Throughout this story, I loved the development of Molly as a character. Her quirkiness and social interactions make for a unique character. As the story progressed, I began to suspect she knew more than she let on. As a maid, Molly sees much more than she lets on. She is able to be “invisible” and knows the hotels deepest secrets.

I was suspicious of Rodney as soon as he had the black eye. Then with the flashbacks and him being manipulative with Molly, something was obviously off. I suspected the affair with Giselle fairly early on, but the predictability of it didn’t take away from the story evolving for me.

I made a note EARLY in the story saying, “I love Mr. Preston. It’s like Molly still has a grandparent looking out for her.” At the end, he essentially reveals that he likely IS her grandfather, though I don’t know if Molly ever puts that together.

Overall, I loved this story because it felt unique and new in a lot of ways. It gave readers an inside look into a seemingly invisible, mundane existence as a maid.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings about this book, but overall I would give it three stars. The first half of the book moved very slowly in my opinion. I could’ve done with a lot less details into Hal’s current living situation. I would’ve liked more details into Hal’s past. For example, maybe some flashbacks into her life with her mom.

By the end of the book I felt like there were a lot of unanswered questions as well. Who was Mr. Smith? Whatever happened with the loan sharks? Did they find Hal? Why was Mrs. Warren obsessed with Ezra? (I kept thinking Mrs. Warren was maybe Maud & Ezra’s biological mom and Mrs. Westaway was really their aunt) Why did nobody in the story ever address the fact that Hal’s biological parents were cousins?

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book, but I also wouldn’t discourage someone from it altogether.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

(4.5 stars)

This is one of my new favorite books of all time. Even though I predicted the connection between Tova and Cameron early on, I still enjoyed watching it unravel. I also loved the unique perspective of Marcellus and how he helped Tova and Cameron find their way to a lifelong connection and sense of family.

I was very impressed with the author’s ability to seamlessly intertwine many of the characters. The relationships seemed to evolve naturally and were not forced. The thread connecting Tova to Ethan to Cameron to Avery was so interesting to me, especially because Avery and Tova also connected in the end.

I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a story with strong family dynamics and relationship building. Just a feel good story about love, life, loss, and the importance of friends, family, and looking out for the little guys.

Content Warnings

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.25

I would rate this book at a 4.25 overall. At first, I was bummed and kind of surprised that there weren’t “Ryan chapters” and “Lauren chapters,” but I like the spin of getting Ryan‘s perspective through the email drafts. I really loved how they were there for one another via the email drafts, even though they didn’t know it at the time. I like the fact that they said what they needed to without even saying a word out loud. When they reunited, they had already had the hardest conversations through the brutally honest drafts.

Another thing I was a big fan of—the sibling dynamic. It felt very real and relatable.

This would be a good book to re read in the future of my marriage. Overall, I actually love that it had a happy ending. I predicted they would realize they were better apart and break up, but the ending gave it a hopeful, realistic feeling.

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

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emotional funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the Politics of Extremism by Norman J. Ornstein, Thomas E. Mann

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1.0

Running from Office: Why Young Americans Are Turned Off to Politics by Richard L. Fox, Jennifer L. Lawless

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1.0

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s_morrison's reviews 251 reviews

s_morrison's reviews
251 reviews