A fun short story set in the same timeline as The Unhoneymooners. I liked following Ami and watching her loosen up gradually. I wish there was a big fA fun short story set in the same timeline as The Unhoneymooners. I liked following Ami and watching her loosen up gradually. I wish there was a big fuck you moment for Dane, but I guess Ami is a bigger person than me.
I really enjoy an immersive audiobook like this one, with background noise helping to set a scene. The only thing that confused me is why the Brody's narrator would sometimes read Ami's dialogue and sometimes not, and vice versa. I'm sure there was some reason, but it was just confusing to me. ...more
This book would be rated higher if Ethan wasn't such a POS. I understand feeling defensive over your brother at first, but even after it's conf3 Stars
This book would be rated higher if Ethan wasn't such a POS. I understand feeling defensive over your brother at first, but even after it's confirmed Amy thought her and Dean were exclusive for years and Dean hits on Olive you still choose to defend him? The grand gesture wasn't grand enough for me. He basically infiltrated her place of work and wore a funny shirt and said sorry. And the fact that he invited her ex-boss that fired her after her first day of work to witness the moment... cherry on top of a shit sundae. The world's most awkward proposal can be the sprinkles haphazardly added afterwards.
Most this happens at the end and I liked the first 60% of this book a lot, so middle of the road rating it is. ...more
The blurb doesn't really mention that this is a pandemic/apocalyptic novel. I will say as triggering as it is to read such stuff in a post-Covid1 Star
The blurb doesn't really mention that this is a pandemic/apocalyptic novel. I will say as triggering as it is to read such stuff in a post-Covid world, this was actually written and published before Covid, so it wasn't as triggering having that knowledge. It was quite creepy just how many similarities there were, though. Christina Henry... what did you know?! lol
Unfortunately I did not enjoy my time reading this book, and I think the main reason why is the structure. The novel opens with a pretty epic murder scene, which sets a nice tone, but then that great setup is gone to waste. We know from the opening chapter that Red is traveling solo, so when we see her lose her family members those emotional moments just don't hit. I was prepared for that since page one. I think sacrificing the shocking opening scene to tell the story in a linear fashion would make for a better overall reading experience.
I also don't understand the third person POV when so many of Red's thoughts are injected through italics. Like... just make this first person POV at that point. I could never fully immerse myself into the story because of this.
Spoilers past this point...
The ending was super lackluster and solidified the one star rating for me. I was assuming since we were spoiled about the family member deaths that the book would take a different and interesting angle for the majority of the plot. NOPE. There are containment camps that are mentioned a ton, and I was looking forward to seeing Red forced to go to one and try to escape or unearth the truth of them or something. Never happens. This mysterious and sinister place is mentioned an ungodly amount of times just for us to never see it.
Also, not only is there some viral infection spreading and killing people at an alarming rate, there are also these weird aliens who live inside the chest cavity of people and then explode out once they get too big. What? That is just so random and never explained beyond "it was grown in a lab and got out because the pandemic started." I just don't understand what it really added to the story beyond an additional horror element. The monster is only seen once, though, and Red takes it down quite easily and in a super unsatisfactory way. I'd rather see her forced to the containment camp than have this weird subplot thrown in.
Red ends up stumbling upon two kids and adding them to her party. It happens about halfway or more than halfway through the book and had me thinking "Finally, something will actually happen to progress the plot." Instead, we get like one intense scene with them. The next page? A 25 DAY TIME SKIP!!! What!!?! The whole book is about Red going to grandma's house... why cut that journey short? What's the point of the kids if we just skip the journey with them? Instead this entire book was basically seeing Red lose her family, which again we knew was bound to happen from the start and so it was super pointless to read about.
The book ends with a knock on grandma's door. Is granny okay? Is she a stranger in disguise? This is the big moment in the original Red Riding Hood tale. The journey through the forest is barely the important part... it's getting to grandma's house that is the meat of the story. The author completely missed the mark on this retelling. Couple that with the few cringey times people actually called Red "Little Red Riding Hood"... it's beyond on the nose at that point. Also, just for nit-picky sake, why would someone who is apparently incredibly well versed with survival instincts wear a bright red fucking sweater in the woods? The way this character was described, this is the last thing she would do.
Besides a shocking first chapter, there is little to nothing to praise about this novel....more
I accidentally read this duology out of order, but they work as stand alone novels so it was fine. However, I do prefer The True Love Experimen3 Stars
I accidentally read this duology out of order, but they work as stand alone novels so it was fine. However, I do prefer The True Love Experiment to this one because of the reality tv plot. I am just a SUCKER for those.
I also find Fizzy and Connor to be a more interesting couple personality wise. Jess's whole personality revolves around her daughter, which makes sense but I wish we got to see her break out of her shell more as she spent more time with River. River is also quite bland and only shows emotion like one time. I suppose they really are soulmates....more
I absolutely LOVE me a plot where the characters are living through some sort of time loop (i.e. See You Yesterday, This Spells Love, pls tell 4 Stars
I absolutely LOVE me a plot where the characters are living through some sort of time loop (i.e. See You Yesterday, This Spells Love, pls tell me more books like this), but add Valentine's Day to the mix and I'm guaranteed an amazing time.
Emilie is determined to have the perfect Valentine's Day, which includes telling her boyfriend of 6(?) months that she loves him. Instead, her morning begins with a car crash from the insufferable Nick. In the afternoon she witnesses Josh cheat on her with his ex, and by the evening she learns her dad is planning on moving for work and leaving her to live with her mom. Quite literally the worst day ever, and Emilie can't wait for it to end, but in the morning it's Valentine's Day again. Realizing the time loop she's stuck in, Emilie is determined to get her perfect Valentine's.
The ending of this book is absolutely hilarious. In all the books with this Groundhog's Day plot, the character eventually has a "fuck it" day where they do anything they want with no consequences. BUT imagine if that was the last day of your time loop... OMG SO JUICY.
Lynn Painter never misses and I cannot wait to keep reading her backlist. ...more
I oddly did find this installment to be dragging the story; the opposite of several other reviews. While we did see some personal progression (3 Stars
I oddly did find this installment to be dragging the story; the opposite of several other reviews. While we did see some personal progression (either good or bad) nothing really happened in terms of Persephone having an arrest warrant out for her. She easily hid in Hell with Hades. Several characters even go to visit her. There's seemingly no threat to her at the moment.
The romance here is SUPER slow. Even now, with Persephone wanting to pick up the pace, Hades doesn't want to. I get it, since she's staying at his house and he feels weird starting their romance when she's in such a vulnerable place in life, but man I need to see some more sweetness from them. Their interactions this time felt more "pleasant and nice" instead of flirty.
It will be interesting to see how it will all go down when it's discovered that Minthe is behind all of this. ...more
The book was done WAYYY better than the show. I liked how the plot was linear and we were constantly jumping POV, unlike how the show went thro4 Stars
The book was done WAYYY better than the show. I liked how the plot was linear and we were constantly jumping POV, unlike how the show went through all of Charlotte's stuff just to then re-show the same 50 scenes again in George's episode....more
I like when a book takes it there, and boy did this take it there. This had it all. Treasure hunting, romance, murder... what more do you want?4 Stars
I like when a book takes it there, and boy did this take it there. This had it all. Treasure hunting, romance, murder... what more do you want? There were a few times where the clues were confusing to me, but whatever. The vibes were immaculate and I had a blast reading this. ...more
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Any book where there's a reality dating show but the protagonist falls for someone other than who th4 Stars
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Any book where there's a reality dating show but the protagonist falls for someone other than who they're supposed to??? I WILL EAT IT EVERY TIME....more
Cool things: disability rep, Violet being openly sexual, Pikachu powers, CRAZYYY final page
Weird things: chapters/scenes cutting off in the mos3 Stars
Cool things: disability rep, Violet being openly sexual, Pikachu powers, CRAZYYY final page
Weird things: chapters/scenes cutting off in the most intense spot just for the next chapter/scene to not follow through and time jump us to something random, how Xaden and Violet go from 0 to 100 in a matter of pages (their romance started steamy but became so cringe to me)
This book just throws you straight into the story. It took me a minute to grasp what the Company was and what exactly Joe's job is, especiall4.5 Stars
This book just throws you straight into the story. It took me a minute to grasp what the Company was and what exactly Joe's job is, especially since the blurb for this novel is vague. It really isn't until about half way in that the reader can fully grasp it. If you're interested to learn more, then unlock the spoiler for an in-depth summary.
