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bringmybooks's reviews
1153 reviews
The Paris Mystery by Kirsty Manning
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Thank you to NetGalley, Vintage, & Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗬𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦 ✨
Meh. Didn't buy into it and the dialogue was grating.
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗬𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦 ✨
Meh. Didn't buy into it and the dialogue was grating.
The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Was expecting more and this just felt really flat - if you're looking for a moving "book about books" book set during WWII that does not shy away from the tougher topics, definitely recommend The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin.
The Block Party by Jamie Day
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Too convoluted, slow pacing, didn't care for characters
Happy Place by Emily Henry
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
I honestly & truly don’t think this book is going to be for everyone, and I honestly & truly don’t think all of Emily Henry is for everyone (4 starred her first two, lukewarm on them in retrospect, DNFed Book Lovers, don’t @ me). All of that being said, I honestly & truly loved this book.
(Also, did I finally break down and decide to read this because the MC loves Murder She Wrote? no comment)
There are some books that I think have universal appeal, and others that hit harder because of the life you’ve lived and the experiences you’ve had, and I think that was a huge part of why this hit so well for me. I can totally understand why people would look at this and go “miscommunication trope at it’s finest, yawn” but (as someone who’s not typically a fan of this trope) I felt this was a super realistic portrayal of trying to figure out who you are and what you want as you grow older, especially as you try to do it in a relationship with someone you love who is growing up alongside you.
One of my gripes with some of EH’s work is that it’s too … quippy. Nobody can be “on” 24/7, zinging barbs back and forth with whomever they come across from the moment they open their eyes until the moment they go to bed. Sometimes even the quippiest person just calls their partner and says, “Hey, do we need milk?” without there being a joke attached to it, you know?
That being said, I felt that that the characters in this book were way more realistic, and I actually believed in them, which made it a lot easier to stay invested in the story & in their relationships. It’s got so much heart in the way that growing up in a friend group is described, especially as we start to want different things that don’t align with how our friends or partners are growing up.
tl;dr this one brought me back to EH and I’ll be giving her next one a read!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
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
4.75
you’re either gonna love it or hate it and idk what to tell you
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
I honestly & truly don’t think this book is going to be for everyone, and I honestly & truly don’t think all of Emily Henry is for everyone (4 starred her first two, lukewarm on them in retrospect, DNFed Book Lovers, don’t @ me). All of that being said, I honestly & truly loved this book.
(Also, did I finally break down and decide to read this because the MC loves Murder She Wrote? no comment)
There are some books that I think have universal appeal, and others that hit harder because of the life you’ve lived and the experiences you’ve had, and I think that was a huge part of why this hit so well for me. I can totally understand why people would look at this and go “miscommunication trope at it’s finest, yawn” but (as someone who’s not typically a fan of this trope) I felt this was a super realistic portrayal of trying to figure out who you are and what you want as you grow older, especially as you try to do it in a relationship with someone you love who is growing up alongside you.
One of my gripes with some of EH’s work is that it’s too … quippy. Nobody can be “on” 24/7, zinging barbs back and forth with whomever they come across from the moment they open their eyes until the moment they go to bed. Sometimes even the quippiest person just calls their partner and says, “Hey, do we need milk?” without there being a joke attached to it, you know?
That being said, I felt that that the characters in this book were way more realistic, and I actually believed in them, which made it a lot easier to stay invested in the story & in their relationships. It’s got so much heart in the way that growing up in a friend group is described, especially as we start to want different things that don’t align with how our friends or partners are growing up.
tl;dr this one brought me back to EH and I’ll be giving her next one a read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Chronic illness, Drug use, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Dementia, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Someone We Know by Shari Lapena
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel
Didn’t realize this was #7 in a series so there’s a lot of past references that didn’t make a lot of sense - but even if that wasn’t the case, this one really wasn’t for me. Gruesome for gruesome’s sake, needed a big palate cleanser after this one.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗬𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦 ✨
Didn’t realize this was #7 in a series so there’s a lot of past references that didn’t make a lot of sense - but even if that wasn’t the case, this one really wasn’t for me. Gruesome for gruesome’s sake, needed a big palate cleanser after this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Murder
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Thank you to Edelweiss, Berkley, & Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
This one worked for a lot of people - like, in a super moving heartfelt wept their eyes out book hangover for days kind of way - but I got … nothing. I love love LOVED The Dead Romantics so my hopes and the hype were pretty high here, but I don’t even think that’s the culprit.
I’m genuinely surprised that even though I really liked the writing and the premise was UNREAL, I felt nothing for these characters. I was shuffling through the pages waiting for something truly magical, but the majority of it was just weird instalove and a magical element that didn’t make any sense.
(Note: magical elements don’t * have * to make sense, see: About Time, which is a pitch perfect film with a magical element that makes 0 sense - but the characters and their stories have to REALLY work for this to work, if you know what I mean)
Anywho - I’m going with “borrow” on this one because while it wasn’t my slice of pie, I know that it’s *chef’s kiss* for others!
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
This one worked for a lot of people - like, in a super moving heartfelt wept their eyes out book hangover for days kind of way - but I got … nothing. I love love LOVED The Dead Romantics so my hopes and the hype were pretty high here, but I don’t even think that’s the culprit.
I’m genuinely surprised that even though I really liked the writing and the premise was UNREAL, I felt nothing for these characters. I was shuffling through the pages waiting for something truly magical, but the majority of it was just weird instalove and a magical element that didn’t make any sense.
(Note: magical elements don’t * have * to make sense, see: About Time, which is a pitch perfect film with a magical element that makes 0 sense - but the characters and their stories have to REALLY work for this to work, if you know what I mean)
Anywho - I’m going with “borrow” on this one because while it wasn’t my slice of pie, I know that it’s *chef’s kiss* for others!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Pregnancy