whatellisreadnext's reviews
623 reviews

So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan

reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

How does Claire Keegan get so much out of so few pages? I loved this, a quiet story about reflection, blame, and the patriarchy. I would really like to read Claire's backlist now, as I really enjoy being in her narratives. It's a unique feeling finding an effortlessly enjoyable author, one who doesn't try too hard or say too much. Reminded me a lot of The Old Haunts in its reflective quality, so if you enjoyed this, you'd probably enjoy that as well.

Mountainfell by Katharine Orton

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-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? No

4.0

The perfect cosy middlegrade for these cold, dark nights. It's quiet but also says so much. I was pleasantly surprised by the Cloud Dragon, whose pronouns are they/them and the children working towards a brighter future for themselves. Scrat the cat was also a highlight. What an absolute cutie. 

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

emotional reflective fast-paced

4.0

If you're intrigued by this memoir, definitely give it a go. The audiobook was great. It really felt like Britney's inner voice. It was great to get her perspective from all the times she was controlled and judged and silenced by the media but also by her own family. It gave me a lot of perspective on how quick we all were to judge her. The media is a demon, especially for women, and when she rose to fame in the early 90s/00s it was even worse. She is an icon, I love her, and I'm glad she finally got to tell her story.

Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt

dark mysterious 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

4.0

Alison Rumfitt is the queen of contemporary horror and making me feel ill, but in the best way💁🏻‍♀️

Brainwyrms isn't for the faint-hearted, but I loved how the extremely gross elements elevated this story. Small-minded bigotry is an infestation of the worst kind, one that needs absolutely killing with fire. This book is the ignition 🙌

There's something very addictive about Rumfitt's writing. I haven't devoured a book this quick in ages. I had to drag myself away from it to do boring adulty things, but curling up in bed with this clever little grotesque book at the end of each day was my highlight. Similar to how I feel when I read a book from Eliza Clark, I love how shitty and British everything is. Books romantising the UK are just not it.

Tell Me I'm Worthless is my favourite of the two, just because I'm a sucker for a haunted house, especially a fascist one, but this really stands out in its own light. If you haven't read anything from Rumfitt yet, and you enjoy disgusting books with brilliant messages at their core, then what are you waiting for?💃

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I love Chuck. He's one of the good guys, and this really does still shine in Black River Orchard. I mean the inclusivity alone was 🙌 but sadly, there was something missing for me. I really wanted this to work, I follow him on Instagram, and I know how much he loves apples, and when I read the synopsis for this, I was so frigging excited. I think the biggest thing for me was the lack of ambiguity. It's by no means straightforward what is happening in this story, but it's pretty obvious where it is going. So with that and it's length I just kept putting it down. Maybe that's a me issue, I like horror that teases me. The anticipation is what makes it, and this just didn't have that element. Saying that, I loved parts, and the found family aspect really pulled on my heartstrings. I would happily have read a 300 page book about what the lil cuties did after this story.

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I'm not mad at this, but it didn't exactly blow my mind. It was a great audiobook production though, and reminded me of books like Revelator and Lute, but not quite as entertaining.

It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I really really enjoyed this. Clearly, I need to be adding some more Josh Malerman to my TBR because I loved the writing in this, and House at the Bottom of a Lake is one of my favourites of the past year. I won't tell you what it's about with it being fairly short, but it grabbed me straight away and was just unnerving enough.

Temper by Phoebe Walker

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

I did enjoy the musings on earlier life and the narrators overall voice. I kind of just wish it was longer and weirder. I would have loved it if the vagueness of whether Collette existed was leaned into more. Would recommend if you enjoy little slightly weird slice of life books.

And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

dark funny fast-paced

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

3.0

I can't really say anything bad about it other than it didn't really work all that well for me. I felt very similar when reading The Violence by Delilah S Dawson, it was a pandemic novel that had too many mechanics and went right over my head a lot of the time. I did appreciate the way the book was structured as the narrator telling the reader the story and how the whole thing flowed. I just wish the disease had been less complicated and more interesting.