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woodsybookworm's reviews
149 reviews
Nine Month Contract: A spicy grumpy/sunshine, small-town rom-com perfect for fans of Meghan Quinn and Tessa Bailey by Amy Daws
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
1.0
I was really looking forward to this one based off the blurb, it sounded right up my alley - grumpy/sunshine, hurt/comfort - but instead I ended up getting the ick pretty earlier on in the story.
I followed through and read the whole thing but overall the story felt clunky and cringe worthy. It started slow with the awkward exchange of Wyatt's niece being very overly involved in her uncle's sex lives - her pushiness throughout the novel was a little much as well.
Trista being so self sabotaging about her looks, repeatedly calling herself a cow, and her general demeanor not really acting as a match to Wyatt (who wasn't exactly a peach himself) was rough. The fact she literally agreed to have this strange man's baby after a ten minute conversation with his random niece that she JUST MET on the sidewalk - was all kinds of bizarre. The insemination process as well, huge red flags all around.
While I can definitely see this book finding its audience, I learned pretty quickly it wasn't for me.
I followed through and read the whole thing but overall the story felt clunky and cringe worthy. It started slow with the awkward exchange of Wyatt's niece being very overly involved in her uncle's sex lives - her pushiness throughout the novel was a little much as well.
Trista being so self sabotaging about her looks, repeatedly calling herself a cow, and her general demeanor not really acting as a match to Wyatt (who wasn't exactly a peach himself) was rough. The fact she literally agreed to have this strange man's baby after a ten minute conversation with his random niece that she JUST MET on the sidewalk - was all kinds of bizarre. The insemination process as well, huge red flags all around.
While I can definitely see this book finding its audience, I learned pretty quickly it wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
What a trip! The Only One Left was my first Riley Sager book and now I get the hype - there was so much going on with all the characters, the jumps through time, the twists and turns but I still found it to be a quick and enjoyable read.
Not really horror, not really thriller, this book felt almost like a locked room mystery or the narrative of an escape room. I'm definitely going to be picking up some more books by this author.
Not really horror, not really thriller, this book felt almost like a locked room mystery or the narrative of an escape room. I'm definitely going to be picking up some more books by this author.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
Shroom for Improvement by Jemma Croft
emotional
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
Funny Little Town by Sirius
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
I can't wait for Happy Face to come out after reading this novella.
Funny Little Town follows Casper who, after the death of his grandmother, decides to run away from his small Appalachian town to the sunny palm trees of Florida. Too bad he decides to take a detour for gas and finds himself stranded in the town of Bustagut, where ghosts linger and a shape shifting clown just wants to have a little "fun"
Everything happened so fast! I wanted to see more of Casper's ability to see and speak with ghosts, more of the chaos that is Button's the Clown, so of course now I can't wait for the continuation with the upcoming Happy Face.
Funny Little Town follows Casper who, after the death of his grandmother, decides to run away from his small Appalachian town to the sunny palm trees of Florida. Too bad he decides to take a detour for gas and finds himself stranded in the town of Bustagut, where ghosts linger and a shape shifting clown just wants to have a little "fun"
Everything happened so fast! I wanted to see more of Casper's ability to see and speak with ghosts, more of the chaos that is Button's the Clown, so of course now I can't wait for the continuation with the upcoming Happy Face.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Deadnaming, Death, and Grief
The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
The Shots You Take is a second chance romance filled to the brim with grief and regret.
After the loss of his father, Riley, a middle-aged retired (disgraced) hockey player's life is flipped upside down. He already struggles with anxiety and depression but it's compounded when the loss of his father also brings the man he thought was the love of his life back into the small town he's all but escaped to, back into his bubble.
Adam is a retired (superstar) hockey player. Growing up in a rough household situation he made a name for himself as a hockey star - praised for his sports prowess, married his beautiful wife (now divorced but cordial), raised lovely kids - he has it all. Except, he recently discovered he's always actually been in love with his former best friend and colleague Riley - too bad he broke his heart (multiple times) and laughed in his face when Riley confessed to him.
This book was a lot. The grief was intense and prevalent throughout the story. Adam was an absolute monster to Riley when they were younger, which made the second chance romance a little tough to swallow - I just had to keep telling myself it was a work of fiction and to suspend my beliefs because there was no way Riley would have forgiven Adam or even spoken to him again had this been real life.
It was a good story but I still finished reading it thinking "no way this would work out in any situation other than a book"
After the loss of his father, Riley, a middle-aged retired (disgraced) hockey player's life is flipped upside down. He already struggles with anxiety and depression but it's compounded when the loss of his father also brings the man he thought was the love of his life back into the small town he's all but escaped to, back into his bubble.
Adam is a retired (superstar) hockey player. Growing up in a rough household situation he made a name for himself as a hockey star - praised for his sports prowess, married his beautiful wife (now divorced but cordial), raised lovely kids - he has it all. Except, he recently discovered he's always actually been in love with his former best friend and colleague Riley - too bad he broke his heart (multiple times) and laughed in his face when Riley confessed to him.
This book was a lot. The grief was intense and prevalent throughout the story. Adam was an absolute monster to Riley when they were younger, which made the second chance romance a little tough to swallow - I just had to keep telling myself it was a work of fiction and to suspend my beliefs because there was no way Riley would have forgiven Adam or even spoken to him again had this been real life.
It was a good story but I still finished reading it thinking "no way this would work out in any situation other than a book"
Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
What a ride. What a WILD ride. I completely devoured this book in a single sitting and boy oh boy was it worth me being absolutely exhausted knowing I have to work in the morning.
