tysbooks's reviews
353 reviews

Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham

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

3.0

This was a little bit of a disappointment for me because I really enjoyed this author's other two books and this one felt very different. This was a slow moving story which on one hand I can understand because this author really wanted us to get invested in the characters but I think it took to long for us to get to the root of this mystery. This was told in a before/after timeline which I really don't think was necessary because the after timeline chapters were extremely short and most of the time didn't really provide anything important or interesting. The big thing with this book were the characters and unfortunately they just weren't that interesting to me. There was nothing that really drew me into them like I wanted. I did think some of the reveals were interesting but still nothing that ultimately blew me away. This one didn't work for me like I was hoping but I will still continue to pick up more from this author.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review
My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon

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

3.0

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

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

3.0

This was the type of vibe I was looking for and I'm happy it delivered. It was a quick paced mystery that also gave cold wintery vibes. I liked how half of the story was told in journal entries because they came from the main character of Ashley who I thought was interesting and entertaining. I wasn't necessarily shocked or surprised by the secrets in this story but I did like the reasons behind all the secrets which kept me intrigued. While I don't think this will be a very memorable story it was a good one to pick up during this time of year!
When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey

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mysterious slow-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

This was a rough one to get through. My first issue with this is that BOTM did not let us know it was the third book in the series before allowing it as a pick. While I don’t think the other books had to be read before picking this one up, I still felt there were a few instances where old cases were mentioned that makes me believe they were in the other books. Other than that, I felt the story was just slow and boring. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and there was nothing interesting or new done with this mystery we were given. I didn’t like how the reveal was presented and wished it was done in different way. I unfortunately don’t think I will pick up anymore books in this series if it continues. 
The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings

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emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

The premise sounded really good but the execution didn't work for me. The one aspect of this book I did enjoy was learning about this society that deals with witches and how women are forced to marry by the age of 30 to prevent being accused of witchcraft. I liked learning the ends and outs of what these women go through if they are accused of witchcraft and how this society still wants women to rely on men for their needs. It felt like the book was using witchcraft as way to describe women being oppressed in this society. Other than that I felt no connections to our main character Jo or to the plot we were given. The pacing was very slow and seemed like we actually were just getting more of the main character's thoughts than an actual story. Jo's mother went missing and was gone for a lot of Jo's life growing up and we can see how that affected her but I kept getting pulled out of that by the random witchy stories she kept remembering that her mom told. It kept taking me out the main story and it was hard to pull me back in. I do think there will be people who really connect with this one but unfortunately it didn't work for me.
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
This wasn't a book I was planning to read but after seeing such a positive response to it I decided to pick it up and I'm glad that I did. These are the types of memoirs I like to read, when the person has an actual story to tell, unfortunately for this it was a sad one and I will not rate this because I don't want to 'rate' someone's personal experience/story. Looking back on what I knew of Britney Spears, I remember all her hit songs, the performances, her relationship with Justin Timberlake, her 'meltdown' of shaving her head but of course never knew the trauma she was dealing with behind the scenes. I'm happy that Britney was open enough to share her story with us and let us know the terrible things she was going through and about how many people let her down over the years including her own family. This made me have a better respect for not only her work but also for her as a person. She was able to clear up so many rumors and provide such an honest look into her life that I really appreciated. This a memoir that I would highly recommend!!
The Marriage Act by John Marrs

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

3.0

I really enjoyed the concept of the marriage act and what that would look like for the people involved. It brought up some good topics on how the government will find a way to control people and keep people segregated. It also showed how people would be willing to take advantage of the marriage act and learn how to cheat the system. The were some interesting characters in this one and I liked that some were very unlikeable. However, although we are following five main characters, there were lots of side characters that were involved and at times it was hard to keep track of everyone. I do think that by the end of the story it felt very rushed and lots of information was just thrown at us. The book is kind of long but I wished at the end it would have taken its time to wrap everything up. This isn't my favorite by this author but I enjoyed it enough to recommend, especially the audiobook which this author knows how to do well!
The Good Part by Sophie Cousens

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

This book was a pleasant surprise. I loved the time travel element where the main character Lucy is transported 16 years into the future. I thought moments of this book were hilarious especially her son Felix who honestly believed she was an alien and wanted to send her back to the planet she came from. The romance between Lucy and her husband Sam was so sweet. He was very patient with trying to help her remember the life she has suddenly forgotten and getting moments of how they met. I also thought this story touched on a lot of important life lessons. We need to live in the moment and not take anyone or situation for granted. There needs to be an appreciation for the stage you are currently in with your life because that will help guide you in the future and we need to not be ashamed of our mistakes because those will show us what not to do in the future. This was a very heart warming story that I would I highly recommend.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

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

4.0

This was my first story by Tananarive Due and it won't be my last! This story really pulled at my emotions in a way I wasn't expecting. I thought this would just be a story about some ghosts at an old school but it was so much more than that. Yes this had a creep factor that involved ghosts (in this story they're referred to as haints), but it went so much deeper than that. We follow Robert who was sent to the reformatory and his sister Gloria that is trying desperately to save him from that awful place. This is story about a bond between brother and sister. Both of these characters had to show true determination, Gloria for trying to free her brother and Robert for trying to survive in that horrid place. They are both taking on the troubles their father left them during his escape to Chicago. The horrors that are seen at the reformatory are not only those of the haints, but the people who run the place and how horribly they treat young black boys. In this book that takes place in 1950's Florida we see racism and segregation. There is mention of rape, sexual assault and we see child abuse. I did enjoy this but there were points in the story where it just felt long and the pacing slowed it down in certain parts. Overall this was a fantastic story and I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.
Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson

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

3.0

I'm still not as interested with the books from Era 2 but they are slowly starting to grow on me. I did like the overall mystery that Wax and Wayne were trying to solve in this one and the reveals we got at the end. I'm starting to appreciate Wayne as a character especially with the pieces of his back story we were provided with and I'm actually starting to think he is a little funny. I like that there were several references to Era 1 and we also got to see some of those characters in this one. I plan to continue on with the series and hopefully my enjoyment will continue to increase with each book!