“The only reason my daughter has not come home is because someone is keeping her.” Keeping her.” – 2/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: bars, young girls, and… not much more.
A missing girl in the news reminds Julia Carroll of herself: nineteen, beautiful, blonde hair, blue eyes.
Julia begins to dig deeper and plans an article for her college paper. She becomes gradually more obsessed with the case, never imagining how close she herself is to danger.
Includes an extract from Karin Slaughter’s gripping new novel, Pretty Girls.
What was even the point of this novella? I picked this up right after finishing “Pretty Girls”, and I was expecting to get Julia’s perspective on the night she went missing.
And I guess that’s what you get but… nothing actually happens. There’s a lot of her going to class and thinking about the girls that were missing… and that’s it.
Sure, I understand this is supposed to be a short novella, but I still thought we would get at least something interesting from it. When the story finally got interesting… It ended. So again: what was even the point of this short book?
The only thing I found interesting is how she was a little different from what her sisters described her in the main story. Other than that, it was a waste of time.
“It’s the truth. I’m sorry to be blunt about it, but girls don’t like guys who are doormats. Especially pretty girls, because there’s no novelty in it. Guys are hitting on them all of the time. They can’t walk down the street or order a coffee or stand on a corner without some idiot making a comment about how attractive they are. And the women smile because it’s easier than telling them to go fuck themselves. And less dangerous, because if a man rejects a woman, she goes home and cries for a few days. If a woman rejects a man, he can rape and kill her.” – 4.25/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: siblings, diary entries, necklaces, creepy photographs, shocking pasts, a lot of secrets and incredible revelations.
#1 internationally bestselling author Karin Slaughter returns with a sophisticated and chilling psychological thriller of dangerous secrets, cold vengeance, and unexpected absolution, in which two estranged sisters must come together to find truth about two harrowing tragedies, twenty years apart, that devastate their lives.
Sisters. Strangers. Survivors.
More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia’s teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that’s cruelly ripped open when Claire’s husband is killed.
The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it.
Powerful, poignant, and utterly gripping, packed with indelible characters and unforgettable twists, Pretty Girls is a masterful thriller from one of the finest suspense writers working today.
I know this book is very popular with thriller fans, so I was excited to pick it up and have my own thoughts on it.
My experience reading this book was very positive! Now I get the hype of this story being so immersive and well written, but I still don’t understand why some people say this is the best book they have ever read. I agree that it is a good, well constructed mystery, but in the end it felt just like another thriller to me.
In this book we follow two sisters, Claire and Lydia, who overcome their differences to investigate their sister’s disappearance together. Julia, the missing sister, disappeared a long time ago but now there is evidence that her disappearance may be connected to the disappearance of another girl the same age in the present. And of course, a lot of dark secrets are revealed by the sisters…
The topics in this are pretty heavy and I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. There were scenes in here that made me really uncomfortable and I had to stop reading a few times just to breathe and gain courage to keep going. So if you’re considering reading this, be aware of the trigger warnings for: rape, sexual assault, suicide, violence, murder and horrible torture.
The plot was really good, though! There are a lot of surprises and twists, so you feel captivated to keep reading and finding out more. Also, the writing was incredible. I just wonder if it was really necessary to have this big of a book for this story in particular?
I have two more Karin Slaughter books on my shelf waiting for me and I’m very curious to see what they’re all about. Now I have high expectations! If you love shocking and horrific thrillers, you should seriously consider reading this one!
“Recognize your uniqueness. Be proud of who you are, what you have, what your life is about, and what you want to pursue. Pay attention to your own path. You don’t need validation from others.” – 4.25/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: cute illustrations, depression, mental illness, feelings, being overwhelmed, big workloads and great partners.
From the bestselling author of Quiet Girl in a Noisy World comes a gently humorous and poignant collection of comics about anxiety and depression—because sometimes even the simple things like getting out of bed every day feel like an uphill battle.
Everything Is OK is the story of Debbie Tung’s struggle with anxiety and her experience with depression. She shares what it’s like navigating life, overthinking every possible worst-case scenario, and constantly feeling like all hope is lost.
The book explores her journey to understanding the importance of mental health in her day-to-day life and how she learns to embrace the highs and lows when things feel out of control. Debbie opens up about deeply personal issues and the winding road to recovery, discovers the value of self-love, and rebuilds a more mindful relationship with her mental health.
In this graphic memoir, Debbie aims to provide positive and comforting messages to anyone who is facing similar difficulties or is just trying to get through a tough time in life. She hopes to encourage readers to be kinder to themselves, to know that they are not alone, and that it’s okay to be vulnerable because they are not defined by their mental health struggles. The dark clouds won’t be there forever. Everything will turn out all right.
I didn’t know what to expect when I picked this up, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised with this book!
This graphic novel is, in essence, a memoir. In it you’ll read about the author’s struggles with mental illness and depression and how she overcame those challenges in her life. She talks about how it started and how people’s expectations built up to her feeling overwhelmed and depressed. She then shares with the reader how she felt and how professional help was crucial in getting her better.
There’s a lot of great things about this book, but what I think makes this book so amazing is how relatable it is and how it almost works as a guide for other people going through the same situation. You get everything here: you read about how it started, how she felt and what she did to overcome it. Not only that but you also get great advice and motivation from her. She touches in a lot of important points like being aware of your internal dialog and taking care of yourself. I’m very glad there are a lot of inspirational and motivational moments in this book!
I was also surprised with the art and how it paired beautifully with the content of the book! It was simple, but beautiful. I really liked how the author used color to highlight the happier times and black/white for the times she was depressed. I also really liked the color scheme the author used for the novel! There’s a lot of purple, pink and blue.
While I was reading this, I kept taking note of the quotes that I loved and there were so many of them. So here are a few of my favorites:
“I used to see my sensitivity as a weakness. I’ve come to understand that it is also my strength.”
“It’s OK to not know what you’re doing. It’s OK to feel overwhelmed. It’s OK to feel scared and confused. It’s all OK.”
“I can be really hard on myself. But I’m still learning. I’m trying my best. And that’s what matters.”
“You are allowed to have a little cry. It doesn’t mean you’re not coping. It doesn’t mean you’re failing.”
I’m impressed. Now I have a great book to recommend to other people who are going through the same challenges. I think the author did an amazing job with this book!
A big thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review
Attention! This book contains: silk blouses, affairs, college classes, babysitters, birthday parties, game nights and neglectful boyfriends.
A student of Classical Literature at the Sorbonne, Séverine is neither beautiful, ugly, brilliant, nor mediocre. The young woman lives a banal existence, without brilliance but without drama, alongside a companion who pays her less attention than a television series or video game.
After babysitting, she is given a silk blouse that will mysteriously change her life. From that day forward, men give her a different look, loaded with desire. Does the garment have a magic power? Séverine doesn’t know, but she finds that it gives her confidence. And it allows her to take destiny into her own hands…
With the grace and the sensuality which he has in particular already demonstrated in “A Sister”, Bastien Vivès draws a new female portrait completely adult and contemporary in “The Blouse”.
I’m struggling here. Maybe I simply don’t understand what this book is trying to achieve, but I’m feeling conflicted about (what I think) the message is.
So in this book we follow a plain Jane named Séverine. She doesn’t stand out in any way, shape or form… until she puts on a silk blouse. Then all of a sudden she becomes a sex bomb. And not only that, but her personality changes just like magic. First she’s very shy, does not smoke and is very quiet. After putting on the blouse, she starts smoking, starts cheating on her boyfriend and “interacts” with strangers with confidence.
When I started reading this book I was shocked with some of the things I was reading, so I started taking notes to talk about them later in my review. I quickly realized I was wasting my time, because it kept getting worse and worse. The first scene that made me icky was when she was babysitting the girl and she pulled her pants down and they talked about her “butterfly” (like they said, not me). I just remember thinking “okaaay… this is pretty weird”. And it just escalated from there (fortunately not with kids anymore).
Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind steamy scenes. As a matter of fact, I’m an avid romance reader and I love good romantic scenes. But the amount of vulgarity and cheating in this book made me uncomfortable. Especially that scene when she was in the car and some guy appeared close to the window… What in the world was that?
Now, here’s the thing: I think it’s important to know that this book is originally French, and I can see how this book would be more easily accepted with the French book community because of the strong cultural influence it has. And I’m not talking just about the setting of the story being in France, but also the way the story is written and presented. From everything I’ve experienced when I was in France, I know they talk a lot about topics like sex and periods more freely than in other places, and I completely understand that may be weird to other people. I remember how shocked I was when I saw a commercial on tv about period pads, and they “showed” vulvas and blood on the commercial. I think there’s a possibility that if you’re from another country and you pick up this book, that you’ll find some of the things here a little shocking, so keep that in mind!
I personally don’t mind simple artwork, but this was particularly underwhelming to me. The color scheme and drawings were just okay. Nothing too interesting to look at, in my humble opinion. Not bad, but also nothing stood out.
Am I the target audience for this book? Maybe not. Still, I believe the story is probably underwhelming and weird for everyone – but that’s just my opinion.
A big thank you to NetGalley, ABLAZE Publishing and Diamond Book Distributors for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review
“No love is fully requited. No love is equal. No love is fair. There is always one side that loves more. And you better not be that side—because it suffers.” – 2/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: new homes, cigarettes, broken pictures, envelopes and stolen kisses.
They say your first kiss should be earned.
Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky.
They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred.
Mine were broken before we left church.
They say your heart only beats for one man.
Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end.
I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit.
Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage.
They say that all great love stories have a happy ending.
I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter.
One kiss. Two men. Three lives. Entwined together.
And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.
This book was a lot.
I personally don’t mind intense books and intense romantic relationships, but in this particular case it didn’t work out well for me. Actually, there were a number of things here that didn’t work out for me.
For starters, I didn’t really care about the characters or the romance. The guy was an arrogant, douchebag (and not in a cool way) and the girl was the typical, pure girl that melted every time the guy touched her even if he was treating her badly – also, she’s not an actual teenager, but she is constantly referred to as “teenage bride”?
I wasn’t bothered by the age gap between the main characters, but some of the things that bothered me were the crazy amount of sexism, double standards and drama in this book. And don’t even get me started on their communication… “Nemesis”? Cringe.
At the end of the day, this book felt like a pile of nothing. Not only because of the reasons I mentioned before, but there’s a lot of “hating each other” that feels continuous and unnecessary. There’s a lot of negativity in this book constantly, and I didn’t like that.
It’s perfectly fine if a book doesn’t have a deep story behind it, but it should be at least entertaining…. and this definitely wasn’t. With the crazy amount of romance books out there, I think you would find a better one elsewhere in my humble opinion!
Attention! This book contains: fireworks, New Year’s Eve parties, secret apartments, Monopoly, short dresses, truth and dare, a catering service, quick phone calls, terrible haircuts and rich families.
Four friends Liv, Martina, Max and Anton have been best friends for years. So on New Year’s Eve, they’re more than happy to spend it together – drinking, flirting, and playing games.
Four terrifying secrets But each of them is keeping a terrible secret. And when a game of truth or dare takes a dark turn, it’s not long before the shocking truth emerges.
A night that will end in murder Now the secrets are out there, nothing will ever be the same again. And not everyone will live to see the chime of midnight…
This book was exactly what I needed to fight my current reading slump!
This short fiction book follows the New Year’s Eve party of four (very rich) teenagers: Liv, Martina, Anton and Max. They decided to have their own small party at Max’s place while their parents are celebrating next door at Anton’s. Even though they’ve been best friends since primary school, all of them have some personal issues that they feel like they can’t tell each other – so, as you can imagine they have some dark secrets they’re hiding! As the evening progresses, they keep drinking and the games they play also keep getting darker… and that’s where I’ll leave it!
The teens are not very likable at first, but that plays a big part in this story so I’m not mad at that. Just imagine the typical super rich kids that are arrogant and feel like they can buy their way in the world – yep, here they are! As the book progresses, you start to feel a little sympathy for them because they begin to show more of their human side and vulnerability. They slowly progress from futile to human, and that made me care for them more.
As far as plot goes, I was really invested in what was going on until the end started. I was interested to see where their night was going since they started to open up more and more. But with that said, I didn’t love the way the book ended (it wasn’t terrible either). Let’s just say I was expecting something more surprising/shocking to happen. I ended up feeling a little underwhelmed with the “main event”.
Still, I had fun reading this and I liked it for what it was: a quick and entertaining short story!
“It’s okay. You’re with me now. I’ll protect your heart.” – 4.25/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: napkins, peeps, handkerchiefs, motorcycles, red dresses, disguises, elevators, soup kitchen, wedding cake, escorts and the fake dating trope.
Fauxmance (foh-mans): Term for a romantic relationship that is fake. Real feelings, like love, are strictly prohibited. See also: Why would anyone enter a fake relationship?
Eighteen-year-old Magnolia believes in true love.
Or she did.
When her boyfriend dumps her the day before her sister’s wedding, Maggie is devastated—but her broken heart is only part of the problem. Maggie is the maid of honor, and her sister insists: Every member of the bridal party must have an escort. No exceptions.
Thank goodness for Hayden Davenport.
Sarcastic, cocky, a surprisingly good listener and self-professed player, when Maggie gets stuck in an elevator with the handsome stranger, she thinks she’s found the perfect wedding date. Unfortunately, Hayden hates weddings. Like really hates them.
But one soul-shattering kiss changes everything.
Maggie needs a fake boyfriend. Hayden wants to prove he’s changed his playboy ways. Faking it should be easy. The hard part?
Remembering it’s all pretend and not falling in love for real.
This book features two opposites with sizzling chemistry, a sweet, hopeless romantic and a cynical bad boy who’ll steal your heart. Elevators, fake romance, and weddings, oh my! Get ready to swoon, laugh, and say ‘I do’ to this heartfelt YA romance.
Another great cutesy YA romance from Cookie O’Gorman!
Once again, I fell in love with the story and the characters. But is anyone really surprised by now? I really liked the romance and the characters in this book: the bad boy vibe from Hayden combined with Magnolia’s sweet personality made my little heart flutter! They had great chemistry and brought life to the book.
Not only the main characters were captivating, but I also loved the side characters as well. Especially the other guys from the band and Hayden’s grandmother.
One of my favorite things about this book is definitely the way Magnolia and Hayden met for the first time: by being stuck in an elevator together. It was everything my romantic heart could have hoped for!
If you like wedding themed books, you should give this one a try. A big part of this book talks about weddings, which I personally don’t love or hate as a theme. It’s just not my go to scenario when it comes to books, but I didn’t mind it as well.
Once again, I applaud the writing because it made the story flow easily and it made the reading experience fun and captivating the entire time. This is a very easy book to read, with simple language and fast pacing. I would recommend this author’s books for the younger audience (teenagers and pre-teens).
I had a lot of fun reading this! It was a nice, feel-good YA romance, and I’m sure I’ll pick up more from this author soon.
“One thing was certain: Dare was very good at pretending. That kiss had sure felt real. But it wasn’t, I reminded myself sternly. This was all just a means to an end.” – 4.75/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: “Flowers”, soccer practice, the fake dating trope, mean cheerleaders, Harry Potter, quick breakfasts, carpooling, stray dogs and being brave.
Wallflower (wohl-flou-erh): Identifier for someone who is shy and/or awkward. For reference, see Viola Kent.
Seventeen-year-old Viola Kent likes being invisible. Well, not literally, but she’s content being a loner, reading her books, and hanging out with the animals at the shelter. She just wants to keep her head down and get through her senior year at Durham High.
Driving Dare Frost to school every day wasn’t part of the plan.
And when Viola finds out her dad recruited Dare, his number one player, to be her friend?
Her inner Slytherin demands revenge.
The solution: Get Dare to be her fake boyfriend.
Convincing the star athlete to pretend is easier than she’d thought it would be. The hard part is protecting her heart. With every word, touch, and kiss, Viola’s feelings become more real.
The problem: Viola knows she’s falling for Dare—but he doesn’t believe in love.
This book features two sets of soulmates, one happy pooch named Hermione, so many sizzling kisses and answers the question:
Can a dork and a jock fake their way to true love?
My third Cookie O’Gorman book and definitely my favorite so far! To be honest, I loved them all so far, but this romance was everything my little heart could have hoped for!
So what made this story so great for me? The answer is: everything! The characters, the relationship, the chemistry between the main characters, the plot, the pacing, the writing… everything!
Let’s start with the characters. I adored both main characters, Viola and Dare. Viola was a very strong and opinionated main character (but not in a bad way). I loved her as a female lead because she was a relatable character with a very kind heart. And Dare Frost was the perfect male lead! He was written with a great, likable personality that complemented Viola’s perfectly. Together, they had a great chemistry and great banter! I swear Cookie O’Gorman writes the best book boyfriends!
Not only the characters brought the story to life, but the writing and plot made the story flow easily. This was a very easy, feel-good read with a fast pacing. The story was well written and was full of cute, sweet and funny moments.
I also found some of my favorite tropes here. If you like the fake dating trope or the enemies to lovers trope in YA, chances are you will love this book – just a quick side note, the hate to love is one sided here.I adored everything about this book. I saw there are a few new releases from this author, and I’m dying to see what those are about. As for this one, I can’t recommend it enough!
Attention! This book contains: dragons, Gods, wind magic, spells and eager apprentices.
Perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli and The Tea Dragon Society, this is a magically heartwarming graphic novel about self-acceptance and friendship.
Sophie is a young witch whose mother and grandmother pressure her to attend the Royal Magic Academy—the best magic school in the realm—even though her magic is shaky at best. To train for her entrance exams, Sophie is sent to relatives she’s never met.
Cousin Sage and Great-Aunt Lan seem more interested in giving Sophie chores than in teaching her magic. Frustrated, Sophie attempts magic on her own, but the spell goes wrong, and she accidentally entangles her magic with the magic of a young water dragon named Lir.
Lir is trapped on land and can’t remember where he came from. Even so, he’s everything Sophie isn’t—beloved by Sophie’s family and skilled at magic. With his help, Sophie might just ace her entrance exams, but that means standing in the way of Lir’s attempts to regain his memories. Sophie knows what she’s doing is wrong, but without Lir’s help, can she prove herself?
I read “Mooncakes” a few months ago and I was very disappointed. The illustrations were pretty but the story made no sense and nothing actually happened. I thought this was probably an isolated situation, so I decided to pick up “Tidesong”. Even though the plot was a little better this time, the reading experiences were very similar.
Let me start with what I liked: the illustrations were beautiful! The art is very similar to “Mooncakes” and you can obviously tell the illustrator is the same person because the style was exactly the same. I really liked how the dragons were illustrated, because it reminded me a lot of Ghibli’s stories – in particular the movie “Spirited Away” that also has a little girl, a dragon and water scenes! And… that’s pretty much it. That’s all I liked about this book.
The story itself was weak, the pacing was weird, and the timing between the frames felt super off sometimes – and I had the exact same experience with “Mooncakes”. It felt like everything happened in two or three pages, and then nothing happened for a longer time.
I think the author is extremely talented when it comes to illustrating, so if they worked with a talented storyteller the books would be magical (in all senses!). These books lack structure and a solid plot to shine.
If I had to choose between “Mooncakes” and “Tidesong”, I would definitely pick “Tidesong” because the story wasn’t as confusing and the plot was better defined.
At the end of the day, I don’t think Wendy Xu’s books are for me.
“There was nothing wrong with any part of her. She was healthy, and happy, and fat, something which everyone who met her was quick to point out, some in tones of gleeful disgust, others in tones of shameful condemnation. Did she not know that she was fat, perhaps? Had she missed that essential fact of her own physical reality, and needed it explicitly explained to her? There was nothing wrong with her, but she was smart enough to know that everything was wrong with her, and even the fact that her parents and her doctors said that dieting would only do her harm didn’t change the fact that if she didn’t find a way to magically become thin, she would never be accepted.” – 5/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: fatphobia, diets, escape routes, doors, uniforms and private schools.
Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you’ve already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company.
There is another school for children who fall through doors and fall back out again. It isn’t as friendly as Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.
And it isn’t as safe.
When Eleanor West decided to open her school, her sanctuary, her Home for Wayward Children, she knew from the beginning that there would be children she couldn’t save; when Cora decides she needs a different direction, a different fate, a different prophecy, Miss West reluctantly agrees to transfer her to the other school, where things are run very differently by Whitethorn, the Headmaster.
She will soon discover that not all doors are welcoming…
Found another favorite in this series!
This book was a little different from the other books from the series, but not in a bad way. We are used to diving into the different fantasy worlds children go to, but not in this book. Here we follow Cora after coming back to the “real” world, more specifically at a new school: the Whitehorn Institute (the complete opposite of Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children). The question is: why is Cora in a different school?
There are a lot of surprises and twists in this book, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but I’ll say this book focuses on fatphobia, bullying and strict authority. The rest, you will have to find out for yourself!
I have to say that I loved our main character, Cora. From what I remember, she made an appearance in a previous book, but I’m happy she had her time in the spotlight this time! Cora was a very relatable character, and I definitely saw myself in her in different ways.
Another thing I loved about this book was the amazing friendships! Not only a few new characters were introduced, but a few old friends made an appearance as well!
Two things that are important to mention if you’re considering reading this book:
#1: I would highly recommend you read the other books in the series first, because you will need to understand the backstory to read this one – or at least “Beneath the Sugar Sky” and “Come Tumbling Down”… but seriously just read them all, it’s worth it!)
#2: Ttrigger warnings for suicide, fatphobia and bullying.
This is definitely one of my favorite books and characters of the series! Can’t wait to see what the next book will bring!
Sprayed Edges 