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pagesplotsandpints's Reviews (2.1k)
Read Completed 9/17/23 | TO HAVE AND TO HEIST was really cute! I excepted it to "just" be a romance novel, but it was actually more funny thriller with vibes like Finlay Donovan meets Stephanie Plum with a dash of Ocean's 11. There is definitely romance in it and it is a significant part of the book (enough that I'm not sure where to categorize the genre) but the main focus is the heist and the funny crew that assembles to pull it all off.
Simi is a great main character and she really does hold everything together in this book! She ends up planning a heist to steal back a necklace when her best friend Chloe was accused of stealing it. She'll do anything to help her friend and her daughter, and she's willing to do what it takes to keep Chloe from going to prison. A handsome, mysterious stranger finds her during the rescue mission, and afterwards, a heist plan ensues between them all to get the necklace back. The rest of the oddball crew also includes Simi's 80-year-old and spirited neighbor Rose, a distant cousin Anil who the family keeps trying to marry her off to and who is great with gadgets and tech, co-worker Christian who thinks he's a gift to women (but actually has a good heart), Emma who has a need for speed, Gage as the muscle, and of course Simi, Jack, and Chloe who all have their own talents as well. It's a funny misfit crew and I adored their dynamics.
The romance is between Simi and Jack with a dash of policeman Garcia on the side. Things heat up between Simi and Jack along the way and Jack is delightfully mysterious, a little broody, and also a little flighty due to his past and connections, which is the perfect recipe for a relationship in a book that you want to root for but also causes a little drama. I also really liked Garcia as a character and the chemistry between Simi and him as well. It's not really a love triangle, thank goodness, but I liked the potential romantic and the stated platonic chemistry there. There's a little flirting before Simi really gets involved with Jack and a little jealousy, but there's one clear winner/relationship.
I had a lot of fun reading this book BUT there was just a little bit that didn't click. I think it was mostly just the pacing of book and there was a slight lack of flow. The beginning was just a little confusing because I was expecting a romance-forward book and it was more action, then moved from one concept (rom-com plot of Simi having no job and her parents wanting to marry her off) to heist, to heist WITH a career and a romance. It wasn't a bad thing but I felt like it took a while to find its footing. Ultimately, I really did enjoy this and the way it was set up, it could definitely be a series. And if it is a series, I'm totally here for it!
Simi is a great main character and she really does hold everything together in this book! She ends up planning a heist to steal back a necklace when her best friend Chloe was accused of stealing it. She'll do anything to help her friend and her daughter, and she's willing to do what it takes to keep Chloe from going to prison. A handsome, mysterious stranger finds her during the rescue mission, and afterwards, a heist plan ensues between them all to get the necklace back. The rest of the oddball crew also includes Simi's 80-year-old and spirited neighbor Rose, a distant cousin Anil who the family keeps trying to marry her off to and who is great with gadgets and tech, co-worker Christian who thinks he's a gift to women (but actually has a good heart), Emma who has a need for speed, Gage as the muscle, and of course Simi, Jack, and Chloe who all have their own talents as well. It's a funny misfit crew and I adored their dynamics.
The romance is between Simi and Jack with a dash of policeman Garcia on the side. Things heat up between Simi and Jack along the way and Jack is delightfully mysterious, a little broody, and also a little flighty due to his past and connections, which is the perfect recipe for a relationship in a book that you want to root for but also causes a little drama. I also really liked Garcia as a character and the chemistry between Simi and him as well. It's not really a love triangle, thank goodness, but I liked the potential romantic and the stated platonic chemistry there. There's a little flirting before Simi really gets involved with Jack and a little jealousy, but there's one clear winner/relationship.
I had a lot of fun reading this book BUT there was just a little bit that didn't click. I think it was mostly just the pacing of book and there was a slight lack of flow. The beginning was just a little confusing because I was expecting a romance-forward book and it was more action, then moved from one concept (rom-com plot of Simi having no job and her parents wanting to marry her off) to heist, to heist WITH a career and a romance. It wasn't a bad thing but I felt like it took a while to find its footing. Ultimately, I really did enjoy this and the way it was set up, it could definitely be a series. And if it is a series, I'm totally here for it!
