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paperbacks_and_planners's reviews
1185 reviews
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I'm officially DNF-ing this.
I got almost exactly half way through and just don't care about the "mystery", the characters, or the story.
A couple weeks ago I decided to put it aside and see if I was drawn to finish it. But sadly, no. I just don't care what happens.
I found the characters forgettable and obnoxious. And since the characters were so forgettable, the multi perspective story got confusing because I kept forgetting who was who. The mystery portion didn't intrigue me at all. And I just don't care what twists are revealed in the last half.
I am however going to hold off on unhauling this, in case I decide to revisit it.
I got almost exactly half way through and just don't care about the "mystery", the characters, or the story.
A couple weeks ago I decided to put it aside and see if I was drawn to finish it. But sadly, no. I just don't care what happens.
I found the characters forgettable and obnoxious. And since the characters were so forgettable, the multi perspective story got confusing because I kept forgetting who was who. The mystery portion didn't intrigue me at all. And I just don't care what twists are revealed in the last half.
I am however going to hold off on unhauling this, in case I decide to revisit it.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
4.0
Overall this book was enjoyable. The author depicts a fantastical world that definitely draws you in. The story does jump through time and from the perspective of many different characters which makes the story a little more challenging to follow, especially for the first of the novel. I had to check back at the dates at the beginning of the chapters many times.
Lost in Me by Lexi Ryan
4.0
I received a copy of this from Social Butterfly PR via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Summary
In the wake of an accident, Hanna wakes up in the hospital and can't remember the last 11 months. She is somehow engaged to the man she never thought she could have. Her life seems perfect. Until one night Nate Crane shows up and Hanna realizes her life is twisted with lies and secrets she can't remember.
Overview
This is told from 3 POV's - Hanna, Max, and Nate
This story contains grey area cheating, lots and lots of drama, miscommunication, amnesia, and a front-and-center love triangle. If these aren't your tropes, this isn't your book.
This does end on a cliffhanger.
Content Warnings: Amnesia/memory loss, Cheating, Body Dysmorphia, Disordered eating, Body shaming, Depression, Death of a parent (in the past)
What I Liked
1. This book/series is compulsively readable. I never wanted to put this down - I actually read each book in the series in a single sitting. I can't remember the last time I read a book this quickly. This story and these character gripped from the first page. Lexi Ryan's writing had me desperately turning the pages. Every time I thought "just one more chapter" something would happen that would keep me reading.
2. The angst and drama were everything I didn't know I needed. There were times I kept telling myself that this or that trope should be bothering me because they're "over-done" but I just didn't care. I ate up every. damn. word.
What I Didn't Like
1. This isn't a knock against the book as much as myself. I didn't realize when I started, but this is actually a spin off of another series. So there were times I was very confused by the brush off references to characters and backstories. It doesn't necessarily take away from the story any, but the large cast was definitely difficult to keep straight at times since I didn't read any of the previous books.
2. This may be seen as a spoiler to some so I will mark it as so. But I'll also keep it extremely vague.
This series will definitely not be for anyone. This is a high drama, messy love triangle of a story. But I never wanted this book or series to end. I love these characters and definitely plan to read more from Lexi Ryan.
Summary
In the wake of an accident, Hanna wakes up in the hospital and can't remember the last 11 months. She is somehow engaged to the man she never thought she could have. Her life seems perfect. Until one night Nate Crane shows up and Hanna realizes her life is twisted with lies and secrets she can't remember.
Overview
This is told from 3 POV's - Hanna, Max, and Nate
This story contains grey area cheating, lots and lots of drama, miscommunication, amnesia, and a front-and-center love triangle. If these aren't your tropes, this isn't your book.
This does end on a cliffhanger.
Content Warnings: Amnesia/memory loss, Cheating, Body Dysmorphia, Disordered eating, Body shaming, Depression, Death of a parent (in the past)
What I Liked
1. This book/series is compulsively readable. I never wanted to put this down - I actually read each book in the series in a single sitting. I can't remember the last time I read a book this quickly. This story and these character gripped from the first page. Lexi Ryan's writing had me desperately turning the pages. Every time I thought "just one more chapter" something would happen that would keep me reading.
2. The angst and drama were everything I didn't know I needed. There were times I kept telling myself that this or that trope should be bothering me because they're "over-done" but I just didn't care. I ate up every. damn. word.
What I Didn't Like
1. This isn't a knock against the book as much as myself. I didn't realize when I started, but this is actually a spin off of another series. So there were times I was very confused by the brush off references to characters and backstories. It doesn't necessarily take away from the story any, but the large cast was definitely difficult to keep straight at times since I didn't read any of the previous books.
2. This may be seen as a spoiler to some so I will mark it as so. But I'll also keep it extremely vague.
Spoiler
I didn't love that all 3 "twists" at the end all ended up being the exact same twist...This series will definitely not be for anyone. This is a high drama, messy love triangle of a story. But I never wanted this book or series to end. I love these characters and definitely plan to read more from Lexi Ryan.
How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway
2.0
I received an arc copy of this from Harlequin via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Summary
This follows Mel, a female programmer who works the helpdesk at a startup incubator. The "hatchlings" she works with are often entitled and misogynistic.
Mel reaches her breaking point after her date stands her up and a man sends her a dick pic on the popular dating app, Fluttr. Out of anger, she creates the site JerkAlert where women can review the men/dates they meet on Fluttr. Seemingly overnight, the site goes viral. But Mel doesn't want anyone to know she is the person behind the site, and finds herself in over her head.
Overview
This is feminist contemporary about how Mel deals with the sexism. While this is classified as romance, the romance is definitely not at the forefront of the story.
➸ POV - This is told in 1st person from Mel's POV.
➸ Mel - 26. Works the helpdesk at Hatch, a startup incubator. After one too many bad dates and dick pics, she codes up a site called JerkAlert where woman can safely review their Fluttr matches.
➸ Alex - Hatchling at Hatch. (That is pretty much the extent of the character details we get...)
Content Warnings: Sexism, Harassment, Cheating, Misogyny
What I Liked
➸ This book is feminist AF. I am always here for books about women in underrepresented fields. I loved that this book tackled some really difficult but important and timely topics - online dating, harassment, sexism.
➸ As a Software Engineer myself, I love reading about women in that field. I think it is important to de-stigmatize women in STEM fields.
➸ I think my favorite part of this was the strong female friendship the main character had. There was never any women hating or backstabbing. The group of friends always had each other's backs and stood by each other, even when they didn't necessarily approved. I loved seeing such healthy and positive friendships in a book.
What I Didn't Like
➸ There was not a single subtle moment in this book. While I appreciated the feminist stance of this book, I felt like I was being beaten over the head at every page. It was absolutely nonstop - coworkers: sexist, boss: sexist, stranger on the train: sexist, boyfriends: sexist.
➸ Everyone that is except Alex! Ugh, this book painted every male character out to be a truly vile person but then the love interest was obnoxiously naive. There is literally a scene where is talking to Mel's friends about how he didn't know online dating was so difficult for women or that unsolicited dick pics were a thing. Was this guy living under a rock? The juxtaposition of his naivety versus the never-ending misogynistic hoard was so jarring and cringey. I get it, we're supposed to like Alex.
➸ But unfortunately I felt absolutely nothing about the relationship. Alex's character gets so little personality there was never anything for me to like or hold onto.
➸ This used my least favorite trope - miscommunication. Mel is so convinced everyone is out to get here that she jumps to conclusions and sabotages her relationship. I'm not saying stuff like this doesn't happen, I just hate reading about it over and over again.
Overall this missed the mark for me. As someone who works in this industry, I was so excited to see myself in a book. But I somehow wasn't able to relate at all this story or these characters. Everything felt so forced and over the top that I was never able to become immersed in the story.
Summary
This follows Mel, a female programmer who works the helpdesk at a startup incubator. The "hatchlings" she works with are often entitled and misogynistic.
Mel reaches her breaking point after her date stands her up and a man sends her a dick pic on the popular dating app, Fluttr. Out of anger, she creates the site JerkAlert where women can review the men/dates they meet on Fluttr. Seemingly overnight, the site goes viral. But Mel doesn't want anyone to know she is the person behind the site, and finds herself in over her head.
Overview
This is feminist contemporary about how Mel deals with the sexism. While this is classified as romance, the romance is definitely not at the forefront of the story.
➸ POV - This is told in 1st person from Mel's POV.
➸ Mel - 26. Works the helpdesk at Hatch, a startup incubator. After one too many bad dates and dick pics, she codes up a site called JerkAlert where woman can safely review their Fluttr matches.
➸ Alex - Hatchling at Hatch. (That is pretty much the extent of the character details we get...)
Content Warnings: Sexism, Harassment, Cheating, Misogyny
What I Liked
➸ This book is feminist AF. I am always here for books about women in underrepresented fields. I loved that this book tackled some really difficult but important and timely topics - online dating, harassment, sexism.
➸ As a Software Engineer myself, I love reading about women in that field. I think it is important to de-stigmatize women in STEM fields.
➸ I think my favorite part of this was the strong female friendship the main character had. There was never any women hating or backstabbing. The group of friends always had each other's backs and stood by each other, even when they didn't necessarily approved. I loved seeing such healthy and positive friendships in a book.
What I Didn't Like
➸ There was not a single subtle moment in this book. While I appreciated the feminist stance of this book, I felt like I was being beaten over the head at every page. It was absolutely nonstop - coworkers: sexist, boss: sexist, stranger on the train: sexist, boyfriends: sexist.
➸ Everyone that is except Alex! Ugh, this book painted every male character out to be a truly vile person but then the love interest was obnoxiously naive. There is literally a scene where is talking to Mel's friends about how he didn't know online dating was so difficult for women or that unsolicited dick pics were a thing. Was this guy living under a rock? The juxtaposition of his naivety versus the never-ending misogynistic hoard was so jarring and cringey. I get it, we're supposed to like Alex.
➸ But unfortunately I felt absolutely nothing about the relationship. Alex's character gets so little personality there was never anything for me to like or hold onto.
➸ This used my least favorite trope - miscommunication. Mel is so convinced everyone is out to get here that she jumps to conclusions and sabotages her relationship. I'm not saying stuff like this doesn't happen, I just hate reading about it over and over again.
Overall this missed the mark for me. As someone who works in this industry, I was so excited to see myself in a book. But I somehow wasn't able to relate at all this story or these characters. Everything felt so forced and over the top that I was never able to become immersed in the story.