tidwellcammy's reviews
142 reviews

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I saw all the reviews - but while I was reading it, I was giving a LOT of side eye.  Naked for a week?  C’mon…. Then Beth and Frank had sex every night after working on a farm all day?   I know a lot of women with only children but never one who didn’t want another one bc it would take away from the first one.  Of course the twist of the story explains that.   The twist was the redeeming quality for me.  Suddenly everything made sense.   But docking 1/2 star for unrealistic amount of sex.   Ha! 

Johnny Careless: A Novel by Kevin Wade

dark emotional funny mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.0

This one surprised me with how much depth it contained.   I really grew to like the characters - they were well developed giving a full look at the differences in class structure.   Interesting and fitting who ended up being the “murderers” 

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I may bump this one up to five stars….  Gotta let it marinate 

Head Cases by John McMahon

dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.5

Honestly - I thought it would be better but the pacing was uneven and the characters got bogged down in the plot 

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

funny lighthearted 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

4.0

A road trip with a zany oddball group of humans and aliens.  
A pure delight.  

Black Ice by Carin Gerhardsen

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Tightly constructed mystery thriller with a cast of characters that kept me guessing.   

Holly by Stephen King

dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.5

I don’t read a lot of SK but this one really pushed all the buttons for me.  
Holly and Billy Summers should get together or maybe he died at the end of his book?   

Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet

funny lighthearted fast-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 would have been a 3.5 star book for me until … the ENDING!!
I appreciated being surprised like that.  

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

dark mysterious sad tense 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

3.0

This book was way more about family relationships and healing them than about the murders so
maybe the title and book cover/synopsis were misleading for me.  And the happy ending was just too much for me.  Unrealistic