bookiesandtea's reviews
544 reviews

The premise of this one is what intrigued me the most. Belle was the last person at 2 years old to see her mom before she vanished. Now 16 years later, she is thrust back into the spotlight when her mom suddenly reappears. 

From the very beginning, I felt Belle's pain and wearniess of getting close and trusting others after her mother’s disappearance. She felt the need to push people away before she could ever care for them to protect herself. 

This story is full of family drama, secrets, lies, and twists. The author did a really good job with building up the tension and keeping you guessing. 

I wasn't a big fan about the ending, but my word, this book gives off "dysfunctional family" vibes on all levels

Cosby is such an amazing writer that grabs your attention from the very beginning of all his books! My Darkest Prayer is no exception!

This is the author's debut crime thriller and I can definitely see all the signature styles he has continued to improve on in his subsequent books. 

This was a gritty, action-packed, dark and highly entertaining book. 

If you haven't picked up any of Cosby's books I highly recommend them!

I am a big fan of an unreliable narrator. All throughout the book, I was fairly sure who was the killer and had a suspicion of why, so I wasn't surprised that my theories were correct, but that it was another character who was the actual culprit. The pacing of the story is a little slow in the beginning and somewhat predictable, but I didn't mind it at all. The atmosphere the author created with the storm brewing in the background, family secrets, betrayals, and suspense is what I enjoyed the most with this one!

Narrated by Saskia Maarleveled, who does such a good job bringing each of the characters to life that it seems as if there were actually multiple narrators for the characters! 

A unique story with dark humor, witty commentary but I found it to be filled  with incomprehensible number of details per sentence, and anecdotes. I don't believe I would have gotten through as much as I did without the audio.

Multigenerational stories are some of my favorite family sagas! With 3 POVs from three generations of the family, we get a lot packed into this storyline from romance, contemporary, historical, mystery, and some magical realism. I know that all of that may sound a little weird, but it really works for this one. 

Starting with Lily Chen, a daughter of Chinese immigrants, we get how her upbringing has shaped her views on how she wants to live her life and how others view her as well. I loved how the author took each generation of this family and showed us how their upbringing shaped their future and it's impact on each other. From a mother's reliance on her son, a son's unwillingness to love, & a grandmother with stubbornness and high ambitious--how is family defined? Is it genetics, race, class, or money? Does a family's background dictates it's future generations?

Even though the first two books in the series focus on Signa, I was pleasantly surprised Wisteria felt like a continuation since Blythe was the focal point for this one. I loved her fierce independence and fiery relationship with fate! Their enemies to lovers banter was so good and made for a very engaging read.

However, I did feel like I was left with more questions than answers. This is due in part to the ending, which felt rushed and not as developed as the rest of the book. 

Overall, the whole series was enjoyable, and I am glad I was able to finish it! For fans of this series, you will love the magical world Adalyn Grace created and the dynamic relationship between Blythe and Fate!

This was such a sweet coming of age story! I loved how Reynolds takes such a "huge milestone" in gives inner voice to the teen boys. Reynolds always delivers with books that are powerful and necessary, and this one about first love, first relationships, and "first times" is no exception! It will definitely resonate with teens and young adults!

Narrated by Guy Lockard, who captured the essence and tone of the book perfectly!

I absolutely loved this one!

With these tropes, it was chef's kisses 💋

💋Best friend's brother
💋Friends to frenemies to lovers 
💋Chef MMC
💋Second chance
💋She falls first, He falls harder
💋It was always you! 

This was my second book by this author and I will definitely be reading more!

The banter between both Row and Calla were just amazing! Slow burn is normally not my favorite but this one was done so well I didn't even mind it. 

When I first started reading, I assumed I knew where the story was heading. It is not done often where we see the male MC being in love with the female MC for years, just waiting for the chance to possibly be more. Even if it means that that possibility will never happen. 

There was so much tension, so much tenderness, spiciness of course (I'm not sure if I can look at a candy cane the same ever 😜), and so much love!