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eri_cat93's reviews
268 reviews
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
3.6 stars
I've long been a big fan of Lucy Foley, and though I haven't loved every book I did really like this one! The Midnight Feast follows several characters during the summer of 2010 and during the opening weekend of a luxury hotel experience (The Manor). Sprinkle in spooky local folklore and it's a slow build, but ultimately good thriller.
I enjoyed the stark difference between each narrator and the flashbacks being told in diary format. There were a few places that could have been edited down/out but overall this was an enjoyable, well written, tantalizing thriller.
I've long been a big fan of Lucy Foley, and though I haven't loved every book I did really like this one! The Midnight Feast follows several characters during the summer of 2010 and during the opening weekend of a luxury hotel experience (The Manor). Sprinkle in spooky local folklore and it's a slow build, but ultimately good thriller.
I enjoyed the stark difference between each narrator and the flashbacks being told in diary format. There were a few places that could have been edited down/out but overall this was an enjoyable, well written, tantalizing thriller.
Invisible Woman by Katia Lief
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Phoebe is prepping her dad’s house for sale due to his recent passing while also reconnecting with her energetic little brother, finishing her dissertation about the True Crime genre, & automatically assuming her neighbor(s) is a serial killer…while also being distractingly attracted to one of them. She’s deep in the world of true crime so it makes sense, but the woman is paranoid for sure. Her childhood trauma combined with her love of the macabre makes this a classic, no big surprises romcom with the twist that instead of being quirky, our protagonist is more prickly.
The trauma parts of this book hit home with me in a personal, relatable way, which did add a bit of weight to the story as a whole. It’s well written & fast paced & and surprisingly quick read considering how many serial killers are mentioned.
I did expect (hope) it might lean a bit more into the “I think this guy is sus” aspect or at least hold on to it a bit longer before devolving into a predictable romance with predictable ‘problems’ that only exist because she is not emotionally mature & to add the ‘will they, won’t they’ element. I think taking it a bit darker or leaning more into Phoebe’s trauma & how it has shaped her life & dealing with it as she returns home would have been more compelling than the neatly wrapped up love story, but hey I’m also a sucker for cheesy romance so it was still enjoyable.
The trauma parts of this book hit home with me in a personal, relatable way, which did add a bit of weight to the story as a whole. It’s well written & fast paced & and surprisingly quick read considering how many serial killers are mentioned.
I did expect (hope) it might lean a bit more into the “I think this guy is sus” aspect or at least hold on to it a bit longer before devolving into a predictable romance with predictable ‘problems’ that only exist because she is not emotionally mature & to add the ‘will they, won’t they’ element. I think taking it a bit darker or leaning more into Phoebe’s trauma & how it has shaped her life & dealing with it as she returns home would have been more compelling than the neatly wrapped up love story, but hey I’m also a sucker for cheesy romance so it was still enjoyable.
The Thing in the Snow by Sean Adams
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I think I liked this book - I think I’ll like it more the longer I sit with it, because the ending is very abrupt & leaves a lot of things unanswered, but in a good way? Maybe?
This felt much more sci-fi than horror, more akin to Hitchhiker’s Guide than Stephen King.
Hart & his employees (Cline & Gibbs) are tasked with keeping maintenance of a temporarily out of use research facility in the middle of nowhere. We follow them through their menial weekly tasks & as they discover that they can suddenly see a thing out in the snow. When the only remaining researcher is no help to them, theories fly & productivity decreases. Hart is set on being a proper leader & desperately tries to keep them on track to little success.
As this is told through Hart’s POV, the reader is left wondering how reliable the narrator is, why the researchers had to evacuate, & what the heck the thing in the snow is?!
This felt much more sci-fi than horror, more akin to Hitchhiker’s Guide than Stephen King.
Hart & his employees (Cline & Gibbs) are tasked with keeping maintenance of a temporarily out of use research facility in the middle of nowhere. We follow them through their menial weekly tasks & as they discover that they can suddenly see a thing out in the snow. When the only remaining researcher is no help to them, theories fly & productivity decreases. Hart is set on being a proper leader & desperately tries to keep them on track to little success.
As this is told through Hart’s POV, the reader is left wondering how reliable the narrator is, why the researchers had to evacuate, & what the heck the thing in the snow is?!
The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 ✨
This was a quick, fun read. Classic romcom tropes with a splash of self awareness. Alex wakes up with no memory of who she is or how she got there, she sets out to fill in the gaps with the help of a handsome spy who might know her and might keep her alive long enough to figure out the rest.
There were a few hard to believe/buy parts and an entire chapter where I’m pretty sure the only dialogue was people dramatically yelling other people’s names so it’s not the very best writing but still very enjoyable!
This was a quick, fun read. Classic romcom tropes with a splash of self awareness. Alex wakes up with no memory of who she is or how she got there, she sets out to fill in the gaps with the help of a handsome spy who might know her and might keep her alive long enough to figure out the rest.
There were a few hard to believe/buy parts and an entire chapter where I’m pretty sure the only dialogue was people dramatically yelling other people’s names so it’s not the very best writing but still very enjoyable!
The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3✨
It’s odd to find a book where I really enjoy the writing but am really bored/underwhelmed by the story. This book featured some of the most relatable inner monologue I’ve read, but the story was very lack luster to me.
Gwen’s already having a rough go of things when she somehow gets trapped in the same Christmas Day over & over. As she sets out granting wishes in an attempt to get to tomorrow, she also nurses her teenage crush on the boy next door.
With the exception of an explosion, everything goes pretty much how you’d expect. I did really enjoy the writing & most of the characters, but the overall story and the romance fell a bit flat imo.
It’s odd to find a book where I really enjoy the writing but am really bored/underwhelmed by the story. This book featured some of the most relatable inner monologue I’ve read, but the story was very lack luster to me.
Gwen’s already having a rough go of things when she somehow gets trapped in the same Christmas Day over & over. As she sets out granting wishes in an attempt to get to tomorrow, she also nurses her teenage crush on the boy next door.
With the exception of an explosion, everything goes pretty much how you’d expect. I did really enjoy the writing & most of the characters, but the overall story and the romance fell a bit flat imo.
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation by Jim O'Heir
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
This book made me happy and very much made me want to be friends with Jim O'Heir.
The man who brought Jerry (et al) to life takes the reader on a delightful little journey through his life, career, and of course his time on Parks & Rec. I was pleasantly surprised to find so many excerpts & insights from other cast & crew members, and overall found this to be a light if somewhat light on the P&R details read.
The man who brought Jerry (et al) to life takes the reader on a delightful little journey through his life, career, and of course his time on Parks & Rec. I was pleasantly surprised to find so many excerpts & insights from other cast & crew members, and overall found this to be a light if somewhat light on the P&R details read.
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
😴😴😴
This book had potential but ultimately fell flat. For a book about accidental time travel, there are shockingly few surprises and even fewer stakes.
Mae gets stuck in a time loop reliving the week of Christmas - except not really because it only happens at the beginning of the book. While it felt like things were being set up for some subverted expectations, instead everything happens pretty much cookie-cutter-happy-ending style which was a bummer for me.
It’s not bad, just boring and painfully predictable.
This book had potential but ultimately fell flat. For a book about accidental time travel, there are shockingly few surprises and even fewer stakes.
Mae gets stuck in a time loop reliving the week of Christmas - except not really because it only happens at the beginning of the book. While it felt like things were being set up for some subverted expectations, instead everything happens pretty much cookie-cutter-happy-ending style which was a bummer for me.
It’s not bad, just boring and painfully predictable.
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
4/5 stars - and the minus one is truly just because this book could have been ~150 pages shorter without losing anything important.
The town of Jerusalem's Lot ('Salem's Lot to the locals) is just like any other until a few mysterious new tenants move to town. Ben, an author returning to turn his childhood nightmares into his next best seller, and the elusive Straker and Barlow, reclusive businessmen who moved into the creepiest house in town and plan to sell antiquities. The town & it's people seem to know something is amiss before they consciously realize it and once a group stumbles upon the truth, darkness is unleashed.
Other than taking a couple hundred pages to really get to the good stuff, this was an A+ read. Classic horror written in a style that only King has really mastered. Vivid, unsettling, and downright scary at times, I highly recommend this one to fans of the genre and King himself.
The town of Jerusalem's Lot ('Salem's Lot to the locals) is just like any other until a few mysterious new tenants move to town. Ben, an author returning to turn his childhood nightmares into his next best seller, and the elusive Straker and Barlow, reclusive businessmen who moved into the creepiest house in town and plan to sell antiquities. The town & it's people seem to know something is amiss before they consciously realize it and once a group stumbles upon the truth, darkness is unleashed.
Other than taking a couple hundred pages to really get to the good stuff, this was an A+ read. Classic horror written in a style that only King has really mastered. Vivid, unsettling, and downright scary at times, I highly recommend this one to fans of the genre and King himself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide