sarahkorn's reviews
142 reviews

The Mayor of Maxwell Street by Avery Cunningham

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

3.75

A really interesting story with interesting characters. I don't think I've read a gangster novel before, and certainly not one in glitzy, gritty 1920s Chicago, centered on Black folks in the thick of Jim Crow. I had really, REALLY high hopes for this book!

However, there were times the pages flew and times where I needed to set it down because it wasn't clicking, and unfortunately I think the latter was the case more often than not so it took nearly two weeks to finish. The length and meandering nature of the book made it hard to keep the thread. The prologue and epilogue has some of the best prose in the book, and a true testament to the author's literary talent, but plot wise the ending was just confusing.

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

This was my first Kate Clayborn book and I am impressed! I've been needing a romance that was light without being cheesy, and this fit the bill. I love endearingly messy characters working through their redemption arc, and I was rooting for them the whole way through.

Themes of forgiveness, healing, self acceptance, and relationships of all kinds

Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

3.5

Definitely juicy, but about 100 pages too long and a bit repetitive. I think it could have benefitted from some real spice. Couldn't really connect with any of the characters enough to continue with the series, and honestly couldn't particularly root for the MMC relationship, but liked it enough to finish it I guess.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.5

Very sweet YA read easy to finish in a couple of hours. I'm absolutely not the target audience, but still felt a lot of nostalgia for young crushes past. Mixed feelings on the ending, but I imagine it sets up the following books.

Maame by Jessica George

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I originally was not in the mood for a sad book and wasn't sure how this would go. But I just loved Maddie and her inner dialogue, and rooted for her the entire way through until I ended the book in a puddle of sobs. Sweet, tender, and honest...Maame earned it's spot as the first 5* read of 2024!

How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted

4.0

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

Excellent twisty thriller. Loved the unreliable narrator and how you could never truly tell what is real and what is an act.

Sometimes the plot was a little hard to follow and not every thread is tied up neatly, so the mystery lingers. It was an engaging, atmospheric, and quick read regardless.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

challenging emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Might up to a 5 star after sitting on it. Great little slice of life story -- not a lot of action, and the action that is there feels very far away, like a memory -- but still very engaging. Very much a character driven book.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

I was expecting to like this but it's way too long for so much navel gazing. Maybe it would be better not on audio so I could pick up a chapter here and there. It's not as much memoir as much as it is self help, audience unclear. I have a vague idea of who Glennon is and her story, but most of it came from her podcast and not this book, which reads like a sequel to something else. I just wasn't really engaged in the premise.

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen
Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.

I love a spooky retelling so I tore into part 1. Couldn't put it down. Part 2 dragged and leaned too far into the fantasy realm for me. Maybe it gets spooky again but  The Kingdom of Sweets was, indeed, a bit too saccharine. Didn't care for all of the descriptions of gumdrop villages and snow made of powdered sugar, and gingerbread men who can talk. Obvious, uninspired, couldn't get into it so DNFed 150 pages in.