eleana's reviews
468 reviews

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

adventurous dark lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I enjoyed reading this really for the most part, but then it didn't really come together at the end for me. I played along and followed the breadcrumbs for the big reveal and they just didn't lead to a satisfying ending.

We got all these hints about Ethan being untrustworthy and dodgy about his family, so finding out at the end in just a small chapter that his mom was a patient felt so anticlimatic, the hints we got felt so much more sinister and impactful and it was just "this character that had no impact on the story was murdered" aight...word... I'm also usually very onboard for an unreliable narrator but Trisha just didn't work. It should not have been narrated in first person because it just made most of the book just seem insignificant. I thought the hints Adrian dropped about Trisha and her fiance were cool to piece together, it would just have worked better if we weren't seeing this through Trisha's POV I think.

Doctor Adrian pissed me right off too, what a bizzare character. The stakes of the blackmail were just so low I could not respect the situation she got herself in. So what if her slashing some tyres went out to the public? oh no her third book wouldn't sell as well, she would be slightly less rich in her mansion, wah wah, woe is me. For someone so often described as smart I thought it was incredibly stupid to pin so much weight on EJ's blackmail. Honestly I think that's the main crux of this book for me. I wish any of the proofreaders or editors were just like "is this enough stakes", because it absolutely was not and it just weakened the entire narrative. Did enjoy this anyway overall, would still read more from Freida and hope for better plot in the next one.

Phobic: Modern Horror Stories by Andy Murray

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Maybe I just don't get it, but I hated this. The last chapter extra so

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was such a fun read! It gave me the same sort of buzz as reading the Cool Girl monologue from Gone Girl for the first time. It had me on my toes the entire time at every twist and turn. It was also extremely snappy, fast paced and a page turner. The whole book felt like it was written with great forethought and intention, which I love to see in a mystery and crime book. The fast chapters complimented the style of the book perfectly, you get to a point where it seems irritating and one dimensional but it's so easy to keep turning and bam! Plot twist, and then you're hooked, and they keep on coming. It felt like it borrowed tropes from a lot of media I've consumed and enjoyed, not in a rip off way, more like an omage. It was a lil bit Gone Girl, a little bit Netflix You, a little bit Killing Eve, a lot its own fun read. Definitely going on to read the sequel and more from this author. 

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed the second half after they go to the Melei camp and all of Meg's story line but I found the first half of the Labyrinth really confusing to follow. Especially Media's whole spiel, kept waiting for some kind of reveal that never came. Can't believe they'd do Jason like that so early in the series. Poor Leo didn't even get to see his friend again. Sad stuff. Enjoyed this overall though

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

Loved this book. Fern speaks very candidly about her life as an autistic woman while also sharing useful information about autism along the way. Found myself relating very hard and getting emotional throughout points of this book. 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I don't know if it's because the translation is a bit weird or if its the actual contents of the story, but I found the whole thing fell kinda flat. Kind of suffered from telling, not showing, emotions so all these very heavy themes came off quite thin, lacking actual substance or reflection. I do appreciate how original it was though, haven't read any other book with the same premise and I found it interesting 

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This started out quite slow and I didn't really care for the romance or the characters, but once things kicked off it was so exciting. The mystery reveal itself was sooo good. Airtight, no plotholes, all wrapped up nicely. I'm still not super keen on the genre but this was some of the best of its kind and I'm glad to have read it

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0