readwithmichele's reviews
497 reviews

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

BOOK: This Book Will Bury Me
AUTHOR: Ashley Winstead
PUB DATE: March 25, 2025, by @bookmarked
PAGES: 480
RATING: 5 stars (infinity)!
GENRE: Suspense/Thriller/Mystery/Crime

A  H U G E  Thank You to @netgalley, @bookmarked and the author for gifting me an advanced digital in exchange for my honest review!

SYNOPSIS: After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory. So, when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something's not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap. Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...

QUICK & SPOILER-FREE REVIEW:  Let me start off by saying this had EVERYTHING I want in suspense and thriller! As I continued reading chapter after chapter, it drew me in deeper and had me up late flipping pages until the very end. I had a hunch who the “killer” was about 60% in, but it was questionable and full of twists and turns! Hang on to your seats with this one! And that ending!! I’d love to discuss this book with anyone that has read it. This was my first book to read by this author, and I am super excited to read her others that have been on my TBR! 
RUN, don’t walk, to read this one that’s out TODAY!!!

#ThisBookWillBuryMe #AshleyWinsteadBooks #AshleyWinstead #Mystery #Crime #Suspense #Thriller

Back After This by Linda Holmes

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

BOOK: Back After This
AUTHOR: Linda Holmes
PUB DATE: February 25, 2025, by Ballantine Books
PAGES: 320
RATING: 54stars
GENRE: Contemporary & Humorous Fiction 

A  H U G E  Thank You to @netgalley, @Ballentine and the author for gifting me an advanced digital in exchange for my honest review! 

QUICK & SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: If you’re looking for a sweet and  funny love story, this is the book for you. I immediately knew I would enjoy it since it’s a romance AND about a dog! I adored the characters and the plot was original. This is a hit for those looking for a rom com with no added spice. This one’s just a good, wholesome romance you won’t want to put down. 

Keep Me by Sara Cate

adventurous challenging medium-paced

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

4.0

The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez

5.0

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

4.5

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Formal review forthcoming!

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.

I really tried but had to DMF at 50%. It was just not my cup of tea unfortunately. 

We Are Made of Stars by Rochelle B. Weinstein

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

 BOOK: We Are Made of Stars
AUTHOR: Rochelle B. Weinstein
PUB DATE: TODAY!! February 25, 2025, by Lake Union Publishing
PAGES: 363
RATING: 5 stars
GENRE: Contemporary Fiction

A  H U G E  Thank You to @netgalley, @LakeUnionPublishing, and the author for gifting me an advanced digital in exchange for my honest review!

MEMORABLE QUOTE:  “Henry’s describing the universe as a metaphor for life, how we’re all made of stars and an energy that pulls us near and far, how the final frontier means possibility, facing the unknown.”

SYNOPSIS: Secrets, lies, and second chances are served up beneath the stars at a picturesque mountain getaway in this powerful novel about love and family. At the Vis Ta Vie inn, Reneé and Jean-Paul De La Rue face the daunting decision to close their beloved home for good. They’re not the only ones going through a season of change, though. Their guests include three couples. In Hollywood, celebs Leo and Penny are spending their silver anniversary together while on the cusp of divorce. Lucy, a practical-minded therapist, and Henry, an astronomer with his head in the stars, are struggling to find common ground. And former lawyer and current stay-at-home mom Sienna and charismatic sports agent Adam look perfect but are hiding rifts of their own. Thrown into the mix are self-absorbed single mother Cassidy and her sullen fifteen-year-old daughter, Rosalie. The stage is set for a week of betrayals, regrets, and shocking truths that can rend the heart or heal it. Vis Ta Vie—live your life—captures what it means to love through the darkness, and to find the light even after the magic fades.

QUICK & SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: I devoured this advanced reader’s copy just as  I would have devoured the delectable, 4-course daily menus mentioned at the beginning of chapters! I appreciated the world-building of the characters as well as the author’s descriptive writing style. This one will tug at your heartstrings as it focuses on love and family. This was my first book by Rochelle B. Weinstein, and it won’t be the last. It was captivating from beginning to end!

 

Nothing Better Than You by Lynn Painter

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0