whenimreading's reviews
986 reviews

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

This book brought me so much joy - I have to give huge compliments to narrators Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber! Their performances were engaging, exciting, and so much fun! Unlike the title, I binged it in two days!

🏡Small town

🪿Menagerie

🥦Foodie

❤️Family

🌿Sage advice

🌶️A little spice

Set in the small town of Spunes, Oregon (NOT to be confused with Forks, Washington). A wonderfully sweet small town romance between the town golden girl Sage Byrd and New York chef Fisher Lange. This book had me laughing with its silliness and then crying by the end. Every single character was so likable, Sage was a great friend, well rounded person, and sunshine personality. Fisher had that marshmallow heart everyone will be falling over. They both had history of sad events in their past that just pulled at my heartstrings. Their connection was undeniable.

All the animals (their names!) and farm shenanigans were to die for, the puns, and a couple Twilight callbacks are just few of my favorite things. Overall well written and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The sweet and spicy romance to start off the summer, highly recommend to fans of Abby Jimenez or Sarah Adams!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio of the listening review copy. 

Happy Medium by Sarah Adler

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

This book had such a fun concept, I love a touch of paranormal in a story with heart. Everett was the silliest sitcom watching ghost!! His friendship with Gretchen was actually one of my favorite themes, it was very sweet and wholesome. I thought Gretchen and Charlie had great chemistry and I really liked the slow burn of their relationship, given that Charlie was pretty skeptical about the whole ghost/curse thing 😆

I appreciate the realistic feelings Gretchen had about fitting in and her lack of attachments, she really comes full circle in character development and it was great to watch. Maybe she wasn’t such a bad conwoman after all!

Setting this on a small goat farm was a gold mine, I got deeply involved in the baby goats, Charlie’s farmers market stall, and knitted sweaters 💕

Mara Willson’s audiobook narration was fantastic! She brought a fun and peppy personality to the characters, making them very likable. The author’s note of the idea that sparked this book was a nice addition, I love the movie Ghost and I can see why this book plot worked so well!

Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim Harrison
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.

THE DOG DIES

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Like Mother, Like Daughter: A novel by Kimberly McCreight

mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

I had no expectations going into this book so color me pleasantly surprised that this mystery gripped me from the very first chapters.

I really appreciated the alternating timelines and POVs, one from Cleo after the disappearance of her mom, and the other from Katrina in the coming days of her disappearance. This layout worked super well for the plot, I was hooked. 

Despite their tumultuous relationship, Cleo searches for her mother, gradually unfolding multiple plots of blackmail and family secrets. An underlying story of a mother’s love for her daughter. 

I was captivated and entertained throughout trying to figure out all the clues and red herrings, and how they fit into Katrina’s mysterious disappearance. I liked the intrigue of Katrina’s past and her drive to protect Cleo from her shady drug dealer boyfriend. There was a lot to keep track of at times, but the characters and the mother/daughter theme made me keep going. I quite enjoyed the book overall, a solid mystery that I think many book clubs might be into!

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the advance reading copy to review. 

The Catch by Amy Lea
Did not finish book. Stopped at 65%.

I got through 65% of the audiobook and it was just too long with not much stakes or excitement. I love grumpy/sunshine and the beginning was great. No need for this to be a 400 page book tho

Funny Story by Emily Henry

medium-paced

4.0

I sat with this book in my head for a few days before writing this review so it’s not as fresh in my mind but here are the things that I enjoyed. 

Bingeing the Funny Story audiobook in one day, Emily has this magical talent for creating relatable characters and situations using her signature humor. The setting in Michigan had a charming quality, in combination with fake dating and finding your footing after a breakup, creating a perfect summertime read.  

I really liked Daphne and Miles, they had fun banter and easygoing camaraderie. The gradual buildup to their relationship and realistic connection was to die for. I really connected with Daphne and her journey of finding herself and losing the “we-girl” aesthetic, growing close to new friends and creating boundaries for her absentee father. 

The other things that also stand out to me now, were all the fun bookish easter eggs and references, there was some delightful name dropping. Daphne was s librarian and the whole readathon plot was really cute. Not to be forgotten, all the secondary characters that add extra realness to the story and narration by Julia Whelan is always superb!

Evocation by S.T. Gibson

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

Evocation packed a surprising romance plot that I didn’t know I needed until it was staring me in the face. It was a pleasant surprise being immersed into this secret society of the occult.

As a medium prodigy, David Aristarkhov has seen his fair share of ghosts but something goes awry when he hears a spirit he did not summon. Fearing demonic possession, David seeks out Rhys, his ex-boyfriend and society rival to help him solve the rumored family curse, before his time runs out. 

A character driven story through and through, we dive into the lives of the characters - David, Rhys, and Moira. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and paranormal elements woven alongside the drama and realness of their complicated relationship. There was subtle world building with academic flair and the characters’ interactions added this cozy charm to the book.

I felt connected to each point of view and thought David and Moira were the strongest characters, with Rhys falling a little behind. A gradual buildup made me invested in David’s wellbeing and the connection of these three characters really drove the plot for me. I appreciate the balance between their personalities and overall pacing, while the climax felt a little rushed, I’m curious to see this become a series. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for the advance reading copy to review. 

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.5

What a gripping and intriguing book! I loved the true crime setup, I’m a huge fan of documentaries so the plot and theme really engaged me. I thought Bel was very likable and I really connected with her as we unravel the disappearance and reappearance of her mom, Rachel. A twisty domestic mystery with slight YA edge, it really kept me guessing throughout. Figuring out certain clues and possibilities was very entertaining and I think I was right about few reveals. Although it got a little unrealistic towards the end, I really liked the whole package! Highly recommend for entertainment value 👍🏼 4.5⭐️

Diavola by Jennifer Thorne

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

The Return of Ellie Black was a dark and twisty mystery thriller. I was immediately hooked by the opening chapter when Ellie is discovered by two hikers. She disappeared nearly two years prior and was found miles from her home town. Detective Chelsey Calhoun lost her sister, Lydia, twenty years ago so she has a strong connection to Ellie, it was her first case after becoming detective and has stayed with her ever since. 

The mystery continues when Ellie is afraid to talk. Chelsey is compelled to bring Ellie justice, feeling guilty for not doing so for her sister. Chelsey uncovers multiple missing girls and clues connecting them to Ellie, were they taken by the same person? She knows their time is quickly running out when a nine year old girl is linked to DNA evidence and Ellie disappears again. 

Tense and suspenseful, the mood overall was very dark with small sparks of hope throughout. Quite psychological and showcasing the evil side of violence against women even from a young age. Most of the first half of the book dives into the procedurals of Chelsey’s job working this case but also her history and grief of losing her sister and most recently, father to cancer. I thought her drive was very admirable and it made the story that more important. There are multiple POVs including some from Ellie and her parents as they figure out how to bring her back to some normalcy.

The author did a fantastic job bringing the reader on the rollercoaster of emotions experienced by the characters. I was angry for and frustrated at Ellie, understanding she knew crucial details that would help the investigation, but has been broken down by her captor. Working with a therapist, Ellie’s recollections were disturbing at times, laying out the clues and hints as to where the plot was going, it was captivating but sometimes made me feel helpless and sad. A strong third act really sped up the plot with a few shocking twists that I think make this a very memorable book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance reading copy to review.