shelfcontrolreviews's reviews
87 reviews

Bitter House by Kiersten Modglin

adventurous dark mysterious 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 was incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to read Bitter House by Kiersten Modglin. Oh my goodness, y’all! This is my favorite KMod book TO DATE👏🏻! This brand new story gets 3.5/5⚖️ + 5/5⭐️ overall.

Get reading asap on this brilliant new novel from the Queen of Thrillers. 
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“𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒅. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒃𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅, 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓.” 

Vera Bitter is a longstanding member of the community. She’s well known while simultaneously an enigma. When she passes, Bitter House is left to Bridget who’s been stranger from her grandmother, Vera since she was 18. Why would she have left the house to her? They hadn’t spoken in years. 

When Bridget shows up, she finds out this home holds more secrets than she could have imagined. As she figures out what to do with this house that she grew up in but never felt at home in - more & more secrets keep being revealed. Imagine the surprise when unknown influences start creeping up into every corner of the property to unveil things you’d never imagine…not to mention, you can’t seem to even verify their validity. 

Some secrets are easier to stomach than others. What will you learn about Bitter House, Vera, & yourself once you enter? 

A Not So Bollywood Meet Cute by Miya Malai

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted tense slow-paced

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

4.5

🦢Review Time!🦢 

I was lucky enough to be able to read the beauty that is A Not-So Bollywood Meet Cute by Miya Malai! It’s an incredibly slow burn with a build up to an ending that truly had me tearing up while reading it so it receives a 2.5/5🌶️ + 4.5/5⭐️ overall! I absolutely loved it!
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Evan is tired of his Hollywood life. He’s been in the limelight. As a super hero movie star, America has fallen in love with him. However, that party boy lifestyle has come & go in his mind. He’s become accustomed to his solace & loves every minute of it. When his sister asks him to accompany her to a gala at the foundation she volunteers at, he begrudgingly accepts & thinks he just has to get through the night. 

….until he lays eyes on Katrina Shah. 

Katrina has spent her entire adult life to other people - some with the image, her family’s business, & the kids at the foundation she runs but make no mistake, she’s worked hard towards every step! While Katrina is trying to focus on all aspects of the gala, she sees a face in the crowd that she can’t pull away from.

…Evan’s face. 

Can they deal with family & societal pressure? Can they keep things on the down low since they both try to avoid more spotlight than required? Can they keep their lives separate or will they end up forever entangled? What happens when pure chaos ensues every time they turn around?

The Reunion by Kiersten Modglin

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

5.0

The Reunion by Kiersten Modglin is NOT talked about enough! It’s a fantastic read that gets our narrator Meg Price a 4.5/5⭐️ while the book gets a 3/5⚖️ + 5/5⭐️ overall! You don’t know what you’re missing when if you haven’t picked up this thriller. 
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Cait Du Bois has arrived at Hotel Lilith for her high school reunion…unfortunately. This building holds nothing but negativity for her graduating class. While her husband stays behind with the kids, she does have the chance to run into her high school friend, Sam. It seems as if not all is bad…

…until strange things start occurring around Cait & Sam. Every time Cait turns around - things are going missing, there are creepy phone calls, & not to mention it’s like someone is constantly following her. She has no proof but she keeps catching glances of something out of the corner of her eye…or was it someone?
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No matter what ending you guess, you’re wrong. The past continuously smashes into the present in the worst ways at this reunion. No matter what you think you believe, you simply won’t see this ending coming! 

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Most hyped books end up letting me down by ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’ by Jenette McCurdy is not among those letdowns! The audiobook is well worth it because it adds an entirely new layer to hear the emotion in Jenette’s voice as she recounts her childhood. 5/5⭐️ overall for this read!
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While I may not have lived through her same traumatic experiences, as someone who lost their parent at a young age, I had to come to grips with missing that parent while grappling with the emotional turmoil of accepting what that parent did or didn’t do. 

She is incredibly brave for telling her story while being so truly vulnerable & open. She covers everything from not knowing how the next bill would be paid to it all falling on her shoulders to her mother judging the roles she was forced to take to her relationships with costars and the effect it had on herself. 

Every emotion is pulled out of you by the time it’s all said & done. 

Inside Out by Lor Gislason

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

4.25

Holy geez! Inside Out by Lor Gislason is one of the most interestingly written books I’ve read in along time! Our narrator Nick Bouchard gets a 4.5/5⭐️ while the book itself gets 1/5🤢 + 1/5⚖️ + 4.25/5⭐️ overall! 
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Take post apocalyptic & mess it with a news reel & a military briefing room. That’s what happens in this truly remarkable debut novella. Indie horror meets themes of 80s classics when a mysterious infection spreads through the world, people and animals start melting into horrific monsters. 

Alice by Christina Henry

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Alice by Christina Henry is an intriguing new spin on the Alice in Wonderland story that we all know & love. This is book one of the trilogy & it is, by far, the best one if you ask me. The narrator Jenny Sterlin gets a 4/5⭐️ while the book itself gets a 3.5/5⭐️ overall! It did have some parts that felt overly detailed or almost unnecessary in general to the total story but I still recommend this if you would like a new take on a classic. 
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Set in a dystopian future - Alice lives in a “hospital” but this is definitely not one where recovery is the goal. Alice is one of the many many tortured souls that live here and her captors are horrendous people. How did we get here? Why aren’t we in the good part of Old City where we used to be? 

Didn’t it have something to do with a tea party? Maybe there was a rabbit because Alice sees him in her nightmares? Why does she keep having Hatcher & Jabberwocky circle in her mind? 

When the hospital catches fire, now is the time for Alice - and you - to find out! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence

Under His Reign by Willow Winters

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

🐉Review Time!🐉

I’ve started to love the occasional paranormal romance, though it turns out I AM picky. Luckily for me, ‘Under His Reign’ by Willow Winters fit beautifully into my pickiness. It had such a fantastic blend of fantasy, spiciness, modernism, romance, heartbreak, & magic! Ratings went through the roof on this one: 6/5🌶️ + 5/5⭐️ overall because I already need more of the Arrington flight! 
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Kara has been presented as a truce gift from the rebellion to the Arrington dragon shifters - Drago, Galen, & Cyrus. She’s heard stories of where she is & none of them have turned out well. She’s been through hell & back already so what’s another situation thrown at her to handle? 

𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚…𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?…

Drago has been secluded with his brothers in their castle for so long & for good reason. After the purge long ago, it’s in everyone’s best interest. 

…𝙐𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙖…

He must have her. Except she has every wall up - emotionally, physically, & mentally - & they’re reinforced with steel like resolve.

What follows is the push & pull of Kara & Drago learning whether or not they can get along, trust each other, & withstand the challenges headed their way. 
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** Under His Reign is part of the larger To Be Claimed world. Start the world now with Wounded Kiss! **

Captive Desire by Willow Winters

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Willow Winters has done it again with her paranormal romance world! Every time this world expands, it makes me crave more. Captive Desire is the newest book in the To Be Claimed saga/universe & it gets a 3.5/5🌶️ (a lot of build in the steamy scenes) + 5/5⭐️ overall! If you like paranormal romance, definitely add this world to your TBR asap!
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Inside, you’ll find:

🥀Paranormal Romance
🥀HEA
🥀Insta-Love
🥀Two Alphas
🥀Human Mate
🥀Forced Proximity
🥀Possessive/Jealous 
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Twin alphas? Owen & Luke are the definition of a misfit family but that doesn’t mean they can’t get along when needed. 

Then, Emma enters their lives…

While Emma isn’t new to the shifter world & what it can entail, she wasn’t expecting to end up with twin mates, herself…certainly not twin ALPHA mates at that. Luke & Owen are the yin & yang to her body & her love. Her feelings have become fairly contrite & you feel for her turmoil (and a little frustrated at her). 

How will this new life they’re building last with war on the brink? 

A Ghost of a Chance by Brittany Kelley

funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

Brittany Kelley is the definition of what I like in a palate cleanser with her standalones! A Ghost of a Chance is the newest in the line of wonderful works. 2.5/5 Spice + 4/5 Stars Overall! It’s got a good bit of spice, a decent amount of fluff, a lot of sarcasm, & even some ghastly romantic backgrounds. I loved this next addition! 
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“𝑾𝒐𝒘. 𝑯𝒆’𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒚𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚.”

Tara owns TAROT, KOLACHE AND TEA - a shop that’s exactly that! Well it was anyways…until a fire decided to engulf everything she owns. While she’s trying to get her life back on track, she ends up staying with her aunt Tilly. Tilly is somehow a problem & a safe place all at once….

….unless you ask Ward Carlisle. 

Ward is Tilly’s neighbor & he has had more than enough of her nightly shenanigans that go beyond the definition of exhausting. Then, he meets Tara while she’s staying in the “questionable” cottage Tilly’s property. 

Small towns will do what they do &…we’re face to face with the people we most try to avoid. 

The deal? Ward & Tara fake date until Halloween so he avoids drama with his ex while Tara’s family gets their previously owned property back. 

𝙀𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩…

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

I recently read Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD. I’ve been doing a lot of shadow work, healing, & therapy over the last two years. This book has been on my TBR for a while. It was absolutely worth every minute! The narrator Marguerite Gavin is a 4/5 ⭐️ & the book was 4/5 ⭐️ overall.  I took 1 star from the narrator because she could be stale at times & 1 star from the overall because the exercises felt vary cluttered. 
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By chapter two, I was always called out & floored by the contents of the book. It’s a great read but I will say, I quickly felt like the dedication should have been “since your parents screwed up during raising you, Rachel, here’s a book to help cope now that you’re an adult”.