celeste_velocci's reviews
475 reviews

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
Wow. I will not be rating this memoir because I do not feel comfortable rating this woman’s personal story. 

First off every person should read this memoir. Your daughters and your sons. I am honestly astonished by this story even though I really shouldn’t be because this is the world we live in. This poor woman was not even treated like a human being by her abuser, the court system, and many others. 

A bit of a backstory is that Chanel Miller is the sexual assault victim of the Stanford rape case from a few years ago. Unfortunately you know the abusers name more than Chanel Miller the victim’s name. 

Let me just say as a young woman I’ve been out with friends , boyfriends , family and I know for a fact that I have danced like an idiot in bars and tipped a few. But that does not give ANYONE the right to assault you in any way shape or form whether you are drunk , dancing like an idiot, partying hard whatever you are doing. If god forbid I was assaulted every time I was out having a care free night dancing with my friends…I can’t even begin to fathom this poor woman’s trauma. NO means NO. If you cannot verbalize consent then that should be the biggest newsflash that you are NOT consenting. Whether you had 1 drink , no drink , or 10 drinks that does not give anyone permission to do whatever they want to you especially when unconscious. And it is not your fault for drinking too much and losing control. We have all been there. My heart goes out to the ones who have suffered. Just because you decided to drink or be social does not mean you deserve to be assaulted. 

This memoir made me angry. Chanel Miller is so strong and has turned her pain into power by being there for other victims and telling her story. I recommend listening to this on audio because Chanel narrates her story herself. Truly powerful. 
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Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Quick and easy short story by one of my favorite authors. This story was pretty predictable but had some valuable lessons in it. If you’re looking for a fast palette cleanser I recommend this one. The detail in the setting is always 10/10 with EH books it makes you feel like you are really right there with the characters. 
A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was for sure a twisted love story! I liked the romantic suspense vibe as it wasn’t just a romance book or just a thriller book it was equally both. I liked the multiple POV’s and enjoyed how twisty the characters were. This gave me major Tell Me Lies vibes if you read that book or watched the series I think you’ll enjoy this one. For anyone who’s ever been in a toxic relationship this book is for you even if you didn’t act as crazy and twisted as the characters in this book. There is a fine line between love being toxic and intoxicating and this book really makes you think and reflect on past relationships in your life. Every love story is different and it’s up to you to decide what is love, lust, obsession, or just plain old toxic behavior. I enjoyed this one!
A Lovely Lie by Jaime Lynn Hendricks

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I had high hopes for this one and it ended up just being okay for me. I was underwhelmed throughout the entire book and was not shocked at really any of the twists. If you are new to thrillers then I think this would be a great book to read. As an avid thriller reader this was not the twistiest craziest thriller I’ve ever read. If you’re a seasoned thriller reader you could probably skip this one but if you are newer to the genre then absolutely read this. I wish I could’ve read it a few years back before I really dove into the world of thrillers. 
Seven Summers by Paige Toon

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

this was an emotional read all around but I did not connect to the main characters as much as I would’ve liked to. I feel like this was a me problem not a book problem so I absolutely recommend this book. This book covers young summer love, adult summer love , grief, loss and so much more. Overall I liked this book and I did get choked up at times. If I would’ve connected more with the main characters I feel like I would’ve rated this higher. I am also not a fan of the miscommunication trope and this had a bit of that I just wanted to shake the main characters and say..say what you mean and mean what you say! They were making things more difficult for themselves than it needed to be and that was an annoying part of the reading journey for me. The ending seemed a bit abrupt and rushed but still tied everything up together nicely. This wasn’t my favorite summer romance book but it wasn’t the worst either. I enjoyed the alternating timelines of the current summer and past summers to tell the full love story of the characters. 
The Perfect Nurse by Daniel Hurst

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was fine! I am planning on reading the second book that just came out to see how more of the story unfolds. I’m trying to read more of this authors books since they’re quick thriller reads on kindle unlimited. This was suspenseful and twisty it was a bit underwhelming at times though and dragged at about the halfway point. I believed the book would be about one thing and ended up being about something completely different. It had its twists and turns and overall it was an easy read. I would recommend if you are looking for a quick and easy thriller that is fine - nothing astonishing but not bad by any means.
The Patients List by James Caine

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was an easy and fast paced thriller! It was a quick read that will help your reading goal for the year. This is an indie author I never read before and will most likely read more of his books. I love a good thriller that keeps my attention and has me guessing until the end. And an added bonus that it’s available on kindle unlimited! I recommend it if you are in the mood for a thriller based out of a hospital and its doctors who work there. 
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Everyone really seems to love this one. I enjoyed it it wasn't my favorite thriller ever but still a twisty and gripping story. It was a slow burn and I was having trouble really giving myself a chance to get into the book. Once I was hooked I really wanted to find out what happened. The multiple timelines and many characters was a bit confusing at times but overall it was still solid. I would recommend this if you are in the mood for a thriller with a lot of layers to it. 
College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight by Shawn Cohen

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Thank you NetGalley, Shawn Cohen, and Sourcebooks for the advanced listening copy of College Girl, Missing. Prior to listening I have never heard of this tragic story of the young college student Lauren Spierer disappearing in plain sight. I am not rating this book based on the story but by the authors telling of it. I do not feel comfortable rating a true crime story based on the events that occurred. My heart goes out to Lauren's family  as this was a very sad story of what happens all too often in this world. 

I enjoyed how passionate the author was about seeking justice for Lauren and her family. It seemed like Shawn Cohen was the long term fighter for Lauren and her family. If you enjoy true crime podcasts or shows like 20/20 and or Dateline then this audiobook will be for you. There was a lot of information and a lot of likely suspects and the author really does do his best to cross every t and dot every i. 

Again, my rating is based on the authors portrayal of the story not Lauren Spierer's disappearance. Now that I was made aware of this story I will be looking into it more.  

This audiobook releases tomorrow July 30th. 
The Assistant by Nicole Trope

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley, Nicole Trope, and Bookotoure for the early release copy of The Assistant. I went in thinking this book would be about one thing and it turned out being a completely different story line. I honestly did not guess the main plot twist. I usually can figure things out pretty quickly but I have to say that this really stumped me. The last few sentences of the book bumped up my overall star rating to a 4. 

This follows a mother Ava, her husband and two daughters while Ava tries to navigate being a career woman as well as being a great mom and wife. Coming apart at the seams with the balancing act of her life Ava realizes she needs to hire an assistant. Soon enough a woman named Grace is hired to fill the position and Ava believes all of her worries will now wash away that she has someone competent to help her with her career life as well as her home life. Ava and Grace begin to form a friendship that they both didn't even know they needed. Everything seems great until one of the women conveys that they have a bit of a dark upbringing and circumstances throughout their adulthood and will stop at nothing to conceal their past sins. 

This book was twisty, interesting, and well paced. This is my first Nicole Trope novel and it won't be my last. Going into it I thought this would be your run of the mill popcorn thriller that you can see happening from miles away but I was pleasantly surprised that that ended up not being the case at all! 

This book publishes August 12th be sure to add it to your TBR for a thrilling suspense novel.