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therivingtonreader's reviews
253 reviews
Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun
2.0
I want to start this review out by saying I am not a romance reader. I typically do not enjoy books that are strictly romance, so I tend to avoid them altogether. That being said, when I saw this as a BOTM choice for this month, I was intrigued by the cover and the fact that it's a queer love story that takes place during Christmas. I thought it would be a perfect holiday read, but instead I just found myself annoyed. The story started off okay, but I quickly started to get irritated by Ellie's cynicism and obsession with failure, the cheesy descriptions during any intimate scenes, and the constant mention of whatever song was being played in the background. The diversity in the characters was refreshing, I can definitely say this was the first book I've ever read where the main character was a demisexual and I do love this book for the representation it brings. However, doesn't it kind of ruin the point of making a character demisexual when she falls in love with someone she just met over the course of a few hours? I get that it was a "love at first sight" sort of thing, but it just didn't feel organic. I also wish there were more scenes between Andrew and Ellie, their relationship was one of the few that didn't make me cringe. They had a cute friendship and I wish we could have read more of that instead of all the absolutely unrealistic ways Ellie and Jack got stuck being alone together. Overall I have a lot of feelings about this book and I just don't think it was for me.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
1.0
Well, I did not enjoy this book very much. Had I not listened to the last half of the audiobook instead of reading, I probably wouldn't have finished it. It was very repetitive, gross, and altogether just not very good. I went in expecting to love it because I love horror, especially psychological, and I also enjoy satire. But I didn't really find this to be that satirical apart from the very beginning. It got old really fast. There was so much of this book that could have been cut out and nothing would have been lost from the story. You could probably read the last 50 pages and get the gist of what the entire book is about. There's pages of Patrick talking about fancy restaurants, debating with his coworkers about where to make reservations, listing off every designer brand of every item of clothing for every character he interacts with (not even an exaggeration), all the fancy food they were eating, and excessively descriptive sex scenes. I don't consider myself a prude, but these seemed intentionally gross and they went on for way too long. Maybe 20% of this book was actually him being violent or murdering people, including 3 dogs. There were also at least 3 chapters about different music artists where he just talked about their albums and what he liked - which by the last one I had just skipped it because it didn't add anything to the story. I also skipped a several page chapter where Patrick spent an hour on the phone debating with his coworkers where to eat. And, the word "hardbody" is used probably 100 times over the 400 pages in this story which really annoyed me?? Find a new word lol. I was really just not impressed
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
4.0
* 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 *
I listened to the audiobook for the first 75% of this book and then read the last 25%. I enjoyed the audiobook quite a bit, the narrator was fun to listen to and the descriptions of the monsters were horrifying. I really wish this book was longer though. It felt like a 400 page story crammed into less than 200 pages, and for me it made the pacing feel off and felt like it was lacking a lot of extra detail. The story overall was intriguing and scary, and definitely put some scary imagery in my head while I was reading!
I listened to the audiobook for the first 75% of this book and then read the last 25%. I enjoyed the audiobook quite a bit, the narrator was fun to listen to and the descriptions of the monsters were horrifying. I really wish this book was longer though. It felt like a 400 page story crammed into less than 200 pages, and for me it made the pacing feel off and felt like it was lacking a lot of extra detail. The story overall was intriguing and scary, and definitely put some scary imagery in my head while I was reading!
Am I Beautiful? by Jon Athan
3.0
This was gruesome. I would guess that if you're reading books of this genre you know what to expect, but if this happens to interest you please check trigger warnings. I was deeply disturbed by this story and everything that happened. Definitely not for everyone, but I did find myself flying through it just to see what was going to happen next. I could have done without all the Japanese translations - I didn't mind the different language, but it got old when every time there was a Japanese phrase it was followed by "which translates to..."
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
3.0
I listened to the audiobook of this and actually found it really enjoyable. This is the 3rd book I've read by Rachel Hawkins and although they're fun to read, they all feel pretty forgettable. Nothing really sticks out that makes it special, it's just another thriller
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
5.0
Oh my god, I loved this SO much. This was genuinely a great time from cover to cover. It was comfy, cozy, and just nice to read. I fell in love with every character, and the found family aspect had me crying at the end because it was so sweet. I can't wait for the prequel to come out in November
Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica
4.0
**3.5 rounded up to 4**
I was really anticipating this short story collection after reading Tender is the Flesh. Some of the stories in here were so short I felt like I didn't get anything out of them, but there were a few that stuck out and made me uncomfortable. "The Continuous Equality of the Circumference" and "The Solitary Ones" were my favorites out of this collection, and were definitely unsettling.
I was really anticipating this short story collection after reading Tender is the Flesh. Some of the stories in here were so short I felt like I didn't get anything out of them, but there were a few that stuck out and made me uncomfortable. "The Continuous Equality of the Circumference" and "The Solitary Ones" were my favorites out of this collection, and were definitely unsettling.