readbyashleyd's reviews
2076 reviews

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.0

Before bed audio reread! 

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I don’t even know where to begin with this book because I just fucking loved it so much. I’ll read anything that McDaniels writes at this point, she is an author that I know will never let me down and those are few and far between. The whole book just ripped my heart out, ripped it to shreds and stomped on it and it hurt so fucking good. Be warned, there are LOTS of possible triggers here. It’s a dark and gritty story but also just so damn beautiful. 

Grey Dog by Elliott Gish

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

This book grabbed my attention from page one and I only grew more engrossed the further I got. It’s creepy and queer and just EVERYTHING. What really sealed the deal for me was the ending though. It’s not often the final pages of a book literally make my jaw drop! 

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Not quite as good as Sapiens but definitely better than Homo Deus. 

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca

dark mysterious fast-paced

5.0

It’s been over a week since I read this collection and I still can’t stop thinking about the title story. I haven’t been shook and disturbed by a horror story like that in a really long time and it was a feeling I greatly missed. The other stories are stellar as well but the title one is just beyond anything I’ve ever read before. I can’t recommend this collection highly enough if you love dark, twisted and disturbed horror. 

The Garden of Bewitchment by Catherine Cavendish

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

2.0

This one was fucking rough. The only thing I remember about it is that I really struggled to get through it. 

Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash

dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

5.0

I don’t even know where to begin with this book because I just fucking loved it so much. It started as a cover buy but it ended up being so much more. I’ll read anything that features the words Satanic Panic and this one is one of the best damn ones I’ve crossed on the subject matter. Add to that that it’s queer as FUCK and this book was just a love affair waiting to happen. And that ending just ripped my heart out, ripped it to shreds and stomped on it and it hurt so fucking good. 

What's Not Mine: A Novel by Nora Decter

dark emotional sad fast-paced

5.0

I was instantly captured by this haunting story of drug addiction mixed with a coming of age story. It broke my heart and it hurt so good while it broke because we’ve all been Bria at some point in our teenage lives. I highly recommend this one, do be warned though it gets dark and gritty and will hurt you in all the right ways. 

The Gathering Storm by Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

5.0

Now this is what I’ve been waiting for the last three or four books! I was starting to lose hope it would pick back up again and that the final books would be a slog to get through but thankfully this one was excellent. So much action and everything finally starting to come together for the grande finale and I just can’t wait! 

Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did but it completely captured me. It’s heartbreaking and sad and it just hurt so good. Everyone has one of those toxic relationships and reading this felt like it helped me heal from mine. I couldn’t have loved this more.