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doodlebeanz's reviews
34 reviews
Look In the Mirror by Catherine Steadman
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Reminded me of first lie wins and the challenges Feyre needs to complete in ACOTAR with the big bitch
Not my favorite. Quite boring. Did not keep my interest. Would’ve DNF’d but I was in too deep, just ended up hate reading for the last 25% of the book
Not my favorite. Quite boring. Did not keep my interest. Would’ve DNF’d but I was in too deep, just ended up hate reading for the last 25% of the book
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.5
This was my first Jodi Picoult book, and I think it will be my last. This has nothing to do with her writing; the book was incredibly written and it touched on so many important and heavy topics such as the hardships that transgender women and men face, along with the intense and undying love of a mother. I also loved the element of bees, and how the story went through the entire judicial system from the first 911 call to the jury decision… but it just wasn’t my type of book.
The book is a slam dunk. It is such an interesting story and it was so deep on so many levels, but I need my books fast paced and with way more murder 😭 This book dealt with murder, but not in the way I would want. This was just simply domestic fiction, courthouse fiction if that’s even a thing, or simply just small town fiction, where someone happens to die. I did love the small town setting, my fiance is from New Hampshire and I’m from Boston so it all felt very close to home for me. I loved the characters as well - I thought they were so well written and so fleshed out, they felt like real people. The thought that lily is dead literally give me chills, she was so young and wise beyond her years and dealt with so much in her short number of years on the earth. Asher, his mom, and lawyer were well written as well, but besides Olivia (Asher’s mother), they were quite one dimensional.
My few gripes with the story were the way Asher and Lily were written and the somewhat lazy writing surrounding the murder itself and who may have done it. Starting with the murder and the trial, The whole sudden realization of TTP being the possible reason for Lily’s death immediately took me out. It felt like such lazy writing… she just fell and happened to hit her head and bleed out and die and that’s it? Just… no. It was so much lead up for that to be the thing that got Asher acquitted and it was just a head scratch moment for me. As the book was ending, the last chapter I’d say, I was ready to just assume I knew how it ended and just finish it there… but when Maya confessed, I felt even more annoyed for some reason. Again, it was SO much lead up for that? I totally thought it was Dirk, or Asher, or maybe even Jonah or Lily’s dad… but it was maya in an angry jealous rage fueled accident? It just didn’t make much sense for me and it was just wrapped up too nicely and not enough drama for me.
Secondly, Asher and Lily spoke like they were in their 30s, not just 18 years of age. It was so annoying. I remember what it was like to be a teenager, and I did not have that much wherewithal or intelligence inner dialogue to be that mature and rounded out. For Lily, it made a bit more sense considering the shit she had endured in her life (being trans, her fathers abuse and homophobia/transphobia, the intense bullying at school) . But for Asher, it didn’t make sense. It just didn’t feel real to me, their dialogues sometimes brought me back to the reality that I was just reading a book compared to when I was reading Olivia’s chapters where it felt like an autobiography of a real person’s life.
Also, I do not suggest this book on audiobook. I did not enjoy the audio book narrators, and I think based on the writing, this book isn’t meant to be listened to. There are some flashbacks throughout chapters and it’s hard to know when you’re in a flashback since they aren’t announced. It was also nonlinear for Lily’s chapters but in order for Olivia’s which was also confusing to keep up with audio, but probably would’ve been easier to keep up with if I was just simply reading.
All in all, the book was great. It was very well written, and I have no gripes with the author. She just isn’t the author for me, but I am glad I read this book. It was moving and intense and made me think about what it means to be a woman and what it’s like for others out there who wish they were born comfortable in their skin and gender identity the way I am. Everyone should read this book! Just expect small town/family fiction.
The book is a slam dunk. It is such an interesting story and it was so deep on so many levels, but I need my books fast paced and with way more murder 😭 This book dealt with murder, but not in the way I would want. This was just simply domestic fiction, courthouse fiction if that’s even a thing, or simply just small town fiction, where someone happens to die. I did love the small town setting, my fiance is from New Hampshire and I’m from Boston so it all felt very close to home for me. I loved the characters as well - I thought they were so well written and so fleshed out, they felt like real people. The thought that lily is dead literally give me chills, she was so young and wise beyond her years and dealt with so much in her short number of years on the earth. Asher, his mom, and lawyer were well written as well, but besides Olivia (Asher’s mother), they were quite one dimensional.
