Ashley A
Very thankful this was a short audiobook, I would've DNFd it if it was a physical book. Low investment story that uses buzzwords to appeal to game design. I didn't feel attachment to any of the characters, and it felt like forced teenage drama. Swing and a miss
Felt more like an autobiography rather than an inspirational help book. Enjoyed learning about Arnold and all the things he's accomplished and done throughout his life. However, the lessons and self improvement portions felt more like they were sprinkled throughout Arnold's stories rather than the focus. Highly recommend listening to the audiobook since he narrates it himself.
Memory lane is beyond a mere romance novel. Wade skillfully combines mystery, thriller, coming of age, drama, and comedy under the guise of a love story. I was impressed with the thoroughness and realistic depiction Wade produced regarding amnesia, trauma, and PTSD. Highly recommend as this book has something for everyone.
Light cozy read with a lot of passive action. I enjoyed the thought of having to describe coffee to people who have never had it before. Between the two, I enjoyed the prequel more. I felt like this book lacked the depth and character development Bookshops and Bonedust brought.
DNF @ 50%
I felt like I was caught in a book long run on sentence, or a story being told by an elementary school aged child. Every random character was introduced by their name with no meaningful context. Additionally, the story was told in an instructional manner, repeatedly being moved forward by an implied “and then”. When I thought it couldn't get worse, the emails showed up.
I fail to believe Sally was actually in her 30s when she interacted with the world and others as if she were still in her late teens/early 20s. This was a painful read and severely lacked romance or comedy.
Pleasantly surprised with this read. I listened to the audiobook and felt that the narrators did a great job of providing a suspenseful and creepy vibe. I found myself second guessing everything as new characters were introduced and I ultimately enjoyed the twists and turns throughout the story.
Addicting mystery-thriller that portrays a dark edge to sleep walking. I didn't find the resolution at the end of the book satisfying but I was immersed in the build up and portrayal of Isabelle's world. Who do you trust when you can't discern reality from your own thoughts? Especially if those around you are spinning their own reality. Overall enjoyable read.
Thoroughly enjoyed it as an audiobook! Kept me guessing throughout and maintained a decent pace. The narrator did a great job differentiating the characters. I probably would've liked it less if I was reading a physical copy of the book. There were some unrealistic parts throughout the plot but not as egregious as other books
Wow, what a fun read! The portrayal of prosopagnosia was well done and spoke directly to my little psych brain. I laughed, I cheered, and I greedily consumed this book within a day. Some aspects were cheesy or a bit over the top, but it's a romcom. What really stood out to me was the clever storytelling and deciphering Sadie's perception from reality.
Shallan's chapters were insufferable and made it hard to invest in the first two parts. My interest picked up in part 3 when she was no longer one of the main characters
Unfortunately a rare situation where the show is in fact better than the book. The characters fell flat and there was no reason to connect to them. Joe lacked the charisma and charm that has you secretly rooting for him in the show. Had I not seen the show prior to reading this, I would've dropped it long before finishing it.
Gave it a shot as the series is highly recommended for Red Rising aficionados. I didn't find the book engaging until the 2nd half after trogging through Hadrian's cold upbringing and constantly referring to the two indexes and dramatis personae to even have a clue what was going on or who he was talking to. I appreciated the reference section, but wish that Ruocchio committed to putting everything in it rather than some choice words. From what I understand, Empire of Silence's strength comes from it being a series. The first book and introduction to the series was okay. I'll give the next book a chance, but I'm not in a rush to do so.
Strong start that kept me engaged the first 100 pages, but the book quickly lost sight of what it wanted and was aiming to achieve. Personally, the spy and romance plot lines severely severed my interest in the book and it was a slog to get through the remaining 250+ pages
10/10 experience listening to the audiobook. Loved the separate narrators for Justin and Emma's respective POVs. I loved when the narrator for Justin would do the voices for Emma and Maddie, he added so much personality to the characters lol. Fun read that set the expectations high for a man that truly lives “if he wanted to, he would”. Great portrayal of relationship trauma and neglect, and the lasting effects. Also, despite being book 3 in the series, I haven't read the previous 2 books and was able to love the characters and story without issue.
A novel idea outside traditional romance that fell short on the execution. It almost felt like the book was published while still in a working draft. There were several times I went back to see if I had skipped pages on accident, or missed conversations, but I hadn't. The passage of time throughout the book jumps around and gives off a choppy feel. Lastly, the conversations between Rowan and Sloane were repetitive and surface level. I enjoyed the detail in the gore and appreciate that those scenes were well thought out. Overall I felt like the 2nd half of the book is where Weaver hit her stride. 3.5/5
What a bore. I was excited for a new take on multiple possibilities/outcomes, but this was poorly executed. Lauren felt very flat and had no personality, interests, or ambition so we never got to know her as a character, and she changed out husbands every 24 hours (usually less) so there was no need to get to know anyone! Had to force myself to get through the book at times. There's no need for this book to be as long as it is - Lauren kept looking for greener grass on a planet that doesn't even have grass. Not to mention she was okay with drugging someone, and stalking/forcing a person to like her. Yikes.
It felt like the author bit off more than she could chew - the ideas and themes promised in the summary felt severely under baked, and brought more questions than answers. The characters lacked growth, and the dialogue often repeated itself. I kept reading hoping it would get better, but it did not.