brittmariereads_'s reviews
98 reviews

Praise by Sara Cate

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.75

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin

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

4.0

Secrets At Meadow Lake by Wendy Owens

mysterious 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? It's complicated

2.0

This book is set in a secluded cabin, where a group of former college friends are invited by an anonymous host. Things start to go wrong quickly, beginning with snowstorm that traps them and then the friends begin to die in familiar ways.

It was difficult for this book to hold my attention, but not so badly that I wanted to DNF it. I was bored and there were essentially no clues as to who the killer is. The ending went much more quickly than the rest of the book and was wrapped up far too neatly for me.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book by @booksirens and am leaving this review by my own choice.

Fractured Soul by A.R. Colbert

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This is serving up the Atlantean version of Percy Jackson with a female lead and I am here for it! I love Everly’s character, her thirst for knowledge, and how grounded in herself she is for having been thrown into a mythological life over night. Also can’t wait to see what happens with Tate, because he screams love interest. The friends are fun, too - Gayla is the flirty party girl, Dom is the snarky broody one, and Sean is the overprotective big brother. 

The Unveiling by Paul D Turner

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Sweet Little Nothing by L.K. Farlow

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

A quick spicy enemies-to-lovers read. I enjoyed the characters, in particular Stella and Gabe. The romance between the main characters was A+, although pretty unrealistic given the back story. But that’s not really what we read spicy novels for anyway, is it? 😉

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This was a delightful retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the story, Maelys is cursed and you follow her, her friends, and her lover on a journey of finding out who cursed her, why they did so, and how to rid herself of it. Miss Bickle was my favorite character and she rather reminded me of Luna Lovegood with some of her silliness.

Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this book for free and am leaving this review of my own volition.

Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book broke me, put me back together, and made me feel so very seen. Sometimes I wondered how earth the author got a hold of my journals and text messages and therapy session notes. I can relate to Adelaide in so many ways and I’m sure many other women can, too. This book is raw, real, and heavy. It will make you sob your eyes out, but also sigh with contentment.

5000 Nights of Obsession: A Twisted Gatsby Story by Drethi Anis

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Well, who doesn’t live a good stalker romance that’s not supposed to be a romance? Truthfully, I only gave the author 3 stars because she insisted this was absolutely not a romance at the beginning, but in her author’s note at the end she categorizes it as a romance. Mixed signals. I loved Piya - she is so much fun and she loves fiercely. We all need a Piya in our lives.

Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this book for free and am writing this review of my own volition. Thank you to the author and @booksirens for the ARC.

The Getaway: a dark and twisty psychological thriller novella by Marnie Vinge, Marnie Vinge

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? No

4.0

This was a quick, page turning novella to read. Marnie does a wonderful job of cohesively bringing together the characters, backstory, and plot in less than 100 pages.

DISCLAIMER: I was given an ARC of this book via @booksirens and am writing this review of my own volition. No compensation was provided.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault