pchamblee's reviews
106 reviews

The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth by Juliet Gauvin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 68%.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

This is one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read, because it’s more than a memoir: it’s a beautifully written and acutely relatable window into what it’s like to struggle with severe depression and anxiety. Matt recounts his heartbreaking experiences with mental illness in a gentle manner, while leaving the reader with loads of encouragement and hopeful takeaways for fighting the darkest parts of our minds—and living to see the brightest parts of life.

It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is the first audiobook I’ve tried and made it all the way through, so I have to give major credit to Candace Thaxton and the rest of the narration team for pulling it off so well. Considering the psychological suspense factor, I’ll forever be curious what it would have been like to experience it the first time in print (possibly would have been even more mind-boggling)—but, I thoroughly enjoyed the delivery of the narration.

This is a very eerie and disturbing story. It’s obvious early on that there’s mystery involved and there will be a twist at the end, but I don’t think any reader can be fully prepared for what comes (despite all the hints woven in). Even though I typically go for comfort fiction with happily ever afters, I love a good psychological thriller story and this book does it really well. It’s unique in the way it balances a meandering intellectual commentary with a thoroughly terrifying cautionary tale.

I’ve heard the Netflix film adaptation isn’t 100% true to the book and many fans say it doesn’t do it justice, but once I get a chance I’m gonna watch it out of curiously and just because I liked this story so much.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Death, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Blood, Death, Mental illness, and Self harm

Minor: Alcohol, Medical content, Violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent

A Certain Appeal by Vanessa King

adventurous funny hopeful informative lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Misogyny, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Fatphobia, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Alcohol

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

emotional funny informative reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber
Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.

Purchased from a meet-the-author event from my local library. It’s a cozy read, but maybe a little too cozy as I only focused on it in between other priorities. The romance and family drama threads kept me going, but the pacing is so slow I still fell off after a while. I might pick it up again once it’s out of storage.

Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.

I didn’t get into it right away and then forgot about it altogether. Whoops