Read Completed 9/15/23 | 3.75 stars
Finally, I managed to read STATION ELEVEN. I've been curious about it for a long time and I've always been craving adult dystopian books. It took me a while to get into because this book is really a character-driven story at its heart. There's so much in the beginning just introducing the characters, their life before, and how things came to be and it took a while to really get into the post-apocalyptic parts and really spend time there, which is what I was most interested in. In the end, it's still a character-driven book and while it was fascinating and hard to stop reading, I also feel like there was no real plot. We spend time with these important characters before and after, all the while bouncing around timelines, but there's no driving purpose other than general survival. No one really has a goal to accomplish.
It was a beautiful read and I really enjoyed a couple little twists where we find out how the characters connect and some surprising connections at that. It's hard to say if I'd recommend it? I did enjoy it but I don't really feel a sense of accomplishment or like I completed the book because it feels like the story isn't done. It really was captivating, though, and I'm happy I finally read it!
Finally, I managed to read STATION ELEVEN. I've been curious about it for a long time and I've always been craving adult dystopian books. It took me a while to get into because this book is really a character-driven story at its heart. There's so much in the beginning just introducing the characters, their life before, and how things came to be and it took a while to really get into the post-apocalyptic parts and really spend time there, which is what I was most interested in. In the end, it's still a character-driven book and while it was fascinating and hard to stop reading, I also feel like there was no real plot. We spend time with these important characters before and after, all the while bouncing around timelines, but there's no driving purpose other than general survival. No one really has a goal to accomplish.
It was a beautiful read and I really enjoyed a couple little twists where we find out how the characters connect and some surprising connections at that. It's hard to say if I'd recommend it? I did enjoy it but I don't really feel a sense of accomplishment or like I completed the book because it feels like the story isn't done. It really was captivating, though, and I'm happy I finally read it!
Read Completed 9/12/23 | 3.75 - 4 stars
I originally wasn't interested in this book until I saw some rave reviews, and I'm glad I picked it up! This was a very sweet grumpy x sunshine romance with some heartfelt moments and two people feeling comfortable (or learning to be comfortable) being who they are. Add in a dash of only one bed, road trip, a love story from the past, a quick stop in a small town, and a Planes, Trains, and Automobiles / Due Date vibe, and you have this charming novel.
I love a good grumpy x sunshine romance if it's done well and this one was near perfect! Millie is just all sunshine, positive thoughts, and looking for the best in people. Hollis is all grumpy but seems like he secretly has a heart of gold and Millie is determined to bring it out in him. The two end up on a road trip together when they run into each other at the airport but then their flights are cancelled. I loved the dynamic between the two main characters from irritating each other and that irritation turning into lust/love. They ended up having really good chemistry all around!
Personally, I really didn't care about the flashbacks to Mrs. Nash's love story in the past, mostly because I felt like it interrupted the vibe of the book. It makes more sense in the end, tying it together in a way I didn't expect, but at the time while I was reading, it just felt like a change in tone and pacing and I didn't really love it. The ending made it better though which changed my feelings on them being included. Millie was also just slightly over the top sometimes to the point where I got bothered, but that's also just part of her personality.
This was really cute and a lot of fun, and I'm glad I read it! I would definitely read more from Sarah Adler after this reading experience.
I originally wasn't interested in this book until I saw some rave reviews, and I'm glad I picked it up! This was a very sweet grumpy x sunshine romance with some heartfelt moments and two people feeling comfortable (or learning to be comfortable) being who they are. Add in a dash of only one bed, road trip, a love story from the past, a quick stop in a small town, and a Planes, Trains, and Automobiles / Due Date vibe, and you have this charming novel.
I love a good grumpy x sunshine romance if it's done well and this one was near perfect! Millie is just all sunshine, positive thoughts, and looking for the best in people. Hollis is all grumpy but seems like he secretly has a heart of gold and Millie is determined to bring it out in him. The two end up on a road trip together when they run into each other at the airport but then their flights are cancelled. I loved the dynamic between the two main characters from irritating each other and that irritation turning into lust/love. They ended up having really good chemistry all around!
Personally, I really didn't care about the flashbacks to Mrs. Nash's love story in the past, mostly because I felt like it interrupted the vibe of the book. It makes more sense in the end, tying it together in a way I didn't expect, but at the time while I was reading, it just felt like a change in tone and pacing and I didn't really love it. The ending made it better though which changed my feelings on them being included. Millie was also just slightly over the top sometimes to the point where I got bothered, but that's also just part of her personality.
This was really cute and a lot of fun, and I'm glad I read it! I would definitely read more from Sarah Adler after this reading experience.
Read Completed 9/10/23 | 2.75 stars
I had this one rolling around Libby before a long time before finally picking up the audiobook. I like Hillary Huber's narration so that's what sealed the deal for me.
Let's start with what I did like:
- One voice in the present, one voice in the past and hearing from both Holly and Sara
- The husband wasn't a cheating creep
- Domestic suspense
What I didn't like:
- I saw the twist coming a MILE away. Picked it out in the first quarter of the book, easily
- Holly was incredibly naive and she made some really, really stupid decisions, especially... Prostituting herself out for very poor reasons.
- The characters weren't quite deep enough. The plot was actually there and could have been interesting and twisty, but the characters didn't carry the book enough.
This was kind of a weird read where I could actually see the potential in the book and I actually DID like the plot, but it just wasn't really exposed for the reader well enough. The mechanics of it all were a little clunky, the character interactions and dialogue didn't help it along enough or keep it suspenseful, and I saw the plot twist immediately as it was introduced. There were REALLY good bones to this story but it just didn't get on the pages in the most enticing way. It could have been really interesting, twisty, and tense but it just never really got there.
Holly was too naive to be interesting. She was throwing herself at Sara's family and desperate to be a part of it -- not a bad premise for her character, but I also needed more depth from that concept. She has a rich father who uses her for business deals, a narcissistic step-mother (who didn't come into to play enough because that could have been used to build Holly's character), and a step-sister who she actually does love. She makes the decision to escape her family and try to go live with Sara as their full-time nanny. Again, not a bad concept, but I needed more emotion connected to it all. She still seemed like she almost didn't have a problem doing what she was doing for her father and it was too calm when she did leave her house.
Sara was another just okay character. She became afraid of and disgusted with Holly, and for a valid reason, but how she handled it was weird. I didn't like that the author threw in an off-page miscarriage just to be used as a plot device of why she was so protective of her son. A mother can also just be protective of her only son who is also, only six years old. That seems pretty natural. The person-to-person relationships were also just clunky and so much of it seemed forced. Even when Sara was getting along with Holly, it's not like there was trust there and then it was broken. I feel like she never really trusted her? I don't know... something just didn't click.
Without overanalyzing it all, this just was a little bit of a miss for me. It was fine to finish but I wouldn't rush to recommend it. It will end up being mostly forgettable.
I had this one rolling around Libby before a long time before finally picking up the audiobook. I like Hillary Huber's narration so that's what sealed the deal for me.
Let's start with what I did like:
- One voice in the present, one voice in the past and hearing from both Holly and Sara
- The husband wasn't a cheating creep
- Domestic suspense
What I didn't like:
- I saw the twist coming a MILE away. Picked it out in the first quarter of the book, easily
- Holly was incredibly naive and she made some really, really stupid decisions, especially... Prostituting herself out for very poor reasons.
- The characters weren't quite deep enough. The plot was actually there and could have been interesting and twisty, but the characters didn't carry the book enough.
This was kind of a weird read where I could actually see the potential in the book and I actually DID like the plot, but it just wasn't really exposed for the reader well enough. The mechanics of it all were a little clunky, the character interactions and dialogue didn't help it along enough or keep it suspenseful, and I saw the plot twist immediately as it was introduced. There were REALLY good bones to this story but it just didn't get on the pages in the most enticing way. It could have been really interesting, twisty, and tense but it just never really got there.
