Book Review

People Like Us // Book Review

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About The Book
Kay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet, but the past is past, and she’s reinvented herself entirely. Now she’s a star soccer player whose group of gorgeous friends run their private school with effortless popularity and acerbic wit. But when a girl’s body is found in the lake, Kay’s carefully constructed life begins to topple. Debut author Dana Mele has written a taut, sophisticated suspense novel that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3N4GpgW

My Rating

I thought this book was going to be your typical prep school, mystery/thriller type of YA novel. I will say right up front that I haven’t loved many of the books I’ve read that follow this format. However, I am happy to say that I did actually enjoy this one!

The main character Kay is likable and interesting. She has a secret that she has kept hidden for years, but after discovering a body in the lake on Halloween, someone is threatening to expose her past. The skeleton in the closet aspect of the book reminded me a little of ‘There’s Someone Inside Your House’ by Stephanie Perkins, but it was done way better in this book.

This book was so intense! There was murder, blackmail, and it even touched on how the police are usually more concerned about closing a case than actually solving it. Racial profiling was mentioned, student teacher relationships, cheating, suicide, revenge porn, and the list goes on.

I for one couldn’t put the book down! I had to know what was going to happen next. The writing was so good, and the plot just kept getting better. I didn’t really feel like it was another prep school rehashed. Although Kay was the stereotypical non-rich girl on a scholarship, which is a running theme when it comes to the main characters in most private school mysteries.

“Does someone who does one bad thing, even one really bad thing,
deserve bad things to happen to them?”

I had my suspicions on who the killer was and I will admit that I was wrong at first. It was a slow build up to the reveal, but the reveal was done very well. The ending was amazing! By the end, you realize that there were many tiny hints throughout the book that lead you to the murders identity.

I will say that the ending was kind of sad, and had a lot to do with bullying and mental health. That being said, I liked how the story was wrapped up even though some people might guess the killer from early on. So, if you aren’t someone that minds a little predictability than you’ll enjoy this book.

Overall, this book gave me ‘Pretty Little Liars’ meets ‘Gossip Girl’ vibes. However, I did read a review calling it a ‘fucked up sapphic mean girls book’ and I think that describes it way better. But, it is a great read for spooky season, and I did get a kick out of the ‘A Christmas Story’ Ovaltine reference.

I highly recommend checking out trigger warnings —(find here)— before picking thing book up. Don’t forget to like and share this post with others. If you are a book lover (like me) hit the follow button to get notified whenever there’s a new post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

People Like Us by Dana Mele

Dark And Shallow Lies // Book Review

- Bunny Leave a comment

About The Book
A teen girl disappears from her small town deep in the bayou, where magic festers beneath the surface of the swamp like water rot, in this chilling debut supernatural thriller for fans of Natasha Preston, Karen McManus, and Rory Power. In a town where secrets lurk just below the surface, and where a murderer is on the loose, nobody can be presumed innocent—and La Cachette’s dark and shallow lies may just rip the town apart.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3WGq05r

My Rating

This book is a very interesting take on the YA mystery genre, because it has a magical realism element to it. In the book, Grey returns to La Cachette, Louisiana to spend the summer in the same place that her best friend, Elora, disappeared from, 6 month earlier.

In La Cachette everyone has some kind of magical ability, from being a love psychic to an empath. However, Grey, just now seventeen years old, is learning to discover her own gift. As the protagonist of the story, Grey was just okay. She wasn’t horrible or unlikable, but I wouldn’t say I loved following her either.

In my opinion, this book is way more mystery based, because there were a lot of secrets going on. The mystery of Elora disappearance did keep me interested, but not enough to where I couldn’t put the book down.

“Welcome to La Cachette, Louisiana Elevation 3 Ft. Population 106 Living Souls.”

For me, the story as a whole just didn’t work. The psychic aspect of the story was a bit weird, and La Cachette was a very twisted place. There’s also another mystery from the past that somewhat ties into the current mystery. And, there’s a romance as well. It just had a lot going on.

My biggest con was the writing. I do understand that this is a debut novel, so I am trying not to judge it too heavily. But, the book didn’t come to life for me, and man, was it slow moving. I wanted the plot to pick up, but it never really did.

