sipsandspines's reviews
345 reviews

The Family Secret by Kiersten Modglin

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Listened to this one in a day! It was fast paced, mysterious, and while kind of predictable I was surprised by the end.

Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould

4.0

The Block Party by Jamie Day

dark funny mysterious tense 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

I’m a sucker for a book about rich people behaving badly and this one did not disappoint. I was fully invested in all the drama and altercations between couples/neighbors and couldn’t stop listening because I was dying to know who was killed! I was pretty shocked by the ending, I didn’t guess it at all. 

Bloody Heart by Sophie Lark

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

Finally a book about Dante! It was so good to finally get to know him more, and especially to get under that rough exterior and learn the reasons why he became that way. I loved this second chance romance and can’t wait to keep going with the series. 

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

dark emotional funny tense fast-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

4.5

Umm steamy romance with an actual plot? YES PLEASE!

I loved this more than I expected to. If you love grumpy/sunshine and brother’s best friend pick this one up!

I listened to half of the audiobook in one day. I couldn’t stop listening! There were a few twists that I never saw coming and I loved that there was more going on in the plot than just the romance.

Alex is hot af but the possessiveness did get a little old at times. I loved Ava but I felt so bad for her at times. She went through A LOT in this book. Can’t wait to dive into the next book in this series.

The St. Ambrose School for Girls by Jessica Ward

dark funny mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

This was a slow burn filled with mostly the MC’s inner dialogue, but it was really good! I was intrigued right from the start as there was a bit of mystery to Sarah’s history and mental health diagnoses. 

I love a good boarding school baddie book, and the bully in this one was AWFUL. Pure evil. 

Lots of drama, scandals, and an unreliable narrator makes for a wild ride. Just don’t go into it thinking it’s a thriller because it’s not super thrilling until the end. 

A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

I can’t stand Persephone. I’m only giving this three stars because of the other great characters. Persephone is so whiny and I cannot understand how Hades, an ancient god, can put up with her.

I love some good steam but it was weird how Hades and Persephone had so many issues in their relationship during this book but instead of trying to resolve them, they just kept having sex. Like??? That’s not fixing anything. 

That being said I’ll probably still read book 3 🤷🏼‍♀️

Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter

dark medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was so well written but I think I’m over books that are mostly inner monologue. I loved the black hole as a metaphor for the MC’s depression and how she put on her “fake self” to pretend she was fine. It was very relatable. I wish some things in the book had been more fleshed out, but overall a great book on mental health. 

Wednesdays at One: A Novel by Sandra A. Miller

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-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

I thought this was going to be a thriller based on the synopsis, but it isn’t. I still enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone looking for a book about relationships, remorse, and forgiveness. 

The characters were written so well. Gregory especially as the reader gets a lot of his internal thought. The novel shows how your past can affect your future and I really struggled with disliking Gregory at times because I also had to try to understand how badly his regrets and lies messed up his life. 

There was a twist at the end I didn’t see coming and liked a lot.

Thanks Zibby books for the gifted copy!

Queen Takes Rose by Katee Robert

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

Meh. I didn’t really care about either of the main characters or their instalove.