Holly was too naive to be interesting. She was throwing herself at Sara's family and desperate to be a part of it -- not a bad premise for her character, but I also needed more depth from that concept. She has a rich father who uses her for business deals, a narcissistic step-mother (who didn't come into to play enough because that could have been used to build Holly's character), and a step-sister who she actually does love. She makes the decision to escape her family and try to go live with Sara as their full-time nanny. Again, not a bad concept, but I needed more emotion connected to it all. She still seemed like she almost didn't have a problem doing what she was doing for her father and it was too calm when she did leave her house.
Sara was another just okay character. She became afraid of and disgusted with Holly, and for a valid reason, but how she handled it was weird. I didn't like that the author threw in an off-page miscarriage just to be used as a plot device of why she was so protective of her son. A mother can also just be protective of her only son who is also, only six years old. That seems pretty natural. The person-to-person relationships were also just clunky and so much of it seemed forced. Even when Sara was getting along with Holly, it's not like there was trust there and then it was broken. I feel like she never really trusted her? I don't know... something just didn't click.
Without overanalyzing it all, this just was a little bit of a miss for me. It was fine to finish but I wouldn't rush to recommend it. It will end up being mostly forgettable.
Read Completed 9/8/23 | 3 stars
This was my least favorite of the series and the one that felt the least put-together. It was much shorter than the other two and felt like it struggled to find its pacing. The ending was incredibly abrupt and I felt like the book wasn't finished but that's how it was decided to end.
Mostly, I didn't like this one much because I didn't like the concept of it. Katie, the bride, keeps trying to hook up MC Joy with a groomsman in the wedding party, Tom. Along the way, Joy ends up falling for her close friend Charlie (who, if she didn't tell you enough times, she had a drunken make with in college) and they become friends with benefits which we know is going to turn into more. We also find out Tom isn't interested in Joy and he's actually interested in someone else in the books. If Katie is really one of Joy's best friends, she should be happy for her from the start, but she's so dramatic that no one wants to unsettle her in the least and Joy can't even tell her that she's really happy with Charlie, who is also Katie/Katie's fiancé's friend. You'd think she'd be happy about that than a random match-making scheme.
I also didn't really feel a lot of chemistry between Joy and Charlie. Charlie's accent was weird? I don't know, it played like no part in the books for him to be British (who moved to the states when he was young so he also had an American accent??) and it was distracting, especially with a bad accent from the audiobook narrator. I also just kind of didn't like Joy. She put herself down too much, mostly about being tall when she's "only" 5'10" (I'm 5'8" and I've got tall family members, and that's two inches taller than me. I'm a taller girl but it's not wild...) so it was kind of annoying. Especially when Charlie was over 6 feet tall. Who cares? It was totally not a thing?? It's not like anyone she was trying to date was shorter than her, so it was literally not a big deal.
Once again, with all of the books in this series, the conflict and resolution wasn't enough for me. There just wasn't enough time spent on the ending, and it felt like it. I also hated that the book ended with Katie realizing that "she's the drama" and everyone is just like "oh hahah it's so Katie!" No, if she's causing that much drama, maybe Katie needs her own story where she sorts that out. It's one thing trying not to make waves and having things go poorly for someone's wedding -- as someone who found out about lots of wedding drama AFTER her wedding, I appreciate that I didn't know about any of it while it was going on, but Katie was just like, spiraling and making everything even more of a big deal. The centerpieces and the ex, okay sure, but matchmaking not working out? Nah.
Oh well, this one just didn't hit for me. I've read a bunch of Ellie Cahill books and these just didn't feel as polished as the others.
This was my least favorite of the series and the one that felt the least put-together. It was much shorter than the other two and felt like it struggled to find its pacing. The ending was incredibly abrupt and I felt like the book wasn't finished but that's how it was decided to end.
Mostly, I didn't like this one much because I didn't like the concept of it. Katie, the bride, keeps trying to hook up MC Joy with a groomsman in the wedding party, Tom. Along the way, Joy ends up falling for her close friend Charlie (who, if she didn't tell you enough times, she had a drunken make with in college) and they become friends with benefits which we know is going to turn into more. We also find out Tom isn't interested in Joy and he's actually interested in someone else in the books. If Katie is really one of Joy's best friends, she should be happy for her from the start, but she's so dramatic that no one wants to unsettle her in the least and Joy can't even tell her that she's really happy with Charlie, who is also Katie/Katie's fiancé's friend. You'd think she'd be happy about that than a random match-making scheme.
