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sarah2438's reviews
1099 reviews
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
I'm plowing through some of the oldest books on my TBR to see if they're worth the wait. This one, like several others, is not. I should've known it wouldn't be for me (how often do I actually like sci-fi?) but I was pulled in by the beautiful cover. I finished Part 1 (130 pages!) and I'm completely disinterested. This one's been on my TBR for 5 years. Farewell, friend.
The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark
4.0
Read this if you support women's wrongs.
I love a morally grey character, and Meg is exactly that. Though the financial / white collar crime details got a little tedious, I was still able to follow them, and I say that as someone completely financially illiterate. The ending didn't have as much of a climax as I wanted, but it was still satisfying in its own way. I'd recommend this one.
I love a morally grey character, and Meg is exactly that. Though the financial / white collar crime details got a little tedious, I was still able to follow them, and I say that as someone completely financially illiterate. The ending didn't have as much of a climax as I wanted, but it was still satisfying in its own way. I'd recommend this one.
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
I'm so tired of mediocre reads and this looks like another one. I'm a third in and don't care. Occasionally pretty writing does not make up for lack of plot.
Darling Girl by Liz Michalski
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
I'm bored and I don't see things improving from here.
Run by Blake Crouch
1.5
I'm not sure why I was able to request this on NetGalley when it was actually published in 2011, but here we are. Blake Crouch is one of few sci-fi authors I read, and I'll admit that his books are still pretty hit and miss. The newer ones are at least entertaining, but I noticed when I read Pines that he was falling into a lot of classic pitfalls indicative of a new writer. Unfortunately Run experienced a lot of those same issues. The title is quite apt because that is literally all that happens in this book. It was non-stop action with no real consequences. I don't feel that we ever got a satisfying resolution, and character development was non-existent, especially for women. I couldn't tell you a single thing about Dee except that she cheated on her husband. Jack is a very boring action figure of a man. The more I think about this book, the more I realize that there wasn't a single thing I liked about it. Even the action scenes were boring, and I remember wanting to DNF halfway through but I persevered for the sake of my NetGalley percentage. Sigh. Just disappointing. I hope Crouch's true next novel is in line with how his writing has progressed, because looking back is not the answer.
**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Clever Little Thing: A Novel by Helena Echlin
3.0
I liked this one. With mystery novels, everything hinges on the twist and the buildup to it. There were some red herons that I really focused in on. It's unfortunate that the answer was the most predictable one-- some of the red heron answers actually would've been more interesting. I enjoyed the writing and the author's depiction of motherhood, especially with a child that's not neurotypical. I can also appreciate an ambiguous ending. Ultimately, I don't think this book does anything wrong. But I just don't know how memorable it is; I don't think it will be a standout at all when I look back on my year of reading.
**I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
**I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
I haven't been reading any good books lately and this one is just giving me the ick. I hate to be a party pooper but the owner of a fitness company flirting with a woman because she said she wanted to look good naked just grosses me out. And she's using everything he says for an article that he doesn't know she's writing, leading to biased journalism because he's giving her way more attention. Do I just sound super lame with this? Oh well.
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
2.5
Some good lines in this one but the story itself is boring and borderline nonsensical. I get freaked out very easily but this made no impression. But of all the books I've read, this one having the lowest rating seems harsh. Oh well. What do you expect when my library's book challenge asks me to read a book rated less than 3 stars?
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
3.0
This ended up being a very different read than what I expected, and I was initially a bit resentful of that. But I slowly got into the rhythm of it and while it wasn't a favorite, I still enjoyed myself. I expected this to be a cozy novel reminiscent of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but it's more of a Myazaki adventure. Dreamy, borderline nonsensical at times. It may even be worth it to go back and reread down the road when I have better adjusted my expectations. There are still some critiques that hold, however, regardless of expectations. The dynamic between the two MCs felt a little insta-lovey, and their motivations felt a bit surface-level. More character development would've really taken this to the next level. Similarly, there were some moments between them that just felt a bit over the top and became cringey, just so dramatic in these scenes that lacked the emotion to give proper depth. It seems like a lot of folks are loving this so far so please feel free to take my review with a grain of salt. But as with just about every book I've read this month, this one just wasn't for me.
**I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher!**
**I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher!**
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
2.0
I have mixed thoughts on this one, and it mostly boils down to this: It's not you, it's me.
This is a book for my Book Cult but not one that I personally would've picked. I can always appreciate it when a book club gets me to read outside my regular genres, and early American historical fiction definitely qualifies. That's one thing this book was already up against. Additionally, I generally try to avoid books with these particular content warnings, especially when they are so graphic. Finally, the book is about a midwife-- and given recent political events, I have put more thought than ever into those topics, and the significant fear that I feel about them. As if all of that weren't enough, the pacing was atrocious, and there were a lot of unnecessary births and details to show Ballard's skill, ultimately leading to the book being significantly longer than necessary.
The writing was beautiful, our MC's voice was strong, and it was interesting to learn the real (or 75% real, according to the author's note) story of Martha Ballard. I understand the high ratings for this book, it just really wasn't for me.
This is a book for my Book Cult but not one that I personally would've picked. I can always appreciate it when a book club gets me to read outside my regular genres, and early American historical fiction definitely qualifies. That's one thing this book was already up against. Additionally, I generally try to avoid books with these particular content warnings, especially when they are so graphic. Finally, the book is about a midwife-- and given recent political events, I have put more thought than ever into those topics, and the significant fear that I feel about them. As if all of that weren't enough, the pacing was atrocious, and there were a lot of unnecessary births and details to show Ballard's skill, ultimately leading to the book being significantly longer than necessary.
The writing was beautiful, our MC's voice was strong, and it was interesting to learn the real (or 75% real, according to the author's note) story of Martha Ballard. I understand the high ratings for this book, it just really wasn't for me.