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happiestwhenreading's reviews
1335 reviews
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
5.0
THE HYPE IS REAL...I loved this one!
I was instantly invested in the enemies-to-lovers connection between Winnow and Kitt.
No one is more surprised than me!
There was a lot of hesitation heading into this one - YA, fantasy, and romance...I was certainly nervous, but after seeing this book everywhere, I decided to give it a shot.
Most important, there was substance behind the romance. The fantasy is a little more background than I expected, but also just enough that it didn't get lost in the details. I enjoyed Ross' writing and I thought the magical connection between Winnow and Kitt was clever and well-done.
Last, THAT ENDING! I am diving into Ruthless Vows asap because I cannot wait a second longer to find out how this story wraps up!
I was instantly invested in the enemies-to-lovers connection between Winnow and Kitt.
No one is more surprised than me!
There was a lot of hesitation heading into this one - YA, fantasy, and romance...I was certainly nervous, but after seeing this book everywhere, I decided to give it a shot.
Most important, there was substance behind the romance. The fantasy is a little more background than I expected, but also just enough that it didn't get lost in the details. I enjoyed Ross' writing and I thought the magical connection between Winnow and Kitt was clever and well-done.
Last, THAT ENDING! I am diving into Ruthless Vows asap because I cannot wait a second longer to find out how this story wraps up!
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
4.5
Adina is a alien born to a human mother. From the very beginning, she knows there's something different about her, but once she's "activated" when she's six-years-old, she begins to observe the humans around her and sends those observations back to her homeland.
The beauty of this story is in these observations, where Adina relays mundane moments we humans take for granted and makes them beautiful. I rotated between the audio and digital versions of this book - and while I don't think you can go wrong with either format - I loved being able to read, reread, meditate on, and highlight so many passages.
With themes of identity and belonging, Adina brings a softness to the human experience that I think gets pushed to the wayside through the demands of everyday life. I really appreciated getting to slow down and remember what a gift this experience of life truly is!
The beauty of this story is in these observations, where Adina relays mundane moments we humans take for granted and makes them beautiful. I rotated between the audio and digital versions of this book - and while I don't think you can go wrong with either format - I loved being able to read, reread, meditate on, and highlight so many passages.
With themes of identity and belonging, Adina brings a softness to the human experience that I think gets pushed to the wayside through the demands of everyday life. I really appreciated getting to slow down and remember what a gift this experience of life truly is!
Victim by Andrew Boryga
4.0
I mentioned recently that I am probably done reading satirical novels for awhile, but I also knew that I wanted to read Victim before I followed through with that statement. When I heard that it does for journalism what Yellowface did to publishing, I wasn't going to miss out!
Despite all the buzzwords we currently associate with "victims" - raised by a single-mom, minority, lower income home/neighborhood, gang-activity, drugs, murdered father - Javier has never felt like an underdog. But when it comes time to start applying for colleges, a well-meaning professor encourages him to embellish the hard truths of his life to increase his liklihood of acceptance.
It works, and once Javi gets a taste of avenues opening up for him, he is hooked. As he navigates his personal relationships, college experience, and eventually his career, he gets sucked deeper and deeper into the cycle. So far into it, that it eventually becomes difficult to dicipher the truth from fiction.
Watching Javi's descent is hard, and he increasinly becomes a very unlikeable character, but through the use of satire, Boryga challenges his readers to examine thier own thoughts regarding diversity, social acceptance, and our personal hypocrisies. Boryga not only puts Javi in the glaring spotlight, but his readers as well.
I do believe this would make a great book club because I definitely feel like I have a lot to discuss after finishing!
Despite all the buzzwords we currently associate with "victims" - raised by a single-mom, minority, lower income home/neighborhood, gang-activity, drugs, murdered father - Javier has never felt like an underdog. But when it comes time to start applying for colleges, a well-meaning professor encourages him to embellish the hard truths of his life to increase his liklihood of acceptance.
It works, and once Javi gets a taste of avenues opening up for him, he is hooked. As he navigates his personal relationships, college experience, and eventually his career, he gets sucked deeper and deeper into the cycle. So far into it, that it eventually becomes difficult to dicipher the truth from fiction.
