Ritika Bhattacharjee
rating- 2.5/5
it took off really well and i was super excited that a book i picked randomly (let's be fair we all picked it for the Travis kelce and Taylor Swift dedication) was going that well. However, it all just went down post the 40-50% mark. I felt like the author tried to fit in too much in about 200 pages. The first half went well because it seemed like a slowburn. Post that, it just seemed liked the author was trying to write an essay and had to finish it within a certain number of words.
For instance, the fake dating was introduced at like the 60% mark and the 'anonymous person' subplot was all over the place. I was so confused throughout about Brett not connecting the dots that Stone Walker (the NFL player Stone Walker) was the same guy she was hanging out with, throughout. Like Brett and him had multiple run ins and he still didn't recognise him??
Overall, it felt like the author was too ambitious. if she'd stuck with the brother's best friend, fall-out-in-the-past tropes and the lucky charms . This would have been a much better read. There were also a lot of loose ends; for example I would have loved for her to explore the family dynamic a little more. Maybe an HEA with the brother and the family would've been great.
Not a bad read but was just not feeling it towards the end and wanted to get it over with.
rating - 4.5/5
A single dad-nanny, grumpy-sunshine with the cutest 5 year old to exist? You just know that I HAVE to pick that up :)
Let's be fair, most of us read flawless only so we could read this. While flawless was pretty okay, there was just a lot of focus on a cowboy sport that i didn't care enough about? Heartless on the other hand, was...everything. The small town vibes were absolutely immaculate. Luke and Willa had my entire heart <3
And the spice...sighs THIS↓ need i say more???
“Let me hear it, baby. Say thank you.” She clears her throat, eyes darting away. “Thank you.”
“Good girl.”
I grip her chin and turn her face up to me. “That's what you're going to say to me all night. Every time I tell you something good about you. Are we clear?”
"Giving something up isn't the same thing as losing control. It's the opposite, Lily. You're taking back control.”
rating: 3.5
I love these books so, so, so much. Absolutely love how detailed and character-driven the plot is. It helps that I love all the characters too:) can't wait to read the rest of the books.
{review contains spoilers}
I can tell that this was meant to be a novella that ended up being too long, because nothing substantial happens in this book.
Honestly though, I kinda like that? So far these books have been extremely character driven; so I'd rather have a slightly longer book getting to know them than a short one with some unrequired elaborate plot twist.
I loved that we get to see Lily's journey with therapy in this book, get to understand her and her addiction: which is again, elaborate and realistically portrayed. The only complaint I have is the lack of a Lo pov. I mean this would've been the perfect time to switch to dual pov, since they aren't together but unfortunately we just get to see Lily's side of the story.
Till about the 40% mark, we even see absolutely no interaction between them, which again is okay, but i would've loved to see texts/ emails or even the calls a little earlier.
The flashbacks did serve the purpose of not missing Lo as much, but not having Lo around wasn't the same.
Love them both so much nonetheless, and i do agree that they needed some time apart to be able to progress in their journey.
“No, Lil,” he tells me with a short laugh. “You're the opposite. You're my stability...my home.
Coming to Rose and Connor, they have my entire heart. I'm so excited to read about them. Especially because, their story would be SO SO different from Lily and Lo's.
There was a lot of plot dedicated to Daisy and Ryke too, which was okay if i didn't think of their ages? Like 15 and 22 is just not it, why didn't the authors make her over 18, because i was most definitely weirded out and a little uncomfortable. I really hope she's older in their books.
Overall:
extremely intriguing. I just want to keep reading and find out what happens, I want to know all the characters more, i just want to see all of them happy; and yeah if you can't already tell, I'm definitely going to be crying by the end of 10 books.
"You may be tested by the flames, but you need not burn."
rating- 4/5
Fun, fast-paced read that makes you want to keep reading. Honest opinion: was this book needed? Probably not. Do I love it? Nope. But did I still enjoy it? Hell yeah.
The entire Blake plotline did seem sliiiightly contrived BUt, it's fine. It was not terrible.
I liked how it all seemed to fall in place with the chess coming full circle, the poem etcetc & Tobias Hawthorne's message was a good touch because it helped to see things from his pov.
Overall, happy I decided to pick it up but I did take a break in between book 2 & 3 so.., make of that, what you will.
rating-1.5/5
*Sighs * what even was that T_T. See I'm not gonna lie, I've read dark romance and GOOD dark romance.. this was NOT that.
I found this book on reddit, I think where somebody was talking about how insanely dark it is, I impulsively decided to pick it up.
(Kinda regret it ngl)
The writing was decent. The plot characterisation and pacing, however..just kept getting worse. The entire premise was all kinds of messed up, and all the author tries to do is justify it.
Probably wanted to scratch out my eyeballs while reading most of this book, make sure to pick it up, keeping that in mind.
rating -4/5
Sometimes you're just in the mood for psychotic men, and this was one of those times. I enjoyed this a lot more than ‘The Finisher'. In the beginning, it felt like a ripoff of Haunting Adeline. (Sorry, not sorry); but I did end up liking it more as I kept reading. The characterisation and plotline, although slightly extreme; fit.. just right. I LOVED the writing, as I always have w this series. I could feel Lyla's frustration, her helplessness, the progressively increasing loneliness and desolation with every page. And Dainn blackthorne
rating-3/5
This one felt like a filler read. A good filler read, but a filler read, nonetheless. Was not very invested in the couple, but didn't hate the grumpy sunshine at all. I also thought, the characterisation was pretty consistent. Loved the way the author handled the mental health issues w the fmc too.
The plot was quite different and I didn't really expect to like it?? Infact I was surprised I didn't hate it while I was reading it? I'm not really a fan of the amnesia thing? I hate how one person gets hurt in the whole process. As a kid, I'd have probably eaten this trope up, but now it seems a bit meh.
Overall, I'm pretty sure, if it were any other series this review would be going quite differently. I was constantly invested, solely: because of the universe and the characters from the previous book, the syndicate etcetc. Super excited for the final book in the series which comes out in less than a week from when I'm writing this: D
rating-3.5/5
Honestly, it was a decent & fast paced read. Nothing stood out to me per se, but I did like the plot revelations and the flowy writing.I don't see the point of book 3 atp.., like more puzzles? Another trail? For what? The first book was pretty enjoyable but it kept getting unnecessarily convoluted from there. New characters? Eve? And she looks like Emily? Like... why the drama T_T.
Coming to characters and relationship dynamics; some likable characters like Oren, Libby, Nash, Zara etc had very little page time and weren't in the forefront at all. While Avery's pov started to get a little bleh. She's all “Oh. Grayson! Oh , Jameson! oh I'm so confused.” It's annoying. The romantic development felt weirdly off to me; as if it took an accident for Jameson to suddenly fall in love with her. The author also used the same incident to portray Grayson in bad light.
I just had a little bit of whiplash with how quickly, it all happened.
Overall, not bad but definitely not as good as book 1. I'd say pick it up, only if you were super invested in the characters while reading book 1.
rating-4/5
The issue I have with thrillers, and specifically, open-ended thrillers is that I'm just ALWAYS confused about how I felt about the book? Is the ending's twist, twisty enough that it makes me think? Is that ALL it takes, if the rest of the book was lackluster?
Despite the general extreme response bias I seem to have with psychological thrillers; this was the first time I tried out a thriller audiobook and was pleasantly surprised at how well it was produced.
The little crime investigation department excerpts, the podcast being played; was all really fun to listen to and was super different from how it would've been if I'd read it instead.
Although, the author does exceed at telling a story by stringing along mundane daily chores & activities that the characters do, and try to make meaning out of it; I still found the first half of the book a tad bit stretched out w details that could've easily been left out.
I do understand how difficult writing two alternate endings is, because you have to come up with something that accounts for every single event in the first ‘timeline'. In my opinion, the author did a good job with the ending. I did think about this book even after putting it down, if that counts for something. The decent writing & a nice flowy narration on the audiobook, makes you want to keep listening. Definitely give this book a chance! I think everybody should read it just so they can tell people what they think. A perfect book for clubs & discussions because there's literally so much to talk about (so sad that this wasn't a buddy read)
“Everything is a game, Avery Grambs.” rating-4/5
I read this at 3 am and absolutely flew through it. Super fast-paced, super fun. Felt like a mix between a heist and a thriller. A little bit predictable since it's YA.
