Scan barcode
booksbytheglass's reviews
834 reviews
Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
okay best friend’s brother always hits the spot for me, and ali hazelwood did not miss 😮💨
I’m literally begging for someone to be so gone for me that he waits actual years to improve himself before he admits he’s worthy of me LIKE PLEASE 😭 a walking green flag in action
jamie, on the other hand, desperately needs therapy!! like woo girl you straight up have this man telling you how much he loves you and you’re so insecure that even after decades of knowing him, you still think he’s lying? please help yourself!!! childhood trauma is a thing!!!!
the miscommunication (over a voicemail, are we fr though) knocked it down a whole star for me because seriously 😒 but I do love a man who won’t stop until he’s the best version of himself okay
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: inniskillin cabernet franc ice wine
I’m literally begging for someone to be so gone for me that he waits actual years to improve himself before he admits he’s worthy of me LIKE PLEASE 😭 a walking green flag in action
jamie, on the other hand, desperately needs therapy!! like woo girl you straight up have this man telling you how much he loves you and you’re so insecure that even after decades of knowing him, you still think he’s lying? please help yourself!!! childhood trauma is a thing!!!!
the miscommunication (over a voicemail, are we fr though) knocked it down a whole star for me because seriously 😒 but I do love a man who won’t stop until he’s the best version of himself okay
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: inniskillin cabernet franc ice wine
Kill the Beast by Serena Valentino
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
so I felt like this was a repeat of book two? just from gaston’s point of view?
which don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate! one of my favorite parts of THE BEAST WITHIN was the backstory between adam/kingsley & gaston, and I’m so happy to see it expanded upon
although I really wished for a happy ending for gaston selfishly… especially as this story proves he wasn’t actually a bad person, if anything he was a better person and had a better heart than adam did at any point in their upbringing
if it wasn’t for the odd sisters, gaston probably would have been the hero of the story 🥲
another quick and easy disney retelling read!
rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: burgundy red blend
which don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate! one of my favorite parts of THE BEAST WITHIN was the backstory between adam/kingsley & gaston, and I’m so happy to see it expanded upon
although I really wished for a happy ending for gaston selfishly… especially as this story proves he wasn’t actually a bad person, if anything he was a better person and had a better heart than adam did at any point in their upbringing
if it wasn’t for the odd sisters, gaston probably would have been the hero of the story 🥲
another quick and easy disney retelling read!
rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: burgundy red blend
The Note: A novel by Alafair Burke
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
the more I think about this one, the angrier I get at the time I wasted on this one 😩 alafair burke is usually an auto buy author for me, so I was very upset when their latest missed the mark for me!
surrounding three women, whose personalities seem like they’re still in high school let’s be honest, and a prank they pulled during their weekend getaway, the mystery seemed a bit immature from the start. and there’s nothing that bothers me than when people keep stupid secrets, especially from the authorities, and it blows up into something larger than it should have been 🫠
the flashbacks also seemed a bit disjointed, and it wasn’t very clear in what time period events were taking place… and as much as I enjoy a dual timeline mystery, this one didn’t seem to work as well for me…
each of the main three women were unlikable and straight up idiotic - from straight shooter may who literally doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut, to secret keeping queen bee kelsey who is incapable of doing something morally correct, to lauren who is simultaneously trying to keep her friends together and looking out for her best interests only…
and while I appreciated the main plot twist at the end, it was a little too late to make me care about the characters 🫢 a big thank you still to netgalley and knopf for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 2 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast rosé
surrounding three women, whose personalities seem like they’re still in high school let’s be honest, and a prank they pulled during their weekend getaway, the mystery seemed a bit immature from the start. and there’s nothing that bothers me than when people keep stupid secrets, especially from the authorities, and it blows up into something larger than it should have been 🫠
the flashbacks also seemed a bit disjointed, and it wasn’t very clear in what time period events were taking place… and as much as I enjoy a dual timeline mystery, this one didn’t seem to work as well for me…
each of the main three women were unlikable and straight up idiotic - from straight shooter may who literally doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut, to secret keeping queen bee kelsey who is incapable of doing something morally correct, to lauren who is simultaneously trying to keep her friends together and looking out for her best interests only…
and while I appreciated the main plot twist at the end, it was a little too late to make me care about the characters 🫢 a big thank you still to netgalley and knopf for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 2 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast rosé
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
oh yeah this was the book I needed to get me out of my reading slump!!! november has been the month of bangers - and I need to keep this up 😍
ophelia takes over her mother’s powers of necromancy and summoning the dead, after she finds her mother mysteriously unalived one night 👀 in order to track down her missing sister and seek answers about her new powers, she joins phantasma, a competition run by devils who will grant any wish if you win…
I’m such a sucker for a competition storyline, especially when it exists in a fantasy world, and this one was so well written!! kaylie was able to craft a mystical world without feeling too detached from reality - and seeing it all through the eyes of ophelia was perfect!
blackwell, of course, is my new book boyfriend and no, I cannot stop falling in love with morally grey characters thank you 💋 he was the perfect “guide” to the world of phantasma and the secrets it holds, and his scenes with ophelia were off the charts HAWT 🔥
the ending, as much as I loved how it all wrapped up, answered everything rather quickly, which left me a bit confused on why it was all a big deal in the first place. between the prince of the devils and how it tied to ophelia’s past, I was confused at how that played into everything, and why ophelia had to risk it all at the end…
however, I absolutely devoured this one and cannot stop thinking about it!!!! I loved this lil spooky world so much!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: tuscany red blend
ophelia takes over her mother’s powers of necromancy and summoning the dead, after she finds her mother mysteriously unalived one night 👀 in order to track down her missing sister and seek answers about her new powers, she joins phantasma, a competition run by devils who will grant any wish if you win…
I’m such a sucker for a competition storyline, especially when it exists in a fantasy world, and this one was so well written!! kaylie was able to craft a mystical world without feeling too detached from reality - and seeing it all through the eyes of ophelia was perfect!
blackwell, of course, is my new book boyfriend and no, I cannot stop falling in love with morally grey characters thank you 💋 he was the perfect “guide” to the world of phantasma and the secrets it holds, and his scenes with ophelia were off the charts HAWT 🔥
the ending, as much as I loved how it all wrapped up, answered everything rather quickly, which left me a bit confused on why it was all a big deal in the first place. between the prince of the devils and how it tied to ophelia’s past, I was confused at how that played into everything, and why ophelia had to risk it all at the end…
however, I absolutely devoured this one and cannot stop thinking about it!!!! I loved this lil spooky world so much!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: tuscany red blend
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death of parent
Red River Road by Anna Downes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
wow! what a slow burn, yet heart pounding, thriller! the amount of surprises in this one kept me up until 3am binging this one!!
I have to admit, the mixed and average reviews kept me from picking this one up sooner, but I’m so happy I selected it through aardvark to read because I’m in desperate need for a good thriller 😮💨
the three narrators in the story are all completely unreliable and I loved every moment! from katy who takes a road trip to track down her missing sister phoebe, to beth who is trying to escape her abusive past, and to wyatt who is simply trying to survive his family - every single chapter was engrained with non stop revelations!
slow burn thrillers are my favorite when the payoff is worth it - and while I figured not everything was as it seemed, the final twists were just as shocking and satisfying as I hoped!
I loved the picturesque setting of australia’s coast and the exploration of van life, but I equally enjoyed how the author tackled tough subjects such as abuse in families and relationships as gently as possible.
another win for thrillers for this year!!!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: australian malbec
I have to admit, the mixed and average reviews kept me from picking this one up sooner, but I’m so happy I selected it through aardvark to read because I’m in desperate need for a good thriller 😮💨
the three narrators in the story are all completely unreliable and I loved every moment! from katy who takes a road trip to track down her missing sister phoebe, to beth who is trying to escape her abusive past, and to wyatt who is simply trying to survive his family - every single chapter was engrained with non stop revelations!
slow burn thrillers are my favorite when the payoff is worth it - and while I figured not everything was as it seemed, the final twists were just as shocking and satisfying as I hoped!
I loved the picturesque setting of australia’s coast and the exploration of van life, but I equally enjoyed how the author tackled tough subjects such as abuse in families and relationships as gently as possible.
another win for thrillers for this year!!!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: australian malbec
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Pictures of You by Emma Grey
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
4.5
100% recommend going into this one blind!!! I had no idea what this story was about when I started, but wow! I went through a true journey with evie, drew, oliver and bree 🥹
after evie loses her husband and her memory in a devastating car crash, she has to put the pieces together herself on who she is and what happened to her over the past ten years 🫨 and honestly, she coped way better than I would
when drew, her former best friend, offers to help slowly regain her memory, evie straddles the line of who she can really trust - and the way the author slowly introduces evie’s past mixed in with the present day was absolutely brilliant and heartbreaking! the unraveling of the thread made me want to reach into the book and shake evie’s shoulders to keep it all from happening 😔
and those reveals and twists? had me shook okay this book was way deeper and heavier than I anticipated, but y’all know how much I love an emo book
the romances of evie’s past and present took a backseat to more important stories surrounding grief, loss of friendship, abuse, and toxic relationships, which was lovely and heart wrenching to see play out in real time 💔 but the journey was everything!!!
