Take a photo of a barcode or cover
pagesplotsandpints's reviews
2083 reviews
A Killer Harvest by Paul Cleave
4.0
Read Completed 3/15/25 | 4 stars | Book #35 of 2025
I think this author was a TikTok recommendation, and not even this book, but when I saw it available at my library, I dove right in and was pleasantly surprised! I wasn't sure how over-the-top this was going to be with a plot involving an eye-transplant and cellular memory, but it really wasn't popcorn-y at all to me! I think the author did a great job developing the characters, setting the scene, and bringing the concept in at the right times. It wasn't overused until the end where it started to really come more and more into play as the situation escalates.
I just really clicked with the writing, and that's honestly one of the most important things for me when reading a book. There's no way to predict if I will or won't, so I'm happy this worked out for me! I really haven't seen anything at all about this author or this book (it has less than 1300 ratings / 250 reviews on Goodreads) so I'm glad I took a chance!
I think this author was a TikTok recommendation, and not even this book, but when I saw it available at my library, I dove right in and was pleasantly surprised! I wasn't sure how over-the-top this was going to be with a plot involving an eye-transplant and cellular memory, but it really wasn't popcorn-y at all to me! I think the author did a great job developing the characters, setting the scene, and bringing the concept in at the right times. It wasn't overused until the end where it started to really come more and more into play as the situation escalates.
I just really clicked with the writing, and that's honestly one of the most important things for me when reading a book. There's no way to predict if I will or won't, so I'm happy this worked out for me! I really haven't seen anything at all about this author or this book (it has less than 1300 ratings / 250 reviews on Goodreads) so I'm glad I took a chance!
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
2.0
Read Completed 3/14/25 | 2 stars | Book #34 of 2025
This was BOOOORING. I thought it would be a little slower than say, a sci-fi thriller, but it was not a thriller. Which is fine! But if it was supposed to character-driven, the characters were just as dull as the plot. There wasn't enough development for me to care about anyone and every concept that was happening took multiple, long chapters to play out.
By the time it got to something interesting at 50%, I was already so checked out that I just didn't care. But then it still didn't even get interesting from there!! I finally skimmed my way through the last chapters because I just couldn't take it anymore.
I can see the appeal this has if you're into it but I just wasn't. Bad time for me at the very least, but this just wasn't what I was hoping for.
This was BOOOORING. I thought it would be a little slower than say, a sci-fi thriller, but it was not a thriller. Which is fine! But if it was supposed to character-driven, the characters were just as dull as the plot. There wasn't enough development for me to care about anyone and every concept that was happening took multiple, long chapters to play out.
By the time it got to something interesting at 50%, I was already so checked out that I just didn't care. But then it still didn't even get interesting from there!! I finally skimmed my way through the last chapters because I just couldn't take it anymore.
I can see the appeal this has if you're into it but I just wasn't. Bad time for me at the very least, but this just wasn't what I was hoping for.
On the Merits of Unnaturalness by Samantha Shannon
3.0
Read Completed 3/12/25 | 3 stars | Book #33 of 2025
I'm waiting for my hold of THE DARK MIRROR to come in and found this from Libby while looking for other things, so I figured I'd check it out! It's really helpful to see all of the different orders laid out and explained, so that was really helpful. It's something I really wanted when I was reading THE BONE SEASON for the first time, so I wish I had known about this (though I'm assuming there's a wiki. I could have always looked stuff up).
The writing of it, I didn't really like. The style was really hard to follow, sort of old Victorian vibes even though it's not that old. It just made it a little difficult to enjoy.
I also wasn't really expecting it to be like a STORY so I'm not disappointed there, but it really also isn't. It's more of an encyclopedia with a foreword and it reads like it. Overall, a little helpful but not really an actual story so it's hard to really rate.
I'm waiting for my hold of THE DARK MIRROR to come in and found this from Libby while looking for other things, so I figured I'd check it out! It's really helpful to see all of the different orders laid out and explained, so that was really helpful. It's something I really wanted when I was reading THE BONE SEASON for the first time, so I wish I had known about this (though I'm assuming there's a wiki. I could have always looked stuff up).
The writing of it, I didn't really like. The style was really hard to follow, sort of old Victorian vibes even though it's not that old. It just made it a little difficult to enjoy.
I also wasn't really expecting it to be like a STORY so I'm not disappointed there, but it really also isn't. It's more of an encyclopedia with a foreword and it reads like it. Overall, a little helpful but not really an actual story so it's hard to really rate.
Trust Issues: A Novel by Greg Wands, Elizabeth McCullough Keenan
2.0
Read Completed 3/11/25 | 2 stars | Book #32 of 2025
Talk about trust issues 😬
The book started off interesting with a mysterious death and a possible con artist... but the whole middle of the book was VERY flat. I didn't care for any of the characters, but even an unlikeable character can be interesting. It was boring to see Perry portrayed as the con artist of the book and yep, that's exactly what he was. There was no depth, no bigger story, nothing interesting about something that should be wild, exciting, and twisty. He's a scumbag - period - and we knew it almost the whole book. There could have definitely been some back and forth to make it more interesting.
The kids were not likable characters either, only going after their mother's money and having deep flaws that makes them shallow... but then as the book goes on, we're supposed to care about them? No, you can't set up a book to hate these two and then I'm supposed to care about them. The writing wasn't enough to feel like we're still poking at them or highlighting to show how flawed they are. Or at least not enough for me.
The plot was DULL. It wasn't cat-and-mouse as described. Perry literally knew nothing about this game to track him down until the end. The ONLY good twist was saved for the epilogue and I did not care one bit by the time we got to 99% complete. It was a little bomb drop at the end, but too little too late. If I hadn't read this all in one day, I can't imagine I would have come back to it. It was a 3 star book for a long time, but by the end, I just didn't care anymore and was disappointed with the writing.
Talk about trust issues 😬
The book started off interesting with a mysterious death and a possible con artist... but the whole middle of the book was VERY flat. I didn't care for any of the characters, but even an unlikeable character can be interesting. It was boring to see Perry portrayed as the con artist of the book and yep, that's exactly what he was. There was no depth, no bigger story, nothing interesting about something that should be wild, exciting, and twisty. He's a scumbag - period - and we knew it almost the whole book. There could have definitely been some back and forth to make it more interesting.
The kids were not likable characters either, only going after their mother's money and having deep flaws that makes them shallow... but then as the book goes on, we're supposed to care about them? No, you can't set up a book to hate these two and then I'm supposed to care about them. The writing wasn't enough to feel like we're still poking at them or highlighting to show how flawed they are. Or at least not enough for me.
The plot was DULL. It wasn't cat-and-mouse as described. Perry literally knew nothing about this game to track him down until the end. The ONLY good twist was saved for the epilogue and I did not care one bit by the time we got to 99% complete. It was a little bomb drop at the end, but too little too late. If I hadn't read this all in one day, I can't imagine I would have come back to it. It was a 3 star book for a long time, but by the end, I just didn't care anymore and was disappointed with the writing.
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano
2.0
Read Completed 3/10/25 | 2 stars | Read #31 of 2025
This was my fault... I just have to stop reading these. I had a terrible time trying to stay focused. I just didn’t care at all. I don't really have a ton to say about it. I just haven't been interested in the plots of these books because it's just the same thing over and over again, but I'm not really feeling any momentum with the characters. It all went downhill from the police academy because I still think that was so stupid. If you see book 6 on my TBR, don't let me read it!! 😂 I think I'm done now.
This was my fault... I just have to stop reading these. I had a terrible time trying to stay focused. I just didn’t care at all. I don't really have a ton to say about it. I just haven't been interested in the plots of these books because it's just the same thing over and over again, but I'm not really feeling any momentum with the characters. It all went downhill from the police academy because I still think that was so stupid. If you see book 6 on my TBR, don't let me read it!! 😂 I think I'm done now.
Count My Lies by Sophie Stava
3.0
Read Completed 3/8/25 | 3 stars | Book #30 of 2025
HMMM. I'm torn on this one. It was easy to read, easy to follow, but I had multiple issues with it.
1. It's a slow burn, which isn't always a bad thing, but you really need a bang in order for the slow burn to really land. And there is a bang but...
2. The twist is something that's been done numerous times before, has been a point of controversy about having been done before, and didn't make the slow burn worth it because it's been done before. It was surprising the first time I saw it. It felt repetitive the second time I saw it. Seeing it here... nah. If you want to know, it's 75% almost exactly likeThe Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine, except the husband is just a cheater, not physically and emotionally abusive ...
3. And the ending just really didn't do it for me. I kind of liked the idea of it, but I do NOT think that it could have been pulled off at all. With all of today's technology.... just not possible. Not gonna happen. There were multiple holes in this idea and I just can't imagine it being successful.
It's kind of a hard book to talk about without spoilers, so that's really all I want to say about all of that. The beginning was interesting, but I still felt like there could have been more to it. I was interested in the characters and where the thriller part was going and was to come in, so I was still interested in the plot as a whole. I didn't really hate it when I got to the ending, but I just didn't believe it at all. I was mostly frustrated with the twist. I think I would have rather known about it the whole time, having already read this exact twist AND pacing AND reveal point multiple times before.
This will definitely land hard for a lot of readers. Will it land for seasoned thriller readers who know these books? I'm not sure.
HMMM. I'm torn on this one. It was easy to read, easy to follow, but I had multiple issues with it.
1. It's a slow burn, which isn't always a bad thing, but you really need a bang in order for the slow burn to really land. And there is a bang but...
2. The twist is something that's been done numerous times before, has been a point of controversy about having been done before, and didn't make the slow burn worth it because it's been done before. It was surprising the first time I saw it. It felt repetitive the second time I saw it. Seeing it here... nah. If you want to know, it's 75% almost exactly like
3. And the ending just really didn't do it for me. I kind of liked the idea of it, but I do NOT think that it could have been pulled off at all. With all of today's technology.... just not possible. Not gonna happen. There were multiple holes in this idea and I just can't imagine it being successful.
It's kind of a hard book to talk about without spoilers, so that's really all I want to say about all of that. The beginning was interesting, but I still felt like there could have been more to it. I was interested in the characters and where the thriller part was going and was to come in, so I was still interested in the plot as a whole. I didn't really hate it when I got to the ending, but I just didn't believe it at all. I was mostly frustrated with the twist. I think I would have rather known about it the whole time, having already read this exact twist AND pacing AND reveal point multiple times before.
This will definitely land hard for a lot of readers. Will it land for seasoned thriller readers who know these books? I'm not sure.
Wild Love by Elsie Silver
3.0
Read Completed 3/7/25 | 3 stars | Book #28 of 2025
This was my first Elsie Silver book after so much hype and this was a big old MEH for me. I don't know why, but I expected it to be much more rustic and small town and... wild. And it was small town, but the town didn't really play much of a part in it like some other small town romance books do. I wanted to see so much more from this on so many levels.
This really was solely about the romance. I read mostly romcoms and while I don't normally read more "serious" romances, I'm also not opposed to them. While WILD LOVE wasn't really *serious*, it also wasn't a romcom. It sort of just falls in the middle somewhere, having lots of lighter moments for the most part, and I actually appreciated that things that could have been VERY full of conflict weren't -- like Ford finding out he has a daughter and telling his parents about her really wasn't a big deal. The actual conflict was over things that sure, I guess I would have been upset about but I don't know if it was that big of a deal to be THE third act drama?
But really, this was all romance, no plot. Romances don't need much of a plot but I didn't really know where we were going aside from JUST falling in love. Ford is starting this new business, but that's not really a source of any struggle. Rosie just got fired from her job and moves back to her home town, but she also doesn't struggle there. Sure, her living situations are a little junky, but she really rolls with the punches and it's never a big deal. I just never really felt like there was a lot of substance here.
The characters were just.... fine. I could have used a little more from them somehow, someway, but I can't put my finger on it. They just never really felt like real people. I didn't really feel much from them in the beginning of the book, and over halfway, they started to have more real chemistry. I didn't always like their interactions and it was a little confusing because they characters kept telling us they hated each other, they were hate to love, but they never really did hate each other. It was more like mean teasing, so it felt like a mixed message. They would flirt and feel all hot, and then it was like "but I hate him!!!" Girl, no you don't. You're not fooling anyone. I also didn't like how that was used to create uncomfortable situations and then try to make them hot. No, destroying Ford's shit is not sexy. Who cares if he has money -- he likes things tidy and nice and not broken. That's not cute, that's rude and disrespectful.
The long-lost daughter thing was also a little forced for me. It was like the author made him a sperm donor JUST so they could have a daughter in the picture. I wish it had been more passionate, more a point of conflict to see more ups and downs between the two leads. Or just not include her at all -- it wasn't necessary to the plot. I did like her, but it was a little weird that the reason to donate sperm was to make $100 to go to a concert. Okay... sure.
I'm not sure if I'll pick up an Elsie Silver book again. One of the good things was that I actually didn't feel awkward listening to the spicy scenes, so those were actually written well and not uncomfortably or cheesy. But then after the two got together, the book just became a spicy scene delivery system and there really wasn't anything going with with the plot for chapters at a time. Maybe this type of romance just isn't for me!
This was my first Elsie Silver book after so much hype and this was a big old MEH for me. I don't know why, but I expected it to be much more rustic and small town and... wild. And it was small town, but the town didn't really play much of a part in it like some other small town romance books do. I wanted to see so much more from this on so many levels.
This really was solely about the romance. I read mostly romcoms and while I don't normally read more "serious" romances, I'm also not opposed to them. While WILD LOVE wasn't really *serious*, it also wasn't a romcom. It sort of just falls in the middle somewhere, having lots of lighter moments for the most part, and I actually appreciated that things that could have been VERY full of conflict weren't -- like Ford finding out he has a daughter and telling his parents about her really wasn't a big deal. The actual conflict was over things that sure, I guess I would have been upset about but I don't know if it was that big of a deal to be THE third act drama?
But really, this was all romance, no plot. Romances don't need much of a plot but I didn't really know where we were going aside from JUST falling in love. Ford is starting this new business, but that's not really a source of any struggle. Rosie just got fired from her job and moves back to her home town, but she also doesn't struggle there. Sure, her living situations are a little junky, but she really rolls with the punches and it's never a big deal. I just never really felt like there was a lot of substance here.
The characters were just.... fine. I could have used a little more from them somehow, someway, but I can't put my finger on it. They just never really felt like real people. I didn't really feel much from them in the beginning of the book, and over halfway, they started to have more real chemistry. I didn't always like their interactions and it was a little confusing because they characters kept telling us they hated each other, they were hate to love, but they never really did hate each other. It was more like mean teasing, so it felt like a mixed message. They would flirt and feel all hot, and then it was like "but I hate him!!!" Girl, no you don't. You're not fooling anyone. I also didn't like how that was used to create uncomfortable situations and then try to make them hot. No, destroying Ford's shit is not sexy. Who cares if he has money -- he likes things tidy and nice and not broken. That's not cute, that's rude and disrespectful.
The long-lost daughter thing was also a little forced for me. It was like the author made him a sperm donor JUST so they could have a daughter in the picture. I wish it had been more passionate, more a point of conflict to see more ups and downs between the two leads. Or just not include her at all -- it wasn't necessary to the plot. I did like her, but it was a little weird that the reason to donate sperm was to make $100 to go to a concert. Okay... sure.
I'm not sure if I'll pick up an Elsie Silver book again. One of the good things was that I actually didn't feel awkward listening to the spicy scenes, so those were actually written well and not uncomfortably or cheesy. But then after the two got together, the book just became a spicy scene delivery system and there really wasn't anything going with with the plot for chapters at a time. Maybe this type of romance just isn't for me!
Imaginary Strangers by Minka Kent
3.5
Read Completed 3/7/25 | 3.5 stars | Book #29 of 2025
This was a quick, easy thriller that I managed to inhale in one day. If I had stopped it while I was reading it, I don't know if my interest would have waned, but I had a whole chunk of time to listen to the audiobook from start to finish and it was very readable!
I think for an extra twist, the author could have made this even darker, but I'm also kind of glad it wasn't. There was the resistance to make this too over-the-top and I appreciated it. The ending was maybe a little OOT, but I liked that the whole book didn't go off the rails.
While I wouldn't necessarily be rushing to recommend this, it was also still a solid read that I'm sure plenty of others may fall in love with!
This was a quick, easy thriller that I managed to inhale in one day. If I had stopped it while I was reading it, I don't know if my interest would have waned, but I had a whole chunk of time to listen to the audiobook from start to finish and it was very readable!
I think for an extra twist, the author could have made this even darker, but I'm also kind of glad it wasn't. There was the resistance to make this too over-the-top and I appreciated it. The ending was maybe a little OOT, but I liked that the whole book didn't go off the rails.
While I wouldn't necessarily be rushing to recommend this, it was also still a solid read that I'm sure plenty of others may fall in love with!
The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz
2.75
Read Completed 3/6/25 | 2.75 stars | Book #27 of 2025
I enjoyed THE PLOT and was really interested in where we went from there, so I didn't wait long to pick up THE SEQUEL. Ultimately, I was a little disappointed. The book was readable enough, but it was too much of the same thing. We basically just went through the same steps of THE PLOT, with similar motives, the SAME EXACT CONCEPTS, and it just really didn't present anything new. I felt like this was just repeating the whole plot of... THE PLOT and it just really didn't have its own story in any way. We really didn't learn anything new to add to this story to make it worth writing. There were certainly events that had some shock value, and with what we know of Anna, you know there's going to be something unhinged happening here.
I didn't really feel like this was a good character arc, either. It just really didn't feel satisfying. I guess when someone is a psychopath, you may not end up with a lot of character growth, but there was something a little fun with a Joe Goldberg type vibe. We do dig into some things that were set into motion in book 1 and before that made things interesting, but ultimately, I felt like there was so much more to explore here. I really wanted this book to be its own and it just felt like we were repeating Jacob's story all over again. I found it a little hard to believe that Anna was magically some gifted writer who wrote a book so effortlessly too. I'm a reader and I read tons of books but that doesn't make me a writer. I've tried writing a book and it's wildly hard and it was utter crap. Maybe with proper motivation it's a little easier but for her to just sit down and blurt out a best-selling novel? I supposed some people just have the talent to do it, sure, but something about it didn't feel right here. Like we were just forcing her into this role because it was easier for the plot rather than it being something true to her character.
The ending was fine. We already know Anna's character and sometimes villain stories can be a little anticlimactic when you already know what they're capable of and it isn't a surprise. I don't know. It just should have hit me harder than it did, but I'm sure others have loved it and will love it.
I enjoyed THE PLOT and was really interested in where we went from there, so I didn't wait long to pick up THE SEQUEL. Ultimately, I was a little disappointed. The book was readable enough, but it was too much of the same thing. We basically just went through the same steps of THE PLOT, with similar motives, the SAME EXACT CONCEPTS, and it just really didn't present anything new. I felt like this was just repeating the whole plot of... THE PLOT and it just really didn't have its own story in any way. We really didn't learn anything new to add to this story to make it worth writing. There were certainly events that had some shock value, and with what we know of Anna, you know there's going to be something unhinged happening here.
I didn't really feel like this was a good character arc, either. It just really didn't feel satisfying. I guess when someone is a psychopath, you may not end up with a lot of character growth, but there was something a little fun with a Joe Goldberg type vibe. We do dig into some things that were set into motion in book 1 and before that made things interesting, but ultimately, I felt like there was so much more to explore here. I really wanted this book to be its own and it just felt like we were repeating Jacob's story all over again. I found it a little hard to believe that Anna was magically some gifted writer who wrote a book so effortlessly too. I'm a reader and I read tons of books but that doesn't make me a writer. I've tried writing a book and it's wildly hard and it was utter crap. Maybe with proper motivation it's a little easier but for her to just sit down and blurt out a best-selling novel? I supposed some people just have the talent to do it, sure, but something about it didn't feel right here. Like we were just forcing her into this role because it was easier for the plot rather than it being something true to her character.
The ending was fine. We already know Anna's character and sometimes villain stories can be a little anticlimactic when you already know what they're capable of and it isn't a surprise. I don't know. It just should have hit me harder than it did, but I'm sure others have loved it and will love it.
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
3.75
Read Completed 3/4/25 | 3.75 stars | Book #26 of 2025
No major spoilers but if you want to go in blind, proceed with caution.
Gillian McAllister’s books are so readable and this was a very enjoyable novel! She has a great way of weaving a plot together and the amount of intrigue to kick this book off really had me hooked!
Admittedly, the pacing lost me just a touch having flashed forward seven years after the events that kick off the book. I understand the reason why buuuut I could have also easily see it continue without such a big break. There’s a major point to the story that does need some time to develop, so if you take some time off, why not seven years, I guess? But it did slow that exciting pace down for me a little too much.
I really enjoyed the twists and how everything really went around and around as things started to unfold. The ending was just a *tad* confusing for me due to what it all actually was.I didn’t really know enough about the crime families to really feel attached to them as a huge part of the events and the reveal. The names also really kind of weren’t used enough — especially as an audiobook listener — to really get a grip on who everyone was. Some of them I had no idea who they were and I didn’t really care. They were barely a part of the plot but played such a big role.
I ended up giving this 3.75 stars because I was very interested and it was such an easy book to fly through! I really wish the ending would have stuck with me more to give it a little extra bump, but I’d still recommend it!
No major spoilers but if you want to go in blind, proceed with caution.
Gillian McAllister’s books are so readable and this was a very enjoyable novel! She has a great way of weaving a plot together and the amount of intrigue to kick this book off really had me hooked!
Admittedly, the pacing lost me just a touch having flashed forward seven years after the events that kick off the book. I understand the reason why buuuut I could have also easily see it continue without such a big break. There’s a major point to the story that does need some time to develop, so if you take some time off, why not seven years, I guess? But it did slow that exciting pace down for me a little too much.
I really enjoyed the twists and how everything really went around and around as things started to unfold. The ending was just a *tad* confusing for me due to what it all actually was.
I ended up giving this 3.75 stars because I was very interested and it was such an easy book to fly through! I really wish the ending would have stuck with me more to give it a little extra bump, but I’d still recommend it!