scsreads's reviews
513 reviews

The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson

4.0

Oh my goodness, I actually finished a series this year! I devoured this book in one day and I thought it was a very satisfying ending to the series.

This book was fast-paced and I was just itching to see how it all came together. Throughout the series, the mystery is intricate and slowly layer after layer is uncovered. I loved the way the book flashed back and forth between the past and the present and finally all was revealed! 

I’m going to miss Ellingham Academy, which was just such a great backdrop for this story. Also, I loved the snowstorm situation in this book. I really enjoy when characters are trapped and have to work together on a common goal. Also, shoutout to one of my favorite side characters in this series, Janelle, and that badass move she pulled.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this series and I would definitely recommend it!

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

4.0

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

This thriller kept me on my toes! At one point while I was reading, I was pretty tired, but I just did not want to put this book down. That’s when you know it’s a good one! 

I thought the suspense in this novel was well done. I had to know what was the deal with Rachel and couldn’t wait for her backstory to be revealed. The story is told from multiple perspectives and I wasn’t sure who to trust. Was Helen possibly an unreliable narrator? I also enjoyed the setting of the posh London neighborhood of Greenwich Park as that was juxtaposed with the seediness of what was happening beneath the surface.

The short, brisk chapters in this novel really propelled the story forward and I couldn’t stop turning the pages. This is a story about the past coming back to haunt you and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Meet Me in London by Georgia Toffolo

4.0

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one! It’s got a fake engagement storyline and it’s set in London, so I was sold immediately.

I enjoyed both main characters in this one. I thought Victoria’s insecurities felt very real. And when Oliver talked about how much his family loved one another, but were poor at communicating, I found that very relatable. As I was reading, I loved seeing Victoria and Oliver develop a really good emotional connection when they opened up to each other (being vulnerable is not easy!).

I liked the sense of community that was shown in this book as the local shop owners banded together with the new department store. I thought the romance was a nice slow burn, but I like spice in my books, so I would have loved to see more details there, lol! There is one particular topic that comes up a few times in this book, and while I think the author had good intentions, I’m wondering if it was handled in the best way. Also noting that the holidays are lightly in the background here, in case you’re looking for a book that’s heavy on the holiday vibes. I read this in about two sittings and I thought it was a charming debut novel with a lot of heart.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

3.0

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

Do you ever feel a little apprehension when you pick up an anticipated read? This was one of my most anticipated 2022 releases. A Little Life is one of my all-time favorite books. There was just no way that my expectations were not going to be extremely high for this book. I was a little hesitant and afraid to start it, due to fear of being disappointed. And I waited until I had a break and a chunk of time to read it, because I wanted to give this book my full attention. 

I didn’t know much about the story going in. I tried to stay away from reviews and other bookstagram posts before I started in order to avoid having my opinion influenced. But of course, I couldn’t help but see a few things. And I got the sense that other people who were also excited about this book had read it and realized that it wasn’t the book they were hoping it would be. As you can see, I’m trying to set the scene to provide context about my reading experience. This book made me think about expectations and other influences that affect how we experience a book. 

To Paradise is an ambitious and sweeping novel that didn’t grasp me the way I was hoping it would. Yanagihara writes about the human condition, the desire to find a place and a purpose in this world. About yearning to love someone and be loved in return. About seeking utopia and what that means to different people. About the idea of America as a nation. Her writing continues to be beautiful, but the emotional connection I was hoping to develop to the story and characters never came.

In Book I, I didn’t understand the use of certain language, even though I suppose it’s in keeping with the time. I questioned the existence of slavery, even in an alternate reality. I thought the structure of this book was interesting and also confusing at times. I wondered if we were in some kind of multiverse, with a variety of realities existing at the same time. I felt that the Book III in particular was too long and that the overall novel could have been a couple hundred pages shorter. And I didn’t enjoy the discussion around pandemics in the final Book. For me personally, it’s just too close to home, too soon.

I felt there was an emphasis on the relationships between grandparents and their grandchildren. What happens when parents are disappointments to their children or children are disappointments to their parents? We see grandparents that become surrogate parents, and in some ways, have the ability to try again, to correct the mistakes of their past. We see how people make decisions that affect the rest of their lives. Or, how they fall into decisions, stumble onto paths, and then are carried along, unable or unwilling to set a different course.

Of course, I loved that the book was set in New York and centered around Washington Square. And I’m still appreciative of her writing style. I wouldn’t say that this was a disappointing read, because at some point along the way, I realized that I wasn’t going to love this book, and so I let my expectations go. I think after catching glimpses of negative rumblings about the book, I thought I would be disappointed, but I still wanted to read it and form my own opinion. I can’t help but have expectations about the books I pick up. Not every book will live up to my expectations, and that’s ok.

This was a sweeping and experimental tale, with Yanagihara’s observant and cutting prose, but perhaps it was too ambitious, and in doing so, became convoluted. Several of her stylistic choices were puzzling, such as creating an alternate history in Book I and then completely abandoning it, or choosing to use the same character names throughout each Book, even though they are different characters. All the elements of this book did not come together for me. I think I was afraid that reading her latest novel might diminish or reduce my experience of reading A Little Life. I loved that book and I did not love this book, but I will still continue to be interested in anything else that Yanagihara decides to write. And now I’m so curious to hear what other people think about To Paradise. If you’ve read this one, let’s chat in the comments down below!

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

3.5

This is my first Ann Patchett book and it’s one I’ve been meaning to read for a while. Let’s start with a random thought first- it felt a little strange reading a book narrated by a man! I realized that a majority of the books I read are centered on female characters, so I definitely took note of the male presence here.

It’s a book about a brother and sister, Danny and Maeve, the house they grew up in, and their family dynamics. The house is such a looming character in this novel and I felt they were obsessed with it, both in the past and the present.

I really enjoyed reading about the relationship between Maeve and Danny and the way they took care of each other. She was his main family and he was hers. As the oldest, I’ve always felt like the second mother and guardian of my siblings, and so I could relate to Maeve in that way.

The timeline was a little confusing for me as this book takes place across several decades and Danny is often jumping around in time as he’s telling their story. And as much as the house was such an important figure, while I could kind of picture it, I couldn’t fully visualize all of the elements. 

I think maybe that’s why I struggled a little with this book. While the house did seem wonderful, I found it difficult to connect with their obsession with the house. I found their childhood fascinating and compelling, but as they got older, I think I lost a bit of interest. Patchett does have that cleverly quiet writing style that I enjoy, but this novel didn’t fully grab me the way I was hoping it would. 

And I’ll end with a quick note about the cover- I love it! It’s so striking and I wonder if it is actually a real painting.

A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss

4.5

Well this was just the most delightfully cozy read. I loved her debut novel, THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well.

I think Jenny Bayliss is a great writer. At only 20 pages in, I had such a strong sense of who Annie was as a character. I loved the characters in this book, including Annie and side characters like the book club ladies (I want to join their book club!), Alfred, Emily and her picket signs, and more. I enjoyed seeing Annie’s journey as she learned to stand up for herself and pursue the things she wanted. I also liked the fact that our heroine in this book is a little older (she’s in her mid-forties and has two grown kids). And she’s a big reader too, which I couldn’t help but love (the ritual she and John start doing is so swoony!).

Another element that I loved so much was the setting of Willow Bay. Bayliss is SO great at establishing a sense of place. I’m pretty much a city girl, but she had me wanting to move into Saltwater Nook and live by the seaside. The town was just so charming and it sounded like an idyllic getaway. And one thing I love about small town settings is the sense of community and the way that people really take care of each other. There are town festivities for every holiday and it sounded so inviting and fun. 

While there are festive occasions in this book, I would say it’s a little light on the winter holiday vibes, or just lighter than I was expecting. Which I didn’t really mind at all, but I did want to mention it in case you too thought this would be a holiday heavy book! This novel is such a great read for this season and it’s the perfect book to curl up under a blanket with. It’s heartwarming and fun and charming, and when I finished it, I was left with a contented smile on my face.

