In the interest of word count, I‘m only discussing my issues with the book-
There was an almost “pick me”energy to the way Kya is described. She mentions wanting female friends but never tries bc some girls teased her on her only day in school. All descriptions of other women are only to highlight how different Kya is from them. The male characters also point out she‘s deeper, she doesn‘t talk about silly things like the other girls.
More 👇

Really fun! I liked the main characters and for people who enjoy banter, pick this up!

Not for me. I went into it thinking it could be some Secret History-ish story but that‘s not at all what it was. Beyond that, the story fell flat. The big reveals were saved for the very end of the book and told to the reader instead of relying on any kind of thought or mystery. I felt like the main character had no growth or arc, the manipulation fell flat, and overall I read it in two days just to tick it off my list.

About half way through and I‘m so out off by a character that I‘m considering not finishing.
Maybe that‘s the point.
I hope that‘s the point.

I put this book off for awhile, needing the right head space for it.
I wasn‘t a huge fan of the execution, the experiment, but I understand why she did it this way. In relationships like the one Machado had, there is no way to look straight at it without sounding cliche or dramatic.
Ironically, I‘ve tried to use a house to explain the same thing.
If you need to feel seen, understood, read this.

I actually may have liked this sequel better than the first one. Super quick and engaging read!

Loved it! It took me awhile to get through because it was making me so anxious to read. The writing is amazing and the twist is perfect.

Really enjoyed this book but wished that the ending had been a bit ….more. There felt like a lot of loose ends, things to be done. Good set up for a sequel but I‘m not sure there is one planned.

Kind of expected more.

I really enjoyed this one. If you liked Knives Out, you‘ll like this. Perfect for a chilly night.

Not too far in yet but it‘s so good!

Please don‘t come for me.
I just thought the “twist” at the end was dialed in. There wasn‘t enough attention paid to it to leave me feeling like it even was one. It felt like throw away information.
I liked Hoover‘s style and will read something else from her but this one just didn‘t do it for me.

Just started this and oh boy.
Considering the amount of people at the bookstore who tried to load me up with it Colleen Hoover books as I went for this one, I am excited to start reading her.

An interesting book. It‘s only 103 pages, and it‘s probably important to remember that it was a talk, turned pamphlet, turned book written in 1973.
The most interesting parts weren‘t what I had expected (the correlation between “witches” and practical healers) but the discussion of how class/race played into the demonization of women health care workers.

I enjoyed this way more than I had anticipated. A really fun book.

There were some serious stylistic pet-peeves to overcome for me in this book but the plot kept me going.

I was fully prepared for this to be a DNF but once I was in, I was IN. Seriously, if you like a con artist plot, satisfying character arcs, and a lot of secrets then this is the book for you.

Ok, I‘m all in.

It was a rocky start and I still have some issues (all the parenthetical narration!!!) but the story itself is now so intriguing that I can‘t put it down.

I‘m craving something new and since it‘s out of my usual genres, I‘m asking for some recs.

I‘m looking for a nice low-stakes story. Small towns, maybe beach vibes or woodland vibes, female friendships, not romance per se but some is fine.

Does anything exist that is a beach town or “finding yourself in a small town” version of a hallmark Christmas movie?

Help!

I‘m four paragraphs in and there is already a phrase that has been reused. It‘s a book pet peeve of mine- double words and too many uses of the same or similar phrases.

Nit-picky, I know.

What are your book pet peeves?

It took a bit for me to get into the story but once I did, it was a fast read. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Took me a bit to find my footing and get into this but I‘m 200 pages in and I think about it when I set it down to do other things so 🤷‍♀️

Really liked this one.
If you were an insufferable English or Fine Arts student, or a fan of dark academia, lover triangles, murder mysteries, and Shakespeare, you‘ll like this.

I couldn‘t do it.
I skimmed ahead, I‘m happy with my choice.
The concept is great. The writing is not, but I‘ve seen it argued that this is on purpose. The characters are all awful. Not as in they are bad or flawed but that they are boring and one-dimensional.
And I stand by my statement, Ava is the worst. Full of herself, self-centered, judgemental, posturing, and a toxic friend.