Their Monstrous Hearts follows Riccardo, a down on his luck novelist who gets a lucky break when his estranged grandmother Perihan passes away leaving behind her prized butterfly collection and massive Milan estate which includes a prominent but mysteriously locked greenhouse.
Jumping between multiple POVs never felt this good. I didn't find myself annoyed by all the jumps between characters or timelines - I was 100% locked in on the story at hand. It did feel like the mystery got a rushed conclusion and backstory that I wish would have been a little more fleshed out but it was still a great read.
I have a feeling this book is going to be divided into two categories - love it or hate it. Normally, the multiple POVs, the twists and turns, the disjointed storytelling, the rush to the conclusion would piss me off but for some reason everything about this book just worked for me. I want more from this author as soon as possible.
---SPOILER/NOT SO SPOILER BELOW 👇🏼---
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The ENDING!? The ENDING!? WHAAAAAAAAAT!!!!
Their Monstrous Hearts follows Riccardo, a down on his luck novelist who gets a lucky break when his estranged grandmother Perihan passes away leaving behind her prized butterfly collection and massive Milan estate which includes a prominent but mysteriously locked greenhouse.
Jumping between multiple POVs never felt this good. I didn't find myself annoyed by all the jumps between characters or timelines - I was 100% locked in on the story at hand. It did feel like the mystery got a rushed conclusion and backstory that I wish would have been a little more fleshed out but it was still a great read.
I have a feeling this book is going to be divided into two categories - love it or hate it. Normally, the multiple POVs, the twists and turns, the disjointed storytelling, the rush to the conclusion would piss me off but for some reason everything about this book just worked for me. I want more from this author as soon as possible.
---SPOILER/NOT SO SPOILER BELOW 👇🏼---
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The ENDING!? The ENDING!? WHAAAAAAAAAT!!!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a love letter to Montana and a unique take on the vampire mythos - a blood soaked and gore stained journey through the "Wild West" from past to present.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter follows three narratives: Etsy's POV reading through her great grandfather's recently found journals in hopes of writing a tenure worthy piece on the subject, Arthur Beaucarne's POV as a pastor writing the tales of one of his more mysterious constituents, and Good Stab's POV as a Pikuni narrating the story of his life...and afterlife.
I enjoyed the setting, especially because I have been to the majority of locations mentioned in the novel and I think that helped a lot. Chief Mountain is just a stones throw away from the very place I call home, Glacier National Park is right in my backyard, and I've visited many of the towns mentioned in the novel as well.
The book, overall, was slow. It built off the historical setting, the locale, and the vibes for the majority of the novel with punches of gore here and there. I had expected a lot more vampire-ness(?) but it was more a story about human morals and generational guilt/trauma. It was good, but I just wanted...more.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter follows three narratives: Etsy's POV reading through her great grandfather's recently found journals in hopes of writing a tenure worthy piece on the subject, Arthur Beaucarne's POV as a pastor writing the tales of one of his more mysterious constituents, and Good Stab's POV as a Pikuni narrating the story of his life...and afterlife.
I enjoyed the setting, especially because I have been to the majority of locations mentioned in the novel and I think that helped a lot. Chief Mountain is just a stones throw away from the very place I call home, Glacier National Park is right in my backyard, and I've visited many of the towns mentioned in the novel as well.
The book, overall, was slow. It built off the historical setting, the locale, and the vibes for the majority of the novel with punches of gore here and there. I had expected a lot more vampire-ness(?) but it was more a story about human morals and generational guilt/trauma. It was good, but I just wanted...more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
3.0
Rider's Block by Waitlyn Andrews
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
2.0
Riders Block is a sweet grumpy meets sunshine story with the intrigue of rodeo and ranch life fit for any cowboy romance fan.
The main characters were cute, with a good balance of snarky banter and background to keep me invested in their story. The side characters, human and equine, were just as big a part of the story and as fun to spend time with as our MCs.
That being said, the story had its flaws. The writing was rough. I understand this is an advanced edition and is not the final edited copy, but the typos and writing style made the story difficult to keep up with and connect to - it felt fairly juvenile.
The amount of detail on ranch life and the rodeo community was a great addition to the story, though sometimes a little heavy handed in describing every little bit of the terminology. Still, as someone who lives in and around the rodeo community it was nice to see so much research and thought put into descriptions on how everything works.
I think Riders Block has a lot of potential but as is could have used some more editing, shortening it up a bit, and a touch more focus on the central storyline (especially the romance). I look forward to reading future works from this author as their skills progress.
Grave Empire by Richard Swan
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
A flintlock epic fantasy with elements of magic and horror draped in the intrigue of politics and fantastical world building, Grave Empire, is an absolute masterpiece. If I could give this book a thousand stars, I would.
Following multiple characters perspectives as they converge upon each other in a battle to save their world from unknown forces, the storyline could have taken a turn into being confusing and disjointed, but each character's voice was unique enough to differentiate keeping the story grounded in each's distinctive narrative.
While I haven't read the prequels, the Empire of Wolf series, set 200 years before the events of Grave Empire - I felt that I could jump into this book easily (though I do now plan to read the sequel series because I loved the world so much). There was of course a heavy amount of world building - a magic system, map, multiple races and religions to understand but it didn't feel like I would have HAD to read the prior series to understand everything.
All in all, Grave Empire was a masterpiece of fiction and I can't wait for my preordered edition from The Broken Binding to arrive later this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and War