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natreadthat's reviews
389 reviews
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Four people are sitting in the Boston Public library when a blood-curdling scream cuts through the silence. After finding out that the scream was actually a murder, they each inadvertently become entangled in the case and with each other.
While there was good character development, the murder mystery, and a separate built-in story, I didn’t love it. The concept of bookception (a book within a book lol) is something you don’t see often, but I can’t decide if it was done well or not. It started to feel out of place and sometimes took away from the main story. This one was alright. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t amazing either.
While there was good character development, the murder mystery, and a separate built-in story, I didn’t love it. The concept of bookception (a book within a book lol) is something you don’t see often, but I can’t decide if it was done well or not. It started to feel out of place and sometimes took away from the main story. This one was alright. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t amazing either.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I wanted to like this book, like the majority of people seemed to, but I didn’t. It may be because I wasn’t ready to follow along three different story lines or I need to pay more attention or maybe it just wasn’t the right time. Who really knows? I listened to almost five of the fifteen hours before throwing in the towel.
I’m hoping to come back to it someday.
Ps - I just realized that I also DNF’d All The Light We Cannot See soooo maybe it’s not a coincidence. 🤷🏻♀️
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
What. A. Finale.
And what a series!!! SJM did it again, closing the Throne of Glass series with one for the books (ba-dum-tss 🥁). I did not expect to be sucked into not one, but two SJM series and be held in a chokehold by them. But here we are… I loved this series.
I was utterly immersed into Aelin’s world as our beloved characters race across the world in their last ditch efforts to save Aelin from Maeve, save Terrasen from Erawan, and create a better world once and for all.
Kingdom of Ash was everything I hoped for and more: an emotional rollercoaster of darkness, romance, battle, grief, joy, heartbreak. I laughed, I cried, I literally clapped. And now I’m sad it’s over.
tw: torture, death, grief, murder, battle, gore, sexual content
And what a series!!! SJM did it again, closing the Throne of Glass series with one for the books (ba-dum-tss 🥁). I did not expect to be sucked into not one, but two SJM series and be held in a chokehold by them. But here we are… I loved this series.
I was utterly immersed into Aelin’s world as our beloved characters race across the world in their last ditch efforts to save Aelin from Maeve, save Terrasen from Erawan, and create a better world once and for all.
Kingdom of Ash was everything I hoped for and more: an emotional rollercoaster of darkness, romance, battle, grief, joy, heartbreak. I laughed, I cried, I literally clapped. And now I’m sad it’s over.
tw: torture, death, grief, murder, battle, gore, sexual content
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Grief, Murder, and War
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
There’s nothing like cozying up on the couch with the final (for real this time) Throne of Glass book.
The Assassin’s Blade is the prequel that starts it all. Celaena is sixteen and the deadliest, most feared assassin in the Adarlan Empire. The five novellas show us a bit more about who Celaena is, where her priorities lie, and how skilled she really is. It’ll tug at your heart strings, fill in some background for the rest of the series, and leave you full of emotions.
The Assassin’s Blade is the prequel that starts it all. Celaena is sixteen and the deadliest, most feared assassin in the Adarlan Empire. The five novellas show us a bit more about who Celaena is, where her priorities lie, and how skilled she really is. It’ll tug at your heart strings, fill in some background for the rest of the series, and leave you full of emotions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Second Edition: No Guilt. No Excuses. No BS. Just a 6-Week Program That Works (Second Edition) by Ramit Sethi
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
Ramit’s plan teaches you how to save money, create a conscious spending plan, invest, plan for the future, and other personal finance practices.
This book basically covers the money stuff you wish you learned in school. Plus, it’s pretty funny for a money book. Highly recommend it if you want a logical, step-by-step way to get in charge of your personal finances. As Ramit says over and over again, it’s better to start young and do something instead of nothing.
This book basically covers the money stuff you wish you learned in school. Plus, it’s pretty funny for a money book. Highly recommend it if you want a logical, step-by-step way to get in charge of your personal finances. As Ramit says over and over again, it’s better to start young and do something instead of nothing.
We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Two best friends from either side of the world and their annual international trip, what could go wrong? Well of course the worst happens, and Emily and Kristen are left burying the body of a backpacker in rural Chile. And now Emily is wondering how something so horrible could happen to them not once, but twice.
This best friend duo isn’t one of the healthiest relationships, but Emily and Kristen need each other. When a new boyfriend enters the mix, the relationship that has thrived on murders, cover-ups, and lies starts to shift in ways unthinkable to Emily. Are they really who they thought they were?
We Were Never Here is the epitome female friendship, unhinged as it might be, with a bit of murder sprinkled in. It kept me guessing all the way through and would be a great book club read to discuss that ending!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicide
The Last Hours in Paris by Ruth Druart
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Happy Pub Day to Ruth Druart! 🇫🇷✨
After learning who her father really was, Josephine sets off to France to discover what she can from her estranged extended family. From there, we’re taken back to the end of WWII where we witness her mother falling in love with a German soldier, despite her hatred of the Nazis.
The story that evolves is one of love, loss, reclamation, sorrow, and hope. Not only did it pull at my heartstrings, it also plopped me right into the Parisian streets of WWII alongside the stark reminder of how war changes things both big and small.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!
After learning who her father really was, Josephine sets off to France to discover what she can from her estranged extended family. From there, we’re taken back to the end of WWII where we witness her mother falling in love with a German soldier, despite her hatred of the Nazis.
The story that evolves is one of love, loss, reclamation, sorrow, and hope. Not only did it pull at my heartstrings, it also plopped me right into the Parisian streets of WWII alongside the stark reminder of how war changes things both big and small.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, and Antisemitism
After Everyone Else by Leslie Hooton
emotional
mysterious
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
Family drama and murder mystery, anyone?
Bailey and Griffin have one of those silver screen love stories and their relationship is stronger than ever. But when Bailey’s famous ex-husband is murdered and her DNA is all over his apartment and body, she’s thrust into the spotlight. Told from alternating timelines, we watch Bailey and Griffin’s lives unfold, from the beginning of their relationship, to the birth of their daughter, all the way up to the murder. This is a family drama, love story, murder mystery, and a look at the great lengths people will go to protect their loved ones all wrapped up in one.
Thank you Wunder for the #arc. After Everyone Else became available on June 28, 2022!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism
Moderate: Murder
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
3.5
Tranquillum House just might be the answer nine strangers are looking for when checking in to their ten day retreat. These people, whose lives may or may not be falling apart at the seams, are hoping to find healing and self-discovery. Really, they’re in for a wild ride and we’re going along with them.
Told from the point of view of such a large cast, I either knew exactly who was narrating or spent more time trying to figure out who it was than paying attention. It was a slooooow start, mainly to build up all of the characters. But then it got… less and less believable.
Obviously it was good enough to keep me reading until the end, but overall it fell a little flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Suicide
Moderate: Addiction and Drug use
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
“Outliers always have help along the way.”
Malcolm Gladwell perfectly portrays why successful people are successful and, spoiler alert, it’s not just intelligence and hard-work. Success has a complex foundation of hidden advantages: when and where someone is born and grows up, their culture, their privilege, the legacies passed down to them, and the extraordinary opportunities made available to them. Each of these aspects hold a stake in how successful someone may become by providing a prosperous environment for learning and hard work.
There’s no sugar coating this one. The statistical data, research, and findings along the way are made so tangible and easy to understand. This book won’t teach you how to be successful. It won’t clue you in to how to hack in the system. And it certainly won’t tell you how to <inset measure of success here>. It will, however, open your eyes to the incredible circumstances surrounding success.
Malcolm Gladwell perfectly portrays why successful people are successful and, spoiler alert, it’s not just intelligence and hard-work. Success has a complex foundation of hidden advantages: when and where someone is born and grows up, their culture, their privilege, the legacies passed down to them, and the extraordinary opportunities made available to them. Each of these aspects hold a stake in how successful someone may become by providing a prosperous environment for learning and hard work.
There’s no sugar coating this one. The statistical data, research, and findings along the way are made so tangible and easy to understand. This book won’t teach you how to be successful. It won’t clue you in to how to hack in the system. And it certainly won’t tell you how to <inset measure of success here>. It will, however, open your eyes to the incredible circumstances surrounding success.