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therivingtonreader's reviews
248 reviews
Piglet by Lottie Hazell
4.0
Of all the things Piglet did in this book, what shocked me the most was when she KISSED a WEEK OLD newborn that wasn't her own.
But in all seriousness, I really enjoyed this book. I can't even really say why. Not a ton happens, you're just following Piglet, a nickname this poor woman can't seem to get rid of from her parents, as she navigates the upcoming days to her wedding after her fiance confesses to something horrible he's done. Piglet is not necessarily a great person throughout this story either, but I was rooting for her in the end.
You never find out what it is that her fiance did. This is obviously a very conscious choice made by the author, and I thought it was a really interesting way to go about this story. It forces the reader to really focus on Piglet's emotions and her reaction. Is she overreacting? Underreacting? We can't really say since we don't know what he did. Reactions from other characters in the story seem to imply it was worthy of skipping out on their wedding altogether.
I felt like Piglet grew a lot over the course of this story as well. At the beginning, her concerns lie in appearances and how she thinks she's "improving" her life by marrying Kit. He's from a very wealthy family, whereas Piglet was not. She seems to look down on her family and friends as she tries to better herself. When Kit reveals his secret, a wrench is thrown in her plans to improve her life, and she's paralyzed by choosing to keep up appearances or leave.
I really loved that she finally went back to Margot at the end. She was so shitty to her friend throughout this book but I'm glad she was still there for her at the end. I think it speaks to how well Margot knows Piglet and she was sticking it out until she figured it out for herself.
But in all seriousness, I really enjoyed this book. I can't even really say why. Not a ton happens, you're just following Piglet, a nickname this poor woman can't seem to get rid of from her parents, as she navigates the upcoming days to her wedding after her fiance confesses to something horrible he's done. Piglet is not necessarily a great person throughout this story either, but I was rooting for her in the end.
I felt like Piglet grew a lot over the course of this story as well. At the beginning, her concerns lie in appearances and how she thinks she's "improving" her life by marrying Kit. He's from a very wealthy family, whereas Piglet was not. She seems to look down on her family and friends as she tries to better herself. When Kit reveals his secret, a wrench is thrown in her plans to improve her life, and she's paralyzed by choosing to keep up appearances or leave.
I really loved that she finally went back to Margot at the end. She was so shitty to her friend throughout this book but I'm glad she was still there for her at the end. I think it speaks to how well Margot knows Piglet and she was sticking it out until she figured it out for herself.
Going Au Naturale at Hallow's Cove by L.E. Eldridge
4.0
Brooks and Sydney are so CUTE they absolutely killed me!!!
This story was sweet, spicy, and really fun. I adored all of the characters, but especially Chicken; he was such a fun little addition to this book. I also loved the little callbacks to Barnaby and Maisie, and this honestly just made me more excited to read the rest of the Hallow's Cove books!!
Thank you to L.E. Eldridge for the ARC of this!!
This story was sweet, spicy, and really fun. I adored all of the characters, but especially Chicken; he was such a fun little addition to this book. I also loved the little callbacks to Barnaby and Maisie, and this honestly just made me more excited to read the rest of the Hallow's Cove books!!
Thank you to L.E. Eldridge for the ARC of this!!
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
3.5
When it's done right, I love a thriller that waits until the last possible second to reveal what's going on. This one does just that, holding out until probably the 90% mark. I was intrigued the entire time, and my only complaint is that the twists weren't quite as big as I was hoping they would be. There were a couple of reveals that fell a little flat and had me rolling my eyes, and a couple of the "gotcha" moments didn't have any prior connections, but overall this is a great, intriguing thriller that keeps its hooks in you until the end.
Also, fuck Grady. He sucks.
Also, fuck Grady. He sucks.
Winning the Orc's Heart by Lyonne Riley
4.0
This book had me mentally screaming at Vienne and Graz in the best way. I wanted them to just talk it out and be together!! They had such strong individual personalities, but they were so cute with each other.
Graz is an inventor and can be sweet, but he's also arrogant and assertive. Vienne is a stubborn adventurer who's confident in herself, but can be a little impulsive. Their (sometimes) clashing personalities lead to some arguments, but they ultimately ended up having a very sweet relationship.
This can be read as a standalone, but there are many characters that appear in this story from the previous Trollkin stories. I'm going to have to go back and read the others because I've only read 2 so far, and I love seeing old characters in the newer books.
Thank you to Lyonne Riley for the ARC! I'm so glad I got to read this!
Graz is an inventor and can be sweet, but he's also arrogant and assertive. Vienne is a stubborn adventurer who's confident in herself, but can be a little impulsive. Their (sometimes) clashing personalities lead to some arguments, but they ultimately ended up having a very sweet relationship.
This can be read as a standalone, but there are many characters that appear in this story from the previous Trollkin stories. I'm going to have to go back and read the others because I've only read 2 so far, and I love seeing old characters in the newer books.
Thank you to Lyonne Riley for the ARC! I'm so glad I got to read this!
A Soul to Heal by Opal Reyne
4.0
"I am fine being a monster...If it means I can protect those I care for."
I loooove Magnar 😠he is so sweet and I adore how he loves Delora. I really appreciated Delora as a character as well; she's plus size and has depression, but her depression doesn't stem from self-hatred about her body. Her entire existence doesn't revolve around her size. I also related to her quite a bit, her anxieties and inner thoughts felt very familiar.
The only reasons this is getting a 4 instead of a 5 are because I'm not a fan ofsurprise pregnancy (which I know is a me problem lol), and as a mom I couldn't help but think about who TF was watching the baby while Delora and Magnar were off getting freaky ðŸ˜ðŸ˜‚
I loooove Magnar 😠he is so sweet and I adore how he loves Delora. I really appreciated Delora as a character as well; she's plus size and has depression, but her depression doesn't stem from self-hatred about her body. Her entire existence doesn't revolve around her size. I also related to her quite a bit, her anxieties and inner thoughts felt very familiar.
The only reasons this is getting a 4 instead of a 5 are because I'm not a fan of
Murder in the Dressing Room by Holly Stars
4.0
I loved this!! It was fun and goofy, and I was totally invested in the mystery. I was 100% confident in who I thought murdered Lady Lady, and I was totally wrong 😂 but I had an absolute blast reading it.
The characters were all unique and believable, the story was easy to follow despite all the clues and characters there were to remember, and I'm genuinely excited it seems like this is going to be a series. The ending definitely set up for a 2nd book at least 👀
If you're looking for a lighter or cozy mystery, this is definitely it! I'd recommend this to just about anyone!
The characters were all unique and believable, the story was easy to follow despite all the clues and characters there were to remember, and I'm genuinely excited it seems like this is going to be a series. The ending definitely set up for a 2nd book at least 👀
If you're looking for a lighter or cozy mystery, this is definitely it! I'd recommend this to just about anyone!
I'm in Love with Mothman by Paige Lavoie
4.0
I LOVED this. It was so cute and heartwarming, and it gave me some serious Twilight vibes with the flower field. I think I might be in love with Mothman too 😅
Heather took me a second to come around to, but she eventually became really likeable to me. Moth is grumpy and romantic, and their relationship was so much fun to see develop. It was a slow burn, but not too slow. I thought it was perfectly paced, and all the big moments happened when they should have.
The stakes at the end of the book felt like they were relatively high, and I was really hoping Chris was going to get his ass kicked. He sucked and I made many notes reflecting that in my copy lol.
Heather took me a second to come around to, but she eventually became really likeable to me. Moth is grumpy and romantic, and their relationship was so much fun to see develop. It was a slow burn, but not too slow. I thought it was perfectly paced, and all the big moments happened when they should have.
The stakes at the end of the book felt like they were relatively high, and I was really hoping Chris was going to get his ass kicked. He sucked and I made many notes reflecting that in my copy lol.
Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
3.0
I have a lot of thoughts about this book, so buckle up if you're planning to read this whole review.
Let's start with the good:
I LOVE the cover. Probably one of my favorites, maybe of all time. The art is beautiful and creepy, and perfectly encapsulates the story.
I was really impressed with the horror elements of this book. The demon was gross and I was definitely left feeling unsettled and uncomfortable. As someone who used to stream on Twitch and has a love for video games, a lot of the creepiness kind of hit home for me.
Ash and Viv's relationship was also really cute. I thought they had great chemistry and I was rooting for them to get together.
The bad:
I have a lot of issues with the entire storyline involving Riley's death. From the very beginning, Viv blames herself for killing her little sister. And when you finish the book, you realize the entire story is kind of about grief and guilt. But when it was revealed that Riley died from drowning, and Viv also covered it up by making it look like she choked on a button (from their mom's cardigan btw), I felt that maybe it was not portrayed as seriously as it should have been. Obviously Viv did not kill her little sister on purpose, but there is a very big difference between an accident and being downright neglectful. Viv was being neglectful by leaving a full tub of water accessible to a 3 year old while she went to stream on Twitch, and then she covered it up with something that would put the blame on her mom. As a parent to a toddler, I realize I may be more sensitive to this topic, but I also felt that it was treated more like she accidentally burned dinner and covered it up instead of literally killing her sister.
The confession to Viv's parents at the end about the truth of Riley's death also rubbed me the wrong way. Her mom's first words after hearing the truth were quite literally "Oh my god...It wasn't my button." To me, that is not what my first thought would've been 3 months after my 3 year old child died. I would've been furious and heartbroken, and not even close to calm toward my 17 year old daughter who not only killed her with her neglectfulness, but then made a conscious decision to cover it up.
Let's start with the good:
I LOVE the cover. Probably one of my favorites, maybe of all time. The art is beautiful and creepy, and perfectly encapsulates the story.
I was really impressed with the horror elements of this book. The demon was gross and I was definitely left feeling unsettled and uncomfortable. As someone who used to stream on Twitch and has a love for video games, a lot of the creepiness kind of hit home for me.
Ash and Viv's relationship was also really cute. I thought they had great chemistry and I was rooting for them to get together.
The bad:
The confession to Viv's parents at the end about the truth of Riley's death also rubbed me the wrong way. Her mom's first words after hearing the truth were quite literally "Oh my god...It wasn't my button." To me, that is not what my first thought would've been 3 months after my 3 year old child died. I would've been furious and heartbroken, and not even close to calm toward my 17 year old daughter who not only killed her with her neglectfulness, but then made a conscious decision to cover it up.