I would read more Rufi Thorpe after this one.

Pros: hopeful observations about people, growth and forgiveness

Cons: relies too much on witty banter as a device to depict whether characters are meant for each other or not. I fear that when these characters have an off day, they won‘t know how to handle each other anymore.

A propulsive commentary on the human condition. At times it read like stand-up comedy. So many observations packed into a heartwarming story. While Elizabeth and Jack‘s relationship is at the center of the story, it‘s not even close to the whole story, and this is the type of romance I can get behind.

Typo detected. I don‘t think Brandie is talking to herself. P. 140 BOTM edition.

Not your typical thriller. A creative approach to a tough issue. The mixed-media, multiple POV makes it feel like a “brain candy” Gone Girl style novel, but is actually a thought provoking and, frankly, depressing exploration of society today. I enjoyed reading something a bit different, but I might need some time to sort of shake it off.

At times this read to me like a “choose your own adventure,” when you deliberately pick all of the choices that you know are the worst.

This started out strong and had me captured for the first half, but it sort of peters out by the end.

More than 700 pages…we‘re going to see how this goes.

Almost insufferable to listen to, but I‘m a completionist and wanted to finish my first Steven King book.

The main character‘s motivations aren‘t clear enough for me to buy into this entire plot. What drives him and why? What is he afraid of? What propels him forward?

I don‘t think the narrator helped. Sadie‘s dialog was cringy when read on audio.

I have a list of complaints, but I did enjoy reading it.

Beyond unrealistic. How can 4 terrible people remain terrible, oblivious and superficial enough for 20 years to, first of all, GO TO THIS EVENT and second of all, to not realize…well, you‘ll have to read it…

And a pet peeve of mine in writing is when diaries, emails, etc are not written as they would be. (Dialog with quotes in a diary?)

How does this guy know which year the birth control pill was commercialized?

Why does this guy immediately get on board with this idea to try to change history? It‘s quite the investment to spend 4 years on this extremely risky, uncertain and challenging plan. What‘s his hope if he saves JFK? What does he think will happen and why is it so important?

I was enjoying this for a while, loving the puzzles, games and riddles. But now that I finished it, it feels sort of frustrating, juvenile and potentially damaging. The main character holds grudges and cuts off important people in her life and characters flippantly throw terms like “mom” and “son” around without a lot of regard for the process of found family.

I‘m curious, how many times is the word “infuriating” used?

Where‘s the intrigue? I kept hoping for something a little more layered and complex to happen. While the characters were funny, they also all had the same voice. And romantic characters clearly verbalizing their intentions and desires is somewhat refreshing, but very dull here.

It read a bit like a fan fiction to me.

Quite disappointing. While I can get behind the main character, a woman with stellar survival instincts, the writing style had me rolling my eyes a bit too often. It felt like it was trying to be cinematic (lots of dramatic pauses, cuts to black, etc.), but didn‘t quite get there.

I love Marcellus! Give me more Marcellus chapters.

Some of this book I loved, but I also did a lot of skimming. This is just a little too much monotony and people not communicating with each other for me.

In the end, kind of pointless. And the lead up didn‘t give enough information or character-building to even make me very curious.

I think a lot could be gained by opening the book with a news clipping or some perceptions from the public about the accident in question. At least start with some context to peak interest and curiosity about what went wrong or which truths are in question.

I enjoyed the character growth and layers. Even though it is a bit cheesy at times (so much focus on the shoes…) I thought the character flaws were relatable and interesting and the female friendships at the end really shined.

On page 86 and loving the tone of this book. I would read more from Jessica George!

My favorite read of 2023 so far. Fun to try to figure out, and also reflective and interesting.

Did anyone else notice how many new iPhones Jen seems to have in a 2 year period? At least three, I think. I would accept a fact check.

Is this in reference to Josef Fritzl?

Not exactly what I was looking for. The story telling is good on audio, but I was setting out for a different purpose. This is good if you want to understand more about voting rights, history, processes, why some people don‘t vote, etc.

The size of this was perfect for something literary and full of clues. But now who can I talk to about it and work through some of my questions?

I was in the mood for an epistolary novel, so I really enjoyed this one. I could nitpick some aspects, but overall I felt that the characters had a lot of heart and it was funny and witty.

I think Catherine Ryan Howard is creative and brilliant, but this is just “okay.”

In multiple meta situations, the characters mention that creators should write the book (or make the movie) that they want to read (or watch). Does Howard want to read something this daunting and meta? I found myself skimming a bit here.

I‘m convinced I could listen to anything narrated by Simu Liu. He is a good storyteller with a fantastic reading voice. Many moments were relatable, emotional or humorous. I‘d like to hear more stories from him as I‘m sure he will have many more to tell as his career takes off.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, like it‘s title, is a bit repetitive and tedious. Maybe I‘m not a “sprawling novel” person. I was good at about page 250 and could have wrapped up there. Even as a reader, I felt stuck in unhealthy patterns with the same few characters.

Question to you all: would you play any of the games created in this story?

Around the page 300 mark and getting a little worn out on this book. I was enjoying it for about 250 pages, but where is the plot? What is compelling me to continue reading? How much more can I take of the not dating/dating relationships between 3 characters?

At one point I thought I would give this 2 stars and at one point I thought I would give it 4 stars.

Ultimately, I appreciated the character development and the premise. But when it comes to sci-fi or fantastical elements, I appreciate a deeper commentary.

A solid 3 ⭐️s.

Though I enjoyed that this wasn‘t as hopeless as some others in the mystery/thriller genre, I think it will ultimately be forgettable.

This particular cover is misleading - this is not a romcom, but rather an exploration of an ambitious and intelligent woman in the ‘60s with a passion for chemistry.

Pros: Emotional, heartfelt and inspiring. I felt connected enough to the characters to care about them.

Cons: The main character is tiring. Two characters do no wrong while other characters are so deeply flawed, it was easier to connect to the side characters with some dimension.

THE GOOD: I enjoyed the epistolary approach and being presented with evidence, so as the reader I could “read between the lines” to follow and try to solve the mystery.
THE BAD: some of the correspondence just wasn‘t realistic and took me out of the story. People don‘t write emails as narrations of things currently happening outside their window or in the moment. Also, some characters were so grating, it became difficult to read.

Philpott is a fantastic writer and “I‘ll Miss You When I Blink” is one of my favorite books.

While I enjoyed and was touched by some chapters in Bomb Shelter, the themes and topics didn‘t connect or compel me as much as “Blink.” If you are a mother, I‘m sure this is a fantastic read. If the jacket copy and premise doesn‘t grab you, the essays may not either.

Same vibes.

What if The Golden State Killer read “I‘ll be Gone in the Dark” by Michelle McNamera?

That‘s the concept Catherine Ryan Howard explores in “The Nothing Man,” which is a fictional account of a serial attacker and murderer who finds out that a non-fiction book about the search for him. Will the young girl who survived and witnessed the aftermath of The Nothing Man be a lie to find and catch him years later?

This book stressed me out, even before things turned eerie. A group of four 20-something‘s who barely know each other take a two-day sail from Maui to spend a couple of weeks on a lesser-known island with no connection or communication to the outside world. Isn‘t that unsettling enough?

Maybe I‘m too deep in the settled part of my life, but I could not relate to any of these characters.

A follow-up to The Circle finally comes in the form of The Every. I was giddy to pick this up and first in line at the library. In the beginning, I was excited to get sucked back into this world and humorous but creepy satire, but it was a bit long-winded and drawn out for me.

I have mixed feelings about this. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, but it was hard to get through during the 2nd quarter. I almost DNFed, but glad I finished it for the ending.

Totally recommend! It was such a pleasure to go on a journey with these characters. There was a lot of character building and more than enough mystery to propel the story forward. I thought there was a lot of depth and substance here, with some mystery/thriller threads to make it a fun ride.

My biggest complaint is the number of times “a movie in her mind” was used. Otherwise, this was propulsive and a good thriller.

This thriller has riddles and commentary about how women live in a constant state of fear. What regular micro-harassment and gaslighting that we all deal with can eventually do to our psyche. Though it can be slightly predictable, I think it stands on it‘s own.

The good:
Some of these twists really got me. I read a lot of thrillers and guessed some of the direction, but was shocked by moments and twists. It was clever.

The bad:
There isn‘t much pulling the reader forward in the first 3/4 or so. The timeline and narration is all over the place. There is a lot of repetition intentionally because of this. The dialog is a bit cheesy and one-dimensional.

I promise I don‘t say this nearly as often as the book marketing community has: this book helped fill the Gone Girl shaped hole in my heart.

I‘m not really sure the point. This seems like a half-baked idea and it just never really gets there. A lot of build up, not a big enough payoff.

This is not a thriller. This is not a mystery. This is literary fiction, and as far as the genre goes, it is more my speed. Taking on a heavy subject of survivors of a very abusive and spotlighted family, there is at least an interest level to make this story propulsive. I do wish there was a bit more context (news clippings perhaps) as I have no problem with dark content. I just want to understand what the characters are up against and overcoming

Have you read a book as powerful as this one in recent memory? The writing is fantastic, raw, brave, inspiring. This is an important piece of literature - read this memoir!

What I liked:
Candor about some of the struggles of being a mother and questioning whether you are good enough.
What I didn‘t like:
Pacing; some unrealistic situations; narrator stays in a dark mental state through the duration of the book; a little TOO much about motherhood - I think people who are not mothers (me) wouldn‘t enjoy it as much.

Not your typical twists. This felt like a fresh thriller, written in a way that makes the reader question their assumptions.