Overall, the ending was solid and I do think the author has the potential to write something really good. Nevertheless, I want to say the this book isn’t comparable to Karan M. McManus’ works (as it states on GoodReads), which might be a good thing for some people. Also, the story is pretty sad, and there are some triggering things talked about in this book. One being the murder of children.

Remember that StoryGraph is a great tool for finding trigger warnings for books. Don’t forget to show your support by giving the blog a follow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Finale // Book Review

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About The Book
Welcome, welcome to the Caraval’s Finale. All games must come to an end. With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him. Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3MUxFdi

My Rating

This is the final book in the Caraval trilogy, so beware that this review will contain spoilers. The book starts right off from where the second book, ‘Legendary’, ended. The dates have been released, and now everyone’s lives are at risk.

Something that was weird to me is that the whole second book was about Donatella’s desire to bring back their mother. However, she played such a small roll in this book. We didn’t even get to know anything about her. However, she did have a role in the overall plot without actually being in the story if that makes any sense.
Related Post: Legendary // Book Review

In the book, Donatella, Scarlet, Jillian, and Legend are trying their hardest to defeat the fates. That plot sounds amazing! And, although the book is fantastic, it was kind of slow moving. Tella’s whole story arc became all about her romance with Legend and Jacks (King Of Hearts).

I wanted there to be more fantasy, and less pinning for Legend. And, don’t even get me started on the slow burn between Legend and her. There’s even a sort of love triangle between her, Legend, and Jacks.

“There is nothing quite so precious as the love of a sister.”

On the other hand, Scarlett’s story arc was amazing. We learn something about her that left me stunned. Also, her and Jillian’s romance is super cute. But, I’ve always found Scarlett to be very likable. Not to say I don’t like Tella, because out of the two I actually relate more to her than Scarlett.

Now I did feel like this book had a lot going on, maybe a little too much going on. It was very plot driven, which to be honest the trilogy as a whole is more focused on the plot than characters. And, although there was a lot of packed into the story, it all came together at the end.

However, Tella’s story didn’t go exactly how I wanted it too. Let’s just say I’m a ‘villain gets the girl’ kind of reader. But, I liked how everything was wrapped up, and the last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat!

Overall, the book was well written. The characters didn’t have much development this time around, but were still very likable, and the story was fantastic. Although, it didn’t give me that 5 star feel, I would still recommend it to any YA fantasy lover.

In the comments, let me know your thoughts on the Caraval trilogy. Don’t forget to follow the blog for more book reviews.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Moment Of Truth // Book Review

- Bunny 2 Comments

About The Book
At sixteen, Hadley Moore knows exactly who she is—a swimmer who will earn a scholarship to college. So when a guy dressed as Hollywood’s latest action hero, Heath Hall, crashes her swim meet, she isn’t amused. Instead, she’s determined to make sure he doesn’t bother her again. Only she’s not sure exactly who he is. She soon finds herself getting caught up in the mysterious world of the fake Heath Hall.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3BNLO5G

My Rating

This book is way more than your average YA contemporary romance, which I actually really enjoyed. In the book, we follow high schooler Hadley, who is all about swimming. She has two loving parents that support her, but she always feels as though she’s competing with her brother. The brother she never met because he passed away before she was born.

If you’ve read any of Kasie West’s books, then you know that they usually aren’t all about the romance, and have a more serious side plot to them as well. However, this book takes a different approach with the romance being the side plot.

As the synopsis states, there’s this mystery plot point involving someone in a Heath Hall mask. And, that aspect really tied everything together; from the romance, to the more serious topics together. This book definitely requires you to look into trigger warnings, yet I recommend doing this for all books.

“Just because you can’t see the future, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. You don’t have to see everything clearly or know exactly where you’re going to move forward.”

The book tackles many different aspects of grief from not letting go, to feeling like a replacement child, to even being in competition with someone that’s not here anymore. It was interesting to see Hadley struggle with her feelings towards her late brother, and wonder if they’d be close if he were alive. The book begs explores the topic of how to fully grieve someone that we’ve never met, but have a connection with.

The romance was very cute, and young adult romance is something that Kasie West does a spectacular job of writing. I don’t know if I’d categorize this as an enemies to lovers, or opposites attract love story, since it falls somewhere in between. However, the love interest was funny and you could tell there were both catching feelings from early on.