Watching Javi's descent is hard, and he increasinly becomes a very unlikeable character, but through the use of satire, Boryga challenges his readers to examine thier own thoughts regarding diversity, social acceptance, and our personal hypocrisies. Boryga not only puts Javi in the glaring spotlight, but his readers as well.
I do believe this would make a great book club because I definitely feel like I have a lot to discuss after finishing!
Kill Show by Daniel Sweren-Becker
4.0
Here's the simplistic set up: Sara Parcell goes missing. Her brother secretly records a moment between his parents that goes viral. A Hollywood producer sees the video and descends on Massachusetts to document, in real time, the investigation to find Sara. People become obsessed.
Years later, a documentary is produced about the Sara Parcell case. The resulting story is the book, Kill Show, and it is a fun twist on a thriller/mystery genre that can sometimes feel oversaturated with the same tropes.
Told in oral history format, I was engaged from the very beginning - I could not turn the pages fast enough. I loved this format because it provides an easy way to really see the perspective - good or bad - of the people involved. There are some fascinating viewpoints. Given the fact that there are certainly villians in this story, it could be a fun book club choice with lots of angles to discuss!
Years later, a documentary is produced about the Sara Parcell case. The resulting story is the book, Kill Show, and it is a fun twist on a thriller/mystery genre that can sometimes feel oversaturated with the same tropes.
Told in oral history format, I was engaged from the very beginning - I could not turn the pages fast enough. I loved this format because it provides an easy way to really see the perspective - good or bad - of the people involved. There are some fascinating viewpoints. Given the fact that there are certainly villians in this story, it could be a fun book club choice with lots of angles to discuss!
Piglet by Lottie Hazell
2.0
This one may fall into the category "It's not you, it's me."
I really think I'm burned out on the satirical stories...and while there were parts of Piglet that I appreciated, I honestly just didn't care. The author didn't hook me at all and I ended up skimming to the end - even skipped large chunks of the story - just to see how it all ended.
Also, it irks me for an author to elude to some explosive issue, but never to actually name the issue. The whole book is built around a confession that we actually never learn...and I suppose that's really where my opinion soured regarding this book.
I really think I'm burned out on the satirical stories...and while there were parts of Piglet that I appreciated, I honestly just didn't care. The author didn't hook me at all and I ended up skimming to the end - even skipped large chunks of the story - just to see how it all ended.
Also, it irks me for an author to elude to some explosive issue, but never to actually name the issue. The whole book is built around a confession that we actually never learn...and I suppose that's really where my opinion soured regarding this book.
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
3.5
Book of the Month accidentally sent me a box of incorrect books, but when I heard Kaytee talk about this one on the podcast, it shot straight to the top of my TBR.
She promised it would be gory...and sexy. Weird combination for sure, but I was totally intrigued.
Maybe it's the way Kaytee set it up, or maybe I'm truly just not that sensitive, but I didn't think the gore was too terrible. It wasn't pleasant, but it certainly didn't make me run for the hills.
And strangely...it wasn't the gore that ended up bugging me...it was the sexy time. The tension between Rowan and Sloane is intense!! By the time they finally hook up, the intensity factor is through the roof!! It was fine at first, but honestly, it felt like the author started detailing these sex scenes simply for the shock value. It really didn't add to the story, but mostly? I didn't like Rowan in the bedroom. I found him over the top and actually quite turned off by the way he spoke to Sloane.
The story ends on a cliff hanger that would be interesting to continue reading in the next book, but I actually think this book is enough for me. I'll wait to see reviews to see if I'll pick up the next one or not.
She promised it would be gory...and sexy. Weird combination for sure, but I was totally intrigued.
Maybe it's the way Kaytee set it up, or maybe I'm truly just not that sensitive, but I didn't think the gore was too terrible. It wasn't pleasant, but it certainly didn't make me run for the hills.
And strangely...it wasn't the gore that ended up bugging me...it was the sexy time. The tension between Rowan and Sloane is intense!! By the time they finally hook up, the intensity factor is through the roof!! It was fine at first, but honestly, it felt like the author started detailing these sex scenes simply for the shock value. It really didn't add to the story, but mostly? I didn't like Rowan in the bedroom. I found him over the top and actually quite turned off by the way he spoke to Sloane.
