ohhellotaylorann's reviews
270 reviews

Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell!

Alex Marks gets her dream job. But, with hidden secrets, death threats, and her own past coming to haunt her... is it really all it's cracked up to be?

The premise of this book sounded interesting! Reading about writers is always one of my favorite tropes.
The beginning half of this story felt more like literary fiction, and it was slow-moving to get to the mystery of it all.
Once we got into the mystery, I started to lose interest.
The ending felt rushed and my head was spinning with plot holes. I was not a fan of our main character in the latter half. When things got rolling Alex became super incompetent and things weren't adding up for me.

The writing in the story was great! But, I wasn't a fan of the mystery aspect-- which sadly, was the point of the book.

2.5 ⭐️ (rounded up)

This story had so much potential. I loved Before the Coffee Gets Cold and hoped this would have the same whimsical feel. For me, it fell flat and I found myself getting bored and uninterested in the characters. I was unable to grab onto any of them in particular and truly *care* for what was happening in the plot.

Sadly, this book didn't meet my expectations, but the cats were cute nonetheless.

Thank you, NetGalley for this advanced reader's copy!

2.5⭐️ (rounded up)

SIX STARS⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I seriously don't know what to do with myself. This has to be the best romance book I have ever read. The way I fell head over heels for Aiden Valen... I was physically giggling and kicking my feet at this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this advanced reader's copy of The Last Witch in Edinburgh by Marielle Thompson!

'There is little opponent for an angry woman.'

The atmosphere in the beginning half of this story was unmatched. Edinburgh in 1824? Bisexual witches? Gothic atmosphere? It had it all!
In many ways, this book had my attention from the beginning. Towards the middle and later half, I slowly began to lose interest.

PROS:
- The narration was FANTASTIC! OMG, the narrator's accent made me feel like I was right there with Nellie (our Main Character) the entire time.
- Writing & prose was full and beautiful.
- The description was so well thought out and detailed I felt like I was right there in Edinburgh.

Things I wasn't a fan of:
- The romance in the beginning half of this story felt so well-crafted and fit the characters and their arcs. As the story progressed and the stakes grew higher and higher, the ongoing romance felt so misplaced. In scenes where we were in the midst of the conflict and at the peak of the story it would shift to, "But, does she *like* like me though?" I wish the story had stayed more focused on the 'end of the world' problem at hand.
- It felt like this book tried to do too many things at once. I loved the representation of women and the LGBTQIA+ community! But balancing that as well as the story at hand, Witches in Edinburgh trying to destroy an evil entity, it felt like the story was being eclipsed.
- I would have preferred it if the first half and the second half of this book were developed separately.

All in all, this was not a bad book, and I'd recommend it for the spooky gothic atmosphere, the representation it brought, and the witchy vibes.
2.75 ⭐️ (rounded up)

4.5 ⭐️
I love poetry so much, and this collection was stunning.

“In Troy
they fought
over Helen
like children
but Achilles
mourned Patroclus
the way a soul
mourns a body.”
(Sobbed over that one)

WOW, This was incredible!
I not only loved the writing style, but the pacing, the characters, the setting... I loved it all!
At first, I felt a little disappointed at the reveal toward the end, but boy was I wrong! The twists and secrets being revealed during the whole of this book were SO good!
I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend it, it was so well done!

This story has two stories being told, what happened the night of the massacre and the lives of one of the survivors in the aftermath. When I tell you I loved reading both, I mean it! Sometimes I find myself preferring a timeline over the other, but both of them had me captivated.

I highly recommend this for the fall/spooky season! The vibes were immaculate!

4.5 ⭐️ (rounded up!)

This was a WILD ride! I did not expect this to go in the direction it did, but I am SO happy it did.
The action in this story was phenomenal, I loved the characters so much!
The alien invasion kept me on the edge of my seat. Soma was such a fun read. If you want a story to grab your attention and hold it to the end, this is for you.

Thank you, NetGalley for this advanced readers copy of Soma by Fernando Llor!

4⭐️

WOW! What a whirlwind this book was.
Hands down one of the best thrillers I have read.
It didn't feel cheesy or predictable. I loved the layers of the overall story and was satisfied with the ending! Highly recommend this book for its atmospheric vibe as well as for how EASY it is to devour it.

5⭐️ (easily)

This book was weird af.
I mean that in the best way possible.
I find myself just staring off into the abyss, reliving scenes from this book.

4.75 ⭐️ (rounding up cause it deserves it)