karenmsecrest's reviews
268 reviews

The Terminal List by Jack Carr
Did not finish book. Stopped at 55%.

Not in the mood for so much “perfect military man fighting the system” when the system seems to be California gun laws and female politicians. 

Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein

informative medium-paced

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

3.5

Lots of insight into the world of Olympic qualifying gymnastics, including all the tumbling moves you love (and some you’ve never heard of). A story of personal growth with just a little bit of romance thrown in - mostly kissing.

This incudes my least favorite contemporary romance trends:

• First-person narration
• therapy-adjacent language
• heroine journey to self-improvement
• hero is perfect, makes one minor mistake, goes way above to apologize and atone for it 

A decent read if you’re fired up about the Olympics and like a closed door romance. 

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.

Paused a while ago. Will pick up again. 

The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts by Mary Claire Haver, MD

informative fast-paced

4.0

Informative and helpful! The book includes instructions and action items along that explain the symptoms of the physical, mental, and emotional changes during perimenopause and beyond. Highly recommend for people experiencing changes or curious about what to expect. (Maybe this should be called “what to expect when you’re done with the expecting years”?!?)

Listened to the audiobook, but I suggest the printed version for easier access to resources. 

This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained by Cara Natterson, Vanessa Kroll Bennett
Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.

Paused to read other books. 

The Last Close Call by Laura Griffin

mysterious medium-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

3.0

Ok. Mystery/thriller with a dash of romance. Not my favorite book by this author. Maybe because it involves a stakeout, and that part of the story was as boring as the actual stakeout?

Wildfire by Hannah Grace

slow-paced

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

2.0

Two college-aged main characters with enough baggage between them to open a travel store spend the summer together as camp counselors. This is the type of contemporary romance that references therapy, daddy issues, and baggage between super detailed smutty scenes. I appreciate the sex positive themes, LGBTQ+ representation, but overall I think I’m just too old for a book about 21 year olds. 

Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman

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? No

5.0

I. Loved. This. Book!

A charming and sweet rom-com with grown-ass adults (40 year olds) navigating love, life, parenting teens, and celebrity in this modern age. A happy ever after with low/no heat level. 

I typically don’t like contemporary romances, but this was super fun and I would watch the sh*t out of this movie or tv show!

Recommend for:
romance readers AND people who “don’t read romance” or are looking for an intro to the genre. 

Trashed by Mia Hopkins

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Casanova LLC by Julia Whelan

emotional fast-paced

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

3.0

The audio elements of this book deserve 5 stars, but the story is 2 stars. 

First, the good:

• The voice acting is INCREDIBLE! Julia Whelan and Seb York are the best in the business. They could draw emotion and character out of a recitation of the phone book. 
• The hot scenes will set your earbuds on fire (not the book to listen to in the car during school pick-up/drop-off)
• The HEA is sweet. 

But…

• I found the character of Claire equal parts annoying, cloying, naive, oblivious, and… did I already say annoying? 
• The a-hole husband is named Richard Craven. Seriously? Dick. Craven. Ugh. 

It took forever to finish listening to this book, because I couldn’t find a way to care about the main female character.