I also didn't really feel a lot of chemistry between Joy and Charlie. Charlie's accent was weird? I don't know, it played like no part in the books for him to be British (who moved to the states when he was young so he also had an American accent??) and it was distracting, especially with a bad accent from the audiobook narrator. I also just kind of didn't like Joy. She put herself down too much, mostly about being tall when she's "only" 5'10" (I'm 5'8" and I've got tall family members, and that's two inches taller than me. I'm a taller girl but it's not wild...) so it was kind of annoying. Especially when Charlie was over 6 feet tall. Who cares? It was totally not a thing?? It's not like anyone she was trying to date was shorter than her, so it was literally not a big deal.
Once again, with all of the books in this series, the conflict and resolution wasn't enough for me. There just wasn't enough time spent on the ending, and it felt like it. I also hated that the book ended with Katie realizing that "she's the drama" and everyone is just like "oh hahah it's so Katie!" No, if she's causing that much drama, maybe Katie needs her own story where she sorts that out. It's one thing trying not to make waves and having things go poorly for someone's wedding -- as someone who found out about lots of wedding drama AFTER her wedding, I appreciate that I didn't know about any of it while it was going on, but Katie was just like, spiraling and making everything even more of a big deal. The centerpieces and the ex, okay sure, but matchmaking not working out? Nah.
Oh well, this one just didn't hit for me. I've read a bunch of Ellie Cahill books and these just didn't feel as polished as the others.
Read Completed 9/7/23 | 3.5 stars
I love a good fake dating story and this was another fun one from Ellie Cahill! So far, I'd say this series lacks the charm of some of her other books/series, but they're still very fun and very readable.
I really liked Bridget and I connected with her! She was often teased for being the sensitive one of the family and often cried at so many things when she was young so she grew up and eventually tucked her feelings away so she didn't constantly have to be the emotional one all the time. I definitely related to this and I feel like it was the first time I've seen this in a book in this was... usually the female MC is chastised for being emotional because she's a woman and it was refreshing that it wasn't this. It was more in context with her family and friends and it wasn't that she couldn't show her emotions because she was female, but because she didn't want to be seen as so sensitive anymore. Anyway, I really liked her journey about reacting on her feelings again and how Adam made her feel comfortable to do so. She eventually got to make her decisions to make her life better by feeling those emotions, deciding what made her comfortable, and acting on it.
The romance was cute! I didn't feel as many sparks because it was a little more platonic for a while and then when it switched to romantic, it was quick. Like the first book in this series, the conflict and resolution of the romance felt a little fast and it left me a little unsatisfied.
I liked seeing another aspect of this wedding and how a series was created to see the POVs of all of these different guests! Ellie Cahill definitely knows how to write a fun romance and this was no exception.
I love a good fake dating story and this was another fun one from Ellie Cahill! So far, I'd say this series lacks the charm of some of her other books/series, but they're still very fun and very readable.
I really liked Bridget and I connected with her! She was often teased for being the sensitive one of the family and often cried at so many things when she was young so she grew up and eventually tucked her feelings away so she didn't constantly have to be the emotional one all the time. I definitely related to this and I feel like it was the first time I've seen this in a book in this was... usually the female MC is chastised for being emotional because she's a woman and it was refreshing that it wasn't this. It was more in context with her family and friends and it wasn't that she couldn't show her emotions because she was female, but because she didn't want to be seen as so sensitive anymore. Anyway, I really liked her journey about reacting on her feelings again and how Adam made her feel comfortable to do so. She eventually got to make her decisions to make her life better by feeling those emotions, deciding what made her comfortable, and acting on it.
The romance was cute! I didn't feel as many sparks because it was a little more platonic for a while and then when it switched to romantic, it was quick. Like the first book in this series, the conflict and resolution of the romance felt a little fast and it left me a little unsatisfied.
I liked seeing another aspect of this wedding and how a series was created to see the POVs of all of these different guests! Ellie Cahill definitely knows how to write a fun romance and this was no exception.
