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pagesplotsandpints's Reviews (2.1k)
Read Completed 6/5/23 | This was definitely entertaining! Nothing ground-breaking but great for a quick thriller. There were a couple moments of lull and a couple moments with stories of the past that kind of broke up the pacing.
There were some good twists. I was expecting a bit more but there were still surprises in store. I’ll keep this author in mind when I need a quick thriller read!
There were some good twists. I was expecting a bit more but there were still surprises in store. I’ll keep this author in mind when I need a quick thriller read!
Read Completed 6/5/23 | This was cute! It sort of felt like an intro to romance. There’s a lot of character journey and just a little romance, with good friendships and family. It felt a little boxy and formulaic, like everything fit into one box or another. That’s not always a bad thing but it kind of felt like going from one bullet point to the next and didn’t always capture me in the flow of the story.
I always love a good small town and combine it with a mountain down? I’m in. Loved the national park vibe and a city girl blending with a rustic guy.
I didn’t love it as much as I had hoped but I also wouldn’t tell people not to read it. Rounded up to 3.5 stars instead of going down to 3 because I liked the story and it was an easy, lovely story to follow.
I always love a good small town and combine it with a mountain down? I’m in. Loved the national park vibe and a city girl blending with a rustic guy.
I didn’t love it as much as I had hoped but I also wouldn’t tell people not to read it. Rounded up to 3.5 stars instead of going down to 3 because I liked the story and it was an easy, lovely story to follow.
Read Completed 6/5/23 | 2.5 stars
Well, that was a let down. I don't know why I thought this would be different, but I did. I've read one of Diana Urban's other YA thrillers and didn't like it but I saw good reviews for this one and hoped maybe I'd capture some great feelings here. The whole reveal was SO far-fetched in so many ways (which was also how I felt about her other book that I read) and was really disappointing for me. It was really stupid and I just hated how everything turned out.
This was a little older than young adult, but I'd still call it YA. The characters are in their early years of college but it still very much reads YA. It's weird how the tone can be totally different than adult thrillers and it really sticks out. I listened to this on audio and Brittany Pressley was the narrator. I usually like her and this was fine, narration-wise, but it still felt really young. Not rating it lower for that reason since obviously I knew I was reading YA, but if you're not a fan of it and are an adult thriller reader, I don't know if you'll be happy with this one.
I just kept thinking the ending would be worth it and it really wasn't. I should have known better picking this up (at least for MY tastes). I know this will hit really well with some people and I can see that! But this wasn't for me.
Well, that was a let down. I don't know why I thought this would be different, but I did. I've read one of Diana Urban's other YA thrillers and didn't like it but I saw good reviews for this one and hoped maybe I'd capture some great feelings here. The whole reveal was SO far-fetched in so many ways (which was also how I felt about her other book that I read) and was really disappointing for me. It was really stupid and I just hated how everything turned out.
This was a little older than young adult, but I'd still call it YA. The characters are in their early years of college but it still very much reads YA. It's weird how the tone can be totally different than adult thrillers and it really sticks out. I listened to this on audio and Brittany Pressley was the narrator. I usually like her and this was fine, narration-wise, but it still felt really young. Not rating it lower for that reason since obviously I knew I was reading YA, but if you're not a fan of it and are an adult thriller reader, I don't know if you'll be happy with this one.
I just kept thinking the ending would be worth it and it really wasn't. I should have known better picking this up (at least for MY tastes). I know this will hit really well with some people and I can see that! But this wasn't for me.
Read Completed 6/2/23 | 2.5 stars
Let's call this another BookTok fail. This wasn't a *bad* book but it really wasn't a thriller. The beginning kicks off right away with everything that the synopsis promises: Chrissie is a child who kills a little boy just because she wants to. And that's about all that happens in this book. The synopsis makes it seem like a suspenseful thriller where someone from Chrissie's past is threatening to reveal her secrets by telling readers that Chrissie is now living under a new name and starts getting secret phone calls. Don't be fooled -- the phone calls are SUCH a minor part of the book. She gets two phone calls in the first 10-20% of the book and they're not threatening. It's silence and that's that. (We do find out later who it is and it's a let down if you're in this for thriller reasons.)
Mostly, this is a sad story about a neglected, abused little girl. The abuse rebounds and unfolds in many different ways. Chrissie doesn't understand death (she does and doesn't all at the same time) and also knows she wants to intentionally harm people. She's doing it to feel something -- to feel powerful, to feel full. Her father is mostly out of the picture and her mother can't forge a connection with her and has stopped trying. Her mother doesn't feed her and Chrissie is hungry in a physical way and in an emotional way.
If I knew that was the book, I wouldn't have read it. Not in a bad way, but that's not really what I'm interested in. It still had a undertone of a thriller aspect and more bad things do happen, but it's not quite that sinister, suspenseful thriller vibe that I was looking for.
The internet reviewers promised this to be a wild ride and to stick with you, and it wasn't that for me. It was shocking with a side of drama and emotion, but I wouldn't say it was a thriller, so heads up if that's what you're going for.
LIKED THIS or... RATHER READ...?
The Perfect Child / Baby Teeth / The Push
Let's call this another BookTok fail. This wasn't a *bad* book but it really wasn't a thriller. The beginning kicks off right away with everything that the synopsis promises: Chrissie is a child who kills a little boy just because she wants to. And that's about all that happens in this book. The synopsis makes it seem like a suspenseful thriller where someone from Chrissie's past is threatening to reveal her secrets by telling readers that Chrissie is now living under a new name and starts getting secret phone calls. Don't be fooled -- the phone calls are SUCH a minor part of the book. She gets two phone calls in the first 10-20% of the book and they're not threatening. It's silence and that's that. (We do find out later who it is and it's a let down if you're in this for thriller reasons.)
Mostly, this is a sad story about a neglected, abused little girl. The abuse rebounds and unfolds in many different ways. Chrissie doesn't understand death (she does and doesn't all at the same time) and also knows she wants to intentionally harm people. She's doing it to feel something -- to feel powerful, to feel full. Her father is mostly out of the picture and her mother can't forge a connection with her and has stopped trying. Her mother doesn't feed her and Chrissie is hungry in a physical way and in an emotional way.
If I knew that was the book, I wouldn't have read it. Not in a bad way, but that's not really what I'm interested in. It still had a undertone of a thriller aspect and more bad things do happen, but it's not quite that sinister, suspenseful thriller vibe that I was looking for.
The internet reviewers promised this to be a wild ride and to stick with you, and it wasn't that for me. It was shocking with a side of drama and emotion, but I wouldn't say it was a thriller, so heads up if that's what you're going for.
LIKED THIS or... RATHER READ...?
The Perfect Child / Baby Teeth / The Push
Read Completed 6/1/23 | 2.75 stars
This was okay! I was hoping for more and while I liked the story, I never really connected with the characters. I didn't feel much chemistry between the two leads until much later, and even then, it wasn't enough to hook me.
I felt like this took too long to go anywhere in the beginning. We get to know Sam and her family but things sort of drag for the first third. I actually thought I would be annoyed by the younger brother but that was done really well, and I really appreciated the brother-sister relationships that we get to see here.
I also really liked the dyslexia rep. It did feel a bit clinical at times the way the author kept talking about it and bringing it up... something about it just didn't really flow with the rest of the book, like it was being forced in there. I think it could have been incorporated a bit more with the story instead of tacking it on in random places. It was relevant to the situation at the time, but it still felt forced. I did like seeing the male as the bookworm and the female as the one who didn't like reading.
Some of the plot just really stuck out and didn't really fit or flow at all. I like the inclusion of side character/best friend Emily, but her troubles and story just felt flung in there for more drama and I didn't like that. I would have liked to see more or less of it, but it wasn't really necessary. And I hated the...cancer scare. So unnecessary, because we always have to talk about cancer in a romance somehow.
The other thing I really kind of hated was Ben's quest to find his father. I didn't hate the concept so much but his mother was a piece of work and it was so senseless why she kept it from him, and the fact that she did in the first place. I also didn't like the way that wrapped up and it was more frustrating than anything. More spoilers on a big part of that I didn't like.... Did we really HAVE to tease that Sam and Ben could have potentially (but not really) been related?! Stop. That's gross and stupid. Don't tease that. There was no reason for it at all. More drama for the sake of drama, and it wasn't handled well.
This was my first Jenn McKinlay book and probably my last. It was just okay, and then some things really turned me off. I don't think we click in terms of writing style, and that's okay too!
This was okay! I was hoping for more and while I liked the story, I never really connected with the characters. I didn't feel much chemistry between the two leads until much later, and even then, it wasn't enough to hook me.
I felt like this took too long to go anywhere in the beginning. We get to know Sam and her family but things sort of drag for the first third. I actually thought I would be annoyed by the younger brother but that was done really well, and I really appreciated the brother-sister relationships that we get to see here.
I also really liked the dyslexia rep. It did feel a bit clinical at times the way the author kept talking about it and bringing it up... something about it just didn't really flow with the rest of the book, like it was being forced in there. I think it could have been incorporated a bit more with the story instead of tacking it on in random places. It was relevant to the situation at the time, but it still felt forced. I did like seeing the male as the bookworm and the female as the one who didn't like reading.
Some of the plot just really stuck out and didn't really fit or flow at all. I like the inclusion of side character/best friend Emily, but her troubles and story just felt flung in there for more drama and I didn't like that. I would have liked to see more or less of it, but it wasn't really necessary. And I hated the...
The other thing I really kind of hated was Ben's quest to find his father. I didn't hate the concept so much but his mother was a piece of work and it was so senseless why she kept it from him, and the fact that she did in the first place. I also didn't like the way that wrapped up and it was more frustrating than anything. More spoilers on a big part of that I didn't like....
This was my first Jenn McKinlay book and probably my last. It was just okay, and then some things really turned me off. I don't think we click in terms of writing style, and that's okay too!
Read Completed 5/31/23 | I really enjoyed this one! It took a while for me to get into it after the initial bang, but once it started getting into the plot and coming around, I really started to get sucked into the story. I wasn't really sure where the plot was going in the beginning and it felt like a little too much set-up, but it really started to gain steam.
I definitely did not see the ending coming! I was trying to make some guesses and that for sure was not one of them. I was happy to have a nice surprise and a few goods twists in the end for a satisfying ending.
I definitely did not see the ending coming! I was trying to make some guesses and that for sure was not one of them. I was happy to have a nice surprise and a few goods twists in the end for a satisfying ending.
Read Completed 5/31/23 | oh look, another thriller involving infertility, except this time it doesn’t even have anything to do with the story. Despite the fact that a lot of people deal with this topic, it’s in SO many thrillers and it’s kind of getting annoying.
This took a long time to get moving and after things were revealed, it all felt kind of pointless. I was fairly disappointed with the development. This wasn’t super thrilling and even as a story in general, there just wasn’t enough going on until over halfway through. There were some flashbacks that were 100% unnecessary and came and went and they were needed instead of being consistent.
The ending was lackluster and could have gone so many different ways. It was mostly boring in the end.
This took a long time to get moving and after things were revealed, it all felt kind of pointless. I was fairly disappointed with the development. This wasn’t super thrilling and even as a story in general, there just wasn’t enough going on until over halfway through. There were some flashbacks that were 100% unnecessary and came and went and they were needed instead of being consistent.
The ending was lackluster and could have gone so many different ways. It was mostly boring in the end.
Read Completed 5/29/23 | 4 stars
Another hit from Abby Jimenez! This is probably my least favorite out of the four I've read so far, but that doesn't meant that I disliked this one at all. I really enjoyed getting to know Sloane after her appearance and everything that happened to her in THE FRIEND ZONE. I was happy to see her get her story and happily ever after.
