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kelsbookzone1's reviews
236 reviews
Cross My Heart by Megan Collins
dark
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for access to an early release copy.
Deep hearted and easy to fall Rosie believes that she found a new man of her dreams- and why not? After being left after wedding planning and an illness putting her on the heart donor list, doesn’t she deserve it? Except their connection, unknown to the chased Morgan, is her heart. And what really happened to that donor anyway.
Deep hearted and easy to fall Rosie believes that she found a new man of her dreams- and why not? After being left after wedding planning and an illness putting her on the heart donor list, doesn’t she deserve it? Except their connection, unknown to the chased Morgan, is her heart. And what really happened to that donor anyway.
Rosie wears her heart on her sleeve and as the reader, it was easy to get invested into wanting to tell her that’s not a good idea and to pump the breaks on her pursuits with Morgan. She can definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. The Instagram messages regarding Morgan and his writing were fun, as a an individual who likes to discuss books on social media. It felt relatable.
This is a slow burn; you’ll think you get a real feel for the villain. And then the second half of the story flips you on your head, and you start questioning everything. The twist in the middle saved the story from feeling like a “run of the mill” type of thriller.
I’m not sure how I feel about how all the women were written. Like they are all only boy crazy and obsessive. The women are coming across as the stereotype of “crazy stalker types”. I suppose the point of the story is what men drive women to do, with gaslighting and lies- but then some of the excuses the women would give for love, just reinforces the “crazy” stereotype and why men claim women get too emotional in a break up that they feel it gives them an excuse to not have the decency to do it. The justification for the behavior was a reach.
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for access to an early release copy.
So there are not enough ice skating stories out there. I’ve enjoyed Layne Fargo stories so I was happy to see a new one coming out. Katarina and Heath not only felt like the perfect dance partners as early teens but soulmates. An endless love kind of thing. Told in documentary style, it was easy to picture the moments, from competition to heartache. Once they get an invite to prestigious academy, the real gossip begins. And the elite world finally feels like it’s in their grasp.
So there are not enough ice skating stories out there. I’ve enjoyed Layne Fargo stories so I was happy to see a new one coming out. Katarina and Heath not only felt like the perfect dance partners as early teens but soulmates. An endless love kind of thing. Told in documentary style, it was easy to picture the moments, from competition to heartache. Once they get an invite to prestigious academy, the real gossip begins. And the elite world finally feels like it’s in their grasp.
The book doesn’t explore anything new for the skating world- that it’s elite and you need a good amount of money to get ahead. And Heath and Katarina felt like the perfect couple on the outskirts looking to break in. Heath’s obsessions started to feel repetitive and a little tiresome- like it would have been nice for him to have a different side. And for the first half of the book, he felt very one note. I would say the highlight may be the side characters; intriguing and always leaving you wondering their true intentions.
This was nicely written, adding a little more drama to already intense competitive, athletic world. I wouldn’t have minded a little more suspense or having a twist somewhere. But I did enjoy it overall and found it easy to read through.
Good Girl by Aria Aber
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.25
Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for access to an early release copy of
Welcome to Nilab’s world in Good Girl; a carefree lifestyle of drugs and party in Berlin. At 19, society and child of a lower class Afghan family pressures Nilab into being “good” but does she really want to be? Overall, the story conveys that more like a coming of age, a teen figuring out her own independence and freedom.
Welcome to Nilab’s world in Good Girl; a carefree lifestyle of drugs and party in Berlin. At 19, society and child of a lower class Afghan family pressures Nilab into being “good” but does she really want to be? Overall, the story conveys that more like a coming of age, a teen figuring out her own independence and freedom.
You sense her every emotion, from her “know it all”ness of being young and her tragic disappointment in the world that’s been presented to her. She feels authentic. Marlowe, the thirty something man who seems to be the change in her life; but like a lot of 19 year old women, her longing for him seems more than his for her. Marlowe was irritating and childish, written to perfection.
I liked the way the author introduced the character’s culture and heritage, and the way the past was interwoven into moments of her everyday life. It felt done seamlessly. This could be heartbreaking and frustrating but what about 19 isn’t. I would have loved to see the character have some residual growth; it was a lot of repetitive mistakes. But if you’re a glutton for punishment….
Facing both society and cultural demands of being a young woman, this portrays it nicely. I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being a highly talked about book of 2025.
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
dark
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
5.0
This one is still in my head and I can’t quite wrap myself around the ending. But I still loved it. The first POV creeped me out enough I had to take a break.
A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
writing is too pretentious, characters are too insufferable- and I’m just not liking the decisions the author has made. I can tell this will end up a least favorite book of the year, so I would rather DNF
A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for access to an early release copy.
In this kind of fantasy world, more like a classic world of reality but with dragons, Vivien’s dream is to discover a new language of dragons. Unfortunately for her, there’s a rebellion stirring and her family seems to be a part of it. A civil war is sparked and Vivien realizes how valuable she really may be. Look for this one if you are looking historical, themes of dark academia, corrupt politicians and fantasy light.
In this kind of fantasy world, more like a classic world of reality but with dragons, Vivien’s dream is to discover a new language of dragons. Unfortunately for her, there’s a rebellion stirring and her family seems to be a part of it. A civil war is sparked and Vivien realizes how valuable she really may be. Look for this one if you are looking historical, themes of dark academia, corrupt politicians and fantasy light.
The idea of a dragon code breaker and spies was a clever idea. This is definitely vibes of a fantasy world- revolution and classism. The battle of the upper vs lower. The genre of young adult surprised me but in a good way; I found the writing style on the mature end of young adult and felt like it was a good choice.
I appreciated the plot starting right away but would have preferred it a little slower, maybe starting to establish the plot a little more and the world building. And as a character constantly described as an academic, her actions and surprises to her surrounding didn’t always match. In other words, she was pretty dumb. There are side characters but I would have loved a little more development to them. It’s more a telling than a showing type of story. I liked the intelligence in this, from the code breaking to the politics involved. I would have left out the love story; just felt unnecessary.
Sweet Fury by Sash Bischoff
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for access to an early release copy.
In a line up of “who’s who” Lila Crayne is the main event and soon to be engaged to the tour de force director Kurt. And even without the author throwing out an “All About Eve” reference, even if there were too many references being thrown out, the line of “fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night” was still the summarization in my mind of the whole story. Even with her own Eve, in the form of Celia. Soon filming begins, where an obvious take of life imitating art.
In a line up of “who’s who” Lila Crayne is the main event and soon to be engaged to the tour de force director Kurt. And even without the author throwing out an “All About Eve” reference, even if there were too many references being thrown out, the line of “fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night” was still the summarization in my mind of the whole story. Even with her own Eve, in the form of Celia. Soon filming begins, where an obvious take of life imitating art.
For about the first half of the story, you are in the Lila’s POV either recounting her to her therapist or where she is filming and manipulating every aspect of her life. I think a missed opportunity was writing her more genuine. However, about 40% of the way in, you find out the therapist, Jonah, may have more on his mind.
At times, I appreciated where the author was delicate in handling the sensitivity of some of the trauma in the story; but other times completely dismissive. Because of how Lila was written as such a suspicious character, everything she confessed felt manipulative and fake. So unfortunately the twist doesn’t pack the punch it should, since Lila seems so disingenuous . Overall, I liked the ending. But the final chapter was unnecessary and made it abrupt where it didn’t need to be so I hope the final copy leaves it out. Please check trigger warnings on this one
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
I Might Be In Trouble by Daniel Aleman
funny
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for access to an early release.
Best selling author David, is failing. His first book is a hit, his second, a failure, and now his third, his publisher won’t even touch. Then there’s his love life, a Jeremy he can’t seem to forget about. His financial troubles; and the family he can’t quite feel a part of anymore. Oh, and that obnoxious dead body in his bed.
I FLEW through this novel. I can’t decide if it was because it was good. Or because it was written so simple. The main character is charming, if a bit overdramatic. The storyline of this was a bit laughable, like what we want to do with the body, choosing not such good options. But if they had taken the better solution, probably wouldn’t have made for much of a story. So suspend your reality. Man, I had no idea the lengths a literary agent will go for their author.
This gave me vibes of the Flight Attendant meets Weekend at Bernie’s idea with a lighter tales from the Crypt episode. The humor wasn’t laugh out loud funny but the author took a darker subject and was able to spin it into a lighter tone. It was a fun read but I can tell it’s not one I would pick up again or stuck with me. If you’re looking for an easy mystery read, this could be a good pick.
This gave me vibes of the Flight Attendant meets Weekend at Bernie’s idea with a lighter tales from the Crypt episode. The humor wasn’t laugh out loud funny but the author took a darker subject and was able to spin it into a lighter tone. It was a fun read but I can tell it’s not one I would pick up again or stuck with me. If you’re looking for an easy mystery read, this could be a good pick.
No Place to Bury the Dead: A Novel by Karina Sainz Borgo
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.25
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for access to an early release copy.
The way you get dropped into this plot and it HOOKED me. Angustias, her husband and her two new premie twins flee their hometown avoiding a plague but continuing a journey filled with sorrow and destitute. Our main character meets a so called grave digger, Vistacion, the only person willing to conduct any burial rites.
The way you get dropped into this plot and it HOOKED me. Angustias, her husband and her two new premie twins flee their hometown avoiding a plague but continuing a journey filled with sorrow and destitute. Our main character meets a so called grave digger, Vistacion, the only person willing to conduct any burial rites.
A lot of characters were introduced in the beginning and little explanation, as a heavier plot story, so I felt myself getting lost who was who at the start. Especially when flipping from third and first person. But I loved the character of Vistacion- her no non sense attitude and her blunt way she handled things. The POV switch ups were jarring, not much in the form of transitions. Which could also be why it took a bit to try and figure out who was who. But the story was still interesting and intriguing, I just wish it didn’t feel so jumbled and disconnected overall. This feels almost like there is a backstory that I wasn’t I aware of.
Lucy Undying by Kiersten White
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
The different POVs could feel a little stunted and repetitive at times- the ending confrontations felt lackluster for the most part