I know very little about Nepal, and even less about their civil war. I felt Justice was a great and tragic introduction to Nepali‘s Civil War told from an adolescent girl‘s perspective as she details how it impacted and tore apart her family.

I would recommend not fully reading the synopsis or description of the characters before diving in as it gives away most the fictionalized part of the plot. The glossary of terms in the back is helpful too.

A fast, suspenseful book that kept me guessing until the end! Both writing &plot are compelling. Cleo‘s &Kat‘s relationship was well nuanced, such a realistic portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship. It made this much more than just a mystery. I kept thinking I knew all the answers, then something else would happen &I‘d find myself rethinking everything. I loved how all the characters were written &that everything in the book felt intentional.

Busy month but still able to get some good books in! Excited to see what June reads bring as I‘m in the middle of three good ones.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Villain Edit

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dishonestly Yours
Tell Me Who You Are
Darling Girls

#endofmonth #may

I haven‘t heard much about Honey, but the reviews looked good. Threw a few backlogged #tbr books in that I‘ve been wanting to read as well. I love when #botm books come out early!

I really enjoyed Astrid‘s story. She gave me Daisy Jones vibes minus the drugs and rock and roll. I think Blythe‘s story added some depth as well, and I could see a lot of parallels between hers and her mom‘s. And while I understood the want to have a multi-generational story with Mizza‘s (Astrid‘s mom) backstory, I felt hers was largely unnecessary and that the heart of the story would still be there even without it.

2.75⭐️

Filled w/the Ritchies‘ signature angst, they take two con families &make you fall in love w/them. Phoebe, Rocky, &their siblings are definitely morally gray characters, but I loved their complexities & I so desperately wanted them 2get their HEA. As they try to escape the family business &live a clean life in small town CT, tensions between Phoebe & Rocky reach an all time high as they continue to deny the chemistry that has been there for years.

Dark, tragic, & suspenseful, this is my favorite Hepworth yet. I wouldn‘t say I was particularly shocked by any of the twists, but I loved the intricacies of each plot line & how well-thought out it was. I felt the back & forth between past & present & the multiple point of views played perfectly in telling the story of Jessica, Norah, & Alicia. The characters are complex & multi-dimensional &made this more than just your typical mystery/thriller.

If the title &cover don‘t already give it away, the main character is nutty. The synopsis says 2 much &there isn‘t much 2 add that isn‘t there. In the real world, I would say we need to find a mental health professional for Hannah. In this fictitious one, I was repeating WTFs &uttering “you‘re batshit crazy” while laughing as I turned the pages. This book, &this character, are obviously not meant 2 be taken seriously, &that is what made it so fun.

A collection of articles written over the years by Patrick Radden Keefe. So many interesting characters, I found the one about Bourdain to be my favorite.

3.5⭐️

I think the core of the story may have been there — a woman goes into the forest w/ her ex to search for her friend who may have disappeared under suspicious circumstances — but there was just a lot keeping me from really liking this. I wanted less chapters about Emlyn‘s past (many didn‘t move the plot forward), more suspense & mystery (I loved the few moments where they popped up), and better research done on subjects such as tracking & Oxy use.

This is my third DNF in weeks, so maybe it‘s me. I know there was an important message here but I was just bored. Threw in the towel at around 30%.

#botm

Admittedly, I am not the biggest fan of second chance romances, but I think I would have struggled with this one even if it wasn‘t that trope. I found both Pearl and Cord to be underdeveloped characters and never fully understood their attraction to each other (outside of lust).

⭐️⭐️

#arc #netgalleycatchup

Started out slow, ended with a bang. Hated most of the characters, but they made great antagonists.

3.25⭐️

#botm #lockedroommystery #52bookclub24

Who knew a book focused on a reality TV show could make me feel so much and keep me glued to the pages? This is so much more than a romance. I‘d hesitate to even call it that even though there‘s definitely romance. It‘s more a searing look into the word of reality TV and how people‘s assumptions of who we are inevitably affect the way we see ourselves too. It‘s about loosing yourself while simultaneously finding yourself.

Low pick. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#botm

I loved this book full of unlikeable characters & unreliable narrators. Dr. Caroline treats a new patient who leaves halfway through their first session after professing he‘s going to commit a murder. Before he parts, he tells her he knows who she really is. Thus begins this twisty novel told from 3 POVs: Dr. Caroline & 2 other people connected to her. I fear to say much more as I loved going into this novel blind & trying to figure out the truth.

Read for the beautiful cover and the setting (the country Georgia), but this book just wasn‘t for me. I think it‘d be a five-star read for the right person though.

⭐️⭐️

#botm #georgia

One of highest months I‘ve had for books read. Got back on track for my yearly goal and loved so many of these!

4.5-5⭐️s
If Something Happens to Me
Behind Closed Doors
The Return of Ellie Black

3.5-4⭐️s
Daughter of Mine
All the Living and the Dead
Transgender History
Glory in Death
Julia
Honey Girl
We Carry Their Bones

#monthlyrecap #aprilreads

I‘ve not read much historical fiction from this time period, and I liked how each character explored a different aspect or event of 1969.

#52bookclub#24 #titlematcheslyricsfromasong

My first novel by Alex Finlay, and I was certainly captivated! This is told in multiple POVs and is one of the few books I‘ve seen do end of chapter cliff-hangers right. Here‘s the thing: I guessed a lot of the twists before they were revealed, but each time I figured it out, I still got that shocked feeling and eagerly read on. That‘s how compelling Finlay‘s writing was.

I loved seeing the events of 1984 through Julia‘s POV. It was so much more developed and nuanced in my opinion. Julia was definitely more fleshed out.

This was a 4-star read for me until near the end. I felt it should have stopped at the end of chapter 21 as the last 50 pages dragged for me and felt unnecessary.

#52bookclub24 #theotherbookwiththesimilarplot

This is such an important book that touched on many topics & showed that even teens can have knowledge, strength, & power to educate people & stand up for their beliefs. Mason is a powerful character & you can‘t help but admire him.

I liked the poems told in the poetry class but wished the rest of the novel had been told in regular prose instead of in verse. I struggled w/ the cadence of those parts and felt these weren‘t didn‘t smoothly flow.

In my quest to read all of B.A. Paris‘ books, the fifth book I picked up was her debut. And it may be my favorite one yet. I devoured it in one night.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I‘m going to be in Ireland at the beginning of May (Dublin, Cork, and Galway) and while I‘m doing a tour, I‘ll also have free time and would love suggestions of what to do/see!

#ireland #travel

Not sure why it took me so long to pick up the second book in this series. A great futuristic mystery/thriller. Really enjoying Eve as a main character.

#52bookclub24 #hasfuturistictechnology

Would I call this a mystery? Or a tale of a woman who couldn‘t get over a fling she thought was love? There‘s ghosting &mysterious text msg years later, but honestly, Ariel knew him for 3mths & I would have moved on &ignored the text.

If you can get past how much Ariel obsesses over Drew, then you get a decent mystery. Her family owns Chime & she stumbles onto some possibly illegal activity that may be connected to Drew vanishing.

As the title states, this is about transgender history, specifically in the USA. It‘s informative & can be a bit dry at times, reading more like a textbook. I guess I should have taken the title at face value, but I was expecting something w/ a little more emotional depth or personal stories. However, it‘s a piece of history not often (if ever) discussed & so I appreciated it for what it was. In that scope, it was great.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some chapters hit closer to home than others and I think that will vary between each reader depending on past experiences in your life.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#52bookclub24 #lowercaselettersonthespine

I know very little about Estonia or the majority of composers out there. Between Two Sounds introduces you to a bit of both in a simple yet engaging way. Being a graphic novel allows it to focus more on how events shaped & affected Arvo Pärt rather than his trajectory as a composer getting lost w/in historical events (WWII, Soviet rule). I paired reading this w/ listening to some of his pieces which I felt enhanced both the writing and the music.

This felt more dysfunctional family drama than mystery-thriller, although there are plenty of secrets to lend toward suspense. I was curious who the identity of “The Party Guest” was, but with limited characters, it‘s not hard to figure it out.

⭐️⭐️💫

#arc #netgalley

Anytime a mystery keeps me guessing &invested in finding the truth, I‘m hooked. Jean wrote a story filled w/suspense whose storytelling leaves you wanting more @ the end of each chapter.
Ellie‘s been missing for yrs when she suddenly reappears. Chelsey, the original detective, takes the reins in hopes of finding who took Ellie. But the more Chelsey presses Ellie, the more Ellie disengages, &Chelsey can‘t help but wonder what Ellie is hiding.

A fascinating look into the lives and careers of those that deal with death and dead bodies. It makes a great companion to Mary Roach‘s Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So happy to be doing #camplitsy24 again this year! Here are my choices (tagged ⬇️).

Thank you for hosting @squirrelbrain @Megabooks and @BarbaraBB !!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Soft pick.

#botm

A poignant, character-driven novel. I enjoyed the way it explored finding your place as an adult (coming-of-age for the late 20s) and that it didn‘t shy away from mental health issues.

#botm #52bookclub24 #acharacterdrivennovel

This focuses on many things: history, anthropology, sociology, true crime. All of which revealed something heartbreaking and angering.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This is my second Lana Ferguson novel and I‘ve concluded that her books aren‘t for me. I love escaping into a romance, but I still need substance to the story and this was more about physical attraction than anything.

⭐️💫

Different than other AI stories I‘ve read, the humor reminded me of Andy Weir. I‘m not sure exactly what the plot was (it‘s definitely character driven), maybe Mal discovering AI‘s version of humanity as humans lost theirs? However, I found Mal‘s dry wit & inner thoughts humorous & his literal interpretation & logic amusing as well. There were moments that make you think but for the most part this is lighthearted considering it happens during war.

I know this was a mystery and I should focus on the suspense, but I couldn‘t get over how Skyler felt entitled to the trust money and that she was upset the family was contesting the will. She didn‘t even remember the guy at first and had only met him once (over a decade ago), so it seemed very selfish and greedy to act this way. I don‘t get why she‘s so insistent she deserves the money or why she‘s shocked the family thinks she shouldn‘t keep it.

It was okay.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Slight unpopular opinion here, but this story didn‘t work for me. Lucy & her inner “voice” annoyed me & made it hard to like her (even as an unreliable, possibly guilty suspect or victim). I also did not like her & podcaster Ben‘s relationship w/ each other. I didn‘t understand their dynamic & also made me not like him b/c of some decisions he made.
I‘ve struggled w/ each podcast related mystery I‘ve read making me think they‘re not for me.

#botm

Told in multiple POVs in both the present & past, this relies heavily on the characters‘ mental health issues to create unreliable narrators & further the suspense of what happened a decade ago. I am always wary of books that use this device in mysteries & unfortunately it didn‘t work for me here, especially given that it seems everyone in town believed what was originally told to police on that night so there was no real need to tell this story.

This had the perfect amount of suspense &mystery mixed w/ some family &small town drama, giving us a story that‘s hard to put down as you try to figure out the truth behind all the secrets unraveling. I had no idea who to trust. Combine that w/ the strange events that kept happening in the house & I was thoroughly creeped out & afraid. The writing overall furthered the suspense & made for such an atmospheric read. By the end my nerves were frayed.

March Recap! A mix of genres and a mix of ratings.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
How the Word is Passed

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1984
How to End a Love Story

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The Truth About the Devlins

#marchrecap #stats

My 2nd Painter novel, & unfortunately, her books aren‘t for me. I struggled w/ the lack of chemistry between the characters. I didn‘t feel their connection at all. While the plot could have made for some great moments (Sophie & Max are “professional” objectors at weddings), this played a minimal role in the book & the majority is spent w/ them ignoring their feelings or Sophie trying to rationalize falling in love as being something else.

#botm

Glad I finally picked this up. I learned a lot. Would be a great book to teach in school.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A quick rom com read to turn my brain off & just enjoy for a few hours.

Taking place on an island resort on Turks & Caicos, Paige & Cole work together in this enemy-to-lovers romance. This trope is nothing new for Grey‘s books, & as one of my favorite tropes, I enjoyed the banter & chemistry.

However, the characters‘ personalities felt pretty formulaic to Grey‘s other book characters which gets old as every character starts to feel the same.

A great blend of depth, humor, &romance. I‘ll admit there are times both Helen &Grant frustrated me, but they also felt very real. They had a complicated past that was a unique “2nd chance” set up, but from a friendship &forgiveness standpoint ¬ an ex.
There‘s definitely moments of heaviness &the theme of letting go/moving on is seen throughout. But I thought it was well-balanced w/plenty of comedy &lighter romantic moments.

TW: Suicide of sis

What a difference 9 years makes. I first read this in 2015. Then again now in preparation for reading Julia. The world has changed and so has the impact of this book.

#aplotsimilartoanotherbook #52bookclub24

I‘m not a huge self-help reader, but Brené Brown is someone I‘ve heard talked about a lot. I can see why so many are drawn to her. Both her writing and ideas seem accessible. As with all books in this genre, there are passages that resonate or stood out more than others.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#52bookclub24 #astickeronthecover