tidwellcammy's reviews
144 reviews

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 

I'll Come to You by Rebecca Kauffman

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

The writing gutted me.  The characters were fully fleshed out with an absolute minimum of words 
It was tough book for me at a particularity tough time of life but grateful bc I would have never read this one but it was Erin’s Shelf Sub so it means even more to me 

Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

My favorite kind of book - allowing me to see and hear what other people believe.   I understand the concept of Holy Envy 

Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on aging as a woman by Brooke Shields

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0

Reading this book sent me straight to Hulu to watch her documentary “Pretty Baby”.   Highly recommend both. 

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

dark emotional mysterious 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

3.5

Fun book - quick and easy read.  Kept me guessing and it’s completely unbelievable on every level.  Perfect for January.  

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis
Did not finish book. Stopped at 49%.

Just lost interest 

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Did not finish book. Stopped at 71%.

Even though this book has many awards, for me it was a complete overkill on every level.   The set up
was disjointed.  Act 2 was gratuitous, violent sex between women that felt rapey.   It was completely unnecessary to the plot.   That the women had an affair was evident from the book jacket so why did it have to be offensive?   And then act three - oh!  Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and happy ending?
No thank you.   

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer

dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense 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

4.5

A pure delight even though there were some violent acts along the way.  If Project Hail Mary met Fallout met The Truman Show in the Bahamas - this would be it.   
The humor was spot on.  The narration was flawless.  The characters were wacky and people were behaving badly but I loved it! 

The Sign for Home by Blair Fell

emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

This book opened up a whole new world for me.  DeafBlind, Protactile language learning, interpreters lives.  
Were parts of it a little bit of a stretch? Maybe …. But I loved it and these characters will live with me for a long long time.   

Note- didn’t like Arlos section being in second person.   Also with a lot of books, I felt it could have used a better edit.   Maybe 50 pages too long