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tirwinreads17's reviews
141 reviews
Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke
2.0
What on earth did I just waste two hours of my life reading?
Writing a book composed entirely of Slack messages was a great idea, especially in the time of COVID and WFH craze, but I thought the execution was poor and came away from this book with just about nothing except a few laughs, confusion, and being really glad I did not spend any money on it like I almost had multiple times at B&N!
*rented from Timberland Regional Library through Libby
Writing a book composed entirely of Slack messages was a great idea, especially in the time of COVID and WFH craze, but I thought the execution was poor and came away from this book with just about nothing except a few laughs, confusion, and being really glad I did not spend any money on it like I almost had multiple times at B&N!
*rented from Timberland Regional Library through Libby
Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse
4.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and the author for an uncorrected e-galley of Tell Me Everything in exchange for an honest review. I read it on my Kindle from 3/3/22 - 3/12/22.
This book is really good. If it wasn’t for my e-galley approval, I certainly would have purchased this from Book of the Month for March. As a criminal lawyer for my day job and an avid thrills, chills, and kills hobby reader in my free time, the description hooked me. It is different from the serial killer thrillers I normally indulge myself in, but it also shares some of the same themes that make fictional and true crime thrillers appealing: whodunit, accurate depiction of legal processes, justice, and the small glimmer of hope that the wrongs are somehow righted in the end.
What I enjoyed the most about this book is that it was a memoir and non-fiction, yes, but it was written as a story, a story centered about a major case, instead of a probably boring chronological re-cap of life as a PI. The book often shifted between side stories and details, like about the Colorado weather and the author’s personal life and hobbies, but that made a book about sexual assault more readable and enjoyable. It also provided good context.
I caught and noted a few grammatical errors in the uncorrected galley, but I am certain those would have been fixed prior to publication.
I am rating this book 4/5 stars. I enjoyed most parts and would recommend to others.
Thank you again for the opportunity to read and review!
This book is really good. If it wasn’t for my e-galley approval, I certainly would have purchased this from Book of the Month for March. As a criminal lawyer for my day job and an avid thrills, chills, and kills hobby reader in my free time, the description hooked me. It is different from the serial killer thrillers I normally indulge myself in, but it also shares some of the same themes that make fictional and true crime thrillers appealing: whodunit, accurate depiction of legal processes, justice, and the small glimmer of hope that the wrongs are somehow righted in the end.
What I enjoyed the most about this book is that it was a memoir and non-fiction, yes, but it was written as a story, a story centered about a major case, instead of a probably boring chronological re-cap of life as a PI. The book often shifted between side stories and details, like about the Colorado weather and the author’s personal life and hobbies, but that made a book about sexual assault more readable and enjoyable. It also provided good context.
I caught and noted a few grammatical errors in the uncorrected galley, but I am certain those would have been fixed prior to publication.
I am rating this book 4/5 stars. I enjoyed most parts and would recommend to others.
Thank you again for the opportunity to read and review!
The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
4.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Macmillian Audio, and the author for an advance listener’s audiobook of the Younger Wife in exchange for an honest review. I listened on my iPhone from 3/15/22-3/19/22.
Domestic suspense isn’t normally my go-to genre, but I am very glad I gave this book an opportunity due to it being a highly anticipated release. I personally thought it was entertaining and both well written and well narrated, once you get used to the Australian theme, of course. I am fairly new to audiobooks and I was really surprised at how quickly 11ish hours flew by!
I appreciated how the story was told from multiple viewpoints and different voices/narrators of the present, and future, Aston women. The in-depth character development was excellent. All of the characters had both similar and dissimilar struggles which in the end bonded them. I could see how the slow build-up could be thought of as boring and futile to some readers, especially when consuming in physical print as opposed to the audiobook. However, it is so important to the plot and crux of the story if you stick with it. I did not see the ending coming and it did leave me hanging a little bit with some questions, which I believe some of the best stories tend to do. Those are the ones that stick with you.
I would rate this book 3.5/5 stars. I enjoyed most parts and would recommend to others.
Domestic suspense isn’t normally my go-to genre, but I am very glad I gave this book an opportunity due to it being a highly anticipated release. I personally thought it was entertaining and both well written and well narrated, once you get used to the Australian theme, of course. I am fairly new to audiobooks and I was really surprised at how quickly 11ish hours flew by!
I appreciated how the story was told from multiple viewpoints and different voices/narrators of the present, and future, Aston women. The in-depth character development was excellent. All of the characters had both similar and dissimilar struggles which in the end bonded them. I could see how the slow build-up could be thought of as boring and futile to some readers, especially when consuming in physical print as opposed to the audiobook. However, it is so important to the plot and crux of the story if you stick with it. I did not see the ending coming and it did leave me hanging a little bit with some questions, which I believe some of the best stories tend to do. Those are the ones that stick with you.
I would rate this book 3.5/5 stars. I enjoyed most parts and would recommend to others.
Fake by Erica Katz
4.0
I loved this author’s debut novel the Boys’ Club that I read last year so I was thrilled she came out with another book. This time, I listened on audio.
Just reading the interesting description of this book with what seems to me to be a very creative plot, I could intuit the ending and I did figure it out pretty soon after beginning. The story was still entertaining nonetheless. It was crazy to me how fast ~10 hours listening to the audiobook went by. I really enjoyed the narrator, even her ridiculous attempts at mimicking a Russian accent which says a lot because I normally don’t enjoy accents in audiobooks.
Overall, I rate it 4/5 stars because I enjoyed most parts of the story and absolutely recommend to others.
Just reading the interesting description of this book with what seems to me to be a very creative plot, I could intuit the ending and I did figure it out pretty soon after beginning. The story was still entertaining nonetheless. It was crazy to me how fast ~10 hours listening to the audiobook went by. I really enjoyed the narrator, even her ridiculous attempts at mimicking a Russian accent which says a lot because I normally don’t enjoy accents in audiobooks.
Overall, I rate it 4/5 stars because I enjoyed most parts of the story and absolutely recommend to others.
Stuck with You by Ali Hazelwood
2.0
I loved the author’s “The Love Hypothesis” (a sweet STEM romance with a student/professor fake dating trope) so I was excited to read/listen to more of Hazelwood’s works but I must say.. I was very disappointed in this.
The story was entirely unrealistic and the detailed sex scenes were cringey and uncomfortable as heck, and I am not saying that because I am prude (I’m totally not). The character was just cringey herself. What made it worse is the narrator’s juvenile voice and poor attempt at a buff male’s voice that makes it sound like a young kid and an old man together.
I pushed through because it was short-ish, ~3.5 hours, but I definitely almost DNF’ed around 60%.
I know Hazelwood produces a lot of STEM romance novels and novellas.. but I think she should try to stick to more quality than quantity.
The story was entirely unrealistic and the detailed sex scenes were cringey and uncomfortable as heck, and I am not saying that because I am prude (I’m totally not). The character was just cringey herself. What made it worse is the narrator’s juvenile voice and poor attempt at a buff male’s voice that makes it sound like a young kid and an old man together.
I pushed through because it was short-ish, ~3.5 hours, but I definitely almost DNF’ed around 60%.
I know Hazelwood produces a lot of STEM romance novels and novellas.. but I think she should try to stick to more quality than quantity.
Claimed By Cupid by Dana Isaly
3.0
Tried this and Dipped in Holly out because of all the bookstagram hype… they were real short and easy to read. A good escape from reality but I don’t think smut is really my thing
Ocean State by Stewart O'Nan
3.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author for an advance listener’s audiobook of Ocean State in exchange for an honest review. I listened on my iPhone from 3/23 - 3/26.
I was really excited to be approved for this ALC (which was published earlier this month) on 3/23... four days before it was set to archive. I sprung into action to get it done and reviewed on time!
As for the book itself: I must say, I feel a little bamboozled and led astray by the description. Don’t get me wrong, the book’s description is technically accurate except the “incredible momentum” part. It just wasn’t the fast-paced scorned lovers murder thriller I had expected. Nothing at all really happens in this book until it is 70% over which is when the murder occurs, although there still isn’t much detail about it. The entire story just consists of a lot of filler and not a lot of exciting plot.
As for the narration: I am pretty picky with narrators for audiobooks and I had no issues with this one. My only complaint about the narration being that since the book was written from different perspectives/points of view (the victim, the murderer, the little sister of the murderer, the mother) but only had one narrator.. sometimes I found myself not remembering who exactly was supposed to be the one speaking if I zoned out temporarily. The chapters were also labeled interestingly on my ALC. I am not sure if it was intentional to go back and forth between chapter numbers and chapter titles, but I found it odd.
Overall, I would rate this audiobook 3/5 stars. It was okay, but not my favorite. It had a little bit of entertainment value. I would still recommend to others if they are into slow burns.
-@tirwinreads
I was really excited to be approved for this ALC (which was published earlier this month) on 3/23... four days before it was set to archive. I sprung into action to get it done and reviewed on time!
As for the book itself: I must say, I feel a little bamboozled and led astray by the description. Don’t get me wrong, the book’s description is technically accurate except the “incredible momentum” part. It just wasn’t the fast-paced scorned lovers murder thriller I had expected. Nothing at all really happens in this book until it is 70% over which is when the murder occurs, although there still isn’t much detail about it. The entire story just consists of a lot of filler and not a lot of exciting plot.
As for the narration: I am pretty picky with narrators for audiobooks and I had no issues with this one. My only complaint about the narration being that since the book was written from different perspectives/points of view (the victim, the murderer, the little sister of the murderer, the mother) but only had one narrator.. sometimes I found myself not remembering who exactly was supposed to be the one speaking if I zoned out temporarily. The chapters were also labeled interestingly on my ALC. I am not sure if it was intentional to go back and forth between chapter numbers and chapter titles, but I found it odd.