(I'm just hoping that the love triangle they're setting up, doesn't get annoying. We're seriously praying, trust me.)
But otherwise, I loved it. It did help that I was in the mood for the genre, but Jennifer Lynn Barnes' writing always works really well for me. I absolutely loved The Naturals and I'm really excited to see where the author takes THIS story.
"I don't care if it takes you a minute or an hour to get up. All that matters is that you do."
rating-4/5
Honestly the best book, by far in the dirty air series<3 loved it with all my heart.
Switched between the audiobook and the physical copy throughout my read and safe to say that I loved the narration too. (One of my first fiction listens, so that was really fun too!)
I absolutely love the characters as well; Santiago is just>>. I went into this book blind, so I knew nothing except that it was Santi's book. I loved the way the author navigated talking about the accident and his life after being differently-abled. It was a lot more responsibility in terms of character, compared to the other books, for sure. And I think it was done really well:)
The extended epilogue with all the kids was also so so cute. Overall, a great conclusion to the series: D you should definitely give this book a chance!
rating- 3.5/5I really really wanted to like this. But somehow, it fell slightly short, even while doing everything right.
Some scenes really had me in a chokehold (cough the tattoo scene coughcough), while some parts had me wanting to dnf? I don't really know how THAT much difference can exist parallelly in the same book, but trust me, it really did.
I loved the concept of a time travelling apartment and falling in love in a bubble, in between time; which is precisely why I picked it up, as I'm sure most readers would've. However to me, the erratic nature of the time travel, was what slightly put me off, you know? Like I didn't know when the apartment was gonna go back in time? So I wasn't really looking forward..to anything? if that makes sense? If the author had found a way to do the time travel in some other way, I probably would've been more invested?
Apart from that though, everything was done really well. I loved the characters, the way grief was portrayed and just the writing struck a chord with me.
Definitely give this book a chance! The magical realism is something that sets Ashley Poston's books apart and what I really like to pick up when most romances start to feel a tad bit monotonous.
rating -4/5
okay?? why did i expect to not like this at all?? first ever desi book I've read (if you leave out middle school indian authors like chetan bhagat, nikita singh, durjoy datta etcetc) and i thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed it:)
The concept is super unique. The arranged marriage vs love marriage and love vs compatibility was the perfect setup to explore dynamics and relationships in brown families. The writing was pretty fast paced and flowed really well. So much so that, I was planning to read it in between studying but ended up studying in between reading T_T.
The characters were well done and had good chemistry. Their dates were so so fun! and unique:D a pani puri eating competition and a murder scavenger hunt are such great ideas. i absolutely loved it.
A few complaints that brought down my rating would be the fmc being just a tad bit over dramatic imo. But again, the characterisation was consistent and looking back, it does make sense for her to be on guard and unwilling if a guy she's getting engaged to, doesn't believe in love.
OH OH OH. AND Charlie??? Jalebi??? plis lets not—let's just. not. i cringed everytime.
yep that's pretty much it. happy i picked this up. you should too! :)
a short story to see if Sally Rooney's writing is for you
idk how to rate short stories but i loved reading this so:
rating-4/5
Death was, of course, the most ordinary thing that could happen, at some level I knew that. Still, I had stood there waiting to see the body in the river, ignoring the real living bodies all around me, as if death was more of a miracle than life was.”
I read this because i wanted to know if Sally rooney's writing was for me or not.
lack of quotations.
transpiring between the characters.
longer
short
depth and nuance,
complexity of relationships, human emotions and just mundane life experiences is something she's incredible at.
relieved i loved this
This is a great book to decide if you want to give her work a chance.
rating-4/5
These books are so good T_T. I need to know what the author's putting in them because, once i start reading, it's all i do. I physically cannot stop.
one star less simply because the cult and the themes in the last 2 books are not my favourite genre of crime. i love the usual murder mysteries, serial killers etc etc. but once it gets religious/ritualistic, i seem to lose interest. Overall, good characterisation, phenomenal writing; the first 2 books were my absolute favourites. While the storyline of 3 & 4, isn't something I'd usually read, I'm still super attached to the characters and upset that the series is almost over.
On to the novella now (knowing that it's all I'm going to do for the rest of the day) sigh
rating -4.5/5
finished this cover to cover in one sitting:))This entire series was extremely fun to read, fast-paced & well-written. super sad that it's over:( but so glad that i decided to read it. I enjoyed the little glimpses into the different povs from all the naturals' childhood, it was really interesting to read. Similarly, while the case was short, i thoroughly enjoyed reading all of them put their heads together, one last time to figure it all out.
A few things the author could've done instead of devoting so much page time to an entire case in this book, was to just show them all happy, thriving, domestic. just living you know? Laurel going to school. Lia being Lia. Michael being Michael. A truth or dare game. idk ? there was so much potential for a more wholesome, fulfilling? ending. Sort of like an epilogue novella. i mean they all probably deserve it after the shit show they've been through at 17.
But instead it was left sort of open ended, hopefully for a spin-off series in the future.
Either-way, I'm just glad i was here for the ride;)
Pick this series up, you absolutely won't regret it!
rating -4/5
okay phew. THAT was SO MUCH packed into like 250 pages.
aNdddd I honestly don't know if I mean that in a positive way or not?? Like the other books, this one was also pretty unputdownable once you got into it. But i do think the author tried to tackle way too much in one book. Cassie, Sloane, Judd, Scarlett-there were several elements and variables; While I have to admit I'm a sucker for layered story telling and how it all tied in together, was pretty cool. It was also unfortunately, a tad bit chaotic.
But if i ignore the chaos and me going : “wait WHAT? HUH?” every 20 pages; the intentionality and layers that were slowly unraveled in the story were absolutely remarkable. Nightshade, The Scarlett case, Cassie's mom's case, etcetc. most of these were mentioned in the first book and the callbacks to them, were done extremely well.
I love love love Sloane and while the number sequence, dates bit, went slightly over my head; i couldn't help but appreciate the research and thought the author had put into the book.The cult bit at the end, and Cassie's mother, again plays into the whole too much in one book thing. I thought it was slightly reaching, but I'm excited to see where the author takes it.
wanted to take a break before reading book 4 but with that ending?? you know I've started it even before writing this review T_T
rating - 2/5
honestly picked this up at the wrong time. was not in the mood for a slow romance. There were layers to the story, but they somehow didn't work for me.
I kept wanting to just finish the book so i could pick up something else. Tired of the same old shit in rom-com novels. Recently read a few Abby Jiminez books and i don't think i can enjoy any more Lauren Asher or Ana Huang books, simply because they can't do the whole deep backstory thing. When you're in the mood for fun, fast paced, cheesy trashy romance, these books are it. But if you want to take away something meaningful at the end of a read, then reading THIS is pointless.
While i did like Elena, i somehow didn't care enough about anything that was going on. just glad that it's over.
rating-5/5
“grace costs you nothing.”
how! can! a! book! be! this! perfect!
Overall, focuses on the themes of class difference and important topics like domestic violence in a wholesome, heart-warming story crafted with love, care and imperceptible detail.
afterthought?
AT ALL.
everything seemed intentional.
beautifully thought out.
Wakan
Royaume
spoke to these professionals in order to get the details right,
The best part of this book were the little details. The barn animals with the best names, Hunter the dog, The magical realism of the town, etc.
rating -4.5/5
these books just flow so well, i can't seem to put them down. At this point, I just want to finish the others so i can finally have time to do other things lmao.
That being said, I do think i liked book 1 so much more because it was from Cassie's pov and the Unsub was primarily focused on her. It was like seeing it happen first hand. However, book 2 focuses on Dean so the reading experience felt less personal. I would love to read the other naturals' povs tbh. Like to see how they describe their talents. I would love to see Michael and Lia describe how they do what they do, the way Cassie describes it. It would make us feel a lot closer to these characters; because although, the author explains ‘The naturals' scientifically; there are hints and touches of magical realism. It's explained to be rare and both because of their natural innate ability as well as the environment they grew up in.
I think that this helps the book cater to people who love both those genres.
And Cassie and Dean?? i don't really know how to feel about this yet hfjfkfk. On to book 3!! * sigh*
rating- 5/5
An emotion reader, a deception specialist, a statistician who could not be allowed to ingest coffee, and two profilers who can crawl into the heads of killers
did not expect a YA crime novel to hook me in
YA mystery is literally THE childhood genre right up there with YA dystopian.
nostalgia
transported back in time
very good pacing, writing and short chapters
crafted perfectly
“Personally, I wouldn't mind taking out an ad in the paper or hiring a skywriter to announce that he and Locke were outsmarted by three bored teenagers.”
found family
The love triangle is SO 2015.
BUT I ABSOLUTELY ATE IT UP.
Michael had never made any secret of the fact that he was pursuing me. Dean had fought any attraction he felt for me every step of the way.
rating-4.5/5 “Butterfly?” Beautiful. Elusive. Hard to catch.that was SUCHHH a FUN read bahaha. it was the most fun I've had reading a book from this series. Chrisrian Harper and Stella were the absolute perfect pair. I loved how relatable Stella was. Her insecurities and thoughts in her pov just spoke to me. i haven't read a book with a female protagonist that i liked, in a while. So this was really refreshing. here's an excerpt that i ABSOLUTELY loved:I liked the idea of it. When I read a romance book, watched a romantic scene, or saw cute couples at dinner, a yearning for something similar tugged at my gut. But once the book or movie was over and I re-entered the bright light of reality, the yearning disappeared. Romanticizing love was easy. Falling in love was harder, especially when my previous relationships had all lacked...something. Some sort of emotional connection that would make the risk of falling worth it. Plus, I'd gotten used to being single, and I doubted the reality of love could live up to my fantasies of it, so I didn't even try.The lead up to them getting together was so much fun. That with Christian and her friend group being supportive pro-max and building Stella up was the primary reason why i loved this book sm. ++ all the callbacks to the other couples and the epilogue(ish?) scene with all of them together gave me instant serotonin. Overall so happy i decided to finish this series:)
rating- 4/5
okay wow. you think you know what you're getting into once you read the blurb but respectfully you absolutely don't. Coffee and Condolences surprises you, in the best way possible. it's so specific, detailed and yet conveys such an universal message. The themes of grief & loss, family, difficult relationships and mental health really spoke to me. I loved how raw and blunt the writing was and how factually and systematically the author conveys exactly what he wants to. I also really liked the format of the book being divided into the therapy sessions of the past while simultaneously taking us on this journey of growth and progress. This helps the reader gauge how far the protagonist, Miles has come and connect with them as well.
Overall, unexpectedly wholesome and stands out from the monotony of current fiction because the author explores the vulnerable male pov (something we rarely see). Reminded me of the likes of authors like Alice oseman and Salley Rooney and I'm super glad i decided to read it.
rating - 4/5 “Because you're mine,” I said against her mouth. “Let another man touch you, Jules, and you'll find out just how easily I can take a man's life as I can save one.”
sigh fictional men T_T
I went into this book because i have a shelf named ‘finish these series asap' and this has been on it for over a year. I did not expect to like it, simply because I wasn't really a fan of the first two; they had a few great moments but I wasn't obsessed to say the least.
here's my reviews of the others:
Twisted love : 3/5
Twisted games: 3.5/5
Twisted Hate: 4/5
clearly the books keep getting better or I'm just getting used to the writing-. Overall, they all still have the ‘Ana Huang formula'(which i will breakdown in painstaking detail), :
➙ One protagonist haunted by their past hiding it from everybody (this becomes the basis of the third act argument)
➙ The other protagonist also having problems; however these are only to make them interesting therefore they can't be AS serious as protagonist 1.
➙ Add in sex scenes with the mmc being all dominant and sprinkle some degradation kink.
➙ Hideous third act argument (in this case especially; i wanted to strangle josh)
➙ groveling and then we have the happily ever after
I'm not saying it's bad or isn't working (because clearly, i rated this book a 4 stars) ; it's just it's very similar to the other books in the series. However, I WAS more fond of Jules and Josh, simply because their story felt a lot more normal. no princesses, bodyguards or billionaires i guess bahah. I also liked that there wasn't a wedding or babies, and the epilogues were just cute moments, a few months into the future because that's what their characters felt like.
Overall, fun, fast paced and likeable characters with lots of chemistry (that! stays! even! after! they! get! together!)
So, don't stop after twisted games (like i did) because i promise it gets better:) super excited to read Stella's book.