beckykphillips's reviews
353 reviews

How to Stop Trying is an incredibly vulnerable book exploring how women are conditioned to perfect every aspect of their lives and how we can start to recognize these pressures and let them go. Kate Williams is incredibly open and talks about her struggles with infertility and all of the mental hoops she went through to be able to let herself stop trying to get pregnant, and how she's been working to apply that to the rest of her life. 

This book definitely resonated with me, and I really appreciated what Kate brought to the reading by listening to her book and would definitely recommend the format. I will say though, as someone without kids, I felt that a lot of the advice was really focused toward moms and people with kids. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with kiddos, but probably not as much for folks without them. 

Thanks so much to NetGalley and to Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

This was unfortunately a DNF for me at 30%. I had a really hard time following why the FMC, Odyssa, would work so hard and put herself through hell to keep her brothers, who treated her like absolute garbage, afloat.  The constant self-flagellation from Odyssa as well really started to just get to me and I didn't see her really start to stand up for herself or develop the sense of self-worth that she deserved. Thank you very much to NetGalley and to Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy.

Childhood best friends, Ramona Halloway and Grace Ludlow, are plucked from the underground NYC theatre scene to enter the esteemed Dollhouse Academy. The academy is a modern throwback to the old Hollywood studio model where aspiring actors are put through grueling training regimens to maybe one day become superstars beholden exclusively to The Dollhouse, if they are able to adequately impress the right people. While the Dollhouse is home many a star, Ivy Gordon is their brightest and the particular idol of Ramona. Told from the perspectives of both Ivy and Ramona, we are treated to a slow unfolding of what's really going on underneath the veneer of perfection.

Read this if you're into: 
- A speculative fiction take on the old Hollywood studio 
- Childhood best friendships being tested 
- Diary-style story telling

The Dollhouse Academy had me constantly wondering what was really going on and I could not stop listening. The narrators, Brittany Pressley and Xe Sands, do an incredible job of bringing Ramona and Ivy to life. Ramona's character development throughout the novel was very well done - seeing her grow beyond the jealousy she experienced with Grace zooming to fame. I felt her gut wrenching feeling where she was excited for Grace, but also devastated that she was not measuring up. Seeing her work through that as the book progressed was lovely and so much of the book emphasizes how important those friendships are in the long run. 

Where I did find myself having trouble was depth of character for folks who where not Ramona and Ivy. Maybe in part because Grace wasn't a perspective character, I didn't fully grasp her backstory beyond her being an orphan who was in and out of foster care - I didn't get a good picture of her outside of being Ramona's best friend. The same for Mason, some of the conversations he had with Ramona were highly suspicious in terms of how involved in the Dollhouse he truly was, but I didn't feel like his motivations were fully explored enough. 

That being said, I still highly recommend The Dollhouse Academy and the audiobook is also an excellent option should you prefer to read with your ears. Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy. 

So, Beg, Borrow, or Steal is apparently going to be my gateway into small town romance novels. It was such a lovely balance of rivals/enemies to lovers, finding yourself in your 30's, and the angst of having all of your people start to move away with delightful, charming characters. The two point of view characters (the rivals themselves), Emily Walker and Jackson (Jack) Bennett, are so much fun - I loved seeing the story unfold from each of their sides. I was absolutely addicted from start to finish and heartily recommend. 

If you're looking for a book with rivals to lovers, fun banter, and some great side characters to boot I definitely recommend Beg, Borrow, or Steal and look forward to reading Sarah's other books, too! Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Random House Ballatine for the advanced copy.

Ro is obsessed with Ash who sells the most delectable cupcakes and soaps at the weekly farmer’s market. When Ro starts dating Ash, she finds herself absolutely infatuated but at the same time jarred by Ash’s strict boundaries and lack of technology. 

This was a bit mixed for me - at some point the Ash/Ro felt a bit repetitive, but still a good quick sapphic horror romp. 

Julia Armfield has such a unique voice that grabbed me with Our Wives Under the Sea an her second novel, Private Rites, has similarly demanded my attention. In her re-telling of King Lear, three sisters, Isla, Irene, and Agnes are brought back together after their architect father dies. In dealing with his death, the three sisters' lives each begin to spiral in different ways all with the backdrop of a climate crisis where the persistent rain has forced everyone to figure out how to live with rising waters. 

If you are in the mood for a ~vibes~ book I absolutely recommend Private Rites - you get queer, sapphic relationship drama, sister drama, parent-induced trauma, and a what in the world just happened ending, all with Armfield's exquisite writing style. 

I both read and listened to Private Rites and really enjoyed the audiobook. The text version does not have quotation marks for the conversations, which sometimes trips me up while I'm reading, but certainly gives a different effect than listening. I would absolutely recommend either medium while reading. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and MacMillan Audio for the advanced copy.

Political intrigue, a hidden bisexual queen, betrayals, enemies to lovers romance, Scottish-based world building, religious conflict, and DRAGONS! I absolutely devoured this book over the span of a few days and my only regret is that I now have to wait even longer for the next chapter in Aemyra's story. If any of the listed tropes piques your interest, absolutely get this on your TBR list.

Having lived in the shadows for her entire life, Aemyra is finally called up by her estranged father to claim her rightful place on the throne after the king dies. This is of course complicated by the current ruling family who is determined to maintain patriarchal dominance and are backed by the True Religion, which views the magic that runs through many of the people's veins as evil and is determined to push women to serve men. Aemyra needs to learn how to be a queen all while finally being exposed to the realities of court and her father's machinations. Oh, and I forgot to mention some absolutely delightful spicy scenes between Aemyra and her eventual love interest. 

As I said, I really enjoyed this book and will be coming back for the next installment - I did find some of the beats of the story to be relatively predictable with the genre, however, I was still happy to be along for the ride. The pacing also did seem a bit off toward the end where so many events happen at once and there just didn't seem to be enough space to let the story breathe a bit as it crescendoed. I also wish we saw a bit more character development from Aemyra as she gets more entrenched into everything going on, but I hope that gets fleshed out further in the next book. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced copy.

This Princess Kills Monsters is a delightful retelling of the classic Grimm fairytale, The Twelve Huntsmen, and flips the story where we get the perspective of the neighboring princess, Princess Melilot, sent to marry the newly-crowned king Gervase of Tailliz. On the journey to Talliz, Princess Melilot is attacked by spider-wolves, only to be saved by a group of masked huntsmen in the king's service. While she was saved, she finds herself bristling against the traditions of Tailliz and particularly puzzled by the adviser to the king, a lion who seems to know everything there is to know about humans. 

I really appreciated the re-telling and especially introducing (or emphasizing) all of the queerness to the story. Herman does a lovely job pushing Melilot's development and seeing her come into herself as a sorceress and whole person was a great adventure. The character exploration in general was so fun to see everyone (even the Lion) get some redemption as the story continues. I also really enjoyed the different references and easter eggs to other fairytale lore. 

Thanks so much to NetGalley and RandomHouse for the advanced copy.

An incredibly powerful novel that follows Angustias Romero as she, along with her husband and newborn twins, escape from their country, which has succumbed to a plague sweeping much of the world. As they migrate north, her twins die with nowhere for her to bury her children. Angustias keeps her twins close to her and is finally able to bury her sons in Mezquite at a cemetery known as The Third Country run by Visitación Salazar. Angustias' husband cannot understand her grief, and the two separate. Angustias begs to stay in the Third Country and assists Salazar in her mission to bury all who need it. 

No Place to Bury the Dead was captivating - all of the characters within the novel feel so tangible, and all the while bringing in parallels to current crises in Latin America around migration and especially government corruption. The perspectives across the novel include Angustias, along with many of the other characters, leading to a full world that absolutely engrosses you. 

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for the advanced copy.