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

3.5

This book had me hooked from the start and I loved the premise! We have twins swapping places, a reality baking show in the vein of The Great British Bake Off, and a snowy small town set in the mountains of California. All of those elements made me add this book to my December TBR and I really enjoyed it.

I loved the sisterly relationship and the special twin connection they had with each other. It was so sweet how they were there for each. I mean, you have to really love someone to agree to such a harebrained idea of swapping lives! I felt that both twins were stuck in the hamster wheels of their lives and their careers, and the swap gave them an opportunity to take a break from their lives and figure out what they really wanted. 

Their hometown of Starlight Peak sounded so cozy and charming. I really enjoyed some of the side characters as well, such as the grandmotherly Faye and the hard-working Walter. However, the romances did happen a bit quickly for my taste and I also thought the final chapter was a little too neat and tidy. But neither of those were major gripes for me as I was willing to let them slide.

Overall, this was a fun holiday read that explored the theme of reevaluating your life and living it the way that you want to. My only wish is that the reality baking show in this book was real because it 100% sounds like something I would watch. Actually, scratch that, I have two wishes- I want to be able to try all the baked goods they talk about because they sounded delicious!

The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo

3.5

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

This was my first holiday book of the season and it was a cute one! I loved the fictional town that this was set in, Holly, NY- it sounded so festive and fun. I also really liked that our main character, Lila, was a book blogger who wrote about holiday books. So fun and she’s one of us!

Lila is soon going to be a freshman in college, and she’s torn between pursuing her passion or studying something more practical in college. I could totally relate to that because I had no idea what I wanted to major in when I started college and felt a lot of angst about that. I also loved Lila’s family and how close they were. She’s the oldest in the family and a caretaker, and she has such a sweet relationship with her siblings. I related to that as well as I’m also the oldest in my family and I took care of my siblings when we were growing up.

I’m not sure if the romance between Lila and Teddy made much sense to me (it felt like she just liked him because he was cute?), but they seemed like a sweet couple and I enjoyed the romantic moments. I also found the dialogue a little too cheesy for me at times, but overall, this was a cute read about family and finding your path.

Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino

4.0

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

This was good! I was looking for a book that would be a quick read, that I wouldn’t want to put down, and this book fit the bill.

It’s about four young assistants living and working in NYC. They are abused and mistreated and harassed by their bosses, until finally they’ve had enough. They decide to create a website where people can anonymously share their horrible work experiences and in doing so, hopefully feel a little less alone.

I was intrigued by the premise and I liked how it focused on several different jobs: publishing, comedy, news, and acting. This book brought to mind the #MeToo movement, along with the TV series The Morning Show and the IG page @diet_prada. It reminded me of being at the bottom of the ladder during my entry-level days in my first job out of college, and how limited your power is at that stage. How you can sometimes feel trapped.

I found this book relatable, even though I haven’t had the same experiences as these young women. I felt for them as they tried to convince themselves that their experiences were “not that bad,” when really, in fact, they were. All the gaslighting, self-doubt, being told to suck it up and keep quiet- when will it stop? 

This is a book that is easy to get sucked into and I’m glad I picked it up on a whim!

Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang

4.0

America is supposedly a beautiful country, full of opportunity for everyone. This is a memoir about the author’s journey of moving from China to the United States as a young kid, and growing up undocmented in America. And she quickly discovers that America is not exactly the beautiful country she’d envisioned. 

She describes her family’s struggles to make a life here, to survive here. And we see how the fear that comes from being undocumented will stay with her for a long, long time. The author had a difficult childhood. They are poor and she and her mom work in a sweatshop to make money. She is constantly malnourished because there is not enough money to feed her properly. It was heartbreaking to read about how she doesn’t want to burden her parents with her hunger.

A few times she mentions her love for reading and how books kept her company when she didn’t have anyone else. She also writes about poor treatment from some of her teachers- how they underestimate her and how she succeeds despite them.

I listened to this book on audio (I love listening to a memoir when it’s narrated by the author) and I thought the audiobook was great. I felt she did a really good job of writing from a child’s perspective, which is not an easy thing to do. This was a beautiful memoir of the author’s experience of growing up as an immigrant in America and a stark reminder of the fact that America does not treat all of its people equally.