My few gripes with the story were the way Asher and Lily were written and the somewhat lazy writing surrounding the murder itself and who may have done it. Starting with the murder and the trial,
Secondly, Asher and Lily spoke like they were in their 30s, not just 18 years of age. It was so annoying. I remember what it was like to be a teenager, and I did not have that much wherewithal or intelligence inner dialogue to be that mature and rounded out. For Lily, it made a bit more sense considering the shit she had endured in her life
Also, I do not suggest this book on audiobook. I did not enjoy the audio book narrators, and I think based on the writing, this book isn’t meant to be listened to. There are some flashbacks throughout chapters and it’s hard to know when you’re in a flashback since they aren’t announced. It was also nonlinear for Lily’s chapters but in order for Olivia’s which was also confusing to keep up with audio, but probably would’ve been easier to keep up with if I was just simply reading.
All in all, the book was great. It was very well written, and I have no gripes with the author. She just isn’t the author for me, but I am glad I read this book. It was moving and intense and made me think about what it means to be a woman and what it’s like for others out there who wish they were born comfortable in their skin and gender identity the way I am. Everyone should read this book! Just expect small town/family fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
The One by John Marrs
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
I loved this book. it was SO worth the wait. I had heard about this book a long time ago and it was never available at my local library, so when I finally got libby and hoopla, I put it on hold back in June... it JUST arrived via Libby 3 days ago and I wasted no time on starting it. I was so worried, since I have not been the biggest fan of John Marrs (what lies between us gave me severe mental health issues/anxiety and the vacation was just all around boring and long), so I was going into this with high hopes but low expectations if that makes sense. but boy was I wrong. this book DELIVERED.
Like the vacation, it follows a bunch of different characters throughout an 18-month period, but unlike the vacation, these people are not all somehow intrinsically linked. they're all strangers who just happened to use the same website and the story is just explaining their stories/experiences, which I liked a lot more. in the vacation, I was constantly trying to figure out the links and connections and it took away from the reading/story, but in the one, I figured it out pretty quickly that they're not connected and I was able to just enjoy the ride. Also unlike the vacation, these stories didn't drag out unnecessarily. There was always *something* going on. it wasn't always super dramatic, but there was something happening... no chapters felt like filler, imo. obviously in any book that is over 300 pages, it did feel a bit sluggish sometimes, but I definitely did not have reading fatigue with this one like I did with the vacation.
the writing and the stories and the characters were all SO GOOD! I fell head over heels in love with Nick and Alex and their story. There were no characters I hated and no storyline that bored me or made me want to skip the chapter entirely. I also liked that the book went in the same order throughout! It started with Mandy and went through all the characters before returning to Mandy and following that pattern again. I always knew who to expect next and it kept me more interested in their stories, somehow.
The only storyline that I felt was a bit off the vibes for me by the end was Christopher/Amy. They really took a turn and I thought it was going to go one way...sociopathic serial killer meets his perfect match who is also secretly a sociopathic killer and they kill #30 together but it didn't. It went a much different way and I just did not like it. Seemed too easy. Seemed to nicely tied up with a bow. Just not interesting or fun or any of that. Should've gone the way I said 😅
I can't really say much without spoiling and I suggest everyone go into this book completely and totally blind. I actually thought the premise of this book was different book (The Family Experiement by John Marrs) so when I realized it was a website for DNA love matches, I was like OHH and then just kept reading and it was so exciting!
Also, if you're a person who needs to feel totally planted in reality to enjoy a book, then this book is not for you. The science surrounding Match Your DNA and the 'matches' is totally crazy and out of this world and they talk about it in other terms (i.e., how people react to their matches) and it's just kind of insane and out there so you gotta go into it with that mindset!
Like the vacation, it follows a bunch of different characters throughout an 18-month period, but unlike the vacation, these people are not all somehow intrinsically linked. they're all strangers who just happened to use the same website and the story is just explaining their stories/experiences, which I liked a lot more. in the vacation, I was constantly trying to figure out the links and connections and it took away from the reading/story, but in the one, I figured it out pretty quickly that they're not connected and I was able to just enjoy the ride. Also unlike the vacation, these stories didn't drag out unnecessarily. There was always *something* going on. it wasn't always super dramatic, but there was something happening... no chapters felt like filler, imo. obviously in any book that is over 300 pages, it did feel a bit sluggish sometimes, but I definitely did not have reading fatigue with this one like I did with the vacation.
the writing and the stories and the characters were all SO GOOD! I fell head over heels in love with Nick and Alex and their story. There were no characters I hated and no storyline that bored me or made me want to skip the chapter entirely. I also liked that the book went in the same order throughout! It started with Mandy and went through all the characters before returning to Mandy and following that pattern again. I always knew who to expect next and it kept me more interested in their stories, somehow.
The only storyline that I felt was a bit off the vibes for me by the end was Christopher/Amy. They really took a turn and I thought it was going to go one way...
I can't really say much without spoiling and I suggest everyone go into this book completely and totally blind. I actually thought the premise of this book was different book (The Family Experiement by John Marrs) so when I realized it was a website for DNA love matches, I was like OHH and then just kept reading and it was so exciting!
Also, if you're a person who needs to feel totally planted in reality to enjoy a book, then this book is not for you. The science surrounding Match Your DNA and the 'matches' is totally crazy and out of this world and they talk about it in other terms (i.e., how people react to their matches) and it's just kind of insane and out there so you gotta go into it with that mindset!
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
I am just really bored with popular hyped up thrillers that I see on booktok / booksta. None of them have good twists anymore. I was more shocked by Verity by Colleen Hoover which I read about a year ago and gave a 2.5/3 star than I was by this book. Please, thriller writers, I want you to creep me out. I want to be scared to have my lights out in my apartment. I want to look over my shoulder constantly. This gave me no excited (aka scared lmao) butterflies. It was very straight forward and got right to the point. It was entertaining for sure, but just didn't live up to my expectations. 2.5 star for me sadly.
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
2.75
This book IS NOT a psychological thriller like it claims to be. At all. I am realizing that those words are slapped onto every 'thriller' out there and it leads the reader to expect twists and turns and WTF moments... this book provides none of those. I'd call it a domestic 'thriller', since I cannot think of a better word atm, but it is barely a thriller. Domestic fiction, maybe? There are thriller elements, considering not all is as it seems, but there were absolutely no plot twists or moments that leave you saying 'wtf' like other classic domestic thrillers do.
Amber is a POS. Jackson is a POS. I feel bad for Daphne since she got mixed up with them both. I also feel bad for the children involved. although they were written pretty unrealistically considering they were supposed to be under 10... but that's neither here nor there.
The wholeJackson being utterly insane and sociopathic twist was obvious from a thousand miles away. Why can't the women be the crazy ones for once? I would've loved if Jackson was the victim and Daphne was the sociopathic one at the end of the day. I actually thought that was going to be a big twist, considering how she was described from Amber's POV. Jackson's whole characterization of anti social personality disorder was so... tired. And overdone. Like every thriller has a sociopathic lunatic who hates women. Let me read about a sociopathic woman who hates men. I'd read that book in one sitting! Amber was sociopathic for sure, but she was still a victim to Jackson at the end. I also think her whole back story was so glossed over. There should've been a flash back to her story like there was for Daphne meeting Jackson.</spoilers>
Amber is a POS. Jackson is a POS. I feel bad for Daphne since she got mixed up with them both. I also feel bad for the children involved. although they were written pretty unrealistically considering they were supposed to be under 10... but that's neither here nor there.
The whole
I am just really bored with popular hyped up thrillers that I see on booktok / booksta. None of them have good twists anymore. I was more shocked by Verity by Colleen Hoover which I read about a year ago and gave a 2.5/3 star than I was by this book. Please, thriller writers, I want you to creep me out. I want to be scared to have my lights out in my apartment. I want to look over my shoulder constantly. This gave me no excited (aka scared lmao) butterflies. It was very straight forward and got right to the point. It was entertaining for sure, but just didn't live up to my expectations. 2.5 star for me sadly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i love this book. nothing else needs to be said. i loved this book.
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am confused as fuck by this book. I don't even know how to review it without giving away huge spoilers so I'm sorry but this is going to be blacked out for majority of it.
The characters, besides Daisy, Nana and Poppins, were all horrible people. Usually in these sorts of stories, at least someone in the family besides the main character is redeemable but there is literally no one redeemable to me in this story and that's kind of the point. Reading about how Daisy's sisters and her own mother and father would treat her and make her feel less than constantly without consequence made my heart physically ache for her. She was so young and already so broken and she didn't deserve any of that, I'm just lucky she at least had her Nana.
The entire supernatural aspect took me by surprise but also confused the fuck out of me. Also, the ending did not really make a lot of sense... but I think that's also to do with the fact that the entire supernatural element didn't jive for me. It made sense, the way Feeney wrote Daisy's POV and how as a reader you weren't sure if people were responding to her or not. Some dialogue seemed like they were talking along with Daisy, but then you'd think back, and you'd realize omg no they were just talking to one another. There were a few times, I think it was Conor and Rose, who both spoke to Daisy as if she was there... Conor said he was sorry that she had to see all of this happening to her family, and then Rose asked Daisy if she was the one doing this. Those two encounters didn't make sense, considering no one could see Daisy and she had been dead for many years at that point. Why would Conor say 'I'm sorry you have to see this?' if Daisy is dead... For Rose, I guess it could've been her talking to herself and questioning if the ghost of Daisy was murdering people, but that just seems so... weird? I don't know, other than those two encounters, the rest of it flowed really well and it was definitely such a mind fuck for me to realize that no one actually spoke directly to Daisy. AND how she kept saying 'my family stopped speaking to me that day'... BECAUSE SHE WAS DEAD! I did enjoy that bit.
The whole Nana and Trixie killing everyone together was a bit out of left field. I was totally expecting Conor's dad or the agent, thinking maybe the agent was a secret child of nana's (at one point, Daisy describes that they have similar eye colors and smiles, but I guess that was to throw the reader off the scent). I did not think it would be Trixie and nana together, and that was just... a lot. Trixie is a 15 year old girl, why would she agree to murder her entire family? Also, why when nana died, did she not stay with Daisy? Why did none of them stay with her? If her soul is trapped in Seaglass, I can only imagine that so would Nana's and since the other people died there, wouldn't they also be trapped there? So why weren't all their souls just hanging out? Also, why was Rose the only one who saw Daisy right before they died? Because Daisy was in a different room? If Daisy's job in the afterlife is to usher souls into the afterlife (i.e., her job at the 'old folk's home') why did she not sense that the other family members were dead and go and usher them?? Is it only specific people? That part honestly seemed like lazy writing to me since it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Why did Daisy have an entire dialogue about making her way to Seaglass when Trixie and nana make it clear at the end that she's never left. I get that Daisy is in some sort of purgatory, while the others have potentially moved onto hell most likely, but why did she act as if she left the house and Nana greeted her at the door? I don't know, just some things are unexplainable and I don't know if Feeney did a good enough job attempting to explain them. She left a lot of the supernatural questions unanswered... like how did Daisy manage to write a book and play Scrabble? It is just so... bizarre.
The whole Trixie being able to speak and play scrabble with Daisy is honestly terrifying. Imagine you see your daughter playing Scrabble and the other pieces are moving but no one else is there? Horrifying.
If you like American Horror Story: Murder House then go read this book! I didn't even put the correlation together until my fiancé mentioned that the premise was the same as that show.
One of my favorite things in stories is when you finish the book and realize you're reading the book that the person in the story had wrote. We were reading Daisy's book the entire time! The only hint is the note before the book, presumedly from Nana's agent who published the real Daisy Darker's story, but you're waiting the entire time for Nana's new book to make an appearance when it's actually Daisy's book all along! I really liked that aspect.
Since I can't say much without giving away the entire story, it was a solid 3 star for me. Too many things were unexplainable and confusing so that is keeping it from being a 4-5 star, plus it was draggy and slow up until the last 70%ish percent, at least imo. The videotapes didn't gel for me with the rest of the story, and after reading some of the flashbacks, it felt like I was reading different books. Some of the flashbacks didn't matter at all, giving nothing in terms of plot or anything to the story, and it was just a slog to get through sometimes. But overall, a solid, fun, edge of your seat, page turner thriller!
The characters, besides Daisy, Nana and Poppins, were all horrible people. Usually in these sorts of stories, at least someone in the family besides the main character is redeemable but there is literally no one redeemable to me in this story and that's kind of the point. Reading about how Daisy's sisters and her own mother and father would treat her and make her feel less than constantly without consequence made my heart physically ache for her. She was so young and already so broken and she didn't deserve any of that, I'm just lucky she at least had her Nana.
The whole Nana and Trixie killing everyone together was a bit out of left field. I was totally expecting Conor's dad or the agent, thinking maybe the agent was a secret child of nana's (at one point, Daisy describes that they have similar eye colors and smiles, but I guess that was to throw the reader off the scent). I did not think it would be Trixie and nana together, and that was just... a lot. Trixie is a 15 year old girl, why would she agree to murder her entire family? Also, why when nana died, did she not stay with Daisy? Why did none of them stay with her? If her soul is trapped in Seaglass, I can only imagine that so would Nana's and since the other people died there, wouldn't they also be trapped there? So why weren't all their souls just hanging out? Also, why was Rose the only one who saw Daisy right before they died? Because Daisy was in a different room? If Daisy's job in the afterlife is to usher souls into the afterlife (i.e., her job at the 'old folk's home') why did she not sense that the other family members were dead and go and usher them?? Is it only specific people? That part honestly seemed like lazy writing to me since it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Why did Daisy have an entire dialogue about making her way to Seaglass when Trixie and nana make it clear at the end that she's never left. I get that Daisy is in some sort of purgatory, while the others have potentially moved onto hell most likely, but why did she act as if she left the house and Nana greeted her at the door? I don't know, just some things are unexplainable and I don't know if Feeney did a good enough job attempting to explain them. She left a lot of the supernatural questions unanswered... like how did Daisy manage to write a book and play Scrabble? It is just so... bizarre.
The whole Trixie being able to speak and play scrabble with Daisy is honestly terrifying. Imagine you see your daughter playing Scrabble and the other pieces are moving but no one else is there? Horrifying.
If you like American Horror Story: Murder House then go read this book! I didn't even put the correlation together until my fiancé mentioned that the premise was the same as that show.
