binreads's reviews
69 reviews

Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I highly recommend going into this blind like I did! You'll either love it or hate it.

It wasn't until the twist was staring me right in the face that I understood.

I was a bible study kid, so I'm surprised I didn't see it sooner but once Cascavel started laying it out I was like waaaaaaaaait a second, is this about adam & eve!?! I had to go back and skim it after I finished and it was all right there, I just didn't see it. All the rules and neighbors and odd things, even the names of the neighbors.

Definitely started out giving me some Don't Worry Darling vibes. I enjoyed that it was so quick though, because honestly

if this was a long read that turned out to be biblical, I would've probably been highly annoyed lol

Content Warnings

The Inbetween Days by Eva Woods

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I picked this up in a Walmart bin for $6 and I'm so glad i did. This is a classic case of don't judge a book by it's cover, because normally I would not go for a book with this kind of cover.

I adored this book and was surprised by how much I loved it. It felt like watching a movie. I'm not a fan of duel POVs, mostly when it comes to romances, but this one worked perfectly with the two sisters perspectives, one in the real world and one battling limbo. The story kept me on my toes, wondering what was going to happen to Rosie in the end. I was rooting for her the entire time.

Someone on here said it reminded them of A Christmas Carol and I completely agree, with the ghosts visiting Rosie and showing her her memories.

There was actually quite a lot of twists and turns which I appreciated.

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Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth

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dark funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

this truly is the type of book that when you finish it, you think "what the heck did i just read?" I quite literally threw my book at the other side of the couch afterwards.

i was expecting more of a ghostly and haunting type of horror book like it marketed as but it actually leans heavily towards a disturbing, psychological horror. i went back and forth whether i was rooting for Abby or hating her. she is WEIRD okay, sometimes i had to reread something she said because i was like "is this girl fr..?" but also she was funny, which is why i'd also be like "okay real"

by the end, I couldn't decide of Laura was a ghost, haunting them all along and purposely causing Abby slowly go crazy and

cause Abby to slice up Janet, which i still can't decide if it was real in the end..

or if Ralph was truly just dealing with the trauma of his mother dying, and began to spiral back into a depression. which then manifested onto Abby's possible delusions of her mother-in-law haunting them...it's all very interesting to think about.

i keep wondering if this all would've happened if Abby hadn't of had STOLEN THE RING IN THE FIRST PLACE

not for those who get squeamish at bodily functions, gore, blood...things of those nature.

Content Warnings

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

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emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

This book just kept getting better the more you read it. I see other reviewers referring to this book as a 'warm hug' and I absolutely agree.

I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of time travel that I haven't really seen before. I liked the idea of all these events taking place in this cozy, basement cafe. As a coffee lover, I honestly thought that using the temperature of the coffee as a time travel device was really clever. You never know how quickly your coffee is gonna get cold, I for one always forget I have a cup, then my coffee is freezing cold! So the use of that as a timer for such a delicate action of traveling through time for something extremely important made it very intense.

I did like that it takes place with the core group - the workers at the cafe - and the addition of the characters who seek out the cafe. It made me cry at points. Very moving, I already purchased the second one and I can't wait to start reading it.

The one thing I didn't care for was how often the author refers to the character Nagare's size, like we get it the man is big. And my thing is like it wasn't done in a way that was like, oh he's just really tall.....it was like he's not 'normal sized' or he's a 'big man'...it was overdone.

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Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula by Andi Watson

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

A quick and fun read, I honestly wish this was a series! It was unique and fun, and I loved the illustrations.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

Finally diving into the world of Agatha Christie and the fantastic Hercule Poirot. I was not disappointed! It's also the first time listening to a fiction audiobook and Hugh Fraser really is a fantastic narrator, I was never bored, he kept me completely immersed in the story.

Great little mystery, had me guessing until the very end.

Content Warnings

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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dark sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Definitely a great book to analyze and research afterwards. The more I think about it, the more I want to re read it now that I know the exact context. Extremely disturbing and sad.

Content Warnings

My Husband by Maud Ventura

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I don't know how I'm supposed to go to sleep after that ending!!! I ran to my laptop to see everyone's reviews!

I'll be honest, 98% of the book is extremely slow, repetitive, and lacks any real substance, besides the fact that this woman is absolutely crazed by the obsession she has over her husband. That girl is COLD. Not just in her marriage, or with her 'friends', but I actually was taken aback by how she felt about her own damn kids.

I did NOT expect that twist in the epilogue. my jaw was DROPPED. It really does put the whole book into a different perspective.

THEY BOTH CRAZY. But i'm also like....he's making HER crazy??? I don't know if I should feel bad for her or just hate both of them. Like he really said that he 'marks his territory' when he has s*x with her after she goes off with someone else like......you nasty sir. Maybe she should toss you out the window...

Without the epilogue, I would've definitely rated this lower. Mostly because I didn't enjoy that it was all just her stream of thoughts and not a lot of dialogue or character interaction. I really had to force myself to push through it. I also wouldn't categorize it in thriller or horror, I'd say it's more just dark and psychological.

Content Warnings

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.5

Wow. It's unbelievable how much this woman has gone through in her life. I will never forgive society for how they treated her/how they still treat her. Let the girl spin around on instagram and post her emojis.

It's disgusting to know how her family used and controlled her...did not help her during her toughest times, nor did they care about her. I'm so glad she got out. I'm so glad people noticed something was up.

Was there real complex writing? No, but it was extremely emotional. As I read, I could hear her voice. I can only imagine how much trauma it was to go through these experiences and to revisit some of the worst moments in her life.

Content Warnings

Love, Holly by Emily Stone

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Alexa, play invisible string by Taylor Swift.

This book was beautifully written and I highly recommend it. Don't let the cover fool you, it is a deep story that covers grief, sorrow, and picking up the pieces along the way.

I picked this up for my holiday read of the year, not expecting just how intense this book was going to be. It wasn't just another holiday romance but a story that dives into the deepest depths of human connection. It made me laugh, made me cry and even made me angry. The story takes over the place of a year, and does time jumps which didn't bother me at all.

It encapsulated the love between many different relationships: friendships, romantic partners, siblings, family etc. I would happily read this book again.

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binreads's reviews 69 reviews

Alexa, play invisible string by Taylor Swift.

binreads's reviews
69 reviews