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juanat77's reviews
173 reviews
The Greatest Lie of All by Jillian Cantor
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow! This novel captured me from chapter one. I ‘m going to remember these characters for a long time. It has Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes (but not the same at all) which I also loved.
This novel dives into the glamorous life of Hollywood (actors and authors) and covers truth, lies, ambition, romance, heartbreak and so so many secrets. There were quite a few twists. I guessed a couple but I didn’t see the rest coming.
It is a well written story with dual POV and past/present narratives. The author tied up the story perfectly. Not one loose end. I recommend this book to fans of Taylor Jenkins Smith and anyone who loves mysteries, thrillers with a touch or two of romance.
Thank you NetGalley, Jillian Cantor and Park Row for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Releases 12/3/24
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Inheritance by Nora Roberts
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I haven’t read a Nora Roberts novel in years but I was told her latest was pretty good. Inheritance is Book one in The Lost Bride Trilogy. It has paranormal elements which intrigued me. The FMC, Sonya, inherits a haunted gothic mansion from an uncle she never knew she had. She, her BFF and two male love interests are trying to figure out the multiple mysteries that lay within the mansion.
There were many repetitive writing throughout the book: taking the dog out, exercising, cooking and work projects over and over. It ended on a legit cliffhanger and I found myself wanting more. Book one seemed to the set up to the rest of the trilogy. All in all, it’s a solid read. I will continue the series.
3.75 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️💫
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a beautiful story about grief and also finding love—-with humor throughout to balance it out but you definitely still feel the emotions. Lenny (who gave me Jess from New Girl vibes) is grieving for the death of her best friend, Lou. She’s having a horrible time moving forward until she meets Miles (who experienced his own grief) who helps her navigate and heal through this difficult journey. Their relationship is sweet and their banter perfection.
Wow. What can I say. I loved this book. I laughed. I was emotional. I felt hope. I lost my Grandfather a few years ago and it was very difficult to move on—-just like Lenny. Through my grief and depression I was still able to joke, be a little weird (in a fun and good way) and laugh—just like Lenny.
I felt like this book was written for me. I was so connected to it. I cannot imagine life without my best friend. I don’t want to. Like Lou, my best friend is wacky, funny, loyal, smart and just overall amazing. Shout out to my girl DCO!! I really bonded with this story….as you can tell.
The story can be heavy and even heartbreaking but it is also uplifting and funny. My life too has been heavy and heartbreaking but it’s also been fun and inspiring. I have difficulty with emotions but Cara Bastone has a way of giving me all the heart feels.
I also want to add I appreciate how the author handled the sex scene. It wasn’t so….for lack of a better word “porn.” It was awkward. It was funny. It was sweet. Which is more realistic than what I’ve read in other stories.
So obviously I loved this book! Also to add, Cara Bastone is an auto buy author for me. Check out her previous novel “ Ready or not.” She also has a romance (and also humorous) series on Audible which I devoured. The narration and performance is muy excelente.
5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you @netgalley ,@carabastone and @thedialpress for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres because I always learn something. In this novel I learned about the canary girls who made contributions to World War I. While the men were fighting women were working. The canary girls worked in what was called “The Danger Building” in which they handled and were exposed (wearing little protective gear) to toxic levels of explosives including TNT which turned their skin yellow and caused many ailments.
Even though the women worked long hours seven days a week they still played football for people to enjoy since the professional footballers were away.
The book was well-written and you can tell the author thoroughly researched this time period. She was able to beautifully tell the story of female empowerment.
This is my first Jennifer Chiaverini novel and I’m eager to read more.
4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you @netgalley and @thedialpress for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I flew through this one! Like Mother, Like Mother is a character-driven multigenerational family story with intricate relationships. The author captures the complexities of the relationships beautifully. Well written. The book jumps around different timelines but the transitions were flawless.
I loved this story. I’m going to miss the characters! I ‘d recommend this to anyone who enjoys character-driven novels and reading about mother/daughter relationships.
4.5 stars!! ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Kissing Kosher is a light, funny, quick read but it also details serious issues such as chronic illness. The book is about two Jewish rival bakeries—the grandfather of one of the bakeries sends in his grandson to go undercover and work for their rival to steal a secret recipe but of course he falls for the granddaughter who is also his boss. I gave the storyline 3.5 stars but the knowledge I received about the Jewish community and chronic illness brought it up to 4 stars. The author was very informative but still able to make the story a rom-com. Laughing and learning—what is better than that?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney
I don’t want to give away anything. I went into it blindly and recommend you do too. It is an intricate tale told in multiple perspectives with numerous twists. A couple I saw coming but others I did not. Besides the mysteries, there is a focus on mother-daughter relationships. I was throughly engaged from beginning to end. There was a lot going on but it tied up beautifully. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys twisty, suspenseful, and mystery thrillers!
4.5 stars!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
#alicefeeney #goodbadgirl #flatironbooks
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Book of the month by Jennifer Probst
Thank you @netgalley and Blue Box Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a fun and light read. Fake dating. Small town romance. Grumpy sunshine. It also had the infamous third act break up and miscommunication—-two of my least favorite tropes. Open door romance—though I prefer closed.
The FMC is an author who basically has writers block. She decides to visit her visit in the OBX and decides to have a summer romance with the intent of having her heart broken so she could write a novel with strong emotions. The premise was unique I like that; even if it was a bit unbelievable. I was not a fan of the FMC’s decisions and assuming so much.
Overall, it’s a cute beach read. There’s going to be a book with two side characters (who I actually prefer over the FMC and MMC) from Book of the Month. I’m invested now and will read the next book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ three stars!!
#jenniferprobst #bookofthemonth #blueboxpress
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol
The Debutantes by Olivia Worley
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Debutantes by Olivia Worley
Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I didn’t expect to like this one so much! It’s a Young Adult mystery thriller set in NOLA. The author did an awesome job of describing New Orleans. I could picture it clearly. There are multiple POVs and takes place in the present.
I did guess a couple twists but there were others that surprised me. This was a quick read for me. Page turner. I was hooked the entire time I was reading it.
It has strong female leads. It reminded me a bit of Pretty Little Liars which I loved. The Debutantes would be a great movie or even one of those limited series that’s so popular now.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes murder mysteries, thrillers, parental drama, twists, complicated friends and a splash of romance.
4 stars!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Releases 10/29/24
#thedebutantes #wednesdaybooks #oliviaworley
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Madwoman by Chelsea Baker
This one is definitely a slow burn but also very intense and captivating. I almost quit but the second half saved it. The writing style is different. There were multiple timelines but it wasn’t cleared until you read for a bit and figured it out. I prefer a date before the timelines change. It was written in 2nd person which I really liked! It’s unique and different but gives it a very different feel.
This is definitely a powerful story about domestic violence, childhood trauma, the strength and healing of a woman with a couple of twists thrown in. It focuses on the dark look of motherhood and the choices we make. It was handled beautifully!
3.5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
#madwoman #chelseabaker #littlebrown
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail