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eyreibreathe's reviews
369 reviews
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
5.0
Every now in a blue moon, I come across a rare gem of a book that occupies my every waking thought - a book I don't want to put down for a minute, but when I have to, it's all I can think about; a book I've grown so attached to that it saddens me, even a hundred pages from the end, to think about turning that final page. That was We Begin at the End for me. It broke my heart a million times over, slowly put together some of the pieces, while others remained scattered to the wind. This is most definitely a book you'll want to read with a box of tissues at hand. I don't remember the last time I became so attached to characters. In fact, my mind keeps returning over and over again to Duchess. Time will tell, but she may just be my favorite literary character I've encountered. This is a story with depth and layers - a mix of suspense and slow-burning literary fiction. It's a story rich in setting, intricate in plot; and it packs a mighty punch.
I will say that it took me some time to settle into this book and the writing style. I actually almost put it aside a couple times, but I'm so happy I stuck with it. Somewhere around page 80 or 90, I reached a turning point, and from there on out, it basically owned me.
I will say that it took me some time to settle into this book and the writing style. I actually almost put it aside a couple times, but I'm so happy I stuck with it. Somewhere around page 80 or 90, I reached a turning point, and from there on out, it basically owned me.
Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens
3.0
Synopsis:
Cold Creek Highway has a long and dark history. For decades, women have gone missing...or worse. Hailey McBride is seventeen and living in an unbearable environment. Thus, she decides the only answer is to flee into the Cold Creek wilderness, counting on the outdoor skills her father passed down for survival. In an alternative perspective, one year later, Beth Chevalier enters Cold Creek to attend a memorial for the highway victims. Beth's own sister was murdered there the previous summer, and she finds herself getting a job at the same local diner her sister worked at. As she gets closer to piecing together the truth of last summer, she realizes she's up against more darkness and lies than she ever imagined.
My thoughts:
This book really kept me guessing! Surprising and intense, it's a suspense read that I had fun attempting to piece together before the big reveal. This was an emotional read as well. What these women went through was horrific. Sometimes my HSP (highly sensitive person) traits sneak up on me when I'm reading, and it happened in some of the details of violence in this book, and I found I had to take a breather. It's odd because I've read other things that have just as much, if not more detail, and I've been able to plow ahead, so I think it was just a timing thing...but maybe good to know if you're a fellow HSP.
Cold Creek Highway has a long and dark history. For decades, women have gone missing...or worse. Hailey McBride is seventeen and living in an unbearable environment. Thus, she decides the only answer is to flee into the Cold Creek wilderness, counting on the outdoor skills her father passed down for survival. In an alternative perspective, one year later, Beth Chevalier enters Cold Creek to attend a memorial for the highway victims. Beth's own sister was murdered there the previous summer, and she finds herself getting a job at the same local diner her sister worked at. As she gets closer to piecing together the truth of last summer, she realizes she's up against more darkness and lies than she ever imagined.
My thoughts:
This book really kept me guessing! Surprising and intense, it's a suspense read that I had fun attempting to piece together before the big reveal. This was an emotional read as well. What these women went through was horrific. Sometimes my HSP (highly sensitive person) traits sneak up on me when I'm reading, and it happened in some of the details of violence in this book, and I found I had to take a breather. It's odd because I've read other things that have just as much, if not more detail, and I've been able to plow ahead, so I think it was just a timing thing...but maybe good to know if you're a fellow HSP.
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
4.0
This was yet another book that grabbed my attention pretty much right out of the gate. The twists and turns kept me glued to the page while the well-developed characters and the realistic relationship dynamics added depth to the storyline. To me, this was a perfectly paced mystery, dropping little bombshells when I wasn't quite expecting them. I'd be settling comfortably into whatever scene I was reading when a clue or a twist would land in my lap, and I'd always be a bit surprised and wonder how I missed it coming. It kept me on my toes in that way. It's an easy book to "get comfortable" in as it delves into the cores of its characters, and yet the suspense elements were top notch and snuck up on me at times. So fun!