Overall, I would rate this audiobook 3/5 stars. It was okay, but not my favorite. It had a little bit of entertainment value. I would still recommend to others if they are into slow burns.
-@tirwinreads
What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline
4.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Putnam Books, and the author for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.
I was really excited to be approved for this title because of the incredibly acclaimed author who excels in the mystery/thriller/suspense genres, my favorites! Also a fellow lawyer who provides a more realistic and accurate description of legal topics. One of the most annoying things to me personally is unrealistic and overdramatic descriptions of the criminal justice system for entertainment purposes.
In my opinion, this book was the perfect mixture between a story of heartbroken family seeking justice and peace and a suspenseful thriller, but without too much focus on police procedural.
I’ve never read a book about a person or family being placed in witness protection before. I am sure they exist but it was new to me and excellently executed. The storyline is something only a creative mind could dream up, and I never saw what was coming with the various twists in the story. It was truly enjoyable and entertaining.
There was at least one typo I caught at location 4739 which I am sure was corrected in the final version.
Overall, I would rate this book 4/5 stars. I enjoyed it and would recommend to others.
Happy publishing week!!
I was really excited to be approved for this title because of the incredibly acclaimed author who excels in the mystery/thriller/suspense genres, my favorites! Also a fellow lawyer who provides a more realistic and accurate description of legal topics. One of the most annoying things to me personally is unrealistic and overdramatic descriptions of the criminal justice system for entertainment purposes.
In my opinion, this book was the perfect mixture between a story of heartbroken family seeking justice and peace and a suspenseful thriller, but without too much focus on police procedural.
I’ve never read a book about a person or family being placed in witness protection before. I am sure they exist but it was new to me and excellently executed. The storyline is something only a creative mind could dream up, and I never saw what was coming with the various twists in the story. It was truly enjoyable and entertaining.
There was at least one typo I caught at location 4739 which I am sure was corrected in the final version.
Overall, I would rate this book 4/5 stars. I enjoyed it and would recommend to others.
Happy publishing week!!
The Resting Place by Camilla Sten
3.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and the author/translator for an advance reader’s copy of the Resting Place in exchange for an honest review. I read from 3/19/22-3/20/22.
Okay, so I definitely squealed with excitement when I was approved for this ARC. I loved Camilla’s the Lost Village, which I devoured last year and I couldn’t sleep in the dark for days. I enjoyed the creepy chilliness of her writing which was different from my usual crime thrillers. After that, I committed to buying all of her future English-translated works.
The plot of this book had so much potential. A murder, a witness who has a medical condition that doesn’t allow her to remember faces, a secret mansion in the rural countryside, a bad snowstorm, an estranged family, a missing groundskeeper, secret passageways, and more. I was so interested in how everything and everyone fit together and whodunit. It was definitely suspenseful and had me invested, wondering what was going to happen next. But it lost me somewhere around 70% when things start to get a little confusing and the ending was unsatisfying in my opinion.
I will say, though, I do like the title and the creepy cover, they are fitting. You won’t understand the title until you get to the end of the book and I really dig that.
There were some English translation and grammatical errors that I am sure were probably fixed prior to the publication.
Overall, I would rate this book 3/5 stars. It was still entertaining even though I had some issues with the story near the end, and I would still recommend to others. Even if it is not my favorite of Camilla’s work, she will still be an auto-buy author for me.
Thank you again for the opportunity to read and review!
-@tirwinreads
Okay, so I definitely squealed with excitement when I was approved for this ARC. I loved Camilla’s the Lost Village, which I devoured last year and I couldn’t sleep in the dark for days. I enjoyed the creepy chilliness of her writing which was different from my usual crime thrillers. After that, I committed to buying all of her future English-translated works.
The plot of this book had so much potential. A murder, a witness who has a medical condition that doesn’t allow her to remember faces, a secret mansion in the rural countryside, a bad snowstorm, an estranged family, a missing groundskeeper, secret passageways, and more. I was so interested in how everything and everyone fit together and whodunit. It was definitely suspenseful and had me invested, wondering what was going to happen next. But it lost me somewhere around 70% when things start to get a little confusing and the ending was unsatisfying in my opinion.
I will say, though, I do like the title and the creepy cover, they are fitting. You won’t understand the title until you get to the end of the book and I really dig that.
There were some English translation and grammatical errors that I am sure were probably fixed prior to the publication.
Overall, I would rate this book 3/5 stars. It was still entertaining even though I had some issues with the story near the end, and I would still recommend to others. Even if it is not my favorite of Camilla’s work, she will still be an auto-buy author for me.
Thank you again for the opportunity to read and review!
-@tirwinreads