nats-reads-reviews

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Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown 1/5 ⭐️

Start date: 3/9/25

End date: DNF

Format: Audiobook

Review: I had high hopes for this book because I love a academic suspense but this book was pretty slow and boring. I got about half way through it and I felt like nothing was really happening. In both alternating narrations between Maya and Naomi, similar things were happening during their time at Princeton but at the same time, there wasn’t a lot of substance. I read the book for about 6 hours and the most interesting thing that happened was Maya realizing that the professor running the secret Graystone Society was blackmailing the students in order to have power of them and that was implied pretty early on it the book. The story just really dragged. Disappointing but I’m glad I at least gave it a try.

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How I’ll Kill You by Ren Destefano 5/5 ⭐️

Start date: 3/6/25

End date: 3/12/25

Format: Physical book

Review: I seriously loved this book! It was such a fantastic blend of gritty thriller and wholesome romance. The author created a blend of genres so different yet perfectly executed. I fell in love with Sissy’s character and her ability to work through the hardships she went through — to not let her sisters issues get in the way her of her bravery, doing what was right, and creating a life for herself with Edison was so beautiful!! I just loved it lol.

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The Dare by Natasha Preston 5/5 ⭐️

Start date: 3/4/25

End date: 3/9/25

Format: Audiobook

Review: Damn, this book was pretty crazy. It was such a creepy suspense book to me because it’s based on something that could actually happen! And what could be more stressful than being forced to be complicit in a murder with your ex-best friends. This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was listening to the audiobook. I did not see the end coming at all and Marley was a much smarter, cunning character that I gave her credit for throughout the book. She was a wild character and the ending left me shocked!

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The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie 3/5 ⭐️

Start date: 2/28/25

End date: 3/4/25

Format: eBook

Review: I bought the second book from the Miss. Marpel series and wanted to make sure I read the first book before stating the second one. In short, this book fell right in the middle for me. It was entertaining, fast paced and had many good dialogue moments. But when the mystery was solved, it didn’t leave me super shocked the way I felt reading Agatha Christie in the past. It was a good fluff mystery which was what I was looking for so it was enjoyable.

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Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 2/5 ⭐️

Start date: 2/21/25

End date: 3/1/25

Format: physical book and audiobook

Review: I was pretty disappointed with this story. I expected a lot more considering how popular it was. The fungus possession was an interesting idea and I also liked the Hill House/Dracula parallels but dang, this story was slow for like 75 percent of the book. Majority of the book was just Noemi being denied access to see her cousin or get her help. It revved up quick towards the end and it did get interesting but it just didn’t save the book for me. The storyline was slow, it wasn’t very interesting and it just kinda fell flat.

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Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett 5/5 ⭐️

Start date: 2/15/25

End date: 2/28/25

Format: Physical book

Review: This is the second book of the Emily Wilde series and I cannot state enough how cozy these books are. They’re so fun to read. I love Emily’s narration of her adventures out in the field and I love her blossoming relationship with Wendell. Wendell’s aloof and whimsical demeanor is so cute. There were so many moments I unexpectedly laughed out loud and I love the academic nature of the writing style. I’m looking forward to reading the third book of this series and recommend this to anyone interested in lighter version of high-fantasy.

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January 2025 Book Reviews ❄️ 📚

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (3.5/5) This one had high spice levels! Lol I’ll just start out by saying that. I think Nate was a great portrayal of healthy behavior but he was almost too perfect - exactly like a man written by a woman but that’s just me. I think Ryan’s character was completely unnecessary. Stassie could have commitment issues without Ryan’s character and it would made her more endearing. I did really enjoy the emphasis on Stassie’s mental health which was great for readers. I liked it but not great writing beyond the spice - still enjoyable though!

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (3/5) This was a really neat book! I loved that the Rose could pick up so info much from the food she ate - including where the ingredients came from and the emotions of those who cooked it. It brought a lot of anxiety into her life around her mother’s cooking due to her family’s dysfunction and I thought that was so creative. It was definitely a one-of-a-kind and the author did well portraying the emotions and experiences of Rose’s upbringing.

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida (1.5/5) The concept of this book was so cute and I loved how the cats helped people work through the problems they were experiencing in their lives that brought them to the doctor. However, I didn’t really feel a connection to any of the characters and some of their problems seemed weird to me. Also, the doctor and his staff were supposed to be quirky but the way they behaved just didn’t land or come across endearing lol. Idk, I liked the concept but it wasn’t executed well for me.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren (4/5) I loved this book. Christina Lauren makes such good romance books that are actually realistic in the sense that the characters are dealing with real life relationship problems. I loved that the couple was faking their marriage for a variety of financial reasons but ultimately found they were perfect for each other on a forced vacation together. They were really good influences on each other and they experienced a lot of growth together. Good spice too!

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena (3/5) This was an entertaining, fast-paced, and easy to follow murder mystery. However, of all of Lapena's books I've read, this was probably my least favorite. I felt like the big reveal at the end wasn't that shocking. Majority of the book was the characters just pointing fingers at each other and talking to one another or the police. It just wasn't a lot of suspense in comparison to some of her other books. However, I still enjoyed it and it kept my attention.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (4/5) I enjoyed this book and that there were two stories happening simultaneously. I liked that it took place in Italy and Hawkins drew inspiration from Fleetwood Mac, as well as Mary Shelly and Lord Byron’s relationship. It was a pretty cool book but best read as a physical book. The audiobook could get confusing with the multiple storylines within the same chapter.

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice (5/5) Damn, Anne Rice was such a good author. Her story telling goes far beyond the world of vampires - she discusses religion, history, philosophy and sociology through her characters. After reading Interview With the Vampire, I thought there was no way I’d like Lestat or his story but wow, she really shows how we can misunderstand people through the lens of other’s experiences with them. I loved it!

Butts: A Back Story by Heather Radke (4.5/5) This was a pretty interesting woman’s studies book covering the role of butt’s through out history and the influence they’ve played in media and beauty standards through out time. You never realize how much butts influence us but this book really brought all of it to light. I found it very fascinating!

Infinite County by Patricia Engel (3/5) I felt like this book has a very accurate and realistic depiction of immigration and the trials that come along with that for both those who immigrate to a new country, and those who stayed behind in their native country. I thought it was a good book but also nothing happened that really got me hooked on the story either. I liked the message that despite time and distance, family is family and love always remains though!

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Tess of the D'Urbervilles (2008)

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Beautiful library in Munich Bavaria

© Thomas

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Library -  Jess Allen , 2023.

British , b. 1966 -

Oil on linen, 91 x 122 cm.

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flower bookmarks

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Currently Reading 📚 💞

Infinite Country by Patricia Engle

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa TerKeurst

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Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson | book dedication

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Currently Reading 📚 ❄️

The Vampire Lester by Anne Rice

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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December 2024 Book Reviews ❄️

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind (5/5) This was such an amazingly well-written and unique book! It really draws on the power of our sense of smell, our need for connection and love, and the means one will take to receive and feel love. This book had depth and left me thinking a lot about it once I finished it.

Cursed Bunny: Stories by Bora Chung (4/5) I thought these short stories were a good mix between Grimm's Fairy Tales and Black Mirror but with a twist of Asian culture. I liked some of the stories more than others but all of them were really neat to reflect on. The more I reflected on them, the more themes and lessons I found in the stories. Really neat!

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover (3.5/5) I enjoyed this book and appreciate CoHo creating a romance with the theme of breaking free of the cycles of abuse from our upbringing when creating your own life. It wasn’t a phenomenal book but it was entertaining, full of drama, and the ending was touching.

Last Days in Plaka by Henriette Lazaridis (4/5) This book was very immersive in the life of Greek citizens in modern times and I really enjoyed the writing style. I liked the religious themes, and that both Irini and Anna were using their dynamic as a way to create some meaning in their last days in Plaka for very different reasons - to understand the past and to change the past.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (4.5/5) This was such a cute, heartwarming read. I absolutely loved the time-traveling cafe and the rules set to time traveling. I liked how each chapter was a small story and they were all interconnected. I’ll definitely be reading the rest of the series.

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale (1/5) I couldn't finish this book. It started out interesting - a neurodivergent main-character who can time travel seemed like a neat story - but everything was so repetitive and there was so much unnecessary content that got in the way of the story picking up. I think there was potential here but it wasn't executed well.

Dark Succession by Katee Robert (2.5/5) This was my first mafia romance and I wasn't very impressed lol. I liked the power struggle dynamics, the arranged marriage, and how there was action right at the beginning. Teague and Callie's relationship wasn't very exciting to me. I thought it was kind of unrealistic that he wouldn't have asked her about her relationship with Brendan more. In that way, it made the whole story feel weak and forced to me.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (4.5/5) Wow! This book really had a crazy twist at the end. I didn’t see it coming at all. It was a great dark academia psychological thriller with themes of Greek tragedy and cult influence.

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson (1/5) I’ve read most of Jackson’s books and I loved them but this one really fell short for me. It had potential but there were way too many subplots that just didn’t add value. Marigold wasn’t a very likable character in my opinion. She had some good character development at the end but the ending was still very disappointing and incomplete feeling.

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Currently Reading 📚

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore