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lili718's reviews
58 reviews
The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I first want to say thank you to NetGalley, Gareth Brown and the publishers for allowing me to get an ARC copy of this book.
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, especially with the comparisons I had seen about it being similar to midnight library, which I had recently read. I would like to note that I don’t agree with these comparisons besides the loosely related concept of stepping through time.
This book was a pleasant surprise and I was unable to put the book down after a while. Every character is written very well and gets you involved in their personal story and relationships with the books, even characters that we only saw for a chapter. Each character’s story comes full circle by the end and unlike most books, every loose end is tied by the last chapter, which was very satisfying. Pay attention to the small details throughout, they almost always came back up to make a connection.
Come prepared for a journey through time, problem solving, mystery and a vast range of emotions.
This book was an amazing read and a great debut novel for Gareth Brown. I can’t wait to see what else he writes!
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, especially with the comparisons I had seen about it being similar to midnight library, which I had recently read. I would like to note that I don’t agree with these comparisons besides the loosely related concept of stepping through time.
This book was a pleasant surprise and I was unable to put the book down after a while. Every character is written very well and gets you involved in their personal story and relationships with the books, even characters that we only saw for a chapter. Each character’s story comes full circle by the end and unlike most books, every loose end is tied by the last chapter, which was very satisfying. Pay attention to the small details throughout, they almost always came back up to make a connection.
Come prepared for a journey through time, problem solving, mystery and a vast range of emotions.
This book was an amazing read and a great debut novel for Gareth Brown. I can’t wait to see what else he writes!
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Lori takes you on an interesting journey for a memoir. Often times I found myself to remind myself that this book was not fiction because the writing style makes it seem that way.
Through her experience as a Therapist with her patients and with her own therapist you get an inside scoop on not just Lori’s life but the experiences of her patients. Each story, if you pay attention and get invested, you can take a different life lesson from.
This was a very refreshing book that caused a lot of self reflection and changed how I view therapy and therapists a bit.
Through her experience as a Therapist with her patients and with her own therapist you get an inside scoop on not just Lori’s life but the experiences of her patients. Each story, if you pay attention and get invested, you can take a different life lesson from.
This was a very refreshing book that caused a lot of self reflection and changed how I view therapy and therapists a bit.
In the Miso Soup by Ryū Murakami
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
Never Lie by Freida McFadden
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book has taken over my #1 spot for Freida books, previously held by The Housemaid’s Secret.
This book does not follow Freida’s typical pattern of the first half of the book being one POV and the other half being majority of another persons POV. In this book we get the POV of our main character, Tricia, the POV of doctor Dr. Hale in the past, and the transcripts of the recordings of Dr. Hales patient visits. This choice of how to present the book was amazing and a breath of fresh air. Through the tapes and POVs, I feel like I got 5 stories in one! Each patient background and story was as careful crafted as the main characters.
I thought I had the twist picked out from the beginning but was wildly surprised with every chapter that came. Freida purposely makes you think you have all the answers just to reveal a new secret that you were never expecting.
I had to put this book down several times just to digest all that had occurred. This book was amazing from start to finish!
This book does not follow Freida’s typical pattern of the first half of the book being one POV and the other half being majority of another persons POV. In this book we get the POV of our main character, Tricia, the POV of doctor Dr. Hale in the past, and the transcripts of the recordings of Dr. Hales patient visits. This choice of how to present the book was amazing and a breath of fresh air. Through the tapes and POVs, I feel like I got 5 stories in one! Each patient background and story was as careful crafted as the main characters.
I thought I had the twist picked out from the beginning but was wildly surprised with every chapter that came. Freida purposely makes you think you have all the answers just to reveal a new secret that you were never expecting.
I had to put this book down several times just to digest all that had occurred. This book was amazing from start to finish!
Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was an amazing debut novel Maria Dong.
Dong does a wonderful job of making you feel like you are Katrina, experiencing everything she does. This is done almost too well, considering I had to stop a few times due to the second-hand embarrassment or because my anxiety was through the roof.
This book thriller tackles poverty and mental illness in the main character very well. As Katrina spirals following her encounter with Kurt, you don’t know what is real and what could just be a figment of her imagination, but never does the book becoming too confusing to follow.
I never knew where this book would take me next. As Katrina was trying to piece together evidence to uncover the truth, I found myself doing the same. Keeping track of what “we” had collected and what it could mean. Despite this, I never could have anticipated the ending.
As someone in tech, also liked that Dong incorporated aspects of her computer programming life in the book.
The way this book ended there is potential for a follow up story and I would not be opposed to another one to see what becomes of Katrina’s life going forward. Regardless of if Dong continues with Katrina’s story or not, I look forward to her next book!
Dong does a wonderful job of making you feel like you are Katrina, experiencing everything she does. This is done almost too well, considering I had to stop a few times due to the second-hand embarrassment or because my anxiety was through the roof.
This book thriller tackles poverty and mental illness in the main character very well. As Katrina spirals following her encounter with Kurt, you don’t know what is real and what could just be a figment of her imagination, but never does the book becoming too confusing to follow.
I never knew where this book would take me next. As Katrina was trying to piece together evidence to uncover the truth, I found myself doing the same. Keeping track of what “we” had collected and what it could mean. Despite this, I never could have anticipated the ending.
As someone in tech, also liked that Dong incorporated aspects of her computer programming life in the book.
The way this book ended there is potential for a follow up story and I would not be opposed to another one to see what becomes of Katrina’s life going forward. Regardless of if Dong continues with Katrina’s story or not, I look forward to her next book!
The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A very good origin story for the president Snow we meet in the Hunger Games trilogy and the creation of the “modern day” hunger games. You get a view of how his mind works and how he sees the world.
The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Dare I say better than the first book. Freida does it again with this amazing book. Not once did I see the plot twist coming. I finished this book in record time, having not been able to stop reading because I needed to know what happened next.
While this book can be read as a standalone, I think that there is more to appreciate if you read the first book. Small details mentioned draw back memories from the first book.
I can’t wait for the release of the 3rd book!
While this book can be read as a standalone, I think that there is more to appreciate if you read the first book. Small details mentioned draw back memories from the first book.
I can’t wