shereadytoread's Reviews (823)

dark tense

I think this is a great intro into Mafia romance. I have been looking for diverse mafia romance and this definitely fit the bill. I liked the pacing of the story and the reveals/twists. This was a good start in the genre for me.

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dark emotional tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I struggle to rate a book like this. It definitely kept me engaged (I read it in less than a day) but I also found it overdramatic and nonsensical in some ways. It feels like watching a soap opera where everyone is terrible? It hinges on the premise that these rich kids families are so powerful they can do anything in broad daylight like kidnap kids from school in front of everyone. It seemed like a really interesting underlying premise but the choices were so unbelievable it took any emotional depth out of the story.

Like it’s not a bad experience but I’m not sure where I fall. I found it more engaging than the last book I read by them so I rated it 3.5 instead of 3 but it’s pretty middle of the road for me.

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I loved this horror spin on fan conventions and fandom. I thought the final choice was killer (pun intended). 

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funny fast-paced

This is a fun and comedic bizarre sci-fi horror. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in but I was pleasantly  surprised. A rag-tag team takes on an evil scientist and his phantom limb monster. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and neither did I.

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informative inspiring

I loved this overall. Lots of great knowledge in a small package. My only complaint was a few spots where I could not tell what order words were in or where quotes were attributed because of the art style.
emotional slow-paced

This book felt like it was moving so slow for me. The practice dates were a fun idea but got repetitive quickly. The premise of the house gift made no sense. There was sexual chemistry between the two but didn’t seem to have any depth to the connection/romance. A lot of this book felt like filler and wasn’t really moving the plot forward.

I loved the last book I read from this author so I will give her books another try. This one was not for me.

Probably my least favorite in the series so far. Because it was childhood friends to lovers, the story heavily leaned on their history and put us into a connection that was already there rather than giving us the opportunity to see them connect and grow together. A lot of the events were a bit to unbelievable for my taste. 
mysterious slow-paced

I enjoyed the mystery but it felt repetitive after a while. As someone that loves this author’s blend of supernatural and mystery, this book felt like 95% mystery with a splash of supernatural. I loved the mystery itself and thought it was presented well just wanted them to stop describing driving up and down that road so many times haha.
dark tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was dark and unsettling in such a hidden way. The writing is so light and flowery which makes the dark moments stand out in such a striking way. You just feel that something is off but you can't tell exactly what. It has a tinge of mystery but the real horror is seeing how wanting to love and be loved can take you to such extremes. That ending HIT HARD.

Disclaimer: I received a free gifted paperback edition from the publisher. A review was not required and all thoughts are my own.

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dark emotional mysterious tense
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

If you want a slasher story, it definitely gives you those pieces and they are strong throughout. One of the biggest issues was the story not deciding if it wanted to be a slasher or something else until it was too late imo. I wanted to love this book more than I did. It is a strong debut, but could have used some polishing for me. I think this would be a divisive read. I think if it lands for you, you will LOVE it. Our main character is not a likeable girl at all. Understandably so when your dad is a serial killer and it has ruined your life. This book follows an entirely queer, black cast as they navigate a horror fun weekend gone terrible wrong. The individual girls have their own issues with one another on top of the main plot of Temple trying to figure out the mystery of her mother's death at her father's hands. 

Pros: 
- very strong slasher elements
- the gore and imagery is great 
- Strong character depth
- Lots of queer rep 
- excellent slasher body count

Cons: 
- overcomplicates itself with multiple reveals 
- the supernatural elements felt a little far off 
- the cast was too big (great for a body count but hard to keep track of) 
- some very convenient additions 

Disclaimer: I received a gifted ARC of this book from the publisher. A review was not required and all thoughts are my own.

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