Halfway through and I have to say, I‘m rooting for the Bunnies.
Ava is the worst and I‘m aware that‘s possibly an unpopular opinion.
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I can‘t seem to get invested in any books recently. The past few I‘ve read or tried to start reading have left me disconnected and in a rut.
I need a series that grabs me, I think. Something I can work my way through.

First book of 2021
I loved the way this story unfolded. I thought I saw the ending coming but I didn‘t and that made it hit harder. I know a lot of people have said it left them sobbing but I think the end was triumphant. The kind of ending that isn‘t artificially sweet, it‘s realism for the folklore set.

Consensus seems to be that this book makes people sob. Not looking forward to THAT but after a bit of a slow start, I‘m hooked now.

Someone mentioned that it read like fan fiction and that‘s pretty accurate. Not bad, just not something I enjoyed as much as I thought I would.
Entertaining but I probably won‘t be reading more of this series.

Love the plotting and political aspects.

Starts slow bc of wold building and set-up. Super worth it though.

Years ago, I fell in love with Holly Black‘s books.
I tend to go for fantasy in the winter and decided to pick up #TheCruelPrince. I ran through these. There is a lot of world building and plotting but once the action hits its intense. The Queen of Nothing took me six hours to read because I couldn‘t put it down. It jumps right into the action and hold you there. A fantastic end to this series.

Which should I start first?

The set up is so promising! Broke nanny meets handsome mysterious (rich) man and after a whirlwind romance they marry and move to a mansion in the countryside. But both of them have a past they‘d rather keep hidden.

I ran through the first part of this book only to be so overwhelmingly underwhelmed by the rushed ending. The climax came ten pages from the end and both are awful people you‘ll be sorry you wasted time caring about.

I enjoyed this series in the order they came out. Practical Magic, Rules of Magic, and last, Magic lessons.

I didn‘t dislike it, but the way it was written seemed to keep me detached from the characters. Written like a fairy tale, the characters always felt too abstract.

I did love the dread that comes with learning the name of Maria‘s first love. That was a beautiful twist.

I think I liked this better than White is for Witching but I‘m not sure that‘s saying much.
I‘m not sure what that ending twist was...
And to keep from spoiling it but to still address it, calling it a “spell” that needed to be “broken” made it sound even more like JK Rowling.

Finishing up this book and loved this line.

Watching Rebecca tonight and remembering again how infuriating I find Mrs. Danvers. I just want someone to stick up for the new Mrs. De Winter.

If anyone watches it, let me know what you think!

Wow I‘ve been such an absentee parent to this little profile here. I‘ve been reading some books that just feel like autumn to me. Mexican Gothic, Cruel Prince (Holly Black‘s faeries are always good for the cooler months somehow), and Magic Lessons.

It was slow to begin but picked up after Maria got to Salem. So if you‘re finding it hard to get into, keep going!

I couldn‘t finish.
The main character was so self-pitying (yes, she had a lot happen to her when she was younger) and the dialogue seemed inauthentic. Just not for me, I guess.

If not now, when? You know?

Working and reading when I need a break. I‘ve never read any Vonnegut before.

Oh man did I enjoy this! Multi-generational magic curses, a kind of haunted house, a love story, coming of age, strong powerful and multifaceted female characters. Highly recommend.

Pros: the writing is gorgeous and unsettling
Cons: each character‘s POV has them living a different version of the same story but none ever seem to come together at the end. It feels unfinished on every account.

I really did enjoy it but I just wanted it to go deeper than it did.

About halfway through and it‘s getting pretty creepy.
I‘m loving it.

Trying to digest this book. Finished it last night and stayed up thinking about it. I‘m not positive how I feel.
My main wish right now is that it had been more of a story of Ore finding her Soucouyant. I think for me, that was the most interesting part of this story.

Currently reading both of these.
Both seem to be about haunted houses, both also, have some witchy aspects.
I‘m very much enjoying them both.
White is for Witching jumps POV a lot and it takes a bit to get who is talking at first but you‘re sucked in right away so you just make it work.
The Good House is so good, I love the main character. Her emotions and reactions are so real and raw.

My reading has definitely been slowing down these past few months what with slowly starting to venture out more and the addition of a kitten who loves to eat my book corners.

Loved this!
Not only was it a fascinating look into ideas about the afterlife but budding relationships kept it interesting.
The main character didn‘t make safe choices, she made choices that spoke to her newly found desire to explore and be free and I loved her!