Welcome to Litsy!

Good premise but quite sad and cold lives the characters live! It was way too long and could have been written in such a way that a reader would care more about the characters. Also we are left wondering about the status of Toby…

#Pantone2023 @Clwojick

This was pretty disappointing for me. I couldn't connect with any of the characters. I also didn't think that the author did a good job of handling some of the issues that she tied into the book. The situations & relationships were too unbelievable. This was a ⭐⭐⭐ read for me. But it was my #doublebookspin square 18! @TheAromaofBooks

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/w8RC2MxNk-o

Enjoy!

Man, this was a depressing book. 😕It wasn‘t bad but it wasn‘t great. I‘m going to watch Grace and Frankie now to cheer me up. I‘d give it 3.5⭐️ but rounded down. Make sure if you read this that you are in the right state of mind. It‘ll bum you out if you are already down. #botm
#joysofjune book 3 finished! 😀

❐ Audible Plus Title ❐ Grit-Lit ❐ Poker Theme ❐ Murder, Lies & Betrayals

Jamie Elder is a nineteen-year-old girl who just wants to get out of her hometown and make something for herself...in the only way she knows how...by playing Poker. She just has to pay back her Uncle and then scoot...if only it was that easy. Murder, her mother, and a wayward little brother are just a few things that get in her way.

I wasn't sure what to expect given the very mixed reviews, but not a bad debut at all! Some of the plot points and characters could definitely have been more fleshed out, but it kept my attention.

Funnily enough, this book has been sitting on my shelf as long as it has because I hate how big the font is on the #BOTM edition. I'm determined to whittle down my backlist though, so it was time.

A #debut novel that includes murder, family skeletons, and a struggle to escape the trajectory of our heritage. Jamie Elders comes from a good-for-nothing family and it seems the deck is clearly stacked against her. But she claws and scratches in an attempt to escape, in spite of seemingly negative odds. Gritty and engaging with a refreshingly unique plot. Poignant, troubling characters. And Jamie...she‘ll stay with you. 💔 4/5 ⭐️

Interesting, but ultimately forgettable. I enjoyed the premise, but it was a really slow build up to a whole lot of nothing. Still, my second book for #24in48

#BotM #BotMBacklog #TBRBuster #24in48TBR #2ndBook

Beat the heat with books and ice cream! 🍦🙌🏻

#24in48 #booksnacks #toohottofunction

Can't keep going without #snacks

#24in48 #readreadread #2ndbook

I wasn‘t sure about this after reading reviews, but I thought it was really good. Depressing how Jamie grew up in such a difficult situation and made even worse choices for herself, but really well written and interesting.

#AnglophileApril #ShesSoCold

I mean, I assume she is. It‘s not like I‘ve read this or anything. #ShockingNotShocking

3.5 ☆ 19yr old Jamie Elder feels trapped living down her family‘s bad reputation in Blind River. All she wants is to save enough money to get out of town; and to make money playing poker. A very BIG setback in her plan though.. she‘s conned into helping cover up a crime over money she stole. Jamie has no choice but to turn the tables on small town corruption. Can she do it??! #botm

Completed time: 26h57m & 5 books 🙌🏻
#24B4Monday

A gritty tale about family, the choices we make, and poker.

I just started my next read and Princess is already creeping on me wanting attention. #fluffnugget #snugglebunny #catsoflitsy

#Unpopularopinion time: I really dug this book! It's not the best thing I've read all year by any means, but it's a solidly written crime fiction debut. Part of this might be personal bias- growing up in poverty in a backwoods town in northern Minnesota, I could easily have ended up like the characters in this novel. I think that's why they fascinate me, and why I'd much rather read about the blue collar working poor than the upper-middle class 👇

I feel like I have been in a reading funk the past couple of weeks. I haven't been able to readily get into anything that I read. To me this book was just okay. I feel like it was missing something but I just can't put my finger on it! #botm

So glad I stuck with this one, probably one of the biggest surprises of my reading year! Be aware, this is NOT a thriller-- the plot revolves more around the characters than crime. Gritty and perfectly paced, would totally reccomend this one for those looking for a "slow burn" #botm #thegirlfromblindriver

Switching up books for breakfast. 🍳

And trying vegetarian sausages for the first time 🤞

#24in48

I‘ve gotten really good at taking photos of books and book mail, and not posting them until a week later. 😅

But... look.. #bookmail! #botm 😊

Finally, BOTM is here. Sometimes it sits in Illinois for a week, other times it‘s Nevada. Whoever their third party shipper is kind of sucks. But yay books!

A #countrynoir about a young woman trying to break free from her criminal uncle and the corrupt judge he works for. And poker. Enjoyable, but too tepid for my tastes, especially considering the subgenre. #newreleases #crimefiction https://hillbillyhighways.wordpress.com/2018/07/11/country-noir-the-girl-from-bl...

Yay for #BOTM mail!

My #botm box finally showed up! Can't wait to read all of these books!

My #BOTM box came while I was out of town! But can we just talk about how MASSIVE the print is on this one? Did anyone else notice? I've noticed before, but this one seems next level, the picture doesn't even do it justice. I totally get that they want the book's dimensions the same and all that, but I'd greatly prefer a normal font and fewer pages personally.

Edit: new picture with a second book next to it for scale, lol

HOLY LAND SPEED RECORD, USPS! #BOTM

July #BOTM I couldn‘t decide. If it would have let me, I‘d have picked Ghosted too! I‘ll have to grab that one next month. #summerreading #hugeTBRpile

Looking forward to a fast-paced read with this one.
#botm

I

My #BOTM choices this month ❤️ I have to say the Ghosted was more for the cover than the synopsis, but I do love the occasional quick, fluffy read, and this may be absolutely perfect! 😊
https://www.mybotm.com/pomzpf5esucgzaor

This is the first time I‘ve only gotten one book I am impressed with my own self control. I bailed on getting Mars Room as an extra. I might pick it up next month #botm

Made my choice and decided to add the Last Time I lied as well! Kinda excited for this box! #botm

I was going to skip but this one has great reviews on GR. The synopsis reminds me a bit of Winter‘s Bone. #BOTM

My last post was too soon, haha. Now with The Girl from Blind River it looks like we have our 5 July #BOTM picks 📚