One of my favorite things in stories is when you finish the book and realize you're reading the book that the person in the story had wrote. We were reading Daisy's book the entire time! The only hint is the note before the book, presumedly from Nana's agent who published the real Daisy Darker's story, but you're waiting the entire time for Nana's new book to make an appearance when it's actually Daisy's book all along! I really liked that aspect.
Since I can't say much without giving away the entire story, it was a solid 3 star for me. Too many things were unexplainable and confusing so that is keeping it from being a 4-5 star, plus it was draggy and slow up until the last 70%ish percent, at least imo. The videotapes didn't gel for me with the rest of the story, and after reading some of the flashbacks, it felt like I was reading different books. Some of the flashbacks didn't matter at all, giving nothing in terms of plot or anything to the story, and it was just a slog to get through sometimes. But overall, a solid, fun, edge of your seat, page turner thriller!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Car accident
Minor: Pregnancy
The Vacation by John Marrs
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
I am still very conflicted over this book. Part of me feels that there is a bigger meaning behind it, but another part of me thinks it may just be masquerading as a book with a deeper meaning but it doesn't actually have one. There were so many characters, and at first when you don't know their personalities or how their connected, it was a lot and it felt overwhelming but once the story got properly going, the cast of characters didn't seem as daunting.
I really really liked how the book was broken up into a bunch of side stories that mainly connected. There were a few outliers (Savannah/Ron/Michael/Pyck and her father, Ruth and her psychosis in general, Declan/Matty) that didn't connect back to anything perfectly, but the ones that did connect, I thought were very well written and I did not see many of the connections coming! My favorite story line was definitely Ruth since I love reading about obsessive stalkers with serious mental illnesses (I am a thriller girlie after all, sue me) and I'm upset that we didn't get more on her.She killed her mother and brother, stalked Zak and then eventually killed him too and then just got completely removed from the story. I would've loved to hear more about her time spent in a mental hospital/her trial/etc than hear about Ms Baker and Nicole/Eric's story. My least favorite storyline was obviously Nicole, Eric and Ms Baker. I did not see the twist coming that Eric was Ms Baker's estranged son, and it became suspenseful and tense with his mask falling and showing his true colors to Nicole, but it dragged on for so long and I just wanted to read about any other story (mainly Ruth's lol).
All the storylines were interesting and I really did enjoy reading them for the most part, but damn this book was long for NO reason. Some of the plotlines were drawn out for far too long and it felt like the book could've wrapped up 15+ chapters before it did. Some stories needed longer to wrap up, which is fine, but god was it a SLOG by the end. I am a pretty fast reader, but this book took me 10+ days to finish! I found myself not really gravitating towards it, which was half the battle, until well past the midway point when the characters and stories started connecting. It is definitely a slow book, not much action until the end, but once it got to that point, it was much more enjoyable. In my mind, this book is felt like two separate books. Part 1 I did not care for, but part 2 was WAY better and it definitely caught my attention more. I also listened to the audiobook and I did not enjoy the narrator's voice... oops... that did not help the lack of interest in picking it up either!
Matty and Declan were probably my favorite characters. I loved how they provided such a comedic effect. They were so silly, and had such a sad ending, but it was one of those bittersweet sad endings that made me well up but it was also fitting for them. I also really really liked Tommy and Jake,as a couple and just as friends. I understand that what Jake did was unforgivable and completely altered the course of Tommy's life, but I did enjoy reading them get to know each other and watch as Tommy developed feelings and then it was like a punch to the gut when the twist hit and it turned out that Jake/Stuart was the one that was driving the car that ended up killing his brothers. I was so shook and honestly annoyed bc I really wanted them to get together. I also don't like how Tommy ended up killing Jake... we're not entirely sure if he did or not, it's one of those things that Marrs' decided to leave up to interpretation bc when Tommy goes back to his room, all his stuff is gone... but that to me means he was planning on leaving already and he packed up beforehand, not that he had saved himself from the ocean and then made his way back without leaving puddles of water everywhere?? Idk, I don't love ambiguous endings like that. Not my cup of tea.
The part of me that believes this book has a deeper meaning thinks that the hostel is a symbol for a purgatory type place and that Pyek was some sort of God/higher being. All of these lost souls came to this place and found their ending/new beginning there.They either died in a bad way (Ron - raped Savannah, died of heart attack after leaving hostel. Eric - was a shitty person and pretty much a sociopath who killed his own mother and her caretaker, died in jail. Jane - betrayed Savannah, killed by hitman/her father. Jake, hit and run with Tommy's brothers, drowned... or in the deeper meaning, they moved onto hell) or they started over and got a new lease on life (Savannah, had a baby and realized she doesn't need anyone else, Tommy found Louis and they are living out their dream of traveling together, Nicole and Declan are together and having a baby, Matty died but peacefully and on his own terms). The hostel played some part in all of their demises or their new beginnings, and I can't help but see a deeper meaning in it. Especially the sign that was in the hostel 'Welcome to Wherever You Are'... that SCREAMS 'I'm in purgatory'!!
