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booksbytheglass's reviews
841 reviews
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
oh yeah this was the book I needed to get me out of my reading slump!!! november has been the month of bangers - and I need to keep this up š
ophelia takes over her motherās powers of necromancy and summoning the dead, after she finds her mother mysteriously unalived one night š in order to track down her missing sister and seek answers about her new powers, she joins phantasma, a competition run by devils who will grant any wish if you winā¦
Iām such a sucker for a competition storyline, especially when it exists in a fantasy world, and this one was so well written!! kaylie was able to craft a mystical world without feeling too detached from reality - and seeing it all through the eyes of ophelia was perfect!
blackwell, of course, is my new book boyfriend and no, I cannot stop falling in love with morally grey characters thank you š he was the perfect āguideā to the world of phantasma and the secrets it holds, and his scenes with ophelia were off the charts HAWT š„
the ending, as much as I loved how it all wrapped up, answered everything rather quickly, which left me a bit confused on why it was all a big deal in the first place. between the prince of the devils and how it tied to opheliaās past, I was confused at how that played into everything, and why ophelia had to risk it all at the endā¦
however, I absolutely devoured this one and cannot stop thinking about it!!!! I loved this lil spooky world so much!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: tuscany red blend
ophelia takes over her motherās powers of necromancy and summoning the dead, after she finds her mother mysteriously unalived one night š in order to track down her missing sister and seek answers about her new powers, she joins phantasma, a competition run by devils who will grant any wish if you winā¦
Iām such a sucker for a competition storyline, especially when it exists in a fantasy world, and this one was so well written!! kaylie was able to craft a mystical world without feeling too detached from reality - and seeing it all through the eyes of ophelia was perfect!
blackwell, of course, is my new book boyfriend and no, I cannot stop falling in love with morally grey characters thank you š he was the perfect āguideā to the world of phantasma and the secrets it holds, and his scenes with ophelia were off the charts HAWT š„
the ending, as much as I loved how it all wrapped up, answered everything rather quickly, which left me a bit confused on why it was all a big deal in the first place. between the prince of the devils and how it tied to opheliaās past, I was confused at how that played into everything, and why ophelia had to risk it all at the endā¦
however, I absolutely devoured this one and cannot stop thinking about it!!!! I loved this lil spooky world so much!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: tuscany red blend
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death of parent
Red River Road by Anna Downes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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
4.5
wow! what a slow burn, yet heart pounding, thriller! the amount of surprises in this one kept me up until 3am binging this one!!
I have to admit, the mixed and average reviews kept me from picking this one up sooner, but Iām so happy I selected it through aardvark to read because Iām in desperate need for a good thriller š®āšØ
the three narrators in the story are all completely unreliable and I loved every moment! from katy who takes a road trip to track down her missing sister phoebe, to beth who is trying to escape her abusive past, and to wyatt who is simply trying to survive his family - every single chapter was engrained with non stop revelations!
slow burn thrillers are my favorite when the payoff is worth it - and while I figured not everything was as it seemed, the final twists were just as shocking and satisfying as I hoped!
I loved the picturesque setting of australiaās coast and the exploration of van life, but I equally enjoyed how the author tackled tough subjects such as abuse in families and relationships as gently as possible.
another win for thrillers for this year!!!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: australian malbec
I have to admit, the mixed and average reviews kept me from picking this one up sooner, but Iām so happy I selected it through aardvark to read because Iām in desperate need for a good thriller š®āšØ
the three narrators in the story are all completely unreliable and I loved every moment! from katy who takes a road trip to track down her missing sister phoebe, to beth who is trying to escape her abusive past, and to wyatt who is simply trying to survive his family - every single chapter was engrained with non stop revelations!
slow burn thrillers are my favorite when the payoff is worth it - and while I figured not everything was as it seemed, the final twists were just as shocking and satisfying as I hoped!
I loved the picturesque setting of australiaās coast and the exploration of van life, but I equally enjoyed how the author tackled tough subjects such as abuse in families and relationships as gently as possible.
another win for thrillers for this year!!!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: australian malbec
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Pictures of You by Emma Grey
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
100% recommend going into this one blind!!! I had no idea what this story was about when I started, but wow! I went through a true journey with evie, drew, oliver and bree š„¹
after evie loses her husband and her memory in a devastating car crash, she has to put the pieces together herself on who she is and what happened to her over the past ten years š«Ø and honestly, she coped way better than I would
when drew, her former best friend, offers to help slowly regain her memory, evie straddles the line of who she can really trust - and the way the author slowly introduces evieās past mixed in with the present day was absolutely brilliant and heartbreaking! the unraveling of the thread made me want to reach into the book and shake evieās shoulders to keep it all from happening š
and those reveals and twists? had me shook okay this book was way deeper and heavier than I anticipated, but yāall know how much I love an emo book
the romances of evieās past and present took a backseat to more important stories surrounding grief, loss of friendship, abuse, and toxic relationships, which was lovely and heart wrenching to see play out in real time š but the journey was everything!!!
I did feel as though the ending was wrapped up wayyyyy too quickly and abruptly, leaving the audience wanting more, but I did enjoy the story and know itāll stick with me for a long time š©µ
thank you netgalley and zibby books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay
after evie loses her husband and her memory in a devastating car crash, she has to put the pieces together herself on who she is and what happened to her over the past ten years š«Ø and honestly, she coped way better than I would
when drew, her former best friend, offers to help slowly regain her memory, evie straddles the line of who she can really trust - and the way the author slowly introduces evieās past mixed in with the present day was absolutely brilliant and heartbreaking! the unraveling of the thread made me want to reach into the book and shake evieās shoulders to keep it all from happening š
and those reveals and twists? had me shook okay this book was way deeper and heavier than I anticipated, but yāall know how much I love an emo book
the romances of evieās past and present took a backseat to more important stories surrounding grief, loss of friendship, abuse, and toxic relationships, which was lovely and heart wrenching to see play out in real time š but the journey was everything!!!
I did feel as though the ending was wrapped up wayyyyy too quickly and abruptly, leaving the audience wanting more, but I did enjoy the story and know itāll stick with me for a long time š©µ
thank you netgalley and zibby books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Back in a Spell by Lana Harper
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this is probably my least favorite of the thistle grove series so far, but this witchy romcom is such a guilty pleasure!! and boy does lana harper know how to write (so really theyāre all so good) š®š®āšØ
this time, we switch over to the dark side of the blackmoore family (you know, the ones who try and ruin everything) and find out that not everyone is as cold as ice in the famā¦ basically, in the club, we are not all fam š«Ø
when nina meets local normie morty, they immediately discover theyāre each otherās worst enemies, and might be each otherās only hope š this is a perfect enemies to lovers to soulmates book yāall
and while the āmysteryā of it all was a bit far fetched and borderline fantasy rather than magical realism, I did find it intriguing on how nina straddled the line of what was best for her rather than what was best for everyone in thistle grove!!
the representation of morty, however, was a bit disappointing to me. I love the inclusion of a main non-binary character and the conversation surrounding pronouns, but once morty shared their pronouns of he/they, the characters defaulted to he for the rest of the book and promptly didnāt bring it up again, even to the point of nina uses masculine descriptors for their body. I just wished it was brought up in conversation more than just used to be used? if that makes senseā¦ and lana harper does fabulous LGBTQ+ representation in her other novels, so definitely would recommend regardless!!!!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: blanc de noirs champagne
this time, we switch over to the dark side of the blackmoore family (you know, the ones who try and ruin everything) and find out that not everyone is as cold as ice in the famā¦ basically, in the club, we are not all fam š«Ø
when nina meets local normie morty, they immediately discover theyāre each otherās worst enemies, and might be each otherās only hope š this is a perfect enemies to lovers to soulmates book yāall
and while the āmysteryā of it all was a bit far fetched and borderline fantasy rather than magical realism, I did find it intriguing on how nina straddled the line of what was best for her rather than what was best for everyone in thistle grove!!
the representation of morty, however, was a bit disappointing to me. I love the inclusion of a main non-binary character and the conversation surrounding pronouns, but once morty shared their pronouns of he/they, the characters defaulted to he for the rest of the book and promptly didnāt bring it up again, even to the point of nina uses masculine descriptors for their body. I just wished it was brought up in conversation more than just used to be used? if that makes senseā¦ and lana harper does fabulous LGBTQ+ representation in her other novels, so definitely would recommend regardless!!!!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: blanc de noirs champagne
Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this one was so wild!!!! I love a good true crime story, and I love how this novel blended a few of the traditional š„£ killers with fictional onesā¦ and the plot twists were so on point!
ruth is a little obsessed with justifying her questionable past and getting justice for the young girls taken and unalived throughout her life. and honestly, after reading about ruthās story, so was I š
there were so many twists and turns throughout this story, and while I did guess a lot of them, Iām again chalking that up to the fact that most of the books on my shelf are thrillers (oops) and I really did enjoy the ride! the way that the author was able to blend the stories from the past and present was very seamless!
the pacing and drawn out descriptions could use a bit editing, and I felt that the novel could have been about 100 pages shorter and still gotten the point across. and while I did understand the majority of the confusion of ruthās quest for justice, I felt the characters could have been a bit more clear when finally explaining the connection between them allā¦
and that random side plot with gabe? definitely felt a bit unneededā¦
definitely a fun wild ride for spooky season though!!! thank you to atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!
rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: burgundy red blend
ruth is a little obsessed with justifying her questionable past and getting justice for the young girls taken and unalived throughout her life. and honestly, after reading about ruthās story, so was I š
there were so many twists and turns throughout this story, and while I did guess a lot of them, Iām again chalking that up to the fact that most of the books on my shelf are thrillers (oops) and I really did enjoy the ride! the way that the author was able to blend the stories from the past and present was very seamless!
the pacing and drawn out descriptions could use a bit editing, and I felt that the novel could have been about 100 pages shorter and still gotten the point across. and while I did understand the majority of the confusion of ruthās quest for justice, I felt the characters could have been a bit more clear when finally explaining the connection between them allā¦
and that random side plot with gabe? definitely felt a bit unneededā¦
definitely a fun wild ride for spooky season though!!! thank you to atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!
rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: burgundy red blend
Cross My Heart by Megan Collins
mysterious
tense
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 had absolutely no idea what to expect when I started this one (especially since I never learn my lesson and usually go into books blind), and what a wild ride this one was!!!!
after reaching out to her heart donorās spouse, rosie goes a little off the deep end to get to know morgan š and right from the start, I said to myself āthis girl is obsessiveā as she started to dream about having a whole life with a man sheās never metā¦.
I was absolutely invested in this train wreck of a story, as I knew it was only going to get worse before it resolved! and boy was it a hot mess express š³
I will say that the plot twists were a bit predictable and I did guess them all far before the reveal, but I also chalk that up to me simply reading so many thrillersā¦ I did binge the entire story in two days as I couldnāt look away from the unlikable characters, the messy relationships, and of course the whodunnit mystery
thank you to netgalley and atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! this oneās out next year!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay
after reaching out to her heart donorās spouse, rosie goes a little off the deep end to get to know morgan š and right from the start, I said to myself āthis girl is obsessiveā as she started to dream about having a whole life with a man sheās never metā¦.
I was absolutely invested in this train wreck of a story, as I knew it was only going to get worse before it resolved! and boy was it a hot mess express š³
I will say that the plot twists were a bit predictable and I did guess them all far before the reveal, but I also chalk that up to me simply reading so many thrillersā¦ I did binge the entire story in two days as I couldnāt look away from the unlikable characters, the messy relationships, and of course the whodunnit mystery
thank you to netgalley and atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! this oneās out next year!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Medical content
A Dawn of Gods & Fury by K.A. Tucker
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
pro tip for reading this series: read them all at once!! because picking this final installment up after about a year since reading book three with absolutely no recapā¦ had me flailing š©š¤š«Ø I truly had no idea what was happening for about 75% of this book
as much as Iām happy that romeria and zanderās stories have come to a conclusion, it felt very anticlimactic to me. yes, there was a final battle of good versus evil, but I just feel that the purpose of books two and three were to keep building to this point and ā¦ it didnāt live up to the hype, I fear š«„
while the story is solely romeriaās, I grew so attached to the side characters throughout and felt that many of them didnāt get as fleshed out of an ending as they deservedā¦ justice for atticus and grace, thatās all okay š«
and then thereās jarek, my lovely lil pining guard whoā¦ didnāt have a single backbone or thought in this oneā¦ I was ready for a big confession or love triangle moment in this one, but instead it remained the zander and romeria show with jarek firmly in a background role š« š«
while I did enjoy the action and seeing the end of this series, I just felt that more could have happened, as the final battle lasted only a few chapters and had the āgood guysā absolutely dominating when a lot of the book spent time talking about how doomed they wereā¦
overall, a fun series but ultimately not one Iād recommend always!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: california sparkling rosƩ
as much as Iām happy that romeria and zanderās stories have come to a conclusion, it felt very anticlimactic to me. yes, there was a final battle of good versus evil, but I just feel that the purpose of books two and three were to keep building to this point and ā¦ it didnāt live up to the hype, I fear š«„
while the story is solely romeriaās, I grew so attached to the side characters throughout and felt that many of them didnāt get as fleshed out of an ending as they deservedā¦ justice for atticus and grace, thatās all okay š«
and then thereās jarek, my lovely lil pining guard whoā¦ didnāt have a single backbone or thought in this oneā¦ I was ready for a big confession or love triangle moment in this one, but instead it remained the zander and romeria show with jarek firmly in a background role š« š«
while I did enjoy the action and seeing the end of this series, I just felt that more could have happened, as the final battle lasted only a few chapters and had the āgood guysā absolutely dominating when a lot of the book spent time talking about how doomed they wereā¦
overall, a fun series but ultimately not one Iād recommend always!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: california sparkling rosƩ
What the Wife Knew: A Novel by Darby Kane
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
me? loving a darby kane novel? Iām as pleasantly surprised as all of you š„¹
this is absolutely my favorite of darby kaneās so far! for a domestic thriller, the story takes the typical tropes and completely flips them on their head, leaving the reader scrambling to find out what could possibly happen next!! and I swear, there were at least three different major reveals at the end šāāļø
the story follows addison, the second wife to richmond who recently passed away after a āfallā down the stairs š¤ and of course, everyone suspects her to have something to do with itā¦ and while it was frustrating to watch all of the characters walk all over addison, it was absolutely perfectly written in dual timelines to discover the truth behind addison and richmondās marriageā¦
and reader, I was gasping every few chapters!! it was such a wild ride!!
this thriller is bingeable, fast-paced, and so evenly spread out with the twists and reveals yāall Iām so impressed
a huge thank you to netgalley and william morrow for sticking with me for darbyās novels and sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: finger lakes cabernet franc
this is absolutely my favorite of darby kaneās so far! for a domestic thriller, the story takes the typical tropes and completely flips them on their head, leaving the reader scrambling to find out what could possibly happen next!! and I swear, there were at least three different major reveals at the end šāāļø
the story follows addison, the second wife to richmond who recently passed away after a āfallā down the stairs š¤ and of course, everyone suspects her to have something to do with itā¦ and while it was frustrating to watch all of the characters walk all over addison, it was absolutely perfectly written in dual timelines to discover the truth behind addison and richmondās marriageā¦
and reader, I was gasping every few chapters!! it was such a wild ride!!
this thriller is bingeable, fast-paced, and so evenly spread out with the twists and reveals yāall Iām so impressed
a huge thank you to netgalley and william morrow for sticking with me for darbyās novels and sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: finger lakes cabernet franc
Run: A Novel by Blake Crouch
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
starting off this review by saying that horror / suspense without plot books is not really my cup of tea, and if I had taken thirty seconds to establish the fact that this is indeed a futuristic horror novel, perhaps I wouldnāt have picked it upā¦
BUT HERE WE ARE! blake crouchās writing is unlike anything Iāve ever seen before with a way to keep your heart pounding while your brain desperately tries to read faster and faster to find out if theyāll make it to the end!
unlike his other sci-fi stories, this one didnāt have much of a plotā¦ as itās based in the future when humanity is going crazy and basically turning into the purge, one family is on the run from everyone who wants them deadā¦ and it does not stop until the very end š©
I just wanted more than a suspenseful gory horror movie, as it was never truly explained what made certain people turn to the dark side after seeing the lightsā¦ and why it just suddenly stopped? I donāt know I like to have a conclusion š„ø
thank you to ballantine and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! will continue to read anything blake crouch writes!
rating: 2.5 stars
wine pairing: australian malbec
BUT HERE WE ARE! blake crouchās writing is unlike anything Iāve ever seen before with a way to keep your heart pounding while your brain desperately tries to read faster and faster to find out if theyāll make it to the end!
unlike his other sci-fi stories, this one didnāt have much of a plotā¦ as itās based in the future when humanity is going crazy and basically turning into the purge, one family is on the run from everyone who wants them deadā¦ and it does not stop until the very end š©
I just wanted more than a suspenseful gory horror movie, as it was never truly explained what made certain people turn to the dark side after seeing the lightsā¦ and why it just suddenly stopped? I donāt know I like to have a conclusion š„ø
thank you to ballantine and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! will continue to read anything blake crouch writes!
rating: 2.5 stars
wine pairing: australian malbec
This Girl's A Killer by Emma C. Wells
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
if thereās one thing about thrillers I love, itās those with a female š„£ killer!!! theyāre always so intriguing and fun!!
cordelia black is a mysterious woman who only cares about her job, her best friend, and her goddaughter. everyone else better watch out š¤ but she sticks to a code and finds the worst men out there to make sure justice is servedā¦
the pacing in this one was the biggest issue for me. the plot itself moved glacier slow to the point where I was waiting for shit to hit the fan at any moment, and then when it did, everything wrapped up quickly in the remaining 10% of the book. and it was so neat and tidy and happily ever after vibes that I kind of forgot what genre I was reading š¤
for such a high stake, high risk plot, there were absolutely no consequences at the end š¤
and there were also a ton of characters introduced that justā¦ didnāt have an ending either? I really enjoyed the cat and mouse-esque chase up until that pointā¦
thank you to netgalley and poisoned pen press and sourcebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: australian malbec
cordelia black is a mysterious woman who only cares about her job, her best friend, and her goddaughter. everyone else better watch out š¤ but she sticks to a code and finds the worst men out there to make sure justice is servedā¦
the pacing in this one was the biggest issue for me. the plot itself moved glacier slow to the point where I was waiting for shit to hit the fan at any moment, and then when it did, everything wrapped up quickly in the remaining 10% of the book. and it was so neat and tidy and happily ever after vibes that I kind of forgot what genre I was reading š¤
for such a high stake, high risk plot, there were absolutely no consequences at the end š¤
and there were also a ton of characters introduced that justā¦ didnāt have an ending either? I really enjoyed the cat and mouse-esque chase up until that pointā¦
thank you to netgalley and poisoned pen press and sourcebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: australian malbec