"Make Her Pay" by Miranda Rijks - Review

 General Thoughts and Feelings

This book was a fun, quick read. I was originally intrigued by the title “Make Her Pay”. I love a good tale of revenge. I also love a complex story with multiple viewpoints with interesting characters with their own agendas that actively conflict with the other. This novel touched on some pretty deep topics of karma, divine retribution, responsibility and accountability. I think a big part of the strength of the story is how each of the characters involved in the accident reacts to it. Also, this author surely has a gift for writing and depicting tension. I raced through this book eager to find out more and to follow all the twists and turns. 

That being said, I think the first half of the book is much stronger than the second half. The ending simply didn’t do the rest of the story justice. A good rule of thumb for most types of artistic pursuits is always to leave them wanting more. Leave your reader hungry for more of your work. In this instance I don’t believe there was nearly enough in some of the key ending scenes. It felt rushed and a bit unsatisfactory in some places. But I may be making a mountain out of a molehill. The characters were for the most part well fleshed out, but I did knock half point for a lack of diversity. I don’t think a small cast of characters is much of an excuse for lack of inclusion. All and all a great read if you’re looking for a short fun thriller with a sort of bittersweet ending (depending on which parties you’re rooting for).

Rating

Character: 1/2

Setting: 2/2

Plot: 1/2

Pacing: 1.5/2

Reaction: 2/2

Points: 8/10

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Artemis” by Andy Weir - Review

General Thoughts and Feelings

I really, really wanted to like this book. I think Sci-Fi as a genre is so creative and compelling. That, combined with the fact that I’ve heard really great things about the other works by this author, only fueled my excitement. Unfortunately, I probably should have read one of those works instead. Or here’s to hoping that when I get around to reading them, I find that Artemis was the weakest novel of all three. But let me start out with what did work in this novel. I did think the general setting of the book was well done, however I found that the descriptions could be hard to follow at times. I found the inclusion of Earth politics that  resulted from the colonization of the moon in the novel was intriguing and still was believable enough to make the book conceivably realistic. But that's as far as I could go in terms of things I did like about the book.

I think my biggest issue could be traced to the main character. If you want a 101 course on how not write a female character, I would use this book to teach the class. Jazz as a character should have been interesting. But her execution was so poorly handled any excitement I had about the character quickly wilted and died within the first few pages. Fortunately for Jazz (but unfortunately for the reader), she wasn’t the only flat and boring character. Which allowed the reader to take in the setting and focus on the plot… which also felt severely lacking. There wasn’t nearly enough tension or conflict to keep a less dedicated reader engaged. And it was an effort indeed. I was promised heists, crime and high stakes tension that makes one wish they were able to read faster. Instead, a large portion of the book reads like a welders how-to guide. And interested in wielding I am not. And while I was determined to finish the book, I found myself wishing I’d never picked up this book or spent my hard earned money on it. So this book has been banished to the resale pile. Here’s to hoping I find more luck with a different novel by this author.

Rating

Character: 0.5/2 - not particularly unlikeable (because that would make them interesting god forbid) but just plain boring and flat

Setting: 1/2 -  I gave this one a point because some of the most interesting aspects of the setting happen in the background. Congrats to an author for describing a moon colony in a way that makes me not want to visit

Plot: 0.5/2 - I could not tell you a single thing about what actually happened in this book apart from wielding and an organized black market (?)

Pacing: 1/2 - this book has its moments of intrigue but it definitely drags for the majority of it

Reaction: 1/2 - this book inspired such a keen such of rage and betrayal for an amazing premise but such a disappointing execution I’m not quite sure how else to react

Points: 4/10

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

“The Flatshare” by Beth O’Leary

General Thoughts and Feelings

Gaah! This book is so cute, funny, witty, and clever, it had me giggling like a schoolgirl. I had initially received this book as a birthday gift last year but I really wish I had read it so much sooner. I found it impossible not to fall for Tiffy and Leon as they slowly fell for each other. One of my favorite things that a romance author can do is show me why the couple works. Because as much as I love a book where the plot is not deeper than a couple characters undressing each other, one’s that show the couple growing together as people, will always hold a special place in my heart. My favorite kinds of romance novels are the ones that show how and why the couple works together. The feeling of getting to know the leads as they get to know each other is a special kind o magic that novel fully captures. 

The leads journey starts with both characters in a bit of a financial muck where they need to save some extra money and find a roommate. Tiffy is moving out, on the heels of a bad break up, with not much wiggle room in her budget. Leon is in need of a roommate so he can afford keep paying the solicitor working on his brother’s case. Enter a proposition that works out hilariously well (despite a couple mishaps along the way) for our leads: they’ll not only share the same room, but the same bed. But don’t worry! Their conflicting work schedules mean they’ll never be in the apartment at the same time. Enter ensuing shenanigans. If you’re looking for a heartwarming read that will give you the giggles I can’t recommend the one enough!

Rating

Character: 2/2 - Every character had such life and vibrancy to them it was fantastic

Setting: 2/2

Plot: 2/2 - like a lot a romance novels this is mostly a character driven work but the side stories that the characters wrestle with during the course of the novel were handled so well it added so much to the story

Pacing: 2/2 - this book absolutely consumed me, I could not put it down

Reaction: 2/2 - if I haven’t said it enough… I loved this! I actually ran out of tabs for the parts that made me laugh

Points: 10/10

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Push” by Ashley Audrain - Review

General Thoughts and Feelings

For what it’s worth, I did like this book. Did I think it was the groundbreaking life-altering novel I was pitched? Not necessarily. This novel spans four generations of women, from the narrator’s grandmother to the narrator’s daughter, although the daughter’s perspective is never shown outright. The glimpses we have of her character are from the memories, interactions, and words given to us by her mother, our protagonist. This ambiguity surrounding their relationship fuels the underlying tension of the novel. And in my opinion, there isn’t much. Or at least not nearly as much as I was expecting.

With that being said, I do think the author has the potential for writing extremely gripping tension. I would be eager to see her delve into a more thriller or horror style of writing. I thought she handled the tension of the “he said, she said” well but it felt as though some of the instances were almost an afterthought. The last few pages in particular struck me as such. And I think what could have been something potentially hard-hitting and trippy felt a bit cheap and last minute.

Rating

Character: 1.5/2

Setting: 1.5/2 -  Books like this are why I debated with myself for so long including “setting” in my review structure. If you held me at gunpoint, I could not tell you what city, state, or country this book took place in. I assume that somewhere in English-speaking North America due to reasons outside the book (publishing house, author bio) but not much more than that. So why 1.5? Because the houses, the apartments that the characters lived in, and even the bookstore that a few scenes took place in, felt like places I could visit and see. These locations felt like characters in and of themselves.

Plot: 1/2 - there wasn’t much of a plot but reading about the characters' backstories and seeing their progressions was interesting

Pacing: 1/2 - I felt this book dragged. I’ve never been a fan of short chapters but for some reason, the structure emphasized how slow the pacing felt to me. 

Reaction: 1/2 - A book like this is one of the reasons I prefer going into most books completely blind. Simply put, this book was pitched to me as a thriller. I instead received a generational saga portraying a foray into the darkness of motherhood.

Points: 6/10

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Perfect Marriage” by Jeneva Rose - Review

General Thoughts and Feelings

I wasn’t expecting to like this book. I was definitely hoping to and I’m glad I picked it up. I found this novel to be a clever, fun ride, even if it was exasperating at times. Particularly the male lead. But more on that later.

Our story starts with a couple of character establishing scenes before jumping into the crux of the novel: the murder of the mistress. And it’s an effective set up done quite succinctly. We have a couple who appear to be very happy if not, in love but if the tagline of the book doesn’t clue you in nothing will. We have a man cheating on his wife for a variety of reasons, the primary being a gender inverted trope of a high powered, successful female attorney who admittedly neglects her marriage. Throw in a writer, struggling with not only his career but a legendary amount of indecisiveness and you have the perfect recipe for a relationship dying from the inside out. The mistress is simply a spark to the already brewing powder keg. And boy does it implode. As it’s the literary husband who is implicated in the mistress’s murder as her body is found cold in the couple’s weekend home where he does most of his writing. Boy does he need a good attorney. Good thing his wife is the best in the business.

But don’t think even his wife could save him from all of the stupid decisions this character makes in the novel. I don’t know if this was intentional on the authors part or if it was another way to move the story along or add some action. All it accomplished was frustrating me to no end. Despite the ineptitude of this particular character, the story still managed to engage me. Add the spectacular twist at the end of the story and this book is one I would greatly recommend to others. 

Rating

Character: 1/2

Setting: 1/2

Plot: 1/2

Pacing: 2/2

Reaction: 2/2

Points: 7/10

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

"The Butcher and the Wren" by Alaina Urquhart - Review

General Thoughts and Feelings

I’ll skip to my very strong feelings regarding this book: if it has zero haters I am dead. Now that I’ve got that out of the way, yes, I loathed this book. This book had so many issues I’m not quite sure where to start but I’ll give it my best go. First, I found the characters to be so boring and dull it made it hard to care about what was happening. I can’t remember the last time I encountered such boring and cardboard-like protagonists and antagonist. Even after revealing of the motivations of said characters, it felt like reading a poorly scripted play. The villain isn’t really given a reason as to why he is the way he is, which has the potential to be appreciated. Not every antagonist needs grandiose reasons for they’re evil or wrong. However, the danger with writing a character in that manner, is that unless you give them other personality aspects, it feels like a cheap attempt at writing a “truly evil” character.

The story follows the two titular characters Dr. Wren, a forensic pathologist, and “The Butcher”, a notorious serial killer whose brutalized victims are ending up on Wren’s table. While the premise and even the pacing of this book kept me hooked, there were so many inconsistencies this piece of work had me stifling multiple groans. The “big reveal” was so poorly built up that I kind of just shrugged and kept reading, pushing for the ending. And that is a saving grace for this book, is that it’s so short, it’s really quick to put you out of your misery. Once I reached the ending, I really was miserable. And that’s cause nothing makes you miserable quite like realizing what a massive waste of time the whole thing was. I reached the end of this book and found no satisfaction, no resolution, and no pay off. The ending itself was rushed and left me feeling it was all for naught. I would say do yourself a favor and skip this one.

Rating

Character: 0/2 - I didn’t feel any of the characters or protagonists were real or likable enough to warrant their own story 

Setting: 0/2 -  the books location descriptors could have left us anywhere

Plot: 0/2 - we’ve come full circle by the end of the book, so no, this books does not get any points for plot

Pacing: 1/2 - the pacing was one of the best things about this book interestingly enough. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that great

Reaction: 1/2 - I’m giving this a point simply because it’s been a few months since I’ve read this book and I’m still pissed about it

Points: 2/10

Rating: ⭐️

“The Vanishing Season” by Jodi Lynn Anderson - Review

 

General Thoughts and Feelings

*Sighs* Where do I even begin. My journey with this book has actually spanned an embarrassing amount of months despite its rather slim page count. I purchased the book heavily discounted but was quickly taken with it’s beautifully designed cover. Add in the the blurb on the back cover I thought it was well made match. The Vanishing Season highlights the developing friendships, and something mores between three young adults, as well as the mysterious disappearance of girls across Door County in Wisconsin. And unfortunately, one of our three protagonists doesn’t escape our tale alive. The premise reeks of suspense, danger, intrigue, and tensions boiling over with the subtle of promise of romance. And the novel had the potential to deliver all of those aspects, at least if that had been the intentions of the author. The author instead flips the script, choosing to highlight the relationships and romances between our recently uprooted main character, Maggie, and the secondary characters, her new neighbors, Pauline and Liam.

It is established from the first few chapters that Maggie is a welcome outsider. She finds herself quickly becoming close friends with Pauline and a buffer for Liam and his unrequited feelings for Pauline. With that setup it’s easy to see the “love triangle” coming, as Maggie catches herself noticing Liam more than she would like to and Pauline choosing to ignore Liam’s feelings for her. But the entire scenario, and subsequent handling of a poorly defined plot dredges up my intense dislike for love triangles. It is my opinion that a love triangle, or at least a believable and interesting one, is equally distributed between the two love rivals. The character at the center of the triangle should not be leaning particularly heavy toward either character. An effective love triangle makes me believe the character at the center could end up with either love interest. The Vanishing Season’s main plot is the budding romance between the characters and it defines itself as a scalene shape (Yes, I googled that to confirm I was referring to the correct type of triangle). It leaves the plot feeling unsupported. Tie it in with a poorly resolved mystery, I found the ending to be deeply unsatisfying.

Rating

Character: 0/2 - Found the characters to be unlikable which is unfortunate in a character driven novel

Setting: 2/2 - I thought the author did a beautiful job setting up the atmosphere and Maggie’s new surrounds

Plot: 0/2 - This novel was definitely a character driven work, despite the allusion and build up to a mystery

Pacing: 1/2 - I did find the novel very engaging but there were some parts I felt it dragged

Reaction: 1/2 - I’m giving this book a point simple because I was so pissed at the end I actually called a friend angry crying so there’s that.

Total points - 4/10

Overall ranking: ⭐️⭐️