thereadingraccoon's reviews
1499 reviews

I Am the Cage by Allison Sweet Grant

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

4.0

I Am the Cage is a coming-of-age young adult novel about a nineteen-year-old woman living on her own. But when a blizzard hits, she is forced to reach out, accept help, and reflect on her years of medical trauma.

Elisabeth is living in a small cabin and working at a gift shop in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, when a storm leaves her with very little food and firewood. Her neighbor, who is also the local sheriff, Noah, helps her out, and over the coming days, he befriends the solitary teen who has made few connections since moving in. He doesn’t know that Elisabeth’s real first name is Justine and that she moved to Fish Creek as an escape after slowly losing faith in her family and medical professionals. Years of painful and traumatic procedures to treat her limb differences have left her wary of trust. But if Elisabeth is going to step out of her cage, she’ll need to face her past and find a way to move forward without fear.

This is a powerful novel about how even the most well-meaning professionals and family members can leave children feeling hurt, betrayed, and powerless over their own bodies. It’s hard not to sympathize with Elisabeth/Justine as she struggles to feel safe while still learning to accept help from new people in her life. The book is also beautifully written, incorporating the character’s poetry and appreciation for literature.

I highly recommend this novel to readers who enjoy heavier young adult stories with themes of strained family relationships and overcoming trauma.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Audiobook Notes: The audiobook of I Am the Cage is read by the author, Allison Sweet Grant. Her narration brings a vulnerability and authenticity to the novel, and I enjoyed listening to her voice.

Disclosure: An ALC (advanced listening copy) was provided by PRH Audio for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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? No

4.0

Tartufo is a contemporary fiction novel about a small Italian village that discovers a valuable white truffle that could bring riches to the community.

Lazzarini Boscarino is a tiny rural village with an aging population, a new mayor who barely beat out her opponent (a donkey), and zero tourism. But when the local truffle hunter and his beloved dogs find an extremely valuable truffle, there’s finally something that could put Lazzarini Boscarino on the map. First, though, they need to pull off an auction in their abandoned medieval castle which will hopefully attract the highest bidders from around the world.

This is a fun and wholesome comedy about a tight-knit community that looks out for one another. There are plenty of hilarious moments starring big personalities (both human and animal), and I learned a lot about truffles and the people who covet them.
A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

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

3.5

A Killing Cold is a contemporary thriller and mystery about a newly engaged woman who joins her fiancé’s family at their posh winter retreat—only to discover they may be linked to her past.

Theo and Connor have had a whirlwind romance, and she is meeting his family for the first time as his fiancée at their isolated mountain compound. But they’re suspicious of this possible gold digger, and her secretive past isn’t helping. As Theo settles in, she realizes the property is somehow connected to her birth family, and long-buried memories begin to surface.

This is an enjoyable thriller and mystery about a young woman trying to overcome a traumatic past—only to find it’s not as far behind her as she thought. There were a few twists, red herrings, and close calls. I liked Theo and Connor, but I can’t say I was completely emotionally invested in the plot or characters.

Audiobook Notes: A Killing Cold is read by Karissa Vacker, who does a great job capturing Theo’s voice and the novel’s escalating tension.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Disclosure: An advanced audiobook copy was provided by Macmillan for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Penitence by Kristin Koval

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challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Book Review: Penitence by Kristin Koval

Penitence is a contemporary novel about the tragic murder of a teenage boy by his younger sister and how both the family and her legal team struggle to understand what happened.

When Angie and David discover that their daughter, Nora, has shot and killed their son, Nico—who had been suffering from a neurodegenerative disease—they hire local lawyer Martine to defend her. But the case requires an experienced criminal lawyer, so Martine enlists her son, Julian, for help. However, Julian and Angie share long-kept secrets and a complicated history that threaten to surface as he works on Nora’s case.

This is not a fast-paced thriller with a neatly tied-up ending but rather a family drama steeped in tragedy, with dead and damaged children at its center. It also explores themes of justice, forgiveness, and whether people can be defined by the worst thing they’ve ever done.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Narration Notes: Penitence is read by Thérèse Plummer, who does an excellent job portraying a variety of voices—male and female, young and old.

Disclaimer: An advanced audiobook copy was provided by Macmillan Audio for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Gorgeous Excitement by Cynthia Weiner

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dark emotional sad 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? No

4.0

A Gorgeous Excitement is a historical fiction novel about a young woman’s last summer in New York City before leaving for college. It is loosely based on the “Preppy Murder” case of 1986.

Nina Jacobs is temping at various offices in Manhattan and hitting the local bar, Flanagan’s, at night when she is drawn back into the orbit of Gardner Reed. He’s charismatic and sexy, and Nina quickly becomes obsessed with him. Meanwhile, she’s also navigating her mother’s declining mental health, a new friendship with Stephanie, and a rapidly growing drug habit. What starts as a final hurrah before heading to Vanderbilt University becomes a summer that ends in murder.

For those who remember the Jennifer Levin murder case, this novel brings us back to the mid-80s with its references to the music, fashion, party drugs, and the pretty young women who were attacked in New York City—and then blamed for their own vulnerability. I felt protective of Nina and Stephanie as they floated through the city, oblivious to the dangers around them, and angry all over again at the case that inspired this novel. It’s not a light read, but I recommend it to readers who enjoy gritty coming-of-age stories.
Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

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

3.5

Cross My Heart is a suspenseful mystery about a heart transplant recipient who finds herself entangled in the life of her donor’s widowed husband.

Rosie was suffering from a broken heart—both figuratively and literally—when her heart suddenly failed, and she needed a transplant. Meanwhile, bestselling thriller author Morgan Thorne has just lost his wife in a tragic household fall. When a donor website connects Rosie and Morgan a year after the transplant, an email relationship begins, and Rosie finds herself drawn into the life of the famous author and his late wife.

This is a twisty book filled with red herrings and surprises. However, I occasionally found the female characters (aside from Rosie) blending together, making it difficult to keep track of who was in each scene. That said, I appreciated the underlying message about how women are often pushed to the edge and labeled as “crazy” when, in reality, they are reacting to being used and lied to by their romantic partners.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Disclosure: An advanced copy of Cross My Heart was provided by Atria Books for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I'd Known about Menopause by Naomi Watts

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informative medium-paced

4.0

Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I’d Known About Menopause is a guidebook about menopause written by actress Naomi Watts. It includes statistics, information, and anecdotes from doctors and other experts in the field of menopause research.

Dare I Say It is a relatable and helpful book about a subject that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: menopause. I went in completely uninformed, and I feel like I came away with solid information and questions for my doctor. It covers everything from symptoms to expect, including sexual health, mood and personality changes, physical changes, and treatment options. Everything was laid out in an engaging and informative way.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Audiobook Notes: The audiobook of Dare I Say It is narrated by Naomi Watts and Allyson Ryan. They both do an excellent job with the material, making it educational without being dull.

Disclosure: An ALC (advanced listening copy) was provided by Penguin Random House Audio for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-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? No

4.0

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a novel about a young woman that witnesses an event so traumatic that she flees her small town, best friend and her mother to start a new life under a different name. 

Anne Marie couldn’t face what happened to her best friend Amanda so she left town without saying goodbye to anyone and eventually evolved into best-selling author Cate Kay. Everyone wants to know the real woman behind the pseudonym including actress Ryan Channing who is starring in the movie adaptation of Cate Kay’s famous novel, The Very Last. By revealing herself to Ryan Anne Marie opens up to someone for the first  time since Amanda.

The Three Lives of Kate Cay is told through different points of view of the people inside Anne Marie’s orbit plus includes pages from her novel. It has a great backstories for each of the characters with some beautiful lines that I found myself highlighting. It’s really a story about chasing dreams, finding love and forgiving yourself and others for the past. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Disclaimer: a copy of The Three Lives of Cate Kay were provided by the publisher for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

Beautiful Ugly is a contemporary domestic thriller about an author who stays in a cabin on an isolated Scottish island to write his next book but begins to see glimpses of his missing wife everywhere.

Grady Green’s wife went missing a year ago after investigating a body in the middle of the road. Inconsolable and out of money, Grady accepts his agent’s offer to stay in her cabin on a tiny Scottish island, hoping to find the quiet he needs to write his next book. But everywhere he looks, he sees glimpses of his missing wife. The island’s inhabitants are strange and seem unwilling to let him leave.

Beautiful Ugly is told through alternating POVs between Grady and his wife, Abby (in the weeks leading up to her disappearance). It quickly becomes clear that there are unreliable narrators at play, and we cannot trust anything Grady sees on the island. Each chapter is cleverly titled with an oxymoron (in keeping with the book’s title), and it has a stunning cover, but those are the only positive things I can say about this book. The characters are untrustworthy and awful, and there is a bland, humorless tone to every interaction that made the story completely unenjoyable. By the time the big reveal came, I didn’t really care why anyone did what they did—I just wanted the twist to happen so I could move on with my life.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

🎧 Narrator Notes: Beautiful Ugly is narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton, who do an excellent job with the various voices and accents required for the story.

Disclosure: An ALC (Advanced Listening Copy) was provided by Macmillan Audio for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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? No

4.0

All the Water in the World is a futuristic climate fiction novel about a changed world after the polar ice caps have melted and the planet’s waters have risen.

Nonie and her family have been surviving the storms ravaging New York City by eking out a living inside the Natural History Museum. But when the waters rise too high, they are forced to escape in a canoe. Along the way, they encounter a world of survivors capable of both generosity and cruelty, struggling to find food, shelter, and safety. The timeline shifts back and forth between Nonie’s current experiences and her past, where she lost people she cared about.

All the Water in the World is a thoughtful and fast-paced novel about how families find normalcy and safety on a planet pushed to the brink. It has very dark and difficult moments but is also optimistic and hopeful.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Audiobook Notes: All the Water in the World is narrated by Eunice Wong who does an excellent job with the youthful but “old soul” voice of Nonie. 

Disclosure: An ALC (advanced listening copy) was provided by Macmillan Audio for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.