I didn't connect with this book as much as others simply because of the turn into the professional music scene. While I don't mind it and can definitely enjoy it in a book, it ends up being a bit more sensational and a hard focus after a certain point. I enjoyed the character chemistry and how the two leads fall in love, and while that definitely provides a point of conflict, it ended up being a little more dramatic.
I liked the beginning of this book more than the end, but I also liked seeing Kristen and Josh and their continued involvement in the books, but this time as the supporting cast. I still love the writing and how I never want to pause or stop reading these books.
Another hit from Abby Jimenez! This is probably my least favorite out of the four I've read so far, but that doesn't meant that I disliked this one at all. I really enjoyed getting to know Sloane after her appearance and everything that happened to her in THE FRIEND ZONE. I was happy to see her get her story and happily ever after.
I didn't connect with this book as much as others simply because of the turn into the professional music scene. While I don't mind it and can definitely enjoy it in a book, it ends up being a bit more sensational and a hard focus after a certain point. I enjoyed the character chemistry and how the two leads fall in love, and while that definitely provides a point of conflict, it ended up being a little more dramatic.
I liked the beginning of this book more than the end, but I also liked seeing Kristen and Josh and their continued involvement in the books, but this time as the supporting cast. I still love the writing and how I never want to pause or stop reading these books.
Read Completed 5/28/23 | 4.25 - 4.5 stars
I actually tried reading this book years ago and was so turned off by the beginning (something that didn't bother me this time around) that I didn't pick up another Abby Jimenez book until this year. I'm actually thankful for that because I think if I had read all of her books (well, the ones that were available at the time), that I wouldn't have appreciated them as much. I started a little backwards with PART OF YOUR WORLD and then YOURS TRULY and *almost* started THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST but thankfully, I didn't and came back to THE FRIEND ZONE. (Side note: Don't even *look* at THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST unless you've read this book. Major spoilers for something here.)
SO. I breezed into THE FRIEND ZONE after floating on a cloud of loving the other two Abby Jimenez books. I really love these two audiobook narrators and I was so happy to be reading this one and enjoying it so much more! I adored the chemistry and I just really love Abby Jimenez's writing style. There's so much cuteness and fun falling in love story but also some incredible emotion and real life struggles. (Check trigger warnings if you need to!)
This book also hit close to home in many ways, one of which I was not expecting. Something that happened to someone in this book happened to a friend of my husband's almost exactly that it was a very emotional scene for me, and I wasn't expecting that to happen out of nowhere! The rest of the book was a big experience for me as well and I really liked seeing it through the eyes of these two characters.
There were a couple things I didn't love. The refusal of communication was a little frustrating at times, and it took a long time for Kristen to share some important things with Josh. I truly get it, but as a book, it got a little frustrating that it took SO long. There was also maybe a bit TOO much of a happy ending that I don't think needed to be there... At least not in this book. Maybe to pop up in a future book. The author's note said she pulled that chain of events directly from the experiences of one of her friends, which is wonderful, but not altogether likely. It's difficult... you want the characters (and anyone going through that experience) to get their happy ending like that but sometimes it's a little *too* perfect and makes it feel not realistic and undoes some of the representation and normalization of what half the book was about.
This makes it hard to rate because I LOVED the feeling of everything else. I didn't want to stop reading this book and absolutely inhaled it. I wish those two minor but major points had been a little bit different for my own selfish reasons so I could give this five stars, but any time I have issues with a plot point, I don't usually do that. Abby Jimenez did make me cry, however (twice), so there was just a ton of connection here.
I actually tried reading this book years ago and was so turned off by the beginning (something that didn't bother me this time around) that I didn't pick up another Abby Jimenez book until this year. I'm actually thankful for that because I think if I had read all of her books (well, the ones that were available at the time), that I wouldn't have appreciated them as much. I started a little backwards with PART OF YOUR WORLD and then YOURS TRULY and *almost* started THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST but thankfully, I didn't and came back to THE FRIEND ZONE. (Side note: Don't even *look* at THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST unless you've read this book. Major spoilers for something here.)
SO. I breezed into THE FRIEND ZONE after floating on a cloud of loving the other two Abby Jimenez books. I really love these two audiobook narrators and I was so happy to be reading this one and enjoying it so much more! I adored the chemistry and I just really love Abby Jimenez's writing style. There's so much cuteness and fun falling in love story but also some incredible emotion and real life struggles. (Check trigger warnings if you need to!)
This book also hit close to home in many ways, one of which I was not expecting. Something that happened to someone in this book happened to a friend of my husband's almost exactly that it was a very emotional scene for me, and I wasn't expecting that to happen out of nowhere! The rest of the book was a big experience for me as well and I really liked seeing it through the eyes of these two characters.
There were a couple things I didn't love. The refusal of communication was a little frustrating at times, and it took a long time for Kristen to share some important things with Josh. I truly get it, but as a book, it got a little frustrating that it took SO long. There was also maybe a bit TOO much of a happy ending that I don't think needed to be there... At least not in this book. Maybe to pop up in a future book. The author's note said she pulled that chain of events directly from the experiences of one of her friends, which is wonderful, but not altogether likely. It's difficult... you want the characters (and anyone going through that experience) to get their happy ending like that but sometimes it's a little *too* perfect and makes it feel not realistic and undoes some of the representation and normalization of what half the book was about.
This makes it hard to rate because I LOVED the feeling of everything else. I didn't want to stop reading this book and absolutely inhaled it. I wish those two minor but major points had been a little bit different for my own selfish reasons so I could give this five stars, but any time I have issues with a plot point, I don't usually do that. Abby Jimenez did make me cry, however (twice), so there was just a ton of connection here.
Read Completed 5/27/23 | 2.75 - 3 stars
I was very excited to read GONE TONIGHT after really enjoying all of Sarah Pekkanen's books as her writing duo with Greer Hendricks. I had really high hopes for this but it wasn't really my style.
I felt like GONE TONIGHT was much more suspense than thriller and it was more about the story of the mother/daughter relationship than it was the thrill and mystery of it all. If I had gone into the book thinking of it like that, I probably would have liked it more (but then again, I probably wouldn't pick it up if it didn't have the thriller aspect going for it).
The beginning was pretty slow for me with lots of set-up. I kept waiting for some good twists or more thrills but like I said, it was more about the relationships. There was a decent part the ending (after an unbelievable moment) and I just wish things had *leaned into it* more throughout the book rather than leaving some stuff for the end.
Sadly, I didn't love this but I can see where others might.
Audiobook notes: This audiobook was narrated by Kate Mara, who I've seen as an actress in various TV shows and movies. I was surprised with two first person female POVs that they chose to only have one narrator. I didn't love her narration but it was very confusing switching between chapters with only one female voices. I think this REALLY could have used two narrators and that would have helped a lot. It's not a big deal when a book is in third person but it makes a difference in first person.
I was very excited to read GONE TONIGHT after really enjoying all of Sarah Pekkanen's books as her writing duo with Greer Hendricks. I had really high hopes for this but it wasn't really my style.
I felt like GONE TONIGHT was much more suspense than thriller and it was more about the story of the mother/daughter relationship than it was the thrill and mystery of it all. If I had gone into the book thinking of it like that, I probably would have liked it more (but then again, I probably wouldn't pick it up if it didn't have the thriller aspect going for it).
The beginning was pretty slow for me with lots of set-up. I kept waiting for some good twists or more thrills but like I said, it was more about the relationships. There was a decent part the ending (after an unbelievable moment) and I just wish things had *leaned into it* more throughout the book rather than leaving some stuff for the end.
Sadly, I didn't love this but I can see where others might.
Audiobook notes: This audiobook was narrated by Kate Mara, who I've seen as an actress in various TV shows and movies. I was surprised with two first person female POVs that they chose to only have one narrator. I didn't love her narration but it was very confusing switching between chapters with only one female voices. I think this REALLY could have used two narrators and that would have helped a lot. It's not a big deal when a book is in third person but it makes a difference in first person.