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celeste_velocci's reviews
474 reviews
The Cheat by Miranda Rijks
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
This was a fun and twisty novella. Too short to rate and pretty obvious what was going on but it was a good story and will help toward your reading goal!
Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
This is the thriller I’ve been waiting for. WOW. The entire book had me in a complete chokehold. It was incredibly fast paced and well structured. I loved the podcast element to it. I suggest going in pretty blind to this one - I did and I think it helped me enjoy it even more!
As an avid thriller reader I don’t toss out 5 star ratings on thrillers all of the time but this book has my Celeste stamp of approval. It was incredibly captivating, dark , disturbing , twisty , and will have you questioning what exactly a moral compass is. It is not easy to write such a standout thriller in the world of books these days. This story was incredibly unique. Kudos to Carter Wilson I can’t wait to read his backlist!
I won’t be shutting up about this one for a bit!
As an avid thriller reader I don’t toss out 5 star ratings on thrillers all of the time but this book has my Celeste stamp of approval. It was incredibly captivating, dark , disturbing , twisty , and will have you questioning what exactly a moral compass is. It is not easy to write such a standout thriller in the world of books these days. This story was incredibly unique. Kudos to Carter Wilson I can’t wait to read his backlist!
I won’t be shutting up about this one for a bit!
Karma Never Sleeps by R. John Dingle
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Huge thank you to R John Dingle and Tule Publishing for the early release of Karma Never Sleeps. All opinions are my own. Wow what an amazing debut! I thoroughly enjoyed this crime fiction novel and am looking forward to reading more of Dingle’s future work.
This book kept me engrossed and guessing until the very end. It was a very believable and well written book.
Friends for decades the “Possee” has some secrets they will take to the grave. Who said conniving and bullying is only present in younger girls? Those young girls will become diabolical and treacherous adults if their behavior goes unnoticed and under the radar.
When women in a small friend group start getting murdered one by one it makes these friends question who would ever want to hurt them - as wives , mothers , career women and staples in their community who would do this? Perhaps their past will be catching up to them and a scorned killer will stop at nothing but a full circle moment of revenge.
This book kept me engrossed and guessing until the very end. It was a very believable and well written book.
Friends for decades the “Possee” has some secrets they will take to the grave. Who said conniving and bullying is only present in younger girls? Those young girls will become diabolical and treacherous adults if their behavior goes unnoticed and under the radar.
When women in a small friend group start getting murdered one by one it makes these friends question who would ever want to hurt them - as wives , mothers , career women and staples in their community who would do this? Perhaps their past will be catching up to them and a scorned killer will stop at nothing but a full circle moment of revenge.
A Happy Marriage by A. R. Torre
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.75
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the early release copy of A Happy Marriage. A.R. Torre is one of my favorite psychological thriller authors. This book was incredibly fascinating and fast paced. I finished it in less than twenty four hours.
Follow along a "happy" couple who may be hiding quite the sinister side of themselves from their world around them and from each other. What could possibly go wrong when you are a Los Angeles homicide detective and your husband is a psychiatrist? A power couple in the eyes of many will stop at nothing to keep the past hidden in the past. Some secrets you'll kill to keep.
Follow along a "happy" couple who may be hiding quite the sinister side of themselves from their world around them and from each other. What could possibly go wrong when you are a Los Angeles homicide detective and your husband is a psychiatrist? A power couple in the eyes of many will stop at nothing to keep the past hidden in the past. Some secrets you'll kill to keep.
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-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
3.75
I enjoyed this cute romance read - it was perfect to kick off February. I listened on audio and really enjoyed the story. It was light hearted , heartwarming , and taught some important lessons along the way.
Adult ADHD Executive Function 7-Week Power-Up by Estelle Rose
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This was my second book by Estelle Rose and I enjoyed this one just as much as I did the first! One thing I love about Estelle Rose is her way to get a lot of information to you but in a fun and lighthearted way. Rose’s reads are always educational with a humor flair that comes with quick wit and solid facts.
I always appreciate when a writer can show a lot of different sides of themselves through their writing. Rose humanizes things that maybe we are ashamed to say we struggle with in an easy and thought provoking way that ends the stigma surrounding ADHD and other issues.
I always appreciate when a writer can show a lot of different sides of themselves through their writing. Rose humanizes things that maybe we are ashamed to say we struggle with in an easy and thought provoking way that ends the stigma surrounding ADHD and other issues.
A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
Many thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the early release copy of A Killing Cold. I throughly enjoyed this thriller! It had everything I love in it - a twisted family with decades of secrets, an unreliable narrator, and a mystery just dying to be solved.
Newly engaged Theo is brought to her fiancé Connor's family retreat to meet her soon to be in-laws. After arriving Theo realizes that this family has many things to hide and will stop at nothing to keep their family secrets at bay. Theo feels a connection to the retreat location almost as if she has been there before - which is impossible since this is the first time being brought here by Connor. While exploring the family's land Theo stumbles across a photo of a young girl on Connor's family's grounds. This photo isn't just any girl it is in fact a photo of Theo herself as a child. Now confirming her sudden deja vu Theo will stop at nothing to uncover the truth behind this diabolical family and what her as a child has anything to do with them.
This book was incredibly fast paced and easily a bingeable read. I had many theories throughout and was kept captivated the entire time while reading. I enjoyed the characters and found myself really rooting for the good ones. The author Katie Alice Marshall's descriptive writing had me feeling like I was right in the story with the characters. I felt anxiety when they did and felt the cold winter chill of the setting. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
Newly engaged Theo is brought to her fiancé Connor's family retreat to meet her soon to be in-laws. After arriving Theo realizes that this family has many things to hide and will stop at nothing to keep their family secrets at bay. Theo feels a connection to the retreat location almost as if she has been there before - which is impossible since this is the first time being brought here by Connor. While exploring the family's land Theo stumbles across a photo of a young girl on Connor's family's grounds. This photo isn't just any girl it is in fact a photo of Theo herself as a child. Now confirming her sudden deja vu Theo will stop at nothing to uncover the truth behind this diabolical family and what her as a child has anything to do with them.
This book was incredibly fast paced and easily a bingeable read. I had many theories throughout and was kept captivated the entire time while reading. I enjoyed the characters and found myself really rooting for the good ones. The author Katie Alice Marshall's descriptive writing had me feeling like I was right in the story with the characters. I felt anxiety when they did and felt the cold winter chill of the setting. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
The Crash by Freida McFadden
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
- 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
3.5
I liked this one. Was it my favorite Freida book? No. But it was still solid. My main complaint is that SO much was going on that I almost felt like all the ideas of the book got thrown into a blender and got poured out onto the pages whether they mixed well together or not. Because of this I felt that it seemed a bit far fetched.
A young pregnant woman sets off during the beginning of a snow storm finding herself crashing her car into a tree in the dead of a winter blizzard. A man who was driving down the road sees that she is injured and her car is damaged and offers to help her. Instead of bringing her to the hospital due to weather he brings her to his home that’s right around the corner from the crash site.
Being in a warm house rescued is better than freezing to death in a snow storm car crash while 8 months pregnant right ?
With fast paced writing , unreliable characters , and a chilling winter scene Freida McFadden will have you fully engrossed in the story of a woman who will do just about anything to protect her unborn child.
A young pregnant woman sets off during the beginning of a snow storm finding herself crashing her car into a tree in the dead of a winter blizzard. A man who was driving down the road sees that she is injured and her car is damaged and offers to help her. Instead of bringing her to the hospital due to weather he brings her to his home that’s right around the corner from the crash site.
Being in a warm house rescued is better than freezing to death in a snow storm car crash while 8 months pregnant right ?
With fast paced writing , unreliable characters , and a chilling winter scene Freida McFadden will have you fully engrossed in the story of a woman who will do just about anything to protect her unborn child.
Say You Still Love Me by K.A. Tucker
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-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 was my first book by this author and now I want to read the rest of her backlist! I enjoyed this slow burn romance.
Through alternating timelines of present day to back to 13 years ago follow along Piper and Kyle while they navigate first and young love. Meeting at a summer camp Piper and Kyle quickly fall for one another during the most amazing summer of their lives. Their whirlwind teenage romance comes to an end at the end of summer causing a heartbreak without any closure that’s never been experienced before. Fast forward 13 years later and fate has these once young lovers crossing paths again.
You never forget your first love and what you went through trying to move past it.
I really flew through the second half much easier than the first - there was a lot of buildup with the alternating timelines.
Through alternating timelines of present day to back to 13 years ago follow along Piper and Kyle while they navigate first and young love. Meeting at a summer camp Piper and Kyle quickly fall for one another during the most amazing summer of their lives. Their whirlwind teenage romance comes to an end at the end of summer causing a heartbreak without any closure that’s never been experienced before. Fast forward 13 years later and fate has these once young lovers crossing paths again.
You never forget your first love and what you went through trying to move past it.
I really flew through the second half much easier than the first - there was a lot of buildup with the alternating timelines.
Head Cases by John McMahon
slow-paced
1.0
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Publishers for the early release of Head Cases. I unfortunately did not mesh well with this book. As a fan of crime thrillers, true crime, mysteries, and thrillers I thought that this book would be the perfect read for me. I did not connect to the characters or the plot and felt like a lot was going on and nothing at the same time. Just because this was not for me does not mean it won't be for you so I always say reading is so subjective but this was a total miss for me.