tangerinegem's reviews
8 reviews

Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh

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

5.0

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

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inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Honestly it took me a long time to get through this one. I kept putting it down, reading entire other books, then coming back to it. But whenever I was in it, I was IN IT. 

The vibe in this book is like a sitcom set in the 1950’s-60’s, minus the docile housewife. Elizabeth Zott (a scientist/single mom/tv host) responds to all the misogyny of the time in way that is maybe aspirational, but not very realistic. Which honestly? Is fine. I think she’s meant to be a bit of a caricature. She’s a self-taught scientist who inadvertently ends up with a cooking show where she inspires American women to be who they want to be and not just who society says they should be. 
It’s fast paced… but somehow not? The story moves through events in her life pretty quickly, but I often found myself wondering where the story was going. There are two timelines that essentially show where she is now vs. how her early life experiences color her current life.
The writing had a dead pan wit and some comedy, but is also sprinkled with some pretty intense scenes. Definitely check trigger warnings. 
This book was worth reading, especially if you are a fan of Mad Men or the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It was very fun at times, but is not one of my favorites. 
I will say though, the dog is perfect. 
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The Teacher by Freida McFadden

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Did I consume this book in a single day? Yes. Did I want to know what would happen? Yes! Did I like what was happening? No. Did I think most of the characters were so dumb? Yasss 🤦‍♀️

If I give you any type of synopsis I think you can pretty easily guess how this story is going to go but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an entertaining time. It was a nice afternoon read, but it isn’t a masterpiece. I’ll just say it starts with someone digging a grave for a body, but you don’t know who is digging or who the body is 🤷‍♀️

This was a Libby audiobook, and I’m glad bc I would have been mad if I had spent money on it.
 
Final Thoughts:
Eve’s obsession with shoes is so awkward 🫣
Nate gives me the ick in more ways than one 🤢
Addie is just a young dummy 🫠

If you have read this book I would love to hear your thoughts 😅
The Fury by Alex Michaelides

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

3.5

I loved this book all the way up until the last two chapters. Everything was hitting for me: the Greek islands, the movie stars, the creepy best friend, the reclusive groundskeeper. Obviously the hint of murder.

But likeeeeee, did I miss something? I kept thinking the author was hinting at things about certain characters histories, but then never actually revealed anything. The ending felt so underwhelming to me because the author kept referring to it as a whydunnit instead of a whodunnit, but even the why was like… meh. I literally finished the book feeling like I missed an entire couple of chapters of explanation. I don’t like to spoil what happens for anyone who hasn’t read it, but if you have read it PLEASE talk to me about your POV bc idk what happened.

The only reason this got as many stars as it did is because I just loved 90% of the book, but I was angry when I got to the end. I ranted to my husband about it for 30 minutes and he had no idea what was going on 😅 anyway the Fury was a great title for this book bc the end made me furious.
When in Rome by Sarah Adams

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

4.0

This book was so wholesome and sweet. I love the emotional honesty of the characters, and I love the charm of small town Rome, KY. Noah as the grumpy pie maker and Amelia as the burnt out pop star end up being such a good pairing, and all the supporting characters are great too. Only rated it four stars because it dragged in a couple of places for me, but ultimately such a great feel good rom com.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood

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

4.0

 
Well… that was certainly different… but not in a bad way! I’ve always enjoyed Ali Hazelwood's books as a light hearted, low stakes read after reading something on the heavier side. Her settings are usually in the world of academia, so this was definitely a departure. 
 
When I saw that she had written a paranormal romance, I truly had ZERO interest. But I can’t tell you how easily I am influenced haha. If everyone is reading it, and seems to love it, I honestly can’t help myself. I have to know! 
 
All that to say, the story of a Vampire being in an arranged marriage with a Werewolf to broker peace between their kinds was wayyyy more interesting than say, Twilight for instance. There was a little bit of mystery (which I love), a little bit of betrayal, and a lot of spice. I loved Misery as the main character, and appreciated all her sass. For me, Lowe was kinda meh as far as book boyfriends go, but not bad by any means. Love the sisterhood that exists between Misery and Serena, and hope that the way the book ended is hinting at a sequel, which I will definitely read if that is the case. This book will not be for everyone, but it was for me! 
The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’ve never met a Lisa Jewell novel I didn’t like✨ If I’m ever in a book slump, I usually try to find one of hers on audio as a palette cleanser.

The Third Wife is a family mystery that follows the blended family of the patriarchal Adrian Wolfe. He has married and had children with two women, leaving them both and moving onto his third. Everyone in the family appears to be content with how life has turned out and the family even goes on holidays together. When the third wife is suddenly and unexpectedly killed, Adrian is left to wonder if it was really an accident. As he looks deeper into his third wife’s death a year after her passing, new details start to emerge.

As in most of her novels, Jewell weaves a tapestry of complex characters where the connections aren’t always apparent at first, and suspicion is thrown onto everyone. I particularly enjoyed the POV of a bumbling, slightly self-absorbed father who is forced through circumstance to take a critical look at the consequences of his own actions. The reader never quite knows how the story will end, or how it could end well, but she manages to create something that is oddly satisfying and a little cathartic in the end.
Manacled by SenLinYu

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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