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readsrandiread's reviews
176 reviews
The Gimlet Slip by Fiona Davis, Greg Wands
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Gawd, I hated this book. I decided to DNF it at 50%, but then an hour later the idea of not finishing bugged me too much so I pushed through. Every single character was so awful and unlikeable. I get that college is the time for a bit of experimenting and finding yourself but this book was nothing but toxic relationships, cocaine galore, eating disorders, and just ugh. I was NOT into it. And honestly the odds of the situation that ties this whole thing together, so ridiculously low. Ew, and StoryGraph put this in my romance genre column and that is gross. Anyway, that’s enough hate. I’ll never watch the Hulu show but I will continue to wear my Baird College sweatshirt. 🤪
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I’ve seen a lot of my friends give THE HUSBANDS less than stellar ratings, but I really loved it. I’m not sure why I had so luck a different reading experience than they did. I will say that most of the people I’ve talked to who didn’t like it did the audio, I did the physical book, so maybe that affected the experience. All that to say, this might be a love it or hate it type situation and that’s okay.
Magical realism in the form of an attic of rotating husbands. I was personally sucked in almost immediately. It was a book I didn’t want to put down and a book I was excited to pick back up every time. There was a point where my heart hurt so bad, and points where I held my breath and my heart was pounding, but mostly it made me think and think about what I would do in a similar situation. I just know I’ll think about this book for a long time.
My only complaint was that it did start to feel a little repetitive, but I think that was kind of the point. But the end was great and unexpected.
Magical realism in the form of an attic of rotating husbands. I was personally sucked in almost immediately. It was a book I didn’t want to put down and a book I was excited to pick back up every time. There was a point where my heart hurt so bad, and points where I held my breath and my heart was pounding, but mostly it made me think and think about what I would do in a similar situation. I just know I’ll think about this book for a long time.
My only complaint was that it did start to feel a little repetitive, but I think that was kind of the point. But the end was great and unexpected.
Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was my first Carola Lovering book and I really liked it. It kind of puts off thriller vibes, but it’s a drama, a story of friendship gone awry. The big “mystery” is explained in the first part of the book, you just get the why and the aftermath as you read the book.. There are some heavy triggers, so check those if you need them. I enjoyed both main characters, flawed as they were. I couldn’t quite decide who I was “rooting” for, if you will.
The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
We Must Not Think of Ourselves by Lauren Grodstein
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
In a sea of WWII historical fiction, I think this is one that will get a little lost.
✨ 4.5 star initially ✨
✨ 4 stars is probably my final rating though ✨
To be very clear, this is not a bad book, clearly I gave it 4.5 stars right off the bat. I just think that in such a heavily saturated genre like WWII historical fiction, the story really needs to be memorable and to stick out. I found value in this story, in the history, in the characters, in the storytelling style, I just know they weren’t memorable enough, if that makes sense. It’s a shorty, falling just under 300 pages. Makes it a fairly fast read, but might also add a bit to what I was describing.
Still a worthwhile read, just not a new favorite.
✨ 4.5 star initially ✨
✨ 4 stars is probably my final rating though ✨
To be very clear, this is not a bad book, clearly I gave it 4.5 stars right off the bat. I just think that in such a heavily saturated genre like WWII historical fiction, the story really needs to be memorable and to stick out. I found value in this story, in the history, in the characters, in the storytelling style, I just know they weren’t memorable enough, if that makes sense. It’s a shorty, falling just under 300 pages. Makes it a fairly fast read, but might also add a bit to what I was describing.
Still a worthwhile read, just not a new favorite.
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
This was such a fun one! Absolutely perfect summer vacation/beach read! You get to travel all over Italy with the book tour group, while solving a (potential?) murder mystery. The author, Eleanor Dash, of the famed book series “When In Rome” breaks the fourth wall by talking directly to you in hundreds of footnotes, literally hundreds. It’s ridiculous and it’s funny. You WILL laugh reading this. I read the physical book, but I’ve heard the audio is great too.
Things I loved;
🍋 The characters! Loved that we were given celebrity doppelgängers to compare them all to. But there are a lot of them, I had to make a character cheat sheet for myself because I was struggling yo keep them all straight.
🍋 The descriptions! I want all the pasta that I read about, all of it!
🍋 The quirky writing style. Catherine Mack clearly had fun writing it. It doesn’t take itself too seriously at all.
What bugged me:
🍋 The lack of dialogue tags! Seriously I gave up on trying to know who was talking at any given time. You’d have multiple people in a conversation with no dialogue tags, ugh!
I’m so sad to learn that Italy is a sans Diet Coke type country. 😔
Footnote 201 in ETIGOVSD:
“Wait, have we talked about this yet? No, I don’t think so. You can’t get a Diet Coke anywhere in Italy, just Coke Zero. It’s a poor substitute, and I feel like it’s eroding the enamel on my teeth. Can someone tell me what Italians having against Diet Coke?” 🥤
Things I loved;
🍋 The characters! Loved that we were given celebrity doppelgängers to compare them all to. But there are a lot of them, I had to make a character cheat sheet for myself because I was struggling yo keep them all straight.
🍋 The descriptions! I want all the pasta that I read about, all of it!
🍋 The quirky writing style. Catherine Mack clearly had fun writing it. It doesn’t take itself too seriously at all.
What bugged me:
🍋 The lack of dialogue tags! Seriously I gave up on trying to know who was talking at any given time. You’d have multiple people in a conversation with no dialogue tags, ugh!
I’m so sad to learn that Italy is a sans Diet Coke type country. 😔
Footnote 201 in ETIGOVSD:
“Wait, have we talked about this yet? No, I don’t think so. You can’t get a Diet Coke anywhere in Italy, just Coke Zero. It’s a poor substitute, and I feel like it’s eroding the enamel on my teeth. Can someone tell me what Italians having against Diet Coke?” 🥤
The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5