(view spoiler)[Essentially, Joe works for a secret government facility that oversees Antennas, a.k.a. people who have had their senses numbed. They use these Antennas to intercept into the enemy's subconscious without them even knowing. It's like tapping into a phone line except you're tapping into someone's mind. In order for the intercept to work, the Antennas have all their senses returned to them suddenly. It's a painful process for them, but they're meant to be in a vegetable state. That is until one, called Bishop, breaks out of her mental prison and starts intercepting into Joe's daughter, Riley. Bishop begins to mentally torture Riley to punish Joe for all the torture that she's had to endure in the decade she's been at the facility. Once Joe is up to speed on all of this, he comes up with a plan to get rid of Bishop. (hide spoiler)]
While the first half of this book unfolded a bit like a mystery and was more creepy than horrific, the second half amped up the horror factor. To the reviews saying this is more thriller than horror, I completely disagree. The nasty descriptions alone are enough to freak me out. The second half, when all the action happens, is something out of a nightmare. Put yourself in the shoes of one of the characters, Antenna or not, for a second. That isn't terrifying? If you think so, you're a liar! I'm glad that someone had a happy ending so that the book wasn't completely depressing, but it was still pretty depressing. The epilogue was unsettling and the perfect way to let the readers know what happens beyond the last page.
The writing in this is incredibly simple, making it approachable and bingeable. A great read for spooky season, if you can handle it....more
My reasons for not giving it a higher rating was because I found all the Greek mythology references unnecessary. The only purpose it served was a connection between Cassandra and her late mother, replace the mythology with literally any other subject and the effect is the same. Yes, I get Cassandra lore connecting to our main character's ability to time travel and thus be prophetic in a sense. Again, I don't think this needed to be highlighted so much and could have served as a fun nod to those familiar with the myth....more
When I first tried to read this on my Kindle, I was way too overwhelmed by the endless characters being introduced all at once. I switched to a4 Stars
When I first tried to read this on my Kindle, I was way too overwhelmed by the endless characters being introduced all at once. I switched to audio, where the different voices helped me to distinguish the characters more. After that hiccup, I found I really enjoyed this book. The serious subjects mixed with the humor made for a delightful read. The big ending with the "bad guy" was a little too gimmicky, but if you've been eyeing this book I recommend you pick it up soon!...more
If you have the chance to experience this book via audiobook, I highly recommend. The little podcast excerpts are so fun to listen to, and th4.5 Stars
If you have the chance to experience this book via audiobook, I highly recommend. The little podcast excerpts are so fun to listen to, and these narrators did a wonderful job in those bits especially.
This is a twisty mystery, and the added layer of having a MC with amnesia was an intriguing take that left me accusing our own protagonist at some points. I didn't find the killer to be totally obvious, but also not completely unexpected. As Dwight Schrute says, it's always the person you most medium suspect ;)
I'm still not sure how to feel about the domestic violence that our protagonist, Lucy, dealt with in her marriage. It does feel realistic for her to feel partially responsible since she would hit back in defense; so when the other ex-wife wants to connect with her to share their experiences, I get why Lucy chooses not to. What is confusing, though, is why she continues to visit Matt. Like, I know it's to try to solve the mystery and what not, but she doesn't really need to see him as much as she does, and I would think she would want to avoid being alone with that man at all costs. When he tries to right his wrongs at the end, it just rubbed me the wrong way. I can see this turning off other readers way more than me. I'm just left feeling conflicted about it, causing me to knock a half star off an otherwise excellent mystery novel. ...more
Loading...
