My links are all going to The StoryGraph now, since that's what I'm using instead of GoodReads for tracking (I still have some updates on GoodReads for Netgalley purposes). StoryGraph is Black-woman owned. GoodReads is Amazon owned and fuck billionaires. Please for the millionth time I beg of you, do not buy physical books on Amazon unless they are available literally nowhere else.
You can find me on StoryGraph here.
Engrossing Reads
One Golden Summer by Carly Fortune - I think I've read a Carly Fortune at the end of May for three years in a row. This one was by far my favorite. Easy and quick. OCNJ library hardcover
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy - Love love five star love. I devour her books and this was no exception. Climate crisis timely, be prepared. OCNJ library hardcover
The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei - I had to keep reminding myself this was a debut. Good writing, character driven with one I started liking and ended up hating. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
The Love Haters by Katherine Center - I'm a solid fan of Katherine Center and this one filled my yearly desire to read something only she produces. I love to go in knowing sort of what I'm getting, liking the story I've read nothing about in advance, and finishing it in a few hours. She always delivers. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin - This was like being cut and healed on every other page. I five star loved it, and love even more when that happens with a book I know nothing about and picked based on the title. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
Daughters by Kirsty Capes (this appears to sometimes be called Girls?) - Heavy as hell and hard to read at times due to that and hard to say it was enjoyable due to that but it was a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
By the Time You Read This by Brianna Labuskes - Raisa Susanto #1 - love this series - I hope it continues. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
Passed the Time Just Fine
The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers - This was a train running off the tracks several times, and the ending felt abrupt and also like a kick in the nuts, but still passed the time just fine and was a quick read. OCNJ library hardcover
Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey - I think I've read one of hers at the end of the past two Mays as well? This one tied up nicely which I need sometimes. I put up with the teenager POV chapters but as I've said many times underage narrators are not my favorite. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune by Anderson Cooper, Katherine Howe - What a despicable line of small people with great and squandered wealth. Audio, listened in car
From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley - I found the beginning of this really repetetive, but if my Dad was Elvis and died early in my life I'd probably repeat a lot of things about my time with him when he was alive too. I've always felt very sorry for Lisa Marie and this added to the cause. Thankful to her daughter for picking this up and completing it after Lisa Marie's death. Audio - started in March, finished in May because audio is not my preferred format to consume a book, ever, and I can usually only manage nonfiction
The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr - A slow roll with a lot of town personality. Love an Irish story, and I liked it told by the town. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
Spider's Web by Mike Omer - I standardly like Mike Omer books with one or two exceptions. It took me a bit with this one, but I will continue on in the series. Used paperback, own
A Thousand Natural Shocks by Omar Hussain - Snappy and intense. Loved the writing. Cults and serial killers and a tender examination of a father/som relationship? In a debut novel? Whew. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest reviews
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark - An intriguing story, if a little sluggish at points. The end was worth it. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, book publishes 6/3
Not For Me
The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus - Generational trauma and dysfunction, whew. Some very hard to read things. About midway through, I had to go back and read the first chapter again. It felt overwritten and I lost a bit of the plot in it when I first read it. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
All We Lost Was Everything by Sloan Harlow - I maybe overdid it on YA the past few months as this was a slog to get through. Teen romance folks & lovers of a plot twist, this may be for you. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
Marguerite by the Lake by Mary Dixie Carter - This one opened with a bang but was a little hard to stick with and left me with several questions due to dangling plot lines. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner - I'm a standard Jennifer Weiner fan but this was not it for me. I know weight is one of her themes but it felt forced and dusty in this one. I also did not like anyone. OCNJ library hardcover
Did Not Finish
n/a
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What have you been reading?