The second half of the book didn't quite grip me in the same way. I don't want to say it fell flat, though maybe in a small way it did. I still had that compulsion to keep reading, excited to see how it would all play out. After all the build up, though, it resolved in such an unexpected way. This is a spoiler-free zone, as you all know, so I'm not going to say any more on that front. I will say that I really enjoyed this book regardless of this mixed bag of emotions I'm feeling...and really probably in part *because* of this mixed bag of emotions. It's making me think and feel in complex and contrasting ways, and it's staying with me. I'm so happy I started May out with such a thought-provoking read.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The second half of the book didn't quite grip me in the same way. I don't want to say it fell flat, though maybe in a small way it did. I still had that compulsion to keep reading, excited to see how it would all play out. After all the build up, though, it resolved in such an unexpected way. This is a spoiler-free zone, as you all know, so I'm not going to say any more on that front. I will say that I really enjoyed this book regardless of this mixed bag of emotions I'm feeling...and really probably in part *because* of this mixed bag of emotions. It's making me think and feel in complex and contrasting ways, and it's staying with me. I'm so happy I started May out with such a thought-provoking read.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
4.0
I was in desperate need of a laugh-out-loud read, and this book delivered.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
4.0
4.5 ⭐
There has been a lot of buzz around Emily Henry's latest release, and I can see why... People We Meet on Vacation was delightful! After reading both this one and Beach Read, it's clear to me that Henry is queen of banter. I absolutely loved the wit and the chemistry between Alex and Poppy. Even more than that, though, I loved how this (to me) reached a deeper level than your average rom-com. We as readers get to watch Alex and Poppy's relationship unfold over a 12-year period. There is genuine love, trust, and friendship that has weathered the test of time. As we watch these two come back together after a two-year hiatus/rough patch, it's hard not to feel desperate for them to get past the awkwardness and to see what's been right in front of them this whole time. I. was. invested.
There has been a lot of buzz around Emily Henry's latest release, and I can see why... People We Meet on Vacation was delightful! After reading both this one and Beach Read, it's clear to me that Henry is queen of banter. I absolutely loved the wit and the chemistry between Alex and Poppy. Even more than that, though, I loved how this (to me) reached a deeper level than your average rom-com. We as readers get to watch Alex and Poppy's relationship unfold over a 12-year period. There is genuine love, trust, and friendship that has weathered the test of time. As we watch these two come back together after a two-year hiatus/rough patch, it's hard not to feel desperate for them to get past the awkwardness and to see what's been right in front of them this whole time. I. was. invested.
When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
5.0
4.5 ⭐
Do you guys ever kick yourselves for not reading a book earlier? Obviously, I've only had When the Stars Go Dark for a couple months, but if I'd known just how much I'd love this book, I would have read it right away.
Something unique about When the Stars Go Dark is that it weaves actual missing person cases into the plot, and I'll be honest: Before I read it, I wasn't sure how I felt about that. It would have been really easy to sensationalize these cases, but thankfully instead, I felt like they were written respectfully and with sensitivity. And yet, that suspense factor was still very much there... it was a slow burn, but I didn't want to put it down until I figured out how it would end. It's not often I come across books set in the 90's, and I thought reading a crime fiction book set in this period was especially interesting because readers get a glimpse of what solving missing persons cases looked like right before the age of the internet...and how the internet changed certain aspects of solving these crimes. Another thing I especially loved was how McLain delved into the psychological aspects of profiling. What makes a criminal a criminal? What makes said criminal seek out a particular victim? Again, this was delved into gracefully and delicately. The character of Anna had a lot of empathy due to past experiences, and she was the perfect narrator to take on these sensitive topics. Snippets of her past are interwoven with the present, and we as readers get to see how she came to be so passionate about her job as a missing persons detective, how she came to have so much empathy and raw emotion and dedication. I loved her character. This was an emotional story that was so beautifully told.
Do you guys ever kick yourselves for not reading a book earlier? Obviously, I've only had When the Stars Go Dark for a couple months, but if I'd known just how much I'd love this book, I would have read it right away.
Something unique about When the Stars Go Dark is that it weaves actual missing person cases into the plot, and I'll be honest: Before I read it, I wasn't sure how I felt about that. It would have been really easy to sensationalize these cases, but thankfully instead, I felt like they were written respectfully and with sensitivity. And yet, that suspense factor was still very much there... it was a slow burn, but I didn't want to put it down until I figured out how it would end. It's not often I come across books set in the 90's, and I thought reading a crime fiction book set in this period was especially interesting because readers get a glimpse of what solving missing persons cases looked like right before the age of the internet...and how the internet changed certain aspects of solving these crimes. Another thing I especially loved was how McLain delved into the psychological aspects of profiling. What makes a criminal a criminal? What makes said criminal seek out a particular victim? Again, this was delved into gracefully and delicately. The character of Anna had a lot of empathy due to past experiences, and she was the perfect narrator to take on these sensitive topics. Snippets of her past are interwoven with the present, and we as readers get to see how she came to be so passionate about her job as a missing persons detective, how she came to have so much empathy and raw emotion and dedication. I loved her character. This was an emotional story that was so beautifully told.