onmalsshelf's reviews
1335 reviews

Before It's Gone: Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America by Jonathan Vigliotti

informative medium-paced

4.0

Disobedient Women: How a Small Group of Faithful Women Exposed Abuse, Brought Down Powerful Pastors, and Ignited an Evangelical Reckoning by Sarah Stankorb

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informative fast-paced

3.75

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

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mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

Thank you to Sourcebooks for this copy.

I am disappointed. I will admit that I did enjoy this new Winstead more than her last release, but overall this left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

I think using an Idaho case as biggest part of the plot was in bad taste given that it closely resembled the actual Idaho murders case, which is still in court.

I understand that the point of the book was to show how obsessed people have become with true crime, whether it’s sleuthing cases or releasing podcasts. However, I think by using the Idaho case in the foundation of this novel Winstead only joined in on what people don’t like about true crime.

I also think this was way longer than it needed to be. By the time I got 50% in, it felt like I should’ve been 90% done. It was long and predictable over all.

Lastly, Winstead portrayed Panhellenic women as partiers with no redeeming qualities. I’m guessing I won’t be the only alumna of a Panhellenic sorority that’s extremely tired of this overdone “sorority women are only partiers” characteristic that authors love to use. Especially since Winstead used a real Panhellenic sorority. Wondering what Kappa Delta members think of the portrayal here?

Will I pick up another Ashley Winstead? Yes, because I loved In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and The Last Housewife. However, I’ll be extremely cautious once again. This is the second highly disappointing release.

Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans by Jane Marie

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informative

3.0

Girlhood by Melissa Febos

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.

I’m not a prude by any means, but listening to someone describe how they masturbate is apparently the line I’m stopping at.

The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker

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mysterious fast-paced