Loser by Jerry Spinelli MG Contemporary, 2002 by Harper Collins, 212 Pages What I Didn’t Like: Oh, that second grade teacher made my parent/teacher heart HURT. It was almost too much to get through. I wanted MORE. Another chapter, another year of school, just MORE. That being said, that’s the mark of a good contemporary... Continue Reading →
Falling by TJ Newman A Mystery/Thriller, 2021 by Simon and Schuster, 384 Pages What I Didn’t Like: The dream sequences were weird. I get why they were there but I could’ve lived without them. I waffled between thinking the “bad guys” were making good points and being curious if they were too stereotypical. I ended... Continue Reading →
Resurrection by MC Hunton A Fantasy, 2021 by Underground Press, 392 Pages What I Didn’t Like: Tiny minor thing that I only mention because no book is perfect … it’s weird not to have the author’s name on the spine. Of course, I know there’s already a new cover so maybe that’s remedied? Content Warning:... Continue Reading →
Alibi Man by Tami Hoag A Mystery/Thriller, 2006 by Bantam Books, 351 Pages What I Didn’t Like: Toxic masculinity. Shots of vodka until you puke just to look cool, pulling a gun on someone just to be tough, and insisting you have to defend a woman’s honor at every turn. It’s outdated and exhausting, honestly,... Continue Reading →
Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena A Mystery/Thriller, 2021 by Pamela Dorman Books, 344 Page What I Didn’t Like: There’s definitely a lot of out of touch rich people in this one. I’m not overly sensitive to that and I even noticed. Spoiled and entitled would describe this entire family. The 3rd person omniscient... Continue Reading →
Shampoo & Conditioner by M.L. Ortega A Mystery/Thriller, Independently Published in 2022, 101 Pages What I Didn’t Like: The story is very bare bones. The plot is the focus, which is fine, but you don’t get many chances to connect with the characters. It feels like a rushed story. This is Book 2. While it’s... Continue Reading →
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn A Mystery/Thriller, 2018 by William Morrow, 455 Pages What I Didn’t Like: Content warning: Some of the language surrounding mental health is insensitive. Most of it is the character talking down about herself, but still worth watching out for. Short choppy sentences. It’s relevant to the plot... Continue Reading →
Someday, Sometime, a Genie Awaits by Andrei Saygo A Fantasy, Independently Published in 2022, 94 Pages What I Didn’t Like: There are a few spots where we learn something off-hand about our main character's past that feels jarring. I wanted to know about his past but I wanted more detail, I think. Too many unanswered... Continue Reading →
How to Break a Boy by Laurie Devore YA Contemporary, 2017 by Imprint, 342 Pages What I Didn’t Like: As is common in YA books (and romance books) so much of the problems in this story could be solved if the characters would just TALK to each other. Many of the characters are NOT good... Continue Reading →
What Should be Wild by Julia Fine A Fantasy, 2018 by Harper, 368 Pages What I Didn’t Like: Consider this a content warning: there are scenes in this book where a character is held captive. It gets a little dark. The ending felt a little anticlimactic. We were building something big and it felt rushed... Continue Reading →
