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libbyslibrary's reviews
340 reviews
This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Hooo boy I did not like this at all. Let me just get this out of the way before I get to the important stuff: Jane’s obsession with her dad’s legacy was absolutely bananas to me. He died of natural causes girl chill! She needed therapy, not Reddit.
I picked this up naively hoping it’d hold a mirror up to issues with the true crime world. Police on average only solve like 36% of violent crimes. Obviously, victims deserve justice so I understand armchair sleuths can have a positive impact- we wouldn’t have caught the Golden State Killer without them. But too often, the “search for justice” is exploited for views and ad revenue. I’m guilty of taking part, I listened to all of the true crime podcasts in the 2010s.
While the book spends a little time talking about this toxic side of the true crime community, it undid any positive work by basing the rest of the plot line on an actual, real life case (the 2022 University of Idaho Massacre). I wish I would’ve DNF’d when I realized what the author was doing. It felt beyond icky.
The one positive I will give the book is the discussion regarding the disparity between how cases involving white woman/girls are treated vs cases involving women/girls of color, specifically Black, Indigenous and Trans women/girls. That should always be called out when we’re talking about true crime.
I picked this up naively hoping it’d hold a mirror up to issues with the true crime world. Police on average only solve like 36% of violent crimes. Obviously, victims deserve justice so I understand armchair sleuths can have a positive impact- we wouldn’t have caught the Golden State Killer without them. But too often, the “search for justice” is exploited for views and ad revenue. I’m guilty of taking part, I listened to all of the true crime podcasts in the 2010s.
While the book spends a little time talking about this toxic side of the true crime community, it undid any positive work by basing the rest of the plot line on an actual, real life case (the 2022 University of Idaho Massacre). I wish I would’ve DNF’d when I realized what the author was doing. It felt beyond icky.
The one positive I will give the book is the discussion regarding the disparity between how cases involving white woman/girls are treated vs cases involving women/girls of color, specifically Black, Indigenous and Trans women/girls. That should always be called out when we’re talking about true crime.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Animal death
Fight by Sloane St. James
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was such a sweet (and spicy) little romp! I am going to inhale the rest of this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Religious bigotry
The Words by A. Jade
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
1.0
😑 This was truly the dumbest book I’ve ever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment
A Lady Would Know Better by Emma Theriault
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
This was sweet but I really struggled to get into it. The pacing was slow and it felt repetitive at times. The insta-love almost made me DNF. The FMC just regained consciousness from a head wound and is already in love. There were also too many side characters, I get we’re setting up a series but I don’t need to meet every single character in the first book. I did love the ending but I won’t be continuing the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Such fun, quick reads. Do you have to suspend your disbelief a bit? Yes but who cares, the series is delightful!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Infidelity
War of Hearts by Samantha Young, S. Young
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? No
2.5
This started out ok with an interesting premise but the pacing was so slow and it needed to be 150 pages shorter. Are we really still doing the FMC losing her powers bullshit still? Boo. Tomatoes boo!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death of parent
Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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? No
3.0
Meh, wasn’t terrible, wasn’t great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Incredibly thorough and beautifully told. I love that this was a narrative nonfiction but it was a little hard to follow at times because it jumped to so my different POVs within chapters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Antisemitism
The Longing of Lone Wolves by Lana Pecherczyk
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
This was all telling no showing, I was so bored
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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
4.0
This was really sweet and moving. The portrayal of grief was handled so beautifully and balanced well with Lenny’s humor and antics. I think similar to Ready or Not, this book felt less like a romance and more watching the FMC cope with her new life, the romance feels more like a subplot. And as an avid spice reader, I think this should’ve been a closed-door. Lenny was a little cringy and it took me right out of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent