emileereadsbooks's reviews
1113 reviews

I enjoy a memoir a lot, and I read quite a few about people who have come through hard situations and circumstances, but they aren't always so crass in their details and descriptions. 

I do appreciate how vulnerable Blakinger is here, and how she shares her emotions throughout all the ups and downs she's experienced. Her story is inspiring, and how she brought herself out of the depths she fell to only to reach back down into the pit and help out others is fantastic. But the explicit nature made it not for me as a reader.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the book. All opinions are my own.

We read so many books about astronauts and their space endeavors. But not about those left at home to hold down the fort. I loved the down to earth(😉) Christian perspective Stacey brings in this book as she parented her kids at home while her husband was in space. And during their weird reentry as her husband returned at the beginning of the pandemic. Such a compelling read.

Thank you Netgalley and Tyndale House for the gifted book for the gifted book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

I grew up camping just south of where this book is set in Oklahoma and many of my memories with my family have this landscape as the backdrop. So reading more about the history of the area in the context of this novel was extra fascinating to me.

Lisa Wingate is a master at creating unique voices in her novels. And paired with the excellent multi-voice narration, this book has personality in spades. I was so drawn to these characters that when the perspectives switched, I immediately missed the other one.

I will say that although this good is heavily researched, it does not delve super deep into the issue of children's land rights, but rather gives a snapshot of one story that represents the experiences of some. This is a character driven novel with a plot that at times meanders along. In fact, the historical timeline reminds me of some children's classics that are more languid in their storytelling.

I saw some reviews saying that the pacing of this book didn't work for them. And I get that as a person who generally likes a plot that moves. But the personality in this book endeared these characters to me and kept me invested when the story took it's time. So the whole book worked for me!

Thanks to Ballantine Books for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

 

Twins Ike and Iris aren't just your average ten-year-olds. Ike is a genius who is super into American history and Iris is an elite athlete with next level spacial awareness.

They live in Washington D.C. where their mom runs a boutique museum. And on the opening night of the newest exhibit an artifact is stolen by a girl their age before their eyes. 

They chase the girl around New England as they anticipate her next targets by finding clues with the help of a historian at The National Archives. But with the twins being at each crime scene, the FBI suspects they might be involved! They have to clean their family's name and save the artifacts before it is too late!

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I flew through this book in a day. Which, for a book I read on Kindle is saying a lot during this season of life. I love a treasure hunt/heist novel or tv show or movie and this one was like catnip to me. It references continually the movie National Treasure in a tongue in cheek way that really amused me. But also I LOVE the movie National Treasure (and I definitely watched it after reading this). 

Other than the treasure hunt element, which honestly is hard to top for me, some other things really worked in this story. 

The narrative voice of each of the twins. Their personalities were distinct and I loved getting each of their perspectives.

This book isn't technology heavy. The twins don't even have smart phones. I LOVE that this is modeled in a middle grade novel. 

The plethora of historical fact and geography of D.C. that fit into the story. This book could have easily been bogged down by this information, but it propped up the story instead. 

One note about Ike's personality: he is BLUNT. He is called out on how he talks to and treats people, but regularly calls people idiots and handles them as such. I wish he would have been disciplined a bit more for this, but I have a feeling he will gain some tact over this series. 

Amelia Quinn was betrayed by her ex-fiancé, so getting back into the dating game feels a bit adventurous to her. And it becomes actually adventurous when she accidentally sits down at the wrong man's table for a date and kisses him! He turns out to be an FBI agent and now she's in on his case. And inspired by her favorite TV detectives, she's going to take her role VERY seriously. Which means, she also ends up in a bit of hot water herself when her encounter with a dead body doesn't exactly follow protocol. Can this hunky FBI agent save her from herself?
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When I saw @BookstagramByAlissaMorgan recommend this book by saying it was a gender swap of the TV show Psych with a bunch of Psych references I IMMEDIATELY borrowed it from KU. And it was the most fun reading experience I have had in awhile. I wanted to find every single second and pocket or time to read this. I was up in the middle of the night devouring page after page.

Psych the TV is over the top and silly, but stays grounded with the mysteries and the hearts of the characters and their interactions. I was a little worried this book wouldn't strike the same balance, but it totally did.

I loved Amelia and Caleb and their banter and the juxtaposition of how they operate. Plus their chemistry was so magnetic and I couldn't wait til they were together again each time they were apart.

I will say my one note of dislike, which this is a dislike of this trope, not the writing, is I hate the "I don't want to turn out like my deadbeat parent, so I avoid relationships" trope. Maybe just because it doesn't resonate with me, but I always find it annoying and terrible reasoning.

Plus this book has fantastic references and Easter eggs that point back to the TV show that made it an even more fun read.

I had never heard of this author until this book and I'm mad a Bookstagram for not telling me about her sooner.
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This is a closed door, kisses only rom com. It is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone.

Available on Kindle Unlimited

You will be glad her mom died too, she was a truly awful mother! And that sounds awful, but the number of people I have told that to is constantly climbing. Because IRL this book has been a go to recommendation I give since I read it last year. 

And you will be glad that Jennette wrote about her life, because she is a phenomenal writer. Because of the level of vulnerability, you feel like she is telling you her story personally rather than writing it for hoards of people. Plus because she is a talented actress as well, the audiobook in done in her trademark matter of fact tone that only adds to the experience of reading this one.

If you like memoir of any kind, I think you will appreciate reading this one.

Content Note: eating disorder, child abuse, emotional abuse, alcoholism, death of a parent, cancer, mental illness, stalking, infidelity 

The fans asked and Cosimano delivered! We finally got a peek into Vero's backstory and what a doozy it is! It was fun getting to know Vero better and understand what propels her to make the decisions she does. This short story is a comedy of errors that will keep you entertained. 

At only 2.5 hours on audio (and that's at 1x), this book is just a little snack into addition to the full meals of the other books in the series. 
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This is a novella and is labeled as #3.5 in the Finlay Donovan series, but is a prequel for Vero's story and can be read as a standalone. 

Thank you for the gifted book @Macmillan.Audio! All opinions are my own.

Five years ago, Lucy was found on the side of the road covered in blood, with a head wound, and no recollection of the night before. Her best friend, Savvy, was dead and since Savvy was the darling of their small central Texas town, everyone needs someone to blame, and that blame falls on Lucy. 

Now, living in LA away from everything that happened, her life is upended once again when a hit true crime podcast decides to use it's second season to cover Savvy's case. Now people far beyond the limits of her hometown think Lucy is a murderer. 

With some coercion from her grandma, Lucy returns home to try and find the truth once and for all. After all, she doesn't even know if she did it...

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I don't think anyone in this book was truly likable (except maybe the grandma).  Lucy mainly thinks with her lady bits and I wanted her to be more interesting than that. And at every turn people are making questable decisions that are just infuriating. And I typically need my characters to be likeable. THAT BEING SAID, I was fully invested in this book. I flew through the audio. This book has interesting twists that just propel you through the story. 

Plus, this book is wildly discussable. My IRL book club picked this for our May read and every single person devoured it and enjoyed it. For a group that typical reads historical fiction, this was a new genre for us and we had so much to ponder and break down as we talked. Talking it over we found themes and societal commentary that I missed in my quick read, so it added to the experience for me. 

If you are looking for a page turning thriller or an audiobook that will have you finishing all your laundry and dishes, pick this one up! 

Thanks to @CeladonBooks for the finished copy I read along with the audio. They also send me a book club kit that we used in my IRL book club! The book club kit can be found on their website.

Vincent and his sister Lili are sent to spend spring break with their great uncle. Vincent is done with art in his life, but it's kind of hard to avoid when his great uncle is an art conservator and his house is filled with works of art. And then when Lili disappears into one of the world's most famous paintings, Vincent learns the secrets his parents have been hiding from him... They are the last of a secret society called The Restorationists, who can travel through paintings and is tasked with protecting them from evil.

Vincent has to trust his spirited cousin Georgia to help him navigate this new world and find Lili. Along the way he has to deal with his past, his apparent new reality and future, and what it means that his parents kept this secret. 
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This book is such a genius concept. It rolls family dynamics, secret societies, good vs evil, and art history together in one immersive package. I felt like I was being pulled through these paintings with Vincent and Georgia. It's been a while since I read it and I can still picture some scenes the way my mind's eye conjured them up. They have stuck with me. 

I cannot wait for the next book in this series and I hope that this series gets a long run. It has so much potential.

Bonus: Michael Crouch is such an excellent narrator. I don't praise narrators I love enough, but he does such an excellent job with all the middle grade books I have heard him narrate!
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This is the first in a new middle grade series called The Restorationists.

When I saw this on the Modern Mrs. Darcy summer reading list, I snatched it up. I figured she would have excellent taste in rom com. But this was a big miss for me. This book is the epitome of the overuse of metaphor. It was just one metaphor after another. Plus the characters were not appealing to me, I felt no connection to them, and in fact was annoyed by them. And perhaps this was a fault of it being an advanced digital copy, but the writing felt choppy at times. My hope is that it was missing some section breaks. Overall, a very fun concept that was a flop for me. 

Thanks to Canary Street Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.