xsummer_readsx's reviews
130 reviews

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

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

3.5

I’m glad this book had a bit of a happy ending for the main character. After what she’d been through it was deserved. I am now worried my lapse in memories are from just getting older or
if I’ve been hypnotized and my time was stolen from me
Pen Pal by J.T. Geissinger

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

2.75

So much of this book is cringey and corny but the Sixth Sense of it all is very appealing. I didn’t know I signed up for a paranormal story. That was a lovely surprise 
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

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

4.0

What a ride this book was. It felt like Haunting of Hill House with the shadows and ghouls and family trying to turn a house into a home. Although knowing what must have happened to Petra the whole time, but not the full story was a horribly sad tale.
Parents get themselves into more trouble while trying to cover up things for their children. Also how did no one notice someone was walking into the child’s armoire?? No one was checking on her often? Rearrange the furniture?
 
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

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

3.75

I had already read this book but couldn’t remember all the details so it felt like a first read all over again! Figuring out all the details with the main character with all the misdirection and fear is a fun read
Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham

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adventurous 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

3.75

This is my second Stacy Willingham book and I enjoy her style. I love having so many of the answers dangled in front of me the whole time but I still can’t fit the pieces together until the very end! Although I will say, almost all the characters are completely unlikable 😅
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

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adventurous challenging mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

As with most British narrated audiobooks, I was having a hard time keeping up with the story line. And found the pacing odd. Eventually, the story pulled me under its spell and I needed answers! Just about every character is morally grey in some way or another. I don’t think I liked a single person 😅
The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

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

3.75

This book carried out the dark theme of a serial killer who fits in well in his home town well. I didn’t like that one of the women in his life knew him when she was a teen and fell head over heels for him. Add groomer onto this guys rap sheet. 

Although the bravery of the kidnapped woman was incredible. Sometimes I wonder how I would react in situations like these. Would I fight the whole time and be attacked? Would I play along and get lost in it? Would I gain their trust and use it against them? There is no telling how I would respond. May I never find out! 

I would also like to note that rape was common in the book but was never explicit. I’ve been saying this for a long time: it can be used in a story without being traumatizing for readers, especially those who have lived it 
That's Not My Name by Megan Lally

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adventurous dark emotional 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? No

4.0

I went into this book blind, and I ended up very much enjoying it. I completely thought I had figured out what was going on early on in the book and I was proven wrong, which does not happen very often so I am impressed. The ending is so bittersweet because we have lost something but gained something new, but for the most part, I think having closure for everyone is very important 
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

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

2.0

So the book started with a little bit of family drama between a brother and sister after their parents passed away, and I really liked that After that, it became about possessed puppets who in then turn possess the people controlling the puppets and they just become horrible people and then it became religious it was just very strange. I did not enjoy this book at all. I wanted more family drama and maybe a ghost or two. 
Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry

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

3.75

Obviously when the book started I was very upset and hated Noah. As the book went on and his mom kept defending him I was growing increasingly upset with her. How dare she not care about those young girls?? It may have only been “touching” but that will affect them the rest of their lives and fuel his fantasies for the rest of his days. It was clear he knew what he did was wrong but he also knew he couldn’t change. His first note he left behind was horrifically relatable. I am not the same type of person he is, but I am afflicted with depression. I feel a lot of the same things he laid out. I feel like I’m holding my loved ones back and I may never improve. It was at this point I was starting to relate to Noah and feeling bad for him. He didn’t want to be attracted to children and he tried to fight it and change it. And ofc his father is the same way! Gross! I am worried about what he does about it since he didn’t want Noah around Katie. Was Luke to be trusted around his own daughter when he molested his own cousins?? Very interesting plot for a book and surprising relatability with one of the worst types of people imaginable