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sarahkorn's reviews
145 reviews
The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Great premise and wanted to love it, but having the entire thing told from Nan's perspective was weird and forced, and I didn't feel like pushing through. Would probably be stronger with rotating POVs.
How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart by Florentyna Leow
4.0
Lovely set of essays. Read it in Kyoto and enjoyed the writing and the sense of place.
A few editorial choices took this down to 4 stars for me: some of the essays seemed a bit disjointed with each other - the friend was sometimes "she," sometimes "you," and the final essay seemed more suited to the middle of the book than the end. These things ultimately made the book linger a little less in my mind.
A few editorial choices took this down to 4 stars for me: some of the essays seemed a bit disjointed with each other - the friend was sometimes "she," sometimes "you," and the final essay seemed more suited to the middle of the book than the end. These things ultimately made the book linger a little less in my mind.
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
I'll admit other reviews had me skeptical that this would hold a candle to Every Summer After...but Carly Fortune has done it again. This was a beautiful book involving complicated family dynamics and the what ifs surrounding the one who got away.
Fortune is a master at sense of place and I loved how 50% of this book took place in the city. In so many other romances, the city is the place the lead character escapes from, and I loved how meaningful and important both Toronto and Muskoka were to the unfolding of Fern and Will's story. The Toronto chapters reminded me of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and Muskoka was very obviously Dirty Dancing.
Another thing I liked is the male lead isn't a dick, or overly broody. Complicated for sure, but if you're as tired of "grumpy meets sunshine" tropes as I am, you'll find it refreshing.
Fortune is a master at sense of place and I loved how 50% of this book took place in the city. In so many other romances, the city is the place the lead character escapes from, and I loved how meaningful and important both Toronto and Muskoka were to the unfolding of Fern and Will's story. The Toronto chapters reminded me of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and Muskoka was very obviously Dirty Dancing.
Another thing I liked is the male lead isn't a dick, or overly broody. Complicated for sure, but if you're as tired of "grumpy meets sunshine" tropes as I am, you'll find it refreshing.
The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks, Jessica Morgan
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
This fell short of book #1 for a few main reasons:
1. Very light on the steam
2. Nick being very much upset about Bex's past transgressions, rightfully, and Bex acting like he was being overly dramatic?
3. Weird artificial insemination subplot I could have done without
Like the first, the characters were overall incredibly lovable and the writing was cheeky and fun. Somehow I managed to read all nearly 1000 pages (!!) between the first two books and enjoyed the experience overall. But I'd probably not reread this one again.
1. Very light on the steam
2. Nick being very much upset about Bex's past transgressions, rightfully, and Bex acting like he was being overly dramatic?
3. Weird artificial insemination subplot I could have done without
Like the first, the characters were overall incredibly lovable and the writing was cheeky and fun. Somehow I managed to read all nearly 1000 pages (!!) between the first two books and enjoyed the experience overall. But I'd probably not reread this one again.
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I really enjoyed this book - it's a light, beachy read but still manages to be thought provoking. I thought the characters were all very 3 dimensional and didn't come off as charicatures of the ultra wealthy - that can be fun but often predictable. I could see how some folks could see it as trite virtue signaling but I did appreciate that it openly examined privilege & class without making everyone into a clown, which I think is lazy characterization. The characters, in particular the three maim women (Georgiana, Darley, and Sasha) are all deeply flawed and frequently frustrating but I was still rooting for them in the end.
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
How could Harry Styles smut be so good?
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.0
TJR is a master. While this is not my favorite of her books, somehow she still was able to make me give two shits about tennis. Great characters, great pacing, and great dialogue. No one does it like her!
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Incredible slow burn historical fiction. I loved learning more about the origins of the Oxford English Dictionary and the printing industry at the time.
I was not prepared for the last 100 pages or so, once they got to WW1, to competely destroy me...definitely not light reading but beautiful nonetheless.
I was not prepared for the last 100 pages or so, once they got to WW1, to competely destroy me...definitely not light reading but beautiful nonetheless.