Shawna
I am sure this was a good book, but I couldn't get through it with the writing style and I had to DNF it.
Honestly, this would likely be a 4 star read if the FMC was.... Anyone else.
I disliked her so much. Her attitude was awful. The romance, that could have been magical was lackluster at best because of the slap in the face feminist/girl boss energy.
I am going to read the second one, in hopes I can enjoy the town and characters without Em ruining every single page.
So, I wanted to love this, but I think I have issues with YA romance.
I also thought the lives of the main characters were way more ambitious then any teen in the world. It was Teens with more jobs and responsibilities then any adults I know.
I did enjoy the happy and heartfelt family relationships.
2.5 stars rounded down.
I DNF'd this book.
This is a “cozy” mystery, and I wanted to love it, but I just didn't connect. I don't think it is any fault of the writer or the story, I think I'm just learning the cozy mysteries aren't really my thing.
This book wasn't it for me.
I find self help books a very tricky thing for me. I find that some are written so well, that you can take the information you want and glaze over the rest. And other just feel like humble brags with little information to grab on to, and other information that you so strongly disagree with that it taints your whole view of the book.
This book turned out to be one that went too far off course for me to get much out of it.
Well... After reading my ACOTAR boxed set, I would give the whole series 4 stars.
I liked a lot of the characters, the world was set up nicely. I like the courts.
What I didn't like was book 3.5. I thought that was useless overall.
In ACOSF, I liked that there was a shift in the main characters, however the parts of the story I liked best seemed rushed, and the parts I didn't enjoy were drug out.
Also. The book is just too long. There is no need of that.
That doesn't sound like a 4 star review, however, I have to give it credit for making me feel engaged enough to read it to the end.
Easily digestible information.... Some interesting tidbits, a lot of stuff I already knew but got a little more background on and it helped refresh my knowledge on the subjects.
I enjoyed this book. And although I knew where it was going, the ride to get there was entertaining.
Could it have been shorter, yes.
Was it annoying long, no.
There was decent banter. None of the characters were overly annoying. I love an enemies to lovers. It is very STEM.
4.5 rounded up.
I've seen some plays and movies with the same basic plot, and I have always really enjoyed it.
And this one immediately tells you how it will end, so you just need to get there, and even knowing, i cried to the point i couldn't see the pages at the end.
As good as it was, it made me realize why I read mostly contemporary romance with happy endings.
This was a surprise 4 star for me.
It's been sitting on my shelf pretty well since it came out and I have been avoiding it, worried I wouldn't like it, however I found it a very interesting play on a multi-time line theme.
I thought it was engaging, well written and I enjoyed the ending.
When I first started this book, I think I expected multiple people venturing through the library, so when I realized it was just a book following one main character I was a little worried I would get bored, however, it was so well done, that I loved living multiple lives through the eyes of our FMC.
3.5 Rounded Down.
A good read. Giving final destination/Peter Swanson vibes.
Megan Miranda is a must buy for me, as I like her writing style and story telling.
This book isn't groundbreaking but it is an enjoyable book that you really want to get to the end of, so you can see the puzzle pieces fit together.
DNF at 40%
Normally if I DNF a book, I would rate it 1 star, but I see so much potential here the I cannot bring myself to do that.
However for me, it was too slow, dislikes pretty much everyone and I just couldn't get into
I wanted to like this booked more, but it never really got there for me. Although I liked the characters and the idea of it, and love chapters told from the male's point of view, I found it boring. The good parts seemed rushed and the not so good parts seemed drawn out.
I had high expectations for this book and they weren't met.
The main character came off as neurodivergent, although that wasn't really addressed. I can decide if that was the author's intention, or if they just meant to have a slightly quirky character.
The story was fine. But the characters, main and secondary, didn't sit right with me.
I was almost uncomfortable reading it, and my favorite part was just when people treated Molly with the respect everyone deserves.
2.75 rounded up.
I found this one a little too political, and boring. Although I wanted to know the resolution to the “mystery”, it took a long time to get their.
I also found that very few of the characters were likeable. Which makes it harder for me to enjoy a book..
3.5 rounded down.
I thought this was a cute Christmas book, and if I hadn't read The Summer I Turned Pretty, I probably would have enjoyed it more.
It has a warm loving family, great traditions, a decent plot for a Christmas story, but I found like too much focused on the background and not enough of the main characters and their growing love.
While I am still into the series and like that I'm getting a little more depth into some side characters, I found this book was a little long and a little repetitive with some storylines.
The second book has been best so far.
I thought about taking a star off each review for how many times a “vulgar gesture” is mentioned. Not the act itself. It is constantly referred to as just a “vulgar gesture” and it annoys the hell out of me.
I can't explain why. But this series has completely enchanted me.
I was reading and someone tried to talk to me and my response was “silence in my court”.
I have crushes on two characters, and I am completely in love with another. And I have vengeful hate for many others. Bring on book 3.
I found this useless filler.
I was so excited for the multiple points of view, but I just found this short book to feel so long and unnecessary.
2.75 rounded up.
I didn't really care for this book. I found the main character too much of a “woe is me” type. I didn't even really care for any of the side characters.
The fun adventure part of the book was fine, but was not the main focus. It just seemed like the main character whining the whole time.
I rounded up my 3.75 star rating to 4.
I liked some characters more than others, I liked the adventure, I found some of the plot slow and weak however, that said, it was fun enough to keep me engaged and ready to read the next one.
Not my typical read and had it over a year before I took the plunge to open the cover, however, I was pleasantly surprised.
It wasn't some cookie cutter story. It was different, complex, and there where multiple timeframes. I found the characters played well off each other, and the “darkness” was my favorite one.
This is something I think would make a wonderful mini series or movie, because of its ability to help you Envision the different settings and seeing characters grow.
My biggest critique would be the length. I think we could have gotten to the same destination, with the same detail in fewer pages.