Overall, if you want a more major romance contemporary then I’d give this a read. It also happens to be the last book in her ‘Love, Life, And The List’ companion trilogy. Although, the link to the first book was a very minor thing. Also, this author books are usually quick reads for me but this one, being a bit more serious, is a slower read, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s a con.

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Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

White Smoke // Book Review

- Bunny Leave a comment

About The Book
Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its. . . secrets. But “running from ghosts” is just a metaphor, right?
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/42Qz3TP

My Rating

Right off the bat, I was unsure about the writing of this book. For some reason, I didn’t love the author’s writing style, and felt it was going to be a more slow-paced young adult thriller, which it did end up being. However, in the book, we have an unreliable narrator, so I enjoyed that aspect a lot.

Marigold has moved with her newly blended family to a small town, and is trying to leave her addiction in the past, after it almost ended her life. So, drug use is mentioned a lot throughout the story. I found it interesting to see Marigold’s struggle with addiction, because you could see her wanting to stay clean, but the addict part of her brain was trying to convince her that she needed to use.

She also deals with OCD, which is a mental illness that I haven’t read about in books before. I liked the way the author talked about all these different issues, while still keeping the core of the book as a thriller. However, I didn’t find Marigold to be very likable. She had a brother that she was close to, but didn’t even want try and connect with her younger stepsister. It frustrated me to no end.

“The house stills. The house heard us.”

As for the thriller part of the plot, it was pretty slow moving. But, once you hit about the 50% mark, things get creepy. While Marigold is trying to explain away these unexplainable incidents, thinking they’re caused by her addiction, you as the reader just know something isn’t right with the house. There were times that I was freaked out and had goosebumps.

I didn’t see the ending coming at all. It was way more hard hitting than I expected, and it was a shocking turn of events to say the least. This book really straddles the line between young adult contemporary and thriller. It leaned a little too much towards the contemporary side of things for me, but I understand how some people might not feel that way.

Overall, it was a good read, and I probably would have enjoyed it more if it had been more fast-paced. The book just took a little too long to grab my attention and creep me out. I actually DNF’ed it the first time around, but I am glad I gave it another chance.

In the comments, let me know if you prefer fast or slow paced thrillers. Don’t forget to follow my blog if you like bookish content.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Belladonna // Book Review

- Bunny Leave a comment

About The Book
A gothic romance following a girl with Death constantly hovering nearby, Belladonna is the gripping story full of wealth, desire, and betrayal that will sweep readers up in its haunting tale from the very beginning! New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/42R54ek

My Rating

The thing that appealed to me about this book was the title, because I happened to play the role of Belladonna in my college production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’. So, you could say the name holds a special place in my heart. But, other than the book title, and that it was a YA fantasy, I knew nothing about the book.

The main character is Signa, an orphan, who has spent her whole life being shipped off to relative after relative. She’s also sees death. Picture  along the lines of the Angel of Death. When she arrives at Throne Grove, she starts seeing spirits, and discovers hidden powers within her.

Signa was problem my least favorite thing about the book. I found her to be a little annoying at times. Early in her life, she learned that if she poisoned herself, the poison doesn’t affect her, but death will come to her. What was so annoying was her ability to blame death for all her problems. She accused him of always following her, when she was literally poisoning herself to see him.

Other than the main character being a 7 out of 10, I loved the book. The plot was fascinating and very gothic inspired. There were a few good twists, and even a love triangle, consisting of involving Signa, Death, and a stable boy. But let’s get real, this was more of a Bella, Edward and Jacob love triangle in which there’s not really any competition.

“Do not change the parts of yourself that you like to make others comfortable. Do not try to mold yourself to fit the standards someone else has set for us.”

Death was sexy as hell, no pun intended. He was dangerous, charming, smooth, and kind. Honestly, I’d poison myself if I knew I wouldn’t die to see him as well. The romance aspect was on point, and their relationship was awesome. Not too smutty, but hot. I was here for those little steamy moment’s between Signa and Death.

The ending of the book was incredible, and it will make you want to pick up the next book immediately. I loved how everything was wrapped up. The twist was great, and I can’t wait to continue on with the series. Adalyn Grace knows how to write a fantasy/romance for sure. However, despite my love for the book, the main character’s flaws kept it from being a 5 star.