The story ends on a cliff hanger that would be interesting to continue reading in the next book, but I actually think this book is enough for me. I'll wait to see reviews to see if I'll pick up the next one or not.
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy
4.0
The premise of this one drew me in right away - set in the 1950s, an isolated woman receives messages from murdered victims. They come to her in hopes of having their cases solved. But Mrs. Davenport’s husband, Pete, is an assistant professor at a Bible college and he’s convinced his wife’s visions are the work of the devil.
Not only was I completely drawn into the parapsychology of the story, I really loved Kennedy’s exploration of life in the 1950s and how oppressed women truly were back then. If they found themselves in an unhappy marriage, they were stuck. There was no such things as no-fault divorces and women couldn’t even open a bank account without their husband or another male person from their family to cosign with them.
Loretta’s struggle to escape her horrible marriage, save her children, and help the women from beyond combined for a page-turning read that held me captive until the very end!
The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
2.0
I saw so much hype surrounding this one that I couldn't request a copy fast enough! I was #1 on my Libby list, so I downloaded and started reading immediately.
I loved it in the beginning - getting my bearings with the story, meeting all the characters (even the sinister ones), and trying to figure out some of the plot twists.
But as I read on, the writing really started to irk me. I don't know how to describe it other than it felt very simplistic. I wasn't challenged in any way, and the story just really started to drag without some additional flair to the story or the characters. Unfortunately, I started hate skimming it and finished it, but by the end, there wasn't anything I could redeem from the story.
Sometimes the big-hyped books work and sometimes they don't...sadly, this one didn't work for me.
I loved it in the beginning - getting my bearings with the story, meeting all the characters (even the sinister ones), and trying to figure out some of the plot twists.
But as I read on, the writing really started to irk me. I don't know how to describe it other than it felt very simplistic. I wasn't challenged in any way, and the story just really started to drag without some additional flair to the story or the characters. Unfortunately, I started hate skimming it and finished it, but by the end, there wasn't anything I could redeem from the story.
Sometimes the big-hyped books work and sometimes they don't...sadly, this one didn't work for me.
The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth by Kristin Henning
4.0
From the time a Black child is born, there is a target on their back. It’s simply a matter of time before they are stared at down the barrel of a gun - whether it’s law enforcement or another citizen that has decided to take the law into their own hands. What I really thought about throughout reading this book was how very different Black mamas have to prepare their children for the ways of this world.
Henning does a great job of presenting the facts alongside many tragic and real events. Not only does she talk about the cases most of us are aware of - Emmett Till, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, etc - she also brings attention to other lesser known cases. The fact of the matter is, this dehumanizing of Black youth is happening every single day - on the streets, in our schools, and sometimes, even in their own homes.
This is a must-read for everyone - but especially school personnel, anyone interested in anti-racism, law enforcement, and politicians. We have to learn how to empower Black youth instead of continuing to traumatize them which, in turn, exasperates their distrust of police and those in a position to help.
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
3.0
Unpopular opinion alert!!
I read There There when it first came out, and if I’m being honest, I remember very little from that book. I remembered there was a shooting at a pow-wow, but that’s about it. None of it stayed with me.
So I was already had some trepidation to read this one, but really wanted to give Tommy Orange another try because there are so many that praised There There. I knew pretty quickly that Wandering Stars was going to end up much the same for me that There There did, but I pushed on. There was a lot of internal dialogue going back and forth about dnfing it, but I powered through and finished.
Wandering Stars has been said to be a prequel and a sequel to There There and I would agree with that statement. I don’t think you have to have read There There to read Wandering Stars, but I think it would be helpful to get more out of the story.
It’s clear Tommy Orange is beyond a talented writer. Unfortunately, something about his style just doesn’t work for me. I honestly think he’s too high brow for my taste. I have a hard time following his jumbled and messy writing. He has massive amounts of characters that are hard for me to keep track of, especially when we also jump around timelines like he tends to do. If he ever writes more of a character story, I’d totally be willing to give him another chance, but stories like this just aren’t for me.
Please seek out lots of other reviews because I have a feeling I’ll be alone in this. He’s much too beloved to base your opinion solely on my thoughts, so I would highly recommend you give it a try to see for yourself!