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readswitherin's reviews
69 reviews
Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage
3.0
Yes, Daddy is the strong debut novel from Jonathan Parks-Ramage. It feels like a disturbing memoir, which really draws the reader in. It is the story of a young man named Jonah, who grew up in the church, with his father being an Evangelical pastor, and his mother being deeply twisted by the ideas of the faith. As Jonah matures, he tries to grapple with his sexuality while being shunned by his community and forced through conversion therapy by this parents. He is able to escape his dreadful reality and attend university away from his family, where he is able to realize that leaving the toxic environment of his youth is likely the best solution to his problems. Unfortunately, following university when Jonah moves to NYC, he finds himself in a relationship with a powerful playwright that turns extremely dark. He is forced to cut ties with everyone he knew and essentially be held captive and abused.
I could not put the book down however, upon reaching about the 80% mark, the book takes a turn and feels very rushed. The first 2/3 of the novel are so gripping and written expertly, and then it seems that Parks-Ramage ran out of steam and didn't quite have a solid conclusion thought out before he began the writing process. Jonah has a small stint of being sucked back into the church (shocker, it ends badly), and I found it very unnecessary and that it completely backtracks on all of the progress the character seemed to make. Perhaps it's because I am not a religious person in the slightest, but I didn't enjoy the character arc of an abused man falling back into and accepting the very community that essentially ruined his life in the first place.
One thing that the book did get right was the exploration of abuse in LGBTQIA+ relationships -- there are not many other novels out that touch upon the #MeToo movement and how it relates to the gay community. I appreciated that. I also appreciated the exploration, while short and incomplete, of how trauma and abuse affects the survivor.
Due to the choppy nature of the last 20% of the book, I am unable to rate it higher than 3 stars. If the book ended at 80% when Jonah is "freed" of his emotional turmoil, the book would have received a 5 star rating from me.
Despite my just OK rating, I would still recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about a dark, yet realistic thriller involving horrific trauma and what that does to a person.
I am looking forward to reading what Jonathan Parks-Ramage releases next. He is definitely an author to watch out for.
Thank you NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I could not put the book down however, upon reaching about the 80% mark, the book takes a turn and feels very rushed. The first 2/3 of the novel are so gripping and written expertly, and then it seems that Parks-Ramage ran out of steam and didn't quite have a solid conclusion thought out before he began the writing process. Jonah has a small stint of being sucked back into the church (shocker, it ends badly), and I found it very unnecessary and that it completely backtracks on all of the progress the character seemed to make. Perhaps it's because I am not a religious person in the slightest, but I didn't enjoy the character arc of an abused man falling back into and accepting the very community that essentially ruined his life in the first place.
One thing that the book did get right was the exploration of abuse in LGBTQIA+ relationships -- there are not many other novels out that touch upon the #MeToo movement and how it relates to the gay community. I appreciated that. I also appreciated the exploration, while short and incomplete, of how trauma and abuse affects the survivor.
Due to the choppy nature of the last 20% of the book, I am unable to rate it higher than 3 stars. If the book ended at 80% when Jonah is "freed" of his emotional turmoil, the book would have received a 5 star rating from me.
Despite my just OK rating, I would still recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about a dark, yet realistic thriller involving horrific trauma and what that does to a person.
I am looking forward to reading what Jonathan Parks-Ramage releases next. He is definitely an author to watch out for.
Thank you NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
No Exit by Taylor Adams
4.0
I was very confused by the writing at the end and had to look it up bc I’m dumb
The Push by Ashley Audrain
5.0
Blythe is a mom who doesn't really think she wants to be a mother, and she thinks maybe her mother and grandmother potentially both felt the same way. This book is told from Blythe's perspective and explores generational patterns of child neglect and feelings of in adequacy when it comes to motherhood. Blythe's struggles are due to her being unable to form a bond with her first child, Violet, and being dismissed when she shares with her husband that she believes Violet may have something wrong with her. It isn't until her second child arrives that Blythe experiences a glimpse of normalcy, until one day when her life is shattered into a million pieces.
This book definitely deserves all of the hype that it is getting. It starts out slow as you get a feel for Blythe and her familial struggles, and then it becomes so devastatingly captivating that you won't be able to put it down. I have never read a thriller that is written as a character study of sorts, and I found that the unique way the story is told forces the reader to become fully invested in each page. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book definitely deserves all of the hype that it is getting. It starts out slow as you get a feel for Blythe and her familial struggles, and then it becomes so devastatingly captivating that you won't be able to put it down. I have never read a thriller that is written as a character study of sorts, and I found that the unique way the story is told forces the reader to become fully invested in each page. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Troop by Nick Cutter
3.0
I never wanted to pick it up because I found it very boring ........ it was just okay.
The microbiology name dropping seemed very cheap to me and I was annoyed by it. If I had a dollar for every time the author wrote hydatid, I would be able to pay off my student loans.
The microbiology name dropping seemed very cheap to me and I was annoyed by it. If I had a dollar for every time the author wrote hydatid, I would be able to pay off my student loans.
The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
4.0
I feel really weird rating this book. I listened to the audio book and it was very well done. Ted Bundy was a severely fucked up person — I cannot imagine how Ann felt being his confidante
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
2.0
This book was such a slog to get through and I didn’t care for the story or the setting at all lol
First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2019 by Vikas Bhushan, Tao Le
5.0
Unfortunately, this book lacks a solid plot. However, I enjoyed that the authors included photos and diagrams to outline the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mental or physical pain.