CW: Child abuse, alcoholism, anorexia Girls of Brackenhill is the kind of Gothic thriller that I love. It’s got supernatural elements, a house that functions as a character in its own right, and an unreliable narrator. This book would have been a solid A except I found the ending a little bit too vague to totally satisfy me. It was so spooky-good that I immediately popped in the mail for Amanda. Hannah Maloney gets a … Continue reading Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti →
It’s been a strange week and The Bachelorette promises to make it even stranger so here we go… So the dudes, still unaware that they’re in the midst of a potentially dangerous haunting situation, are sitting on the drinking couches in the La Quinta Resort waiting to meet the new Bachelorette. Tayshia walks in and there’s a lot of hugging. The guys remark about how attractive she is. Tayshia says she “wants to lean into this … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S16 E5: Hurt Man Feelings →
I’ve stopped watching the non-stop coverage of the convoluted shitshow that is our electoral college to turn on the convoluted shitshow that is The Bachelorette. I just shot-gunned a Whiteclaw (mango, gotta get those nasty fuckers outta the way) and I have 11 more where that came from. We open with the dudes being butthurt that Clare ended the last group date without giving out a rose. Then Chris Harrison knocks on the door to … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S16 E4: The Ghosts of La Quinta →
We open during the Pre Dreaded Rose Ceremony cocktail party. Yosef confronts Clare about the strip dodgeball game and that he thought it was humiliating and degrading. Then he tells her that he expected more from the oldest Bachelorette and that Clare is setting a bad example for his daughter. “I’m ashamed to be associated with you,” he says. “I can’t believe I sacrificed so much to be here just to watch this distasteful and … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S16 E3: Dale, Dale, Dale →
Vanishing Falls is one of my few DNF’s of the year, and it’s extremely unusual for me to DNF a mystery at all (I need to know what happens!). This book pretty much failed on all counts, though, and I couldn’t force myself to finish it. First of all, I picked up this book expecting a Gothic mystery, but that’s not what this is. The book is set in the Tasmanian town of Vanishing Falls. … Continue reading Vanishing Falls by Poppy Gee →
I have no concept of time anymore, so even though I feel like I just watched two days ago, it’s time for a new episode. We open with Clare saying, “Dale just made everyone else disappear.” Dale is the guy she said would be her husband despite having spent less than 5 whole minutes with him. Then we have the first group date. This should be interesting since they can’t leave the resort. Ten guys … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S16 E2: Balls →
After many pandemic related delays The Bachelorette is here with all it’s WTFery. I’m honestly not sure how this season will work out, partially due to rumors that Clare Crawley leaves early on and has to be replaced, and partially due to the fact that they can’t travel and this franchise relies heavily on travel sequences to fill up air time. There won’t be any hometown dates with all the excruciating second-hand embarrassment either. Also … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S16 E1: La Quinta →
CW: Suicide, Mental Illness Spooky season is upon us (my favorite season BTW) and if you are in the mood for something delightfully Gothic with horror elements, I recommend The Nesting. This book works perfectly as a Gothic thriller, is deeply creepy, and has an interesting take on environmentalism. The only thing that I wasn’t certain of was the treatment of the heroines’ mental illness. First of all, this is a very spooky book, so … Continue reading The Nesting by CJ Cooke →
The Virgin and the Rogue is the sequel to The Duke’s Stolen Bride, a book I enjoyed immensely. Unfortunately I had a few issues with this novel, in part because the hero and heroine don’t spend as much of the book together as I would expect, and also because I doubted the heroine’s ability to consent the first time she engages in sexual activity with the hero. Charlotte Langely has spent her entire life making … Continue reading The Virgin and the Rogue by Sophie Jordan →
TW: rape I really wish I could write a full review of The Lion’s Den and how utterly fantastic it is, but to do so would require spoiling a lot of the book and I want readers to go in fresh. When I picked up this thriller I thought it would be a locked-room mystery set on a yacht with fancy people murdering each other, which sounded fine. It is not that at all. Despite … Continue reading The Lion’s Den by Katherine St. John →
Shadow Garden is a book that is difficult to classify, but after a lot of pondering I think it’s best described as a thriller with some Gothic elements. The plotting is so excellent that I read it in one sitting, but I struggled to find a character to root for. Former socialite Donna Pryor has moved to a beautiful assisted living community called Shadow Garden while she recovers from a broken hip. Donna’s memory is … Continue reading Shadow Garden by Alexandra Burt →
