maggers94's reviews
219 reviews

The Last Applicant by Rebecca Hanover

Go to review page

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

4.0

The middle of this went in an entirely different direction than I expected. I saw through Luke from the beginning, but the ride to get to that reveal was something else. I went back and forth on my impressions of Sarah and Audrey the entire time, which kept me invested. Definitely a fun ride.
A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison

Go to review page

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

3.0

I liked the plot, but it was very predictable, so when everything came to a head, I was underwhelmed. For its length, it felt like there were pieces that were underdeveloped. It jumps back and forth between a lot of perspectives so I never felt super connected with any one character. Riley was probably the one I’d say the most time is spent with, but even for her it felt pretty surface level. I think had the story been narrowed down to one or two perspectives, it might have made me more invested in them. It was an enjoyable read, just didn’t blow me away.
The Taken Ones by Jess Lourey

Go to review page

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this! The cold case element hooked me from the beginning. I do wish we had gotten more from Rue though. The description of her state after the abduction seemed way more extreme compared to what she eventually described happened. That reveal felt sort of rushed, which I think took away some of the weight of it. In general this was an easy thriller, and it kept me invested the whole time as it followed all the threads. Definitely looking forward to reading the next in the series.
The Last Thing She Ever Did by Gregg Olsen

Go to review page

mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

3.0

This was fine. I didn’t love knowing part of what happened to Charlie up front through Liz’s perspective because it takes some of the steam out of the mystery for me, and where the plot goes is pretty predictable already. The second half of the story also gets a little slow and repetitive. I could only hear about Liz’s self loathing and Owen’s narcissism for so long, but every chapter they were in cycled through the same thought patterns. It definitely could have been shortened, which would have helped keep the pace up and made it more thrillery.
The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey

Go to review page

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

3.0

So disappointed in the ending. The story sets up a much better arc for this by giving you clues that could point to multiple people (this town is full of creeps) then decides to completely veer off to pick the worst option. The setup for the dad being a serial killer was way more interesting than for it to be the obvious out of towner hitting on children! Plus it felt like there were a few little clues to indicate Beth was in the tunnels and that would have been a much better twist than circling back to the cabin. It’s like the author was dancing between two potential endings when writing it and then went the safest (but also more loosely setup) option. The case she made for the dad was way stronger, and it was such a letdown to see that abandoned.
Where They Lie by Joe Hart

Go to review page

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

3.0

I was so invested in this to start, but I hated where it went. There could have been such a good storyline about the influencer mom not being what she seemed, but it barely dipped it's toe in that. I wanted the plot line to go towards the iPad video footage revealing mom was actually a nightmare behind the camera. The fact that only an affair with Andrea is revealed was such a letdown. It seems like everything was set up perfectly for a better storyline that speaks to the current problems with family vloggers, but decided to go with a much weaker conclusion that felt like it did a disservice to the foster children it spent the entire time painting as innocent victims. Andrea having an affair with her foster dad just didn't seem to fit with what was portrayed up until it's reveal. I did enjoy that this was written from the perspective of a CPS worker, and Nora is quite likeable. I just wish it had gone in a direction that would have had a stronger message about the current world of family vlogging.
The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry

Go to review page

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

3.0

Pretty meh for me. I just didn’t feel invested in any of the characters. That could be because I listened as an audiobook and the shifting between all three was a lot. Although, Lucinda Berry’s writing does work much better as an audiobook for me. It’s very much a stream of consciousness for the characters, which on paper feels clunky, but as an audiobook has the feel of truly being inside the character’s head. 

As far as plot, I wouldn’t say it’s as thriller-y or twisty as I was expecting. It was fine, and everything wrapped up, but it just felt underwhelming.
Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
I’ll read this as a physical book eventually. The audiobook accents are just awful in this though. Nails on a chalkboard for me to listen to some exaggerated Oklahoma accent
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Go to review page

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this, but I can’t place my finger on what’s missing for me to make it five stars. It makes me incredibly sad to not ever know what actually happened to Gabion or Camellia, even though that’s a realistic outcome. I think I would have preferred if the story focused solely on Mae and Judy and not Avery as well. In general, I did enjoy this though. I’m not usually a historical fiction person, but I wasn’t bored with this at all, and it did make me want to learn more about the events that inspired it.
 
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a cute story. The overall plot is pretty predictable, but the characters are easy to love and the story as a whole is very heartwarming.