Overall, I highly recommend this book – especially if you enjoyed the ‘Kingdom Of The Wicked’ series. I chose not to continue on with that series, but in my opinion this book has very similar vibes. One thing to note, there aren’t a lot of triggering topic but you should definitely check on them before jumping into the book.

In the comments, tell me if you’ve read this book, and what your thoughts were on it. Don’t forget to support my blog by giving it a follow!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Shady Hollow // Book Review

- Bunny Leave a comment

About The Book
The first book in the Shady Hollow series, in which we are introduced to the village of Shady Hollow, a place where woodland creatures live together in harmony—until a curmudgeonly toad turns up dead and the local reporter has to solve the case. Who says humans should have all the mystery, intrigue, and hijinks?
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3pH2qJq

My Rating

 

If you are looking for a cozy mystery that features animals, this book’s got you covered! I loved everything about this book, and it was such a fun, easy read. The main character is Vera, a fox who’s also a news reporter! When she learns that there’s been a murder in Shady Hollow, she can’t help putting her reporting skills to use, and trying to solve the case.

I loved getting to know Vera, and all the other residents of Shady Hollow. It was such a fun book and concept. Who would think to write a cozy mystery series with animals as the main characters? But, the author did a great job bringing these characters and story to life. And, it didn’t feel cheesy or too young it was an adult cozy mystery, at its core.

The mystery was very well done and I had no idea who the murder was at all. I kept changing my mind throughout the book, but I loved that it kept me on my toes. I’m not the type of reader that goes into mysteries or thrillers with the intention of trying to figure things out, so I like a good surprise ending.

“Did you know there’s never been a murder in Shady Hollow before?”

Now there was a little romance for Vera that you could see blooming throughout the book, which I loved. It was pretty adorable and I hope we continue to see more of her relationship in the coming books. I am invested in not only her love life, but the lives of all the people in Shady Hollow.

Overall, the book is a 5 star read for me! I never imagined I’d be a cozy mystery person, but man, can I not wait to pick up the next book in this series! It’s a nice break from contemporaries and longer fantasies. So, if you’re looking for a good palette cleanser book, I’d give this one a read.

Please leave some cozy mystery recommendations for me in the comments below. Don’t forget to share and like this post. If you love all things bookish, give my little blog a follow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Then She Was Gone // Book Review

- Bunny 2 Comments

About The Book
She was fifteen, her mother’s golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone. Ten years on, Laurel has never given up hope of finding Ellie. And then she meets a charming and charismatic stranger who sweeps her off her feet. But what really takes her breath away is when she meets his nine-year-old daughter. Because his daughter is the image of Ellie.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/41wG1vK

My Rating

I had heard nothing but good things about this book. And, going into it, I was expecting it to be a thrilling mystery-thriller. However, the story wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be.

In the book, we follow Laurel, whose daughter Ellie disappeared when she was just fifteen year old. 10 years later, Laurel meets Floyd, whose daughter Poppy looks almost identical to Ellie.

The plot sounded so intriguing, but predictable from the start. Honestly, there wasn’t many shocking twist in the book. I think even a newbie mystery reader could have figured out where the story was going.

As a main character, Laurel was a classic mother of a missing child, at least as far as pop culture is concerned. She took 10 years to even attempt to move on from losing Ellie. And, she had a strained relationship with her other two kids and husband because of her resentment towards them for Ellie’s disappearance.

“When I read a book it feels like real life and when I put the book down it’s like I go back into the dream.”

It was interesting to get chapters in Ellie’s perspective. Reading those chapters made me imagine what it would be like loosing a child. Nothing can compare to that kind of nightmare. It’s a horrifying, and nobody should have to go through that kind of situation.

However, the writing wasn’t as engaging as I’d would have liked. I found the pacing to be pretty slow. I’ve heard a lot of people mention that it is a quick read, and while I did finish it in a day, I wouldn’t necessarily consider the book to be fast-paced. Still, the story wasn’t interesting enough to keep me reading.

Overall, I would say that this for sure a mystery but not at all a thriller. For the most part, you already no where the story is going to go. Also, I found the book to be very sad. The ending broke my heart. I just felt so bad for Laurel, Ellie, Poppy, and mostly every character by the end of the book.

Before you read this book be sure to check out the trigger warnings. StoryGraph is a great resource for looking up trigger warnings in books. Don’t forget to like this post and follow my blog to get post alerts.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Wretched Waterpark // Book Review

- Bunny 1 Comment


About The Book
A middle-grade mystery series that’s spooky, creepy, and filled with gothic twists! Meet the Sinister-Winterbottom twins, who solve mysteries at increasingly bizarre summer vacation destinations in the hopes of being reunited with their parents—or at the very least finally finding a good churro.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/42mZCQ4

My Rating

 

I’m not gonna lie, this was a very quick and easy middle-grade mystery-ish book. I wasn’t exactly sure where the plot was going and I didn’t love how the story as a whole played out.

In the book, we follow 12 year old twins, Theodore and Alexander Sinister-Winterbottom, and their older sister Wilhelmina. As they spend the summer with their Aunt Saffronia, and discover a mystery at a strange waterpark.

We got to know Sinister-Winterbottom kids’ personalities, and the side characters were also fleshed out well. And, the writing really is what kept me reading. Kiersten White has a way of making me keep wanting to regardless of how I feel about the plot.

My biggest problem is that I just didn’t care for the mystery. I didn’t find it to be engaging, and I wasn’t drawn into the story. The plot felt very young, so as an adult reader that likes her adult mystery thrillers, I found the book to be very underwhelming. You can tell it was intended for tweens.

“It was the strangest summer.”

I speed read the last half of the book because it was easy to follow and I wanted to be done with the story. However, that’s not to say it’s a bad book. I believe younger kids would really enjoy it. And, I might have been more of a fan if I had read it when I was a kid.

Negative thoughts aside, I haven’t completely given up on the series. If I do end up continuing on with the book it will most likely be do to the writing. And, the fact they’ll be more simple reads. They might even be great to help get you out of a reading slump. However, I won’t plan on any of them being 5 star reads, but sometimes that okay.

Overall, if you do want a fast paced read that’s good to boost your reading goal this year, then I would pick this up. Or, if you know a tween in your life that is into mystery books. It is recommended for fans of ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ and ‘Scooby Doo’, and I completely understand why.

In the comments, let me know if you enjoyed this book. Or, if you have any middle-grade mystery book recommendations. Don’t forget to follow my blog to get notified whenever there’s a new post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Babysitter’s Coven // Book Review

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About The Book
Adventures in Babysitting meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this funny, action-packed novel about a coven of witchy babysitters who realize their calling to protect the innocent and save the world from an onslaught of evil.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3AJbksb

My Rating

 

I found this book to be very entertaining. It is totally ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ meets ‘The Babysitter’s Club’. The main character is Esme, who has a single dad, and runs a babysitting business with her best friend.

However, she soon discovers that she, along with the new girl, Cassandra, are basically superheroes. Complete with magic powers and everything. It gave me such ‘Secret Circle’ and ‘The Craft’ vibes.

As a main character Esme was smart and had good instincts. She’s the Buffy of the story, which I guess makes Cassandra the Faith. It did annoy me that Esme swooned over Cassandra’s brother because he was hot and cool. However, Esme’s best friend was great, and was truly her ride or die.

“I’m too far down the rabbit hole to turn back now. This night is too insane to ever be scary.”

The writing was great, and the story kept me interested. There were some funny moments throughout the story and I’d compare it to ‘Undead Girl Gang’ by Lily Anderson. And, seeing as I enjoyed that book, it’s no surprise that I was a fan of this one as well.

The last half of the book was crazy and super good. I loved all the twist and turns. It really focused on how jealousy and grief are powerful motivators. They can make you blind to evil actions.

Overall, I will likely be picking up the sequel. However, the ending was a little cheesy and I didn’t 100% love the last chapter, which is why it isn’t a five star. But, if you’re looking for a funny Buffy-esque book, then I’d for sure give this a read. Still, be aware that this is a YA book, and it does read like one.

In the comments, let me know if you plan on starting this series. As always, like and share this post. Also, you can follow the blog for more posts like this one.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny