soshereads_'s reviews
272 reviews

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

Didn't Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta by James Hannaham

challenging emotional funny informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Violence, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Alcohol, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Outing, Infidelity, Homophobia, Hate crime, Drug use, Deadnaming, Classism, and Addiction

Always the First to Die by R.J. Jacobs

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Medical content, Grief, Gore, Mental illness, Gun violence, Blood, Car accident, Pregnancy, Murder, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abandonment

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Infidelity, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Classism, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Abandonment, Sexism, Medical content, and Car accident

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abortion, Gun violence, Miscarriage, and Body shaming

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Self harm, Pregnancy, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Miscarriage, Child death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Child abuse, Sexism, Infertility, Grief, and Abortion

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray

funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

challenging emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Pregnancy, Grief, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, Bullying, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Death, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Alcoholism and Pedophilia

Lying Next to Me by Gregg Olsen

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I realized halfway through the book I was hate-reading it. While the story was interesting, the characters were not. And this would absolutely fail the Bechdel test. Every time a woman was described it was to describe how hot they were, if they would do the man describing them, if they would have s*x with her. Then the two female characters with POV chapters: Lee, the detective, clearly hasn’t worked through her traumatic experience as a child yet some how qualified to be a police detective. Her inability to see reality in Adam was painful. And then there is Kristen. Probably the only character I kind of liked but then her infertility is used as a reason for her actions, and that felt very gross and overused. The twist was so easy to see coming and the ending wasn’t much of a surprise. It felt cheap and misogynistic. 
This was my first Gregg Olsen book. And I’m not sure if he was intentionally making these characters so so unlikeable and misogynistic or if there’s something going on here. I can usually tell when the author’s goal is for us to not like a character.
I did like the altering perspectives and there were a few twists that I found interesting. I also kind of liked the last chapter with Adam, and it really kind of highlighted the crux of his character.

But overall I would not recommend this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Sexism, Misogyny, Violence, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexism, Gaslighting, Fatphobia, Grief, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Alcoholism

Minor: Classism, Death, Fatphobia, and Domestic abuse

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am not sure what I just read but I am HERE FOR IT. I really want to get into Henrix’s brain and see how his mind works because how one person could come up with this book is beyond me. I never get scared by books but this creeped me the f*ck out. I still stayed up late reading it through. I didn’t want it to end! One moment you think it has to be done but the next a whole other off the wall thing happens that’s even more outlandish than the last. I will never look at puppets or squirrels the same way!
I promise it’s better to go into reading this book without knowing a lot. It’s much better that way!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Death of parent, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Torture, Fatphobia, and Gun violence

Hour of the Assassin by Matthew Quirk

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Death, Rape, Gaslighting, and Gun violence