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965 reviews

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer

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4.0

Four Weekends & a Funeral

Thank you, PRH Audio, for the gifted copy of Four Weekends and a Funeral {partner}

Genre: Romance

Format: 🎧📖

Pub Date: 8.6.2024

Pages: 368

Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5

“A tender, laugh-out-loud debut romance about a woman who ends up in over her head after a little white lie.”

This whole book was a love letter to the Midwest. The author did a phenomenal job of describing the area where the characters live and all the things that make it unique.

While I didn’t love the love story at the center of Four Weekends and a Funeral, I did love the message about learning to love yourself and your body for all that it has done and can do and not doing things just because you *think* that’s what you’re supposed to be doing. I paid more attention to the characters on an individual basis and loved the arc of their character’s story. They felt like genuine people that I would like to know and love.

Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆☆☆

Four Weekends and a Funeral is narrated by the incredibly talented Karissa Backer. There is really nothing else to say about it because she is phenomenal, and I will listen to anything she narrates.

Read if you enjoy:

📦 Forced proximity

👩🏽‍🔬 Women in STEM

😬 Complicated family dynamic stories

👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 Unique meet cutes

🚪 Doors cracked open

I recommend Four Weekends and a Funeral if you want a light and easy read to add to your fall TBR.

___

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Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver

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dark slow-paced

4.0

Well, I read book one, so of course I had to continue the Ruinous Love trilogy 🖤

Genre: Dark Romance

Format: 🎧📖

Pub Date: 6.4.2024

Pages: 416

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

"Sometimes, you need to carve the things you've lost right into your skin so you remember what you left behind."

The chemistry between the characters of Butcher & Blackbird was felt immediately, but it took me a while to buy into the chemistry between Lachlan and Lark. Something was there, but it didn't have that same wow effect I felt with the first book. However, after the 40% mark, I really started to believe the characters belonged together. One of my favorite romance tropes is he falls first, and boy, did Lachlan fall first.

Another thing that felt different in Leather & Lark is that there wasn't quite as much violence. Don't get me wrong, I definitely skipped the whole pizza thing at the beginning because I let Butcher & Blackbird ruin cookies & cream, but I am NOT letting it take pizza, too. I can't imagine what the author will add to book three 🙊 So the lack of violence/torture was actually a nice reprieve for me because the first book did test my tolerance levels. That said, I highly recommend reading the triggers because there are many of them.

Also, the bonus chapter 👀

Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆.5

Just like Butcher & Blackbird, Leather & Lark was narrated in tandem, and it really adds to the storyline's 🥵 I thought that Samantha Brentmoor and Eric Nolan did a fantastic job narrating this book. My only complaint is that I did not like how many times she laughed through the narration. For some reason, it really took away from the narration style.

Read if you enjoy:

🔥 Slow burn

✌🏼 Dual POV romance

🤩 Grumpy x sunshine

🫶🏼 He falls first

💍 Marriage of convenience

I recommend reading Leather & Lark if, like me, you've been sucked into the dark romance universe.

---

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Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb

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slow-paced

3.0

Prime Time Romance

Thank you, The Dial Press, for the gifted copy of Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb {partner}

Genre: Romance

Trope: Magical Realism

Format: 🎧📖

Pub Date: 9.3.2024

Pages: 336

Star Rating: ☆☆☆

Two of my favorite nostalgic shows are Pleasantville and Dawson's, and while I loved the movie, Prime Time Romance is the second book I've read this summer that attempted to give Pleasantville vibes but didn't meet my standards.

Of course, I did love the small setting and the "resetting" of character destinies, but the added Dawson Creek vibes just threw everything off-kilter. It felt like the author was trying to fit everything into the Pacey/Joey/Dawson bubble, but it didn't work for me. It may have been that I didn't buy into the chemistry between Brynn and Josh. There was something about them that didn't work - I would have been happier had the ending been different and our FMC embraced life on her own.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read that entertained me and reminded me of some of my favorite 90s TV shows. I look forward to reading Kate Robb's next novel!

Read if you enjoy:

🏘️ Small town

✌🏼 Dual POV

🫶🏼 90s nostalgia

📺 Dawson's Creek/Pleasantville

I recommend reading Prime Time Romance if you're in the mood for a little 90s nostalgia, but don't mind the storyline veering closely to your favorite Capeside town.

____

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The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

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slow-paced

2.0

The Business Trip
Thank you, St Martin's Press, for the gifted e-copy of The Business Trip {partner}

Genre: Mystery
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 1.14.2025
Pages: 352
Star Rating: ☆☆

Y'all… I don't know where to begin with this book. It had SO much potential. The first 30% of the book was full of intrigue, mystery, and just enough uncertainty that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

But then the story changed, and we were privy to a different perspective of one of the characters, and the whole thing fell flat.

I felt like the author just repeated everything from the book's first section, added a few quick (obvious) twists, and then plastered one of those cheap dollar-store plastic bows to the top and said, "Ta-da!".

It was a complete letdown, and my only hope is that the book has quite a bit of time before the actual publication, so maybe (hopefully) a few changes can be made to the storyline that would give it some redeeming qualities. Because, if I'm being honest, I think two stars are generous.

_____


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By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

FIVE 🌸 STARS

Thank you, Random House and PRH Audio, for the gifted copy of By Any Other Name {partner}

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: 🎧📖

Pub Date: 8.20.2024

Pages: 528

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

"There was such magic in language. It could bring you to tears, pull you to the edge of your seat, make you sigh with relief."

Time after time, Jodi Picot reminds me why she is my auto-buy author. Her eye for detail and ability to craft the perfect novel amaze me. With every new book she writes, I'm left speechless by her talent.

By Any Other Name is the first historical fiction novel I've read by Picoult, and I marveled at the way she brought her characters to life. Typically, I find myself gravitating toward the more modern character in this genre, but with BAON, I couldn't get enough of Emilia Bassano. I was full of many emotions while reading her story — love, compassion, outrage, heartache. And yet, I still wasn't ready for her story to end. But it did, and boy, did I cry at the end.

It was an incredible life to have lived, and it made me think about all the incredible women who have come before us but have been forced to stand in the shadows because, after all," history," she said, is written by those in power.

Also, I highly recommend reading the author's note at the end. I was completely blown away by the research Picoult put into this book, which really awakened my interest in the theories surrounding Shakespeare's history as a playwright.

Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆☆☆

By Any Other Name was narrated by Billie Fulford (Northwoods, Babel) and Laura Benanti (House of Glass, Drowning), plus an entire cast for the scenes involving the play. The narration was perfect, and I found myself completely lost in their voices as I followed the story.

Read if you enjoy:

🤔 Stories that make you think

✌🏼 Dual timeline & narration

🎭 Theater history

I recommend reading By Any Other Name if you enjoy learning about the women behind the men in history.

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Content Warnings

The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood

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medium-paced

3.5

Thank you, PRH Audio, for my gifted audiobook of Love of My Afterlife {partner}

Genre: Romance

Trope: Magical Realism/Fantasy

Format: 🎧📖

Pub Date: 7.2.2024

Pages: 384

Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5

"The problem with so many people you encounter in life is that they're being the version of themselves they think they should be rather than the person they actually are."

I know I'm going to be in the unpopular opinion group for this, but The Love of My Afterlife wasn't what I expected it to be. I've seen countless glowing reviews for this love story, but to me, there wasn't much of a love story to love. I really enjoyed Cooper's character, and I did like him and Delphie together, but there weren't enough sparks to leave me swooning.

What I did love was the found family element and the remainder that life is too short to stay inside eating microwaveable hamburgers. It's important to get out there and take advantage of what's right before you.

Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆.5

Sofia Oxenham narrates The Love of My Afterlife and she did a fabulous job bringing Delphie's character to life.

Read if you enjoy:

😊 Delightful humor

📝 Unique storylines

🫶🏼 Found family

👏🏼 Quirky characters

I recommend The Love of My Afterlife to my fellow found-family lovers but not necessarily to my rom-com lovers.

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The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene

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slow-paced

3.0

Thank you, Crooked Lane Books, for the e-galley of The Lake of Lost Girls {partner}

Genre: Mystery

Format: 🎧📖

Pub Date: 11.5.2024

Pages: 320

Star Rating: ☆☆☆

I’m always drawn to an entertaining true crime story - I can’t read the real true crime stories, but I’m such a sucker for a fictionalized story. What I enjoyed the most about The Lake of Lost Girls is that all the “suspects” really could’ve done it. They all offered something that made me genuinely doubt their innocence. It wasn’t until the last 20% that it all clicked into place, and I figured it out.

My biggest hiccup with the book is that I typically love a mystery that includes the mixed media formatting, but for some reason, it all seemed like an afterthought to the book. The photos, transcripts, podcasts, etc didn’t add anything to the unraveling of the mystery itself. I started skimming the podcast transcripts because they never gave me anything substantial to grasp. The mixed media format in books can be done well, but it takes careful planning.

Truthfully, I would’ve rated the book much higher had the author's writing style not taken on a repetitive, almost juvenile nature. The main character did not seem like an adult but more like a young girl trying to solve a murder.

