kelsbookzone1's reviews
242 reviews

youthjuice by E.K. Sathue

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

3.25

Thank you to Netgalley for access to an early release.

A story of female presenting superficiality or really the superficiality that society demands. Follow an unreliable narrator in a dual timeline in what is described as “American Psycho meets Devil Wears Prada”. I didn’t really find it as intense or grotesque as American Psycho though. About halfway through the book, I was trying to figure out where the so called body horror came into place. This felt more body horror nonexistent until like the last 5 percent

The author does a good job of telling details, using adjectives to their strength to play to the imaginative mind. Sometimes the thesaurus use was a little bit on the heavy side and came across a little pretentious (don’t say epidermis, you can just say skin). Expect more small detailed narratives that tends to move all over the place than a fully fledged story. Not bad, but I would have preferred a concise and focused story and the story never fully drew me in.

If you like this idea, I would recommend 2023’s Natural Beauty before this one.
How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive by Craig DiLouie

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
If I wanted to be mansplained for an entire book, I would have just gone to a sports bar
The Lilies by Quinn Diacon-Furtado

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It’s like if Groundhog Day met One of Us is lying. The ending was way too abrupt
The Afterlife of Mal Caldera by Nadi Reed Perez

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dark funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A novel that personifies the perfect use of first person narrative, the author opens up the story in the apartment of a person recently passed but to reasons unknown. The author launches quickly into plot as protoganist Malena (Mal) comes to terms there is no judgment but is introduced to the “afterlife”. I really enjoyed the quick pace of the beginning; not only was I drawn in but I didn’t want to put the story down either. 

How unexpected; a heartfelt story of grieving laced with dark humor. I would have enjoyed a little more set up with Ren; they fell into that friendship a little too quickly and he was a much deeper character than that. The love story between the two just got in the way of the depth of the story for me. The pacing in the back half felt completely different from the first, so that threw me off. And the “love story” just overall made me sad. 

Overall, this was a great read, if you can handle someone facing their inner demons with a little dark humor too. Definitely add this one to your reading wishlist 

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for an early release copy
A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Even though I did enjoy this, the story does feel uneven at times
The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams

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emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

When She Was Me: A Novel by Marlee Bush

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dark mysterious 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

3.75

Cassie and Lenora sisters and very much look alikes, set in a common scene, a cabin in the woods. However, not as common, is the great detail the author writes in setting the scene and did an excellent job in creating imagery. As a reader, I felt in the midst of the atmosphere.
There’s something sinister in the way the author writes the two sisters, depicting their every move and leaving you wondering who they really are. Each holds a secret, Lenora appears to have agoraphobia and anxiety.  Even though I did enjoy this, at times the slow burn got so vague, it left me wanting more. It did get  repetitive in places, specifically within the thoughts of the sisters but that could have been the drag of some of the slower pacing. Overall, I did enjoy this one, even though it was easy to call half way in. The author did an exceptional job in creating imagery. If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, I would recommend picking this one up

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen for access to an early release 
Dead Girls Talking by Megan Cooley Peterson

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for an early release copy. 

After I read The Liar’s Daughter, I was very much interested in other books written by Megan Cooley Petersen. Dead Girls Talking is a mid level young adult and reminds me of something I would have read in high school. Or even late middle school. The story opens with Bett, a young girl left behind rehashing the events of her childhood, when her father murdered her mother and left her alive. In prison, she’s haunted by the start of new killings, leaving her wondering, did he actually do it?

The book was just okay to me, pacing and development felt very even. I just wished Bett had been written a less like a bully and a mean girl. I don’t know if I fully believe in the story; we unfortunately live in a society of mass murder so it was harder to believe the story of a man who killed two people would get so much attention that the attention affected the MC so much. What I liked was the growing friendship and dynamic between Bett and Eugenia, with Eugenia definitely being the stronger character.  The story played out as I thought it would but the writing style and flow still made it an enjoyable and easy read. A good young adult option if you like true crime podcasts.

If you’re looking to get into this author’s work, I would suggest starting with The Liar’s Daughter first. 


How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I really enjoyed the first half, not as much the second. I think I liked this more in audiobook form, since some of the chapters were the podcast episodes so I rated it higher for that reason
All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25