All in all, this book confuses me. I'm not sure if I liked it. Part of me really, really liked it and another part of me thinks it was drawn out and annoyingly long and just all around boring for the majority of it. I am also not sure if I am a fan of Marrs just yet... I read What Lies Between Us and I hated it. It gave me such extreme anxiety and really affected my mental health. Less for his writing and more for my own state at the time of reading it, but still. I gave this one a try, and I'm still unsure where I stand. I am definitely going to read The One since it is so highly acclaimed and sounds so interesting, and maybe after a THIRD book, I will have a better sense of how I feel about him as a writer!
I really really liked how the book was broken up into a bunch of side stories that mainly connected. There were a few outliers (Savannah/Ron/Michael/Pyck and her father, Ruth and her psychosis in general, Declan/Matty) that didn't connect back to anything perfectly, but the ones that did connect, I thought were very well written and I did not see many of the connections coming! My favorite story line was definitely Ruth since I love reading about obsessive stalkers with serious mental illnesses (I am a thriller girlie after all, sue me) and I'm upset that we didn't get more on her.
All the storylines were interesting and I really did enjoy reading them for the most part, but damn this book was long for NO reason. Some of the plotlines were drawn out for far too long and it felt like the book could've wrapped up 15+ chapters before it did. Some stories needed longer to wrap up, which is fine, but god was it a SLOG by the end. I am a pretty fast reader, but this book took me 10+ days to finish! I found myself not really gravitating towards it, which was half the battle, until well past the midway point when the characters and stories started connecting. It is definitely a slow book, not much action until the end, but once it got to that point, it was much more enjoyable. In my mind, this book is felt like two separate books. Part 1 I did not care for, but part 2 was WAY better and it definitely caught my attention more. I also listened to the audiobook and I did not enjoy the narrator's voice... oops... that did not help the lack of interest in picking it up either!
Matty and Declan were probably my favorite characters. I loved how they provided such a comedic effect. They were so silly, and had such a sad ending, but it was one of those bittersweet sad endings that made me well up but it was also fitting for them. I also really really liked Tommy and Jake,
The part of me that believes this book has a deeper meaning thinks that the hostel is a symbol for a purgatory type place and that Pyek was some sort of God/higher being. All of these lost souls came to this place and found their ending/new beginning there.
All in all, this book confuses me. I'm not sure if I liked it. Part of me really, really liked it and another part of me thinks it was drawn out and annoyingly long and just all around boring for the majority of it. I am also not sure if I am a fan of Marrs just yet... I read What Lies Between Us and I hated it. It gave me such extreme anxiety and really affected my mental health. Less for his writing and more for my own state at the time of reading it, but still. I gave this one a try, and I'm still unsure where I stand. I am definitely going to read The One since it is so highly acclaimed and sounds so interesting, and maybe after a THIRD book, I will have a better sense of how I feel about him as a writer!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction and Drug use
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Did not finish book. Stopped at 65%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 65%.
It didn't make any sense and it was so boring. The premise was interesting and some chapters were really interesting and fast-paced, and others were so sloggish and slow and just no. It did not capture my attention enough, and the audiobook was narrated by someone with a very boring voice and it put me to sleep more than once. I googled the ending and I am SO happy i didn't get to the end, it didn't make ANY sense and it seemed that even the people who did finish had a hard time explaining wtf occured. It's like the matrix and I didn't even enjoy that movie so the book was not for me.
Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! I've seen a lot of bad reviews on Goodreads, but I really really liked it! I read it in 24ish hours, unable to put it down once I started.
I thought the writing was great; some people claim it was clunky and awkward, but I didn't feel that way at all. The way Kubica wrote this book, certain things weren't described. For example, she would write things like "We went for Mexican...", but the next sentence is about Nina and her mother getting home. Some scenes weren't written out, some dialogues were shortened, which some people found annoying and awkward but I liked a lot. I feel in these sorts of books sometimes, over description and too much dialogue takes away from the suspense of it all. Things end up getting lost and muddled and I sometimes become bored if people are having conversations that lead no where, so I did not mind this style of writing at all. I did not find it clunky whatsoever! I preferred it, tbh.
Speaking of suspense, this book DELIVERED! I've been saying how I need to find a recent thriller that actually gives me the creeps and makes me paranoid and wanting to keep the lights on... last night, I had a difficult time sleeping which is not something I should be happy about but it's what I've been looking for in a book! The suspense and the not knowing what the hell was going on and everyone seeming sketchy and looking over their shoulders was so deliciously tense and suspenseful and it stayed with me!
But like in the other 2 Kubica books I've read, there were many plot holes and inconsistencies and added characters that provided nothing. For example, <spoilerRyan. Why the fuck was Ryan added into this story? Why did he send those flowers and why was he randomly at the forest preserve when Christian was there walking his dog? Was he stalking Nina? Was he in love with her? Why did he resign after she came back in the prologue... none of it makes any sense. Him sending her the flowers was glossed over so why was it even added in the first place? He touched her knee in the car, which screams sexual attraction, but then when he followed her home I thought it made sense? He wanted to make sure she got home okay... that doesn't scream stalker to me, I don't know. Very weird and confusing. Also, the woman in the car just idling on the street when Nina went for a walk but then asked for directions? The bottle of cologne that spilled? The dirty muddy footprint? I am assuming the footprint was left by Christian, but it was never explained and it was never described from Christian's POV... I don't know. Doesn't make sense. None of it connects.
The worst part of the book was the ending. Like I've said in my last review of Kubica's 'She's Not Sorry', there is SO much lead up and then there is nearly zero pay off. From phdiva.blog's review of this book [She's Not Sorry], "Kubica is known for launching a bunch of plot threads at the beginning, but fails to tie them together in a way that makes sense and has impact for the reader. Threads began fraying into different directions instead of coming back together."I did not see the mother being the murderer at all until the last chapter when it was revealed, but it just felt like lazy writing. The book was 315 pages long, and at 310, the big twist happens... that doesn't make any sense. There were no signs pointing to the mom, there were no signs that I caught and I am pretty good at catching onto a twist... I want to say that this book was beyond amazing for that, but it just felt sloppy and lazy and like Kubica didn't know how to wrap it up. I thought Lily being the murderer made the most sense, or some crazy turn of events where Nina found them in the woods and she was the one who shot him herself... but a 62 year old woman following her only daughter's husband into the woods (apparently not the first time she followed him either which is wild and never discussed before, not even a hint of it was mentioned) to then shoot him execution style? THAT MAKES NO SENSE!
It was evident that Lily and Jake were having an affair, but what didn't make any sense is that she has a sudden change of heart in telling Christian and then Christian becoming afraid of her for like... 4 paragraphs/half a chapter. He ends up divorcing/separating her after her trial I assume (again, it's never discussed what happened but you can figure that out), which makes sense, but I just wish it was described more.
All in all, I really did enjoy this book minus the few plot holes and things that just didn't make any sense/things that felt rushed. I would recommend it to someone since the plot holes weren't as unforgivable as they were in She's Not Sorry or Local Woman Missing. There are only a few main characters which is a plus, and everything was very straight forward and definitely very suspenseful and kept me turning the pages desperate to know what was going on!
I thought the writing was great; some people claim it was clunky and awkward, but I didn't feel that way at all. The way Kubica wrote this book, certain things weren't described. For example, she would write things like "We went for Mexican...", but the next sentence is about Nina and her mother getting home. Some scenes weren't written out, some dialogues were shortened, which some people found annoying and awkward but I liked a lot. I feel in these sorts of books sometimes, over description and too much dialogue takes away from the suspense of it all. Things end up getting lost and muddled and I sometimes become bored if people are having conversations that lead no where, so I did not mind this style of writing at all. I did not find it clunky whatsoever! I preferred it, tbh.
Speaking of suspense, this book DELIVERED! I've been saying how I need to find a recent thriller that actually gives me the creeps and makes me paranoid and wanting to keep the lights on... last night, I had a difficult time sleeping which is not something I should be happy about but it's what I've been looking for in a book! The suspense and the not knowing what the hell was going on and everyone seeming sketchy and looking over their shoulders was so deliciously tense and suspenseful and it stayed with me!
But like in the other 2 Kubica books I've read, there were many plot holes and inconsistencies and added characters that provided nothing. For example, <spoilerRyan. Why the fuck was Ryan added into this story? Why did he send those flowers and why was he randomly at the forest preserve when Christian was there walking his dog? Was he stalking Nina? Was he in love with her? Why did he resign after she came back in the prologue... none of it makes any sense. Him sending her the flowers was glossed over so why was it even added in the first place? He touched her knee in the car, which screams sexual attraction, but then when he followed her home I thought it made sense? He wanted to make sure she got home okay... that doesn't scream stalker to me, I don't know. Very weird and confusing. Also, the woman in the car just idling on the street when Nina went for a walk but then asked for directions? The bottle of cologne that spilled? The dirty muddy footprint? I am assuming the footprint was left by Christian, but it was never explained and it was never described from Christian's POV... I don't know. Doesn't make sense. None of it connects.
The worst part of the book was the ending. Like I've said in my last review of Kubica's 'She's Not Sorry', there is SO much lead up and then there is nearly zero pay off. From phdiva.blog's review of this book [She's Not Sorry], "Kubica is known for launching a bunch of plot threads at the beginning, but fails to tie them together in a way that makes sense and has impact for the reader. Threads began fraying into different directions instead of coming back together."
It was evident that Lily and Jake were having an affair, but what didn't make any sense is that she has a sudden change of heart in telling Christian and then Christian becoming afraid of her for like... 4 paragraphs/half a chapter. He ends up divorcing/separating her after her trial I assume (again, it's never discussed what happened but you can figure that out), which makes sense, but I just wish it was described more.
All in all, I really did enjoy this book minus the few plot holes and things that just didn't make any sense/things that felt rushed. I would recommend it to someone since the plot holes weren't as unforgivable as they were in She's Not Sorry or Local Woman Missing. There are only a few main characters which is a plus, and everything was very straight forward and definitely very suspenseful and kept me turning the pages desperate to know what was going on!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infidelity, Terminal illness, Violence, and Stalking
She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
3.25
I read 'Local Woman Missing' and I did not like it. There were too many plot lines to follow, too many characters, and not enough pay off. I nearly put off Kubica forever based on that book, but I'm glad I didn't. This book had some of the same issues - too many plot lines and not a lot of payoff, but it was so much better! Luckily, there were only a few characters to keep up with which made it so much easier to follow, unlike Local Woman Missing.
The first twist I did not see coming.I always found Nat to be a bit suspicious, popping up randomly and having such a sad sob story and appearing along Meghan's commute, but I did not expect that SHE was Caitlyn, and I did not expect that Megan was the one to push her! I literally gasped at that part of the story, finding it to be such an interesting twist and as I've seen online, most people didn't see it coming either which makes me feel a little less dense (: The only thing I did not like about this, for me anyways, it caused the timelines in the beginning of the book to become a bit muddled and confusing. I wasn't sure what turn of events happened when, but luckily, that isn't too important. It's just something that I noticed.
The second and third twists I saw coming, but they were still good... kind of.No one who a writer describes as 'a good guy' can ever be trusted. I was onto Luke from the first moment they introduced him. Why was he jogging and whistling as he followed Megan in the dark? Like what the fuck? From then on, I was like, oh he's the rapist! Also, I feel Ben is sketchy and untrustworthy and I feel he already knows that Sienna isn't his daughter based on how short and irritable he is when it comes to her. The first time I thought it was when she is taking too long to get ready and second when Sienna texts Megan and he tells her to ignore it... father of the year award.
I saw this from phdiva.blog's review of this book, and they explain my gripes with this book/Kubica's writing perfectly: "Kubica is known for launching a bunch of plot threads at the beginning, but fails to tie them together in a way that makes sense and has impact for the reader. I didn't guess thatCaitlyn was Ben's girlfriend, and that was a good twist, but then the plot got away from Kubica. Threads began fraying into different directions instead of coming back together." There were so many things that didn't make sense and storylines that weren't tied up at all, they were just shoved into a closet and Kubica closed the door, hoping we as readers would forget about them and just accept the unsatisfactory 'ending' to them. For example, Caitlyn's family being the entire focus of the first 75% of the book, the characters seeming sketchy and suspicious, but then just disappearing from the story once the first twist hits. Or Caitlyn's weird friend who showed up with no explanation. Or how Sienna was the one leaving her mother cryptic threatening notes after believing her father's girlfriend... how does that make sense?
There were a lot of storylines that didn't need to happen, and because of these, the book was so long-winded and pretty boring for a decent amount of it. The main bulk of the story was just following Meghan on her day to day commute to work and living her life... which was not very exciting as a plot. It took such a long time to get through the sloggy parts of this book but when you get to part 2, the book definitely picks up pace and gets way more interesting. Kubica just needs to be better about highlighting important elements/plot points and not adding so many in because its impossible for her to tie them all together nicely or to have them come together as one big twist which would've been incredible for this book.
The first twist I did not see coming.
The second and third twists I saw coming, but they were still good... kind of.
I saw this from phdiva.blog's review of this book, and they explain my gripes with this book/Kubica's writing perfectly: "Kubica is known for launching a bunch of plot threads at the beginning, but fails to tie them together in a way that makes sense and has impact for the reader. I didn't guess that
There were a lot of storylines that didn't need to happen, and because of these, the book was so long-winded and pretty boring for a decent amount of it. The main bulk of the story was just following Meghan on her day to day commute to work and living her life... which was not very exciting as a plot. It took such a long time to get through the sloggy parts of this book but when you get to part 2, the book definitely picks up pace and gets way more interesting. Kubica just needs to be better about highlighting important elements/plot points and not adding so many in because its impossible for her to tie them all together nicely or to have them come together as one big twist which would've been incredible for this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cancer and Car accident