Read Completed 9/5/23 | 3.5 stars
I've read several Ellie Cahill books (and some of her YA books as Liz Czukas) and have really enjoyed them so I was so excited to see this series available as audio on Hoopla!
This book was immediately entertaining. Clio is a big ball of energy and not afraid to be herself. Most of the time it was fun, cheeky, and wonderfully unique. Sometimes it was a bit over the top and annoying. She is still college age so it's understandable if she seemed a little "immature" at times, but it was something that got on my nerves once or twice. I also really liked August and the chemistry between the two characters!
The road trip aspect of the book was really cute. I liked seeing the fun little stops made along the way and the hidden treasures that these two characters enjoy. I always like a good road trip and it gave both of them new experiences, a clear purpose/mission, and also a sort of set end date for them to decide what they were to each other.
I do think it could have had a LITTLE more depth. The ending was a little quick -- quick to conflict, quick to resolve. I like that it wasn't too drawn out but I also feel like it could have lasted a touch longer, we could have spent a little more time thinking about everything and reflecting. It was a toss up! I appreciated a lot about the book but it's not really going to stick with me. I really did like the banter quite a bit and that's what I'm taking away the most!
I've read several Ellie Cahill books (and some of her YA books as Liz Czukas) and have really enjoyed them so I was so excited to see this series available as audio on Hoopla!
This book was immediately entertaining. Clio is a big ball of energy and not afraid to be herself. Most of the time it was fun, cheeky, and wonderfully unique. Sometimes it was a bit over the top and annoying. She is still college age so it's understandable if she seemed a little "immature" at times, but it was something that got on my nerves once or twice. I also really liked August and the chemistry between the two characters!
The road trip aspect of the book was really cute. I liked seeing the fun little stops made along the way and the hidden treasures that these two characters enjoy. I always like a good road trip and it gave both of them new experiences, a clear purpose/mission, and also a sort of set end date for them to decide what they were to each other.
I do think it could have had a LITTLE more depth. The ending was a little quick -- quick to conflict, quick to resolve. I like that it wasn't too drawn out but I also feel like it could have lasted a touch longer, we could have spent a little more time thinking about everything and reflecting. It was a toss up! I appreciated a lot about the book but it's not really going to stick with me. I really did like the banter quite a bit and that's what I'm taking away the most!
Read Completed 9/5/23 | 3 stars
I received an Advanced Review Copy from Simon & Schuster. This did not affect my review in any way.
Quite a few years back, I read I KILLED ZOE SPANOS by Kit Frick so I was excited to see another thriller from the same author! THE REUNION was pretty much what it advertised (Karen M. McManus meets White Lotus) but the plot just didn't really grab me. I enjoyed my reading experience more than some other young adult thrillers that I've read recently and it didn't feel "overly young" for someone who doesn't read a lot of YA anymore. (Yes, I know teens are the target audience and I wouldn't cut it down for feeling young since it's supposed to! Just sharing for those who prefer a more mature voice or don't love YA.) It was an easy read and also had a great audiobook with several narrators for all of the different voices.
Where this book lost me was the plot and the concept. I liked that we got more and more about who the missing person is, as mentioned right off the bat, and finding out more about what happened as the book goes along, but the ending and the final reveal was kind of a let down. For everything that happened, I expected a bigger reveal or at least, a more meaningful one. The reveal ended up not really landing, with so many things occurring off-page and it just felt awfully low stakes in the end with a lot of assumptions.
More than anything, it just felt a little empty, like there wasn't a lot of substance there. The characters were actually okay and I felt like I got to know them, but since they were all already at odds, I didn't really feel a lot of connection. It all comes back to the plot and just not feeling like any of the twists really landed. It just didn't feel like it was all worth it.
I received an Advanced Review Copy from Simon & Schuster. This did not affect my review in any way.
Quite a few years back, I read I KILLED ZOE SPANOS by Kit Frick so I was excited to see another thriller from the same author! THE REUNION was pretty much what it advertised (Karen M. McManus meets White Lotus) but the plot just didn't really grab me. I enjoyed my reading experience more than some other young adult thrillers that I've read recently and it didn't feel "overly young" for someone who doesn't read a lot of YA anymore. (Yes, I know teens are the target audience and I wouldn't cut it down for feeling young since it's supposed to! Just sharing for those who prefer a more mature voice or don't love YA.) It was an easy read and also had a great audiobook with several narrators for all of the different voices.
Where this book lost me was the plot and the concept. I liked that we got more and more about who the missing person is, as mentioned right off the bat, and finding out more about what happened as the book goes along, but the ending and the final reveal was kind of a let down. For everything that happened, I expected a bigger reveal or at least, a more meaningful one. The reveal ended up not really landing, with so many things occurring off-page and it just felt awfully low stakes in the end with a lot of assumptions.
More than anything, it just felt a little empty, like there wasn't a lot of substance there. The characters were actually okay and I felt like I got to know them, but since they were all already at odds, I didn't really feel a lot of connection. It all comes back to the plot and just not feeling like any of the twists really landed. It just didn't feel like it was all worth it.
Read Completed 9/3/23 | 3.25 stars
I picked this one up having read IMPOSTER by Bradeigh Godfrey and really enjoying it. I'd say this one was a bit of a different tone, but I still had an enjoyable reading experience! I wasn't sure how it was going to end and it was a bit different plot than a lot of the other thrillers I've read recently.
While the plot felt different, some things did fall victim to a few thriller tropes, including the ending. SPOILER:The cop did it. Sigh. The only POV switch is to the anonymous villain's POV, which I didn't really love and didn't think it needed. I would have rather found out more information on who this mystery person was as the book went on instead of seeing their POV a few times throughout the book.
It was also called THE FOLLOWERS and I didn't really feel like it was about that at all...? I figured it would be a thriller about a crazed stalker or impersonator or one of the followers that was going to wreak havoc, not just that Liv found Molly (and subsequently Sam) from Molly's social media. It was important to the plot but it wasn't as important as I thought it would be.
Ultimately, the ending just didn't really resonate with me. I didn't like who the villain was, it didn't really come together for me, and I didn't really end up caring about any of the characters enough. It was a fine enough read and I'm sure others will like it, but it didn't really do it for me.
I picked this one up having read IMPOSTER by Bradeigh Godfrey and really enjoying it. I'd say this one was a bit of a different tone, but I still had an enjoyable reading experience! I wasn't sure how it was going to end and it was a bit different plot than a lot of the other thrillers I've read recently.
While the plot felt different, some things did fall victim to a few thriller tropes, including the ending. SPOILER:
It was also called THE FOLLOWERS and I didn't really feel like it was about that at all...? I figured it would be a thriller about a crazed stalker or impersonator or one of the followers that was going to wreak havoc, not just that Liv found Molly (and subsequently Sam) from Molly's social media. It was important to the plot but it wasn't as important as I thought it would be.
Ultimately, the ending just didn't really resonate with me. I didn't like who the villain was, it didn't really come together for me, and I didn't really end up caring about any of the characters enough. It was a fine enough read and I'm sure others will like it, but it didn't really do it for me.
Read Completed 9/1/23 | 2 stars
Whew, I did not like this one. The beginning was slow, clunky, and a little weird and I hoped it would get better but it just kept meandering with no real purpose. Romance books can be 100% pure vibes and don't really need a super intricate plot, but the plot should at least be the romance and I almost felt like this was half just plain contemporary with barely any romance at all.
It took us until the first 27% until Cassie finds out that Frederick is a vampire, which isn't a terrible thing but except for some instalove-type swooning because he's hot, there's really nothing happening between these two characters. I would have loved if it was more of a SOMETHING because they had already given in to attraction and oops, I made out with a vampire or something. It was just boring and the same exact formula you've read in all your vampire teen books. Things are weird and obvious and suspicious, blah blah blah.
There were tiny ebbs where things would pick up and something moderately interesting would happen but there was little to no spark between these two. Once the spicy scene rolled around, I honestly skipped it because I felt ZERO between them and I couldn't have cared less. It was supposed to be cute because Frederick was so formal and Cassie was so free-spirited but he was just SO old-fashioned and stiff that it was booooring. Plus, the audiobook narration kind of made him sound like an 85-year-old man with the old timey ways of talking. (I also hated all her voices for anyone except Cassie.)
There was a silly little side plot about Frederick being engaged to another vampire before his "100 year sleep" and some ridiculous escapade in the end which was honestly just so stupid. If you want to have this in the plot, there should be more substance to it so there's a purpose other than adding some action and and FORCING a conflict, because that was it.
I wish there had been more depth about Frederick. We get to know about Cassie's art and career struggles (which honestly, I hate almost artsy story lines. I don't know why, I just think it's annoying) but we know almost nothing about the MOST INTERESTING CHARACTER in the book! We barely hear about his history, we barely get to know anything about vampire lore (since it's always different), what else does he do during the night when he's awake? All we get is awkward, bumbling scenes where he doesn't know what to do in this time period. That was also annoying -- if he's a vampire and he's going to KEEP living for multiple centuries more (I'm assuming), he may still like old-fashioned ways but why rail so hard against it? You're gonna need to catch up at some point. Wouldn't the first thing you do, for your own sanity and for the sake of keeping your vampire-ness a secret, is to catch up on the times and try to get with it? I don't remember if the author noted exactly when he woke up from his long slumber, but he's been awake for at least a little bit...
I just didn't connect to this at all and everything was so basic. Lots of telling instead of showing, characters who were caricatures with no depth or unique personality, little to no chemistry... This was just not something I connected with or appreciated as a writing style. I can't say I'd pick up anything by this author in the future.
Whew, I did not like this one. The beginning was slow, clunky, and a little weird and I hoped it would get better but it just kept meandering with no real purpose. Romance books can be 100% pure vibes and don't really need a super intricate plot, but the plot should at least be the romance and I almost felt like this was half just plain contemporary with barely any romance at all.
It took us until the first 27% until Cassie finds out that Frederick is a vampire, which isn't a terrible thing but except for some instalove-type swooning because he's hot, there's really nothing happening between these two characters. I would have loved if it was more of a SOMETHING because they had already given in to attraction and oops, I made out with a vampire or something. It was just boring and the same exact formula you've read in all your vampire teen books. Things are weird and obvious and suspicious, blah blah blah.
There were tiny ebbs where things would pick up and something moderately interesting would happen but there was little to no spark between these two. Once the spicy scene rolled around, I honestly skipped it because I felt ZERO between them and I couldn't have cared less. It was supposed to be cute because Frederick was so formal and Cassie was so free-spirited but he was just SO old-fashioned and stiff that it was booooring. Plus, the audiobook narration kind of made him sound like an 85-year-old man with the old timey ways of talking. (I also hated all her voices for anyone except Cassie.)
There was a silly little side plot about Frederick being engaged to another vampire before his "100 year sleep" and some ridiculous escapade in the end which was honestly just so stupid. If you want to have this in the plot, there should be more substance to it so there's a purpose other than adding some action and and FORCING a conflict, because that was it.
I wish there had been more depth about Frederick. We get to know about Cassie's art and career struggles (which honestly, I hate almost artsy story lines. I don't know why, I just think it's annoying) but we know almost nothing about the MOST INTERESTING CHARACTER in the book! We barely hear about his history, we barely get to know anything about vampire lore (since it's always different), what else does he do during the night when he's awake? All we get is awkward, bumbling scenes where he doesn't know what to do in this time period. That was also annoying -- if he's a vampire and he's going to KEEP living for multiple centuries more (I'm assuming), he may still like old-fashioned ways but why rail so hard against it? You're gonna need to catch up at some point. Wouldn't the first thing you do, for your own sanity and for the sake of keeping your vampire-ness a secret, is to catch up on the times and try to get with it? I don't remember if the author noted exactly when he woke up from his long slumber, but he's been awake for at least a little bit...
I just didn't connect to this at all and everything was so basic. Lots of telling instead of showing, characters who were caricatures with no depth or unique personality, little to no chemistry... This was just not something I connected with or appreciated as a writing style. I can't say I'd pick up anything by this author in the future.