missstefani's reviews
404 reviews

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire by Jennifer Bing, Mike Merryman-Lotze, Jehad Abusalim

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Up Close & Personal by Ana Holguin

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

This was VERY cute.

Jo is a spin instructor for Haven, a workout company that’s like THE workout company. Like Peloton but there’s also in person workout classes in addition to the at home ones.

As one of the OG instructors, she’s like the face of the company, along with Mike who is another instructor. But ya’ll know she has a secret. 

Enter Silas, moody, skeptical, newspaper journalist, ready to hate on everything popular and fun and trendy, like you know this guy wrote a think piece on Taylor Swift’s popularity I’m sure of it, has to write an article on Jo, and let the hijinx ensue 😈.

This book is a slow burn, which I’m not against but omg after 50% I’m like KISS ALREADY. *throws a chair* 

The novel touches on various mental health issues, there’s some miscommunication, some secrets, their pinkies are touching long before there’s any spice so if you are a slow burn, pinkies touching girlie this book will for sure be your jam. 

This novel spends a lot of time focused on Jo’s hair. Cause ya know she just has a lot of hair guys, it’s everywhere. It’s up, it’s down. It’s a massive mane, a curtain if you will, it has its own Instagram. I don’t know why we needed all that, but it was there. 

Overall, this was super cute. I was all “awww” at the end because I knew it would all work out after the foreshadowing of what was going to happen happened because our boy Silas just couldn’t part with that first draft of the article. Like sir. Let it go it’s going to ruin your life. 

Anyway,  thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

emotional fast-paced

5.0

Oathbound by Tracy Deonn

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense slow-paced

5.0

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

dark emotional tense fast-paced

3.5

This book did not end up going the way I thought it would 😂. 

Don’t get me wrong, I was hooked from start to finish as I usually am with mysteries. I suspected most of the right things. It’s fast paced, and maybe too fast at the end? 

There was a continuing thread with Cam’s sister’s infertility that I don’t was necessary, and all the stuff with Nile’s ex wife. Just extra things to bulk up the word count, but didn’t really add to the story. 

Overall though, a decent read. The audiobook narrators do a great job! 

Thank you @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

5.0

Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

This was cuuuuuuute.

I have zero knowledge of racing, but that’s was fine cause nothing got TOO in depth that someone knowing nothing would get lost.

This is sort of a grumpy/sunshine, Kian is very much a rule follower, stays in his lane, and Harper is like a partier, golden retriever, very new to this level of the sport. Then end up in the team, do a sort of enemies to lovers thing, Harper has an issue with commitment and you know how that goes. 

Couple things. I wish we could have gotten some time with Kian’s mom. It would have made the ending more impactful I think if we had some scenes, flashbacks, anything? We hear a lot about her, but we don’t really get her. And the epilogue, usually I love a good epilogue, but this one was just too much. Like way too cheesy. Could have done with trimmed down and less fluff. Also there’s a random scene with Kian’s dad that could have been cut, it added nothing to the story. 

Overall, very cute, quick read, spicyyyyy 🔥. 

I don’t recommend the audio for this one, the narrator for Harper is like whispering the ENTIRE time, and I had to keep turning the volume up so loud to hear him clearly. 

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins360 for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

I LOVED this…until the ending. 

In this novel, people can have this like chip installed to help them sleep, but as part of that, this organization is able to access their dreams. And also during this time, there’s an algorithm that tracks your “risk” score. If you have a high risk score that determines you could at some point commit a crime (they check like tons of data points, there’s zero privacy) you get taken to a retention center for 21 days, but once you’re there, they find ways to add more time, make sure they keep an eye on you, and profit off the people being there. It’s a business.

Our main character ends up there because of her dreams, which she never knew were used in part of the algorithm, and why would it be? You can’t control your dreams. And everyone seems to be interpreting the dreams literally so shes’s taken in and we enter her story when she’s been there for almost a year.

I was so filled with rage for most of the book, for Sara’s situation, and how all the women are being treated. There’s a whole build up, Sara’s worry that she’s being forgotten by her husband and family, unable to get legal assistance, the organization doing everything they can to keep her there. 

But then there’s a reveal about one of the characters that was really interesting but doesn’t really seem to go anywhere. And then just as it ramps up near the end? Like I’m hoping for some sort of revolution or take down, something dramatic? And ends in a way that I personally felt was a little…lazy? Unexpected after everything Sara went through and everything we’re expecting of this RAA group? Like I thought she was dreaming, cause that happens sometimes to throw us off, but no. Like, if felt like the story needed more at the end, Sara’s next steps, where does she go from here with what she started in the retention center? I wanted to see that. 

Overall, this was great, but that ending takes it to a 4 star for me. Didn’t love it. 

Thank you @netgalley and @pantheonbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.