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ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥 ℙ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕥 ~ 𝔸𝕝𝕖𝕩 𝕄𝕚𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕤
Summary: Alicia Berenson is caught in her living room, her husband bound to a chair, shot 5 times in the head. She is shipped off to a mental institute. 7 years later, she has yet to say a single word since that faithful day. Psychotherapist Theo Faber has been obsessed with the case from the beginning. He wants to be the one who breaks Alicia's silence. And when he's hired at the institute where Alicia lives, he finally gets his chance to discover what happened between Alicia and her husband that evening.
Genre: thriller
Review: I was in a major reading slump and this book brought me right out of it! I devoured it, it definitely lives up to its hype to me. I was very much involved not just in Alicia's story, but also in Theo's life. I knew something was wrong, but I did not see that plot twist coming! I find it very hard to review this novel without spoiling the ending so... yeah just read it!
Rating: ✮✮✮✮☆ || 4/5 stars
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The main strength of "the Silent Patient" to me is not the story, but the characters of Alicia and Theo. I got really involved in their world of thought. I always love books with unreliable narrators and they were the most unreliable of narrators!
Theo is convinced he can get Alicia to talk. Throughout the novel we follow his journey as a psychotherapist in the institute where Alicia is a patient. We also get to know his personal life, more specifically the relationship with his wife Kathy, who he finds out is cheating on him.
Theo seems to be getting through to Alicia by going to her friends and family members to find out what makes Alicia tick. He visits her brother-in-law Max, her former best friend and gallery owner Jean-Felix, her nosy neighbour Barbie and her cousin Paul. Slowly but surely he unravels her life's story. By the time he spoke to everyone, I was sure Alicia didn't kill her husband, but it was someone else and an obsessive Theo would kill the real perpetrator or something.
Needless to say I did not see the plot-twist coming. Turns out the parts where we follow Theo and his relationship with Kathy were flashbacks, Kathy is cheating on Theo with Alicia's husband, and Theo is the one who was stalking Alicia and eventually set her off to kill her husband.
Even though I loved the book, the loose ends are what's preventing me from giving it 5 stars. The main thing I thought was strange was that no one believed Alicia when she was said she was being stalked because she told people this before her suicide attempt as well. The hallucinations were part of her depression. However, that seems strange since this time she ís being stalked. Is that just a coincidence? It seemed strange to me.
I also hoped for some more closure with the side plots of the other characters: Max and his new wife (whose name I already forgot), Jean-Felix and the gallery (there was something strange going on here as well), and Paul's gambling problem and relationship with his mother. I didn't want a neat little bow on everything, but it would have been nice to have a little more elaboration on all the other characters.
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ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎: ℍ𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝔽𝕝𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕨 ~ 𝕊𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕙 𝕁 𝕄𝕒𝕒𝕤
Summary: Bryce Quinlan has landed in the wrong spot. She was supposed to end up in hel to ask for the help of prince Aidas, but instead she landed in the homeworld of the fae. She has to get out, but not before discovering some life-changing (and possibly Asteri-defeating) truths.
Meanwhile, the rest of the gang is in trouble. As in, torture dungeon trouble. Will they ever make it out of the Asteri's hands alive? Will Lidia be able to save Ruhn? WHO KNOWS...
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, New Adult
Review: My boyfriend and I played a game. Open A House of Flame and Shadow on any given page. 9/10 chance the word "fuck" is somewhere on there.
It pains me so much to say that I just didn't really like this final installment of the Crescent City series. I LOVED House of Earth and Blood and thought House of Sky and Breath was good, but House of Flame and Shadow just left me disappointed. Even though I reread HoSaB before starting this one, there was never a moment where I felt as drawn into the world as I did when reading HoEaB for the first time. I also feel like the dialogue was, pardon my use of the word, cringy. Sorry Sarah, as a huge fan I have to say, this one was my least favourite of yours. Please note I am still very much looking forward to the next ACOTAR book.
Rating: ✮✮☆☆☆ || 2/5 stars
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This is my list of characters I liked: Lidia Cervos and... No that's actually about it. But let's start at the beginning.
Bryce, Nesta, and Azriel. It's not that I don't like the pair up but it just felt a bit lacking. To be honest this is understandable because it was very ambitious to throw Bryce into the world of an ongoing parallel series. The events happening in the ACOTAR world need to be impactful for Bryce, yet not so impactful for the ACOTAR characters that it has to be mentioned in their next installment. You know, in case people only read ACOTAR and not CC. For all it's worth, I though Bryce in the fae world was a fun little excursion and a good backstory for her, but not the Bryce-runinng-around-in-Velaris-causing-havoc-with-the-ACOTAR-crew that I was (naively) expecting.
I also quite liked the part of Hunt, Ruhn, and Baxian in the dungeons. I realise this makes me sound like a weirdo because it's mostly just torture, but Maas really made the space and the events feel like hell and did not hold back.
The rest is where it all kinda felt like meh to me. The reunion between Bryce and Hunt felt lacking, Ithan's storyline was frustrating as hell, Sigrid added nothing (they just forgot about her in the end?), and Tharion and Sathian's marriage could have been explored way more.
Maas trierd to do way too much, making the story too convoluted and leaving entire plotpoints abandoned. I already mentioned Sigrid, but also there was no point in having Ariadne around. I was also really expecting Bryce and Ruhn's father to play a huge role in the story, but he was killed off all of a sudden.
I did like Ael- I mean Lidia and Ruhn. They were my favourite characters in this book and I really enjoyed following their story. The rest just felt super lackluster.
But the one thing that annoyed me most of all: the dialogue was HORRIBLE. I literally had to put the book down and roll my eyes some of the characters were insufferable in House of Sky and Breath.
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May 𝒯𝐵𝑅
Start: 30 - 5 - 2024
House of Flame and Shadow ~ Sarah J. Maas
Catch Me When I Fall ~ Nicci French
Christine ~ Stephen King
Stoner ~ John Williams
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May is supposed to be sunny, yet all we've had so far is rain. This is the vibe right now
#booklr#may tbr#tbr#to be read#christine#stoner#house of flame and shadow#catch me when i fall#sarah j maas#nicci french#stephen king#john williams#books#reading
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ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎: 𝔾𝕖𝕜 𝕧𝕒𝕟 𝕁𝕠𝕦! ~ 𝕁𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖 𝕊𝕔𝕙𝕣ö𝕕𝕖𝕣
Summary: After one last final date, Lize decides to give up on men forever. She fully dedicates her life to her job as a blogger for Frappy, a site for happily single women. When her aunt signs her up for a two-week retreat that promises all the tools she needs to find love, Lize develops a plan to infiltrate the estate and write a scathing review. However, slowly but surely Lize starts to believe in the teachings of the excentric Marie-Sophie. And the cute cook at the estate isn't helping her cause either...
Genre: romance, contemporary, young adult, Dutch
Review: I picked up this book at a sale in a bookstore I passed when going home from a friend's house with no idea what it was about. I had to really get used to the writing style, and I soon found out why. The writer has previously written children's books and this was her second young adult contemporary novel. This explained the slightly juvenile writing style that I was not expecting from a (what I thought) adult novel. It also explains the rather simplistic black and white view on relationships, I think. I have to admit I was not a big fan of the book, but I also think I'm not the targeted audience. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more ten years ago. I do have to say I really loved the journey of Lize throughout the book. I started out dislinking her, but her character really grew and developed during her stay in the mansion. I do have to say that the ending was a bit... too much for me. But perfect for chicklit, which is why I would have probably rated this a lot higher when I was a teen.
Rating: ✮✮☆☆☆ || 2/5 stars
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𝒜𝓊𝑔𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒯𝐵𝑅
Start: 31-7-2023
Gek van Jou! ~ Jette Schröder
Crime and Punishment ~ Fyodor Dostoyevski
Wahala ~ Nikki May
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#August tbr#wahala#crime and punishment#gek van jou#tbr#to be read#booklr#nikki may#fyodor dostoyevski#jette schroder
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ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎: 𝔻𝕒𝕚𝕤𝕪 𝕁𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕤 & 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕚𝕩 ~ 𝕋𝕒𝕪𝕝𝕠𝕣 𝕁𝕖𝕟𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕤 ℝ𝕖𝕚𝕕
Summary: Bandmembers, crew and family of the legendary rockband Daisy Jones & the Six are interviewed years after the group disbanded. They talk about the ups and downs, drugs, parties, relationships, love and, of course, fame during a tell-all interview.
Genre: historical fiction, romance, contemporary
Review: I started reading Daisy Jones & the Six a couple of times, but the writing being in interview format threw me off every time. This time, I decided to just continue reading a couple of chapters. This was absolutely the right decision, because after about 50 pages, I was hooked. Daisy Jones & the Six is a pageturner! I loved how the different perspectives of the characters disagreed, argued and had such varying views on the same events. Having said all that, I thought the ending was quite anticlimactic. It was all wrapped up in a few pages, and I was very unimpressed with the "twist". Still, I would absolutely recommend reading the novel. Jenkins took me on a fantastic wild ride!
Rating: ✮✮✮✮☆ || 4/5 stars
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I thought Jenkins did an absolutely amazing job at creating living and breathing characters. Daisy was loveable, excrutiating, arrogant, hurt, flawed, loving. and irritating. Just like Billy, who I at times felt sorry for, and other times wanted to punch in the face. The interview-format was a perfect way to write this book. It is not my favourite Jenkins-read. I enjoyed Malibu Rising and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo more because I felt like there was much more going on. Daisy Jones sometimes did feel like the same story over and over again. Billy didn't relapse, Daisy didn't try to be a better person and fail. It was more about the vibes then the actual events.
I did think it was quite annoying how the other characters described Daisy at times. Like she was some sort of godess, she was so beautiful, she was the most perfect person you've ever seen. Yeah I get it, show don't tell. There was nothing that she really DID that showed how great she was. She was just pretty.
Also, the "twist" of the author being Julia added absolutely nothing. The way she interrupted at a point that wasn't that revealing or interesting was unnecessary. There were other, way more important moments in the story where I felt it would have been more logical for her to interrupt.
♥ Do you agree with my review? Let me know, I would love to discuss the novel! Also be sure to follow me on Goodreads to keep up with what I'm reading next. ♥
#Daisy Jones#Daisy Jones and the Six#Daisy Jones & the six#Taylor Jenkins Reid#Book review#Review#Booklr#Goodreads#Daisy Jones Revies#Daisy Jones and the Six Review
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ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎: 𝔹𝕦𝕟𝕟𝕪 ~ 𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕒 𝔸𝕨𝕒𝕕
Summary: Bunny is the story of college student Samantha, who gets involved with a group of popular mean girls who all call each other Bunny. As Samantha is more and more included in their group dynamic, things start to get... weird.
Genre: magical realism, horror
My experience: I love weird girl books. And let me tell you, this was a weird book. Bunny was not at all what I expected, but I loved it! The theme of mean girls, cliques and fake niceties is explored in a very unique way. Topics that most people experience in their lives are portrayed in a very literal, over-the-top way, and I loved how the narration reflected the state of Samantha's involvement with the Bunnies. The reason why I'm not giving this book 5 stars is for the ending. I feel like it took a very abrupt turn in a different direction. This is definitely not inherently negative, but I was hoping it would have been explored a bit more.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮☆ || 4/5 stars
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Previously to reading the book, I read it being described as a slasher version of Mean Girls. I was very surprised when I found out it turned out to be more magical realism in combination with horror. I loved how the various recognisable themes were being described through Samantha's state of mind. The very obvious example being of course how, at the beginning of the book, she seems very normal and clear-headed, but when she is involved with the Bunnies her entire internal monologue is in Bunny-speak.
I also loved how anti-climatic Samantha's relationship with Alan / the Lion was! Her guilt over the fact that nothing extreme happened, she just embarrassed herself in front of him a bit, was great. It left the reader with the same feeling of 'is this it?' as Samantha and the Bunnies were feeling. The book lost me a bit at the end, with the whole Max / Ava situation. I feel like the ending would have been stronger without the inclusion of Max. I felt like his character sort of diminished the fact that Ava turned out to be a Swan Girl, someone Samantha made, by making it about the three of them instead of just about Ava and Samantha.
♥ Do you agree with my review? Let me know, I would love to discuss the novel! Also be sure to follow me on Goodreads to keep up with what I'm reading next. ♥
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𝒮𝑜𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝑜𝓃 𝓇𝑒𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓉
Taylor Swift ~ Cruel Summer
Lana Del Rey ~ Arcadia
SZA ~ Gone Girl
King Princess ~ Let Us Die
Janelle Monáe ~ Float
#Taylor Swift#Cruel Summer#Lana del Rey#Arcadia#SZA#Gone Girl#King Princess#Let Us Die#Janelle Monae#Float#Songs on Repeat#Music#Spotify
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𝒥𝓊𝓃𝑒 𝒯𝐵𝑅
Start: 17-6-2023
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue ~ V.E. Schwab
Bunny ~ Mona Awad
Daisy Jones and the Six ~ Taylor Jenkins Reid
#june tbr#june#book#books#tbr#booklr#the invisible life of addie larue#bunny#daisy jones#daisy jones and the six#v.e. schwab#mona awad#taylor jenkins reid
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