dreading the wait until the next book comes out because I literally gasped at the end of this book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This review is specific to the audiobook version since I read and reviewed the book when i read the physical copy when it released. The narration by Christine Lakin and Matt Lanter was FLAWLESS, thank you to the narrators and Hachette Audio for taking such care in production to make sure that the story not only came through, but was elevated by the narration.
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes