maggers94's reviews
215 reviews

The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

2.0

I really like Alice Feeney’s writing and the tension was definitely built up throughout this, but the ending just fell sooo flat for me. The reveal that you were reading Kitty’s perspective under the guise of Abbey felt awkward and nonsensical. It seemed like we completely glossed over the whole Grady trying to kill Abbey bit, too. It’s too rushed in the explanation and just gave me whiplash from going, wait what? Everything came together so awkwardly and barely made sense. I like good twists, but nothing felt like a realistic ending. It was all so far-fetched. It also felt like it was going for this feminist message about this all woman island, but it’s this kind of shallow feminism. Just removing all men is not the answer to all of the world’s problems and doesn’t result in this perfect, peaceful society. Everything up until the last like third of the book was pretty good, but it just completely derailed for me as soon as it started to try to explain itself.
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

Even though I clocked where this was going immediately, I really enjoyed the overall story. It’s claustrophobic, tense, and parts had me on the edge of my seat. Darcy Coates does a fantastic job of setting a scene and creating the sense of terror. Definitely a great read for the snowy weather.
The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I hate the term ‘cozy mystery’ because you’re reading about murders, but not sure how else you could describe this. The characters are lively, the setting a small town, the plot in the vein of Agatha Christie, but  feels slightly more low stakes. Just overall an easy, clever story. The puzzle aspect of these Christmas mystery books is also very fun! I have one more to read, but will definitely continue to pick up anything else released in this little collection in the future. 
Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was sort of a frustrating read. Every escalation just made me want to throw the book because every time someone would say to not make things worse, they’d do the exact opposite. Willa and Tom were both awful people with no redeeming qualities, so every time it switched to following them I was irritated. I also hated the ending. Selma’s entire family being ripped apart and Willa showing up in the hospital and still clearly being stuck all the way up her own ass made my blood boil. Really the entire Bil twist was so unsatisfying to me.