msmichaela's reviews
520 reviews

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

3.0

Overly long, relatively predictable and so pretty damn entertaining. 

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

4.0

Magical realism is not generally my thing, and I struggled a bit with this novel as a result. The conceit is fantastic, though the book bogged down in the middle for me. 

You Will Not Recognize Your Life by Micaela Blei

5.0

Micaela is a friend so I am not unbiased — but this is such a well told audio memoir! It’s funny and relatable and so self aware. Really really great. 

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

4.0

Fun! It bogged down in detail a bit, and some of the reality tv plot seemed highly implausible… but otherwise a delight. 

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

4.0

I struggled with this novel in the beginning — it felt a bit too saccharine, which is not a vibe o usually get from Monica Wood. But as the plot developed, that sickly sweetness eased up, making room for more complexity. Still, something about the tone seemed off… until a reveal at the very end. I’m still not sure how I feel about that decision, but I’m happy to have pushed through my initial disdain. 

More: A Memoir of Open Marriage by Molly Roden Winter

3.5

It feels like the author should have waited a few more years / done some more therapy before publishing this memoir. It’s well written, but for all her self-criticism, her insight is lacking. 

A Holly Jolly Ever After by Sierra Simone, Julie Murphy

3.5

Too similar to the first book in this series in terms of falling in love with a long-standing celebrity crush. I may have read them too close together though. 

The Limits by Nell Freudenberger

4.0

Intriguing—especially the first third or so. The novel bogged down for me in the Tahiti sections in the second half. Still, I was really immersed in the story. 

The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn

3.5

I enjoyed the true crime podcast angle of this romance, but could not get past the inexplicable love at first sight setup—just totally implausible. 

Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City by Jane Wong

3.0

Memoirs by poets can be hit or miss… this one fell a little on the “miss” side for me—elliptical, repetitive, sometimes obscure. At other points it veered into scholarly writing—perhaps pulled from other projects. All of that said, I really appreciated reading about someone growing up near where I did, but a decade later and in a totally different, first-generation experience.