The Blighted Stars is the first book in a science fiction series that has a strong romantic subplot. There is a creepiness factor that might be unsettling for some readers, and while it didn’t bother me, I would caution anyone with an aversion to zombie movies to stay away. In this sci-fi world, humans have achieved a longer lifespan by “printing” their neural map into a new body when the old one dies. Think of … Continue reading The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O’Keefe →
Business or Pleasure is a sex-positive, low-conflict celebrity rom com that worked out great for me. I think a lot of readers will enjoy this book (especially the sex positivity!), but it won’t work for anyone looking for angst. Chandler Cohen wanted to be a writer since she was child, but she chose to focus on journalism rather than creative writing in college because it seemed like a safer bet. Now that there are fewer … Continue reading Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon →
After I finished reading The Seat Filler I had two important questions: 1. WTF did I just read and 2. Is Adam Driver ok? The Seat Filler turned out to be a self-insert RPF (real people fiction) about actor Adam Driver and it had the most ridiculous conflict ever. It had moments where it was genuinely cute, but I couldn’t get over the squickiness of the RPF angle or the fact that the conflict could easily … Continue reading The Seat Filler by Sariah Wilson →
Bombshell is a Victorian age romance with a ton of pining, and a heroine who belongs to a girl-gang out to dismantle the patriarchy. One of them specializes in explosions. Objectively I can look at this book and say that some readers may have an issue with how much time spent on the girl-gang scenes versus the romance, but also ONE OF THEM SPECIALIZES IN EXPLOSIONS. I think part of this imbalance is to set … Continue reading Bombshell by Sarah MacLean →
Shana and I both read While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory and we had thoughts! Anna Gardiner is an actress who is going to appear in an advertisement campaign for a new mobile phone. Ben Stephens designed the campaign and will be working closely with Anna during filming. Ben is a self-admitted playboy who is open that he’s only looking for fun, nothing serious. Anna is focused intensely on the next phase of her … Continue reading While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory →
She’s Too Pretty to Burn is an intriguing, but uneven read. It opens like a teen romance, and ends like a thriller, but the transition between the two is jarring and disruptive to the reading experience. It’s also supposed to be inspired by The Portrait of Dorian Grey which I didn’t get at all from the text. The novel centers around three people: Mick, a high school swim star with a troubled home life; Veronica, … Continue reading She’s Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard →
The Shadow in the Glass is marketed as a Gothic Cinderella story, which is totally my jam, but in reality what I got was a Faustian morality tale with some Cinderella themes. It was a depressing read overall and, this is a big spoiler but an important one: Even if I meant to read this as a Faustian morality tale, it still left some questions unanswered at the end of the novel, and not in … Continue reading The Shadow in the Glass by J.J.A. Harwood →
As I sat down to draft my review of Pretty Little Wife I realized it was going to have to be somewhat brief. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a lot to say about the book (I do!), it’s that this thriller is so beautifully plotted and executed that saying too much about the book would ruin the reading experience for other people. It’s one of those frustrating situations where I just want to shove … Continue reading Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane →
In case you were unaware, 2020 has sucked, and more than anything (with the possible exception of therapy), knitting has really gotten me through. I’ve knitted more this year than ever before, in part because I have more time on my hands and in part because I need the meditative comfort knitting brings me. Seasonal Slow Knitting is a book that aligns with that need for comfort through crafting perfectly. I love this book. It’s … Continue reading Seasonal Slow Knitting: Thoughtful Projects for a Handmade Year by Hannah Thiessen →
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 →
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 →
