Danger in Numbers by Heather Graham My rating: 1 of 5 stars Danger in Numbers. Thank you to the publisher, Mira Books, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I have been on a little book review hiatus. And the first review I get to write has me staring at my trusted little laptop screen. I don’t know what to say. Well, I do know what to say, I just don’t know how to say it without sounding like a complete jerk. What the heck?! Here it goes: I thought this was really not that good. Wow! Can…
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This Golden Flame
This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of This Golden Flame in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I have been looking forward to reading a good YA fantasy book for a while. I patiently worked my way through my to-read list until I got to This Golden Flame. And I really very much enjoyed it. The story had a few surprises up its sleeve that added a lot to the fantasy/adventure aspect. Without further ado, let me jump right in. The Details I want to…
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The Chanel Sisters
The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Graydon House, for providing me with an ARC of The Chanel Sisters in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist At times it’s very tough to get excited about anything, since the world turned upside down almost a year ago. I thought the story, The Chanel Sisters, could help me forget reality a little bit while I took a trip into the world of historical fiction. For a while, it certainly looked that way, until… Well, until this 400-page book began to feel like an 800-page book. Let…
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Wrong Alibi
Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, HQN Books, for providing me with an ARC of Wrong Alibi in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist It was news to me that between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day there are only 6 days. That meant I almost missed my deadline of writing the review of Wrong Alibi. In all seriousness, I have always struggled with the days between Christmas and New Years, thinking there are weeks, not days, between those two holidays. Needless to say, my organization got a little chaotic and I ended up…
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Crown of Coral and Pearl
Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gist About a year ago I browsed through my local library and came across Crown of Coral and Pearl. I read the little blurb about the story and was convinced that I would enjoy this story a lot. I borrowed it, took it home, got really caught up in writing my graduate thesis and ended up having to return it without reading one page. When I tried to borrow it again the waitlist was super long. Fast forward to last month. I got an invitation to join the Harlequin Fall Reads Blog Tour. My first…
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These Vengeful Hearts
These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of These Vengeful Hearts in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I was obsessed with the Pretty Little Liars TV show for its entire run. High school thriller, with lots of intrigue and conspiracy. Sign me up! I welcomed the possibility of high school being the exact opposite of what it was like for me. So, it’s a sort of nostalgic feeling I get when reading high school thrillers that offer me an alternative option for experiencing the good…
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Scorpionfish
Scorpionfish by Natalie Bakopoulos My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you NetGalley and Tin House Books for providing me with an ARC of Scorpionfish in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I read this book a couple of months ago when the restlessness and reality of the lockdown really kicked in. I live very close to the Greek neighbourhood in my hometown and with everything having been shut down the prospect of not being able to travel or even take a stroll down my beloved neighbourhood made me sad. When I was scrolling through NetGalley I was hoping to find something that slightly…
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The Talking Drum
The Talking Drum by Lisa Braxton My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inanna Publications, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist An ensemble of characters provides diverse and individualized perspectives on life in a neighbourhood that is deemed unimportant by the “higher” social strata. Each chapter tells the overall story of displacement, personal and interpersonal struggle, and gentrification through the eyes of one of several main characters. Each one is in one way or another connected with the other characters in the story to varying degrees. The Details What struck…
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Schweigeminute
Schweigeminute by Siegfried Lenz My rating: 4 of 5 stars About a week ago my computer crashed; blue screen, sad-face emoji and everything (apparently Microsoft added a sad-face emoji to soften the blow or whatever). Once my little laptop regained consciousness, I had the great idea to start a new bookmark folder containing links to German TV channels. Recently I have been on a German TV and book trip again, after I realized that I have neglected those language skills long enough and a friend asked me to practice her German with me. It would only be fair to brush up to make sure that what I told her was…
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The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller My rating: 1 of 5 stars I read this book in early February of this year and I have been dreading writing a review ever since for two reasons. For one, according to the reviews and ratings of it mine is a very unpopular opinion. Secondly, I’m not sure I can keep my sarcasm in check, but I will try my best and as a result turn this into a very boring and dull review…maybe. The Song of Achilles has been on my to-read list for a very long time and I finally took the opportunity to read it now that I have…
