lucypreston's reviews
281 reviews

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I loved The Guest List and The Hunting Party so was really excited to read Lucy Foley’s newest release however this book didn’t work for me at all. I found all the plot twists ridiculous and the story seemed to drag on particularly in the middle 200 pages.

I’m really puzzled by the inclusion of the Birds as to me they added very little to the story and almost turned this from a thriller to a fantasy novel which wasn’t what I signed up. 

In previous Lucy Foley books I haven’t minded the dual timeline, multi POV narrative but the constant back and forth in this one was very off putting to me.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

I love Richard Osman’s writing style and like his other four books I flew through this one. This book definitely felt like it was there to set up a new series which is exciting but at times it felt like so many characters were introduced and a lot of things weren’t properly developed. 

I loved the main characters and am excited to see where this series goes now that we’ve got the exposition out the way.

Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie

dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

The premise of this book was really intriguing and I love a good locked room mystery however this book lost momentum in the middle and seemed to repeat itself a lot. 

I finished this book on what would’ve been Agatha Christie’s 134th birthday so Happy Birthday Agatha!

Business Casual by B.K. Borison

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

I wish I had read the rest of the series before reading this one as this book kept name dropping characters assuming you know them and their backstories. 

Aside from that the romance was fine but felt slightly rushed. In general this book was okay but nothing memorable.

Just For The Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book! I liked that aside from just being a romance the two main characters had friendships and other things happening in their lives. I did however think that the ending was slightly rushed.

A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

This is the third (I think?) Miss Marple book I’ve read and I think I might have to accept that I’m more of a Poirot kind of person. I found this very slow and it unfortunately just didn’t hold my interest at all.

One by One by Freida McFadden

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? No

4.0

As always with Freida McFadden’s books, this was so quick to get through and required limited brain power. This was a fun time but nothing to write home about.

Let the Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura

lighthearted 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? No

3.0

For the past couple of weeks I have used the Olympics as a substitute for a personality so I loved the Olympic setting in this book. What I don't understand is why the author decided to set the 2024 Summer Olympics in Athens as opposed to Paris. 

There were some aspects of this book which I enjoyed for example the friendships and the Olympic village however due to the fortnight timeline in which the Olympics take place, the romance is so rushed.

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

emotional inspiring reflective medium-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

5.0

This had such a unique premise and it was executed beautifully. It evoked just about every emotion and is a book I will think about for a long time.

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

This book was so underwhelming in every possible way! Rachel’s character completely changes in this book compared to The Night Swim to the point that she comes across as rude and argumentative. I hated the romance subplot and thought it was extremely cringey and unnecessary.

The mystery itself fell very flat and it all seemed to wrap up way too quickly in the last couple of chapters.