I did feel as though the ending was wrapped up wayyyyy too quickly and abruptly, leaving the audience wanting more, but I did enjoy the story and know it’ll stick with me for a long time 🩵
thank you netgalley and zibby books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay
after evie loses her husband and her memory in a devastating car crash, she has to put the pieces together herself on who she is and what happened to her over the past ten years 🫨 and honestly, she coped way better than I would
when drew, her former best friend, offers to help slowly regain her memory, evie straddles the line of who she can really trust - and the way the author slowly introduces evie’s past mixed in with the present day was absolutely brilliant and heartbreaking! the unraveling of the thread made me want to reach into the book and shake evie’s shoulders to keep it all from happening 😔
and those reveals and twists? had me shook okay this book was way deeper and heavier than I anticipated, but y’all know how much I love an emo book
the romances of evie’s past and present took a backseat to more important stories surrounding grief, loss of friendship, abuse, and toxic relationships, which was lovely and heart wrenching to see play out in real time 💔 but the journey was everything!!!
I did feel as though the ending was wrapped up wayyyyy too quickly and abruptly, leaving the audience wanting more, but I did enjoy the story and know it’ll stick with me for a long time 🩵
thank you netgalley and zibby books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Back in a Spell by Lana Harper
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this is probably my least favorite of the thistle grove series so far, but this witchy romcom is such a guilty pleasure!! and boy does lana harper know how to write (so really they’re all so good) 🔮😮💨
this time, we switch over to the dark side of the blackmoore family (you know, the ones who try and ruin everything) and find out that not everyone is as cold as ice in the fam… basically, in the club, we are not all fam 🫨
when nina meets local normie morty, they immediately discover they’re each other’s worst enemies, and might be each other’s only hope 👀 this is a perfect enemies to lovers to soulmates book y’all
and while the “mystery” of it all was a bit far fetched and borderline fantasy rather than magical realism, I did find it intriguing on how nina straddled the line of what was best for her rather than what was best for everyone in thistle grove!!
the representation of morty, however, was a bit disappointing to me. I love the inclusion of a main non-binary character and the conversation surrounding pronouns, but once morty shared their pronouns of he/they, the characters defaulted to he for the rest of the book and promptly didn’t bring it up again, even to the point of nina uses masculine descriptors for their body. I just wished it was brought up in conversation more than just used to be used? if that makes sense… and lana harper does fabulous LGBTQ+ representation in her other novels, so definitely would recommend regardless!!!!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: blanc de noirs champagne
this time, we switch over to the dark side of the blackmoore family (you know, the ones who try and ruin everything) and find out that not everyone is as cold as ice in the fam… basically, in the club, we are not all fam 🫨
when nina meets local normie morty, they immediately discover they’re each other’s worst enemies, and might be each other’s only hope 👀 this is a perfect enemies to lovers to soulmates book y’all
and while the “mystery” of it all was a bit far fetched and borderline fantasy rather than magical realism, I did find it intriguing on how nina straddled the line of what was best for her rather than what was best for everyone in thistle grove!!
the representation of morty, however, was a bit disappointing to me. I love the inclusion of a main non-binary character and the conversation surrounding pronouns, but once morty shared their pronouns of he/they, the characters defaulted to he for the rest of the book and promptly didn’t bring it up again, even to the point of nina uses masculine descriptors for their body. I just wished it was brought up in conversation more than just used to be used? if that makes sense… and lana harper does fabulous LGBTQ+ representation in her other novels, so definitely would recommend regardless!!!!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: blanc de noirs champagne
Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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 one was so wild!!!! I love a good true crime story, and I love how this novel blended a few of the traditional 🥣 killers with fictional ones… and the plot twists were so on point!
ruth is a little obsessed with justifying her questionable past and getting justice for the young girls taken and unalived throughout her life. and honestly, after reading about ruth’s story, so was I 👀
there were so many twists and turns throughout this story, and while I did guess a lot of them, I’m again chalking that up to the fact that most of the books on my shelf are thrillers (oops) and I really did enjoy the ride! the way that the author was able to blend the stories from the past and present was very seamless!
the pacing and drawn out descriptions could use a bit editing, and I felt that the novel could have been about 100 pages shorter and still gotten the point across. and while I did understand the majority of the confusion of ruth’s quest for justice, I felt the characters could have been a bit more clear when finally explaining the connection between them all…
and that random side plot with gabe? definitely felt a bit unneeded…
definitely a fun wild ride for spooky season though!!! thank you to atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!
rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: burgundy red blend
ruth is a little obsessed with justifying her questionable past and getting justice for the young girls taken and unalived throughout her life. and honestly, after reading about ruth’s story, so was I 👀
there were so many twists and turns throughout this story, and while I did guess a lot of them, I’m again chalking that up to the fact that most of the books on my shelf are thrillers (oops) and I really did enjoy the ride! the way that the author was able to blend the stories from the past and present was very seamless!
the pacing and drawn out descriptions could use a bit editing, and I felt that the novel could have been about 100 pages shorter and still gotten the point across. and while I did understand the majority of the confusion of ruth’s quest for justice, I felt the characters could have been a bit more clear when finally explaining the connection between them all…
and that random side plot with gabe? definitely felt a bit unneeded…
definitely a fun wild ride for spooky season though!!! thank you to atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!
rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: burgundy red blend
Cross My Heart by Megan Collins
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.0
I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I started this one (especially since I never learn my lesson and usually go into books blind), and what a wild ride this one was!!!!
after reaching out to her heart donor’s spouse, rosie goes a little off the deep end to get to know morgan 😅 and right from the start, I said to myself “this girl is obsessive” as she started to dream about having a whole life with a man she’s never met….
I was absolutely invested in this train wreck of a story, as I knew it was only going to get worse before it resolved! and boy was it a hot mess express 😳
I will say that the plot twists were a bit predictable and I did guess them all far before the reveal, but I also chalk that up to me simply reading so many thrillers… I did binge the entire story in two days as I couldn’t look away from the unlikable characters, the messy relationships, and of course the whodunnit mystery
thank you to netgalley and atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! this one’s out next year!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay
after reaching out to her heart donor’s spouse, rosie goes a little off the deep end to get to know morgan 😅 and right from the start, I said to myself “this girl is obsessive” as she started to dream about having a whole life with a man she’s never met….
I was absolutely invested in this train wreck of a story, as I knew it was only going to get worse before it resolved! and boy was it a hot mess express 😳
I will say that the plot twists were a bit predictable and I did guess them all far before the reveal, but I also chalk that up to me simply reading so many thrillers… I did binge the entire story in two days as I couldn’t look away from the unlikable characters, the messy relationships, and of course the whodunnit mystery
thank you to netgalley and atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! this one’s out next year!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Medical content
A Dawn of Gods & Fury by K.A. Tucker
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
pro tip for reading this series: read them all at once!! because picking this final installment up after about a year since reading book three with absolutely no recap… had me flailing 😩🤔🫨 I truly had no idea what was happening for about 75% of this book
as much as I’m happy that romeria and zander’s stories have come to a conclusion, it felt very anticlimactic to me. yes, there was a final battle of good versus evil, but I just feel that the purpose of books two and three were to keep building to this point and … it didn’t live up to the hype, I fear 🫥
while the story is solely romeria’s, I grew so attached to the side characters throughout and felt that many of them didn’t get as fleshed out of an ending as they deserved… justice for atticus and grace, that’s all okay 🫠
and then there’s jarek, my lovely lil pining guard who… didn’t have a single backbone or thought in this one… I was ready for a big confession or love triangle moment in this one, but instead it remained the zander and romeria show with jarek firmly in a background role 🫠🫠
while I did enjoy the action and seeing the end of this series, I just felt that more could have happened, as the final battle lasted only a few chapters and had the “good guys” absolutely dominating when a lot of the book spent time talking about how doomed they were…
overall, a fun series but ultimately not one I’d recommend always!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: california sparkling rosé
as much as I’m happy that romeria and zander’s stories have come to a conclusion, it felt very anticlimactic to me. yes, there was a final battle of good versus evil, but I just feel that the purpose of books two and three were to keep building to this point and … it didn’t live up to the hype, I fear 🫥
while the story is solely romeria’s, I grew so attached to the side characters throughout and felt that many of them didn’t get as fleshed out of an ending as they deserved… justice for atticus and grace, that’s all okay 🫠
and then there’s jarek, my lovely lil pining guard who… didn’t have a single backbone or thought in this one… I was ready for a big confession or love triangle moment in this one, but instead it remained the zander and romeria show with jarek firmly in a background role 🫠🫠
while I did enjoy the action and seeing the end of this series, I just felt that more could have happened, as the final battle lasted only a few chapters and had the “good guys” absolutely dominating when a lot of the book spent time talking about how doomed they were…
overall, a fun series but ultimately not one I’d recommend always!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: california sparkling rosé