Read if you enjoy:

✌🏼 Dual timeline

📈 Escalating suspense

😅 Chapter cliffhangers

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not necessarily something I would recommend to my true mystery/thriller book lovers. It would be the perfect book to dip your toe in if you’re more comfortable with the cozy mystery genre.

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Bad Tourists: A Novel by Caro Carver

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Thank you, Avid Reader Press, for the gifted copy of Bad Tourists by Caro Carver {partner}

Genre: Mystery

Format: 🎧📖

Pub Date: 7.9.2024

Pages: 336

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

“How difficult it can be to tell innocent and villain apart.”

I decided to sample a few chapters of Bad Tourists because I was in the mood for a mystery, and the beautiful cover drew me right in. Before I knew it, I was 100 pages in and completely hooked on this propulsive vacation thriller. There seemed to be a lot going on between the characters (past and present), and I was worried that it wouldn’t come together in the end, but it came together perfectly (minus a few over-the-top moments), and I was so surprised by a few of the twists at the end. Usually, I can spot a twist from the beginning, but Bad Tourists kept me guessing until the end.

Read if you enjoy:

🤔 Locked room mystery

🏝️ Vacation thrillers

🤯 Twists you don’t see coming

🗣️ Alternating POVs

I recommend reading Bad Tourists if you’re in the mood for an eccentric, fast-paced mystery.

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Content Warnings

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

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dark funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This is absolutely the result of one of my friends telling me to read this book, and now I will never look at Cookes & Cream ice cream the same way again 🤪

Genre: Romance

Trope: Dark / Grumpy x sunshine

Format: 🎧📖

Pub Date: 8.15.2023

Pages: 360

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

“Maybe I was right. We’re not normal people. We are monsters. But if we’re monsters, we’ll thrive in the dark. Together.”

Okay, who knew that a book that starts with a very long list of disturbing/off-the-wall triggers would become one of my favorite romances of the year. But here we are. And yes, I am serious when I say that the trigger list had me questioning what I was about to read (don’t worry, there’s not any actual cannibalism, just accidental), but bravo to Brynne Weaver for putting it out there at the beginning of the book.

The chemistry between Rowan and Stone felt perfect, and despite their odd pastime, everything about them felt real. They’re just the type of couple you want to see get together and stick together because everything about them makes perfect sense. Speaking of them getting together, Butcher and Blackbird are among my top five steamiest reads. I mean… good grief - at one point, I thought I might combust into flames because my cheeks were burning 🥵

Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆☆☆

Butcher and Blackbird was narrated by Joe Arden (who has also narrated the Flock series) and Lucy Rivers. It was indeed one of the BEST audiobooks I have ever listened to. It was a perfectly synchronized performance, and I didn’t know I needed it in my romance audiobooks, but I do. I could listen to Arden and Rivers narrate audiobooks all day and be perfectly happy for the rest of my life.

Read if you enjoy:

🔥Character chemistry

😳 Horror elements

🤭 Comedic relief

🥵 Doors wide open

I recommend reading Butcher and Blackbird if you’re in the mood for a dark romance that will provide you with lots of entertainment.

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A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Thank you, Avid Reader Press, for the gifted copy of A Short Walk Through a Wide World {partner}

Genre: Fantasy

Sub-Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: 🎧📖

Pub Date: 4.2.2024

Star Rating: ☆☆☆

"There was no retracing her steps. Once she had been, there was no way back. Every departure is irreversible."

I had such a hard time formulating my review for this story because, on the one hand, it was an incredible saga and true storytelling. But on the other hand, I felt like nothing actually happened in this book. I am always so hesitant to read a book that is compared to a beloved book (in this case, Addie Larue) because I go in with such high expectations.

The author has incredible promise as a debut novelist because the story's bones were there. I especially loved the supporting characters that Aubry encountered on her journeys—they brought a sparkle to the story. But there was just something about the book that did not keep my attention. I have friends who read and loved A Short Walk Through a Wide World, and that makes me so happy because it's just another reminder that not every book is for every reader. I will be keeping an eye out for the author's future titles!

Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆☆☆

Saskia Maarleveld narrated A Short Walk Through a Wide World, and she is truly the queen of historical fiction. I love how she brought all the characters to life and kept me captivated even when the story was at a lull.

Read if you enjoy:

🐢 Slow burn adventures

🗣️ Storytelling

📖 Debut novels

✨ Magical realism

I recommend reading A Short Walk Through a Wide World if you're searching for a more immersive story experience and are prepared for it to move at a slower pace than you usually read.

chaptersofchase's reviews 965 reviews

chaptersofchase's reviews
965 reviews