Hailey

This was fine, but I honestly felt like it dragged at times.

The accelerated editing process in this really shows and I'm bummed.

Based on the release date, I'm hopeful that Onyx Storm will be back on the right track. I so badly want to love this series haha.

I do not think that Malcolm Gladwell's books work for me anymore.

The fact that this was a novella initially intrigued me, but having finished it, I wish it was a full-length novel. To me, the final third felt rushed.

I'd love to check out some of P. Djèlí Clark's other works.

Fun, but a little too cheesy for me.

Stunning artwork. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Super cute, but I definitely preferred the first one.

I was so excited for this one and so sad it fell flat!

As a reality TV enjoyer myself, this was one of my most anticipated releases for the second half of the year. But the pacing of it felt so strange and I was bored more than I expected. There were also frequent allusions to what would happen later in the book, which would have been fine if they didn't feel so heavy-handed and distract from what was currently being discussed.

Interesting concept, but I was disappointed overall.

Such mixed feelings.

Decent, but only one story really stuck out to me.

I really can't tell you why I put off reading this for literal years, it's so good.

Enjoyed this much more than I anticipated. Most of the essays were brilliant, but there were a few that fell really flat, especially when compared to some of the stand-outs.

I do have to admit I was entertained.

Everyone in this was just so unlikable.

Oof.

Enjoyed this WAY more than I expected.

This was a little cheesy and gave me massive “this feels like a fanfiction” vibes, but I'm not mad. It was entertaining, cute, and fun, which was exactly what I was expecting from it.

Definitely a warm hug of a book.

SUCH a strong debut. I'm really excited to read what Kumar writes next.

Cute, but a tad bit boring and some of the pacing was strange.

I'm intrigued enough by this debut to see what Shields writes next.

Truly excellent, and one of the best 2024 releases I've read so far.

Fascinating premise, but so boring.

This could have been 200 pages shorter and it would have made the book so much better.

Yeah, I get the hype.

My feelings are so mixed on this one.

It was gripping but it definitely wasn't a “great” book and I'm not too keen on the characterization of Dawn, especially in a book that was published in 2023.

People do seem to love this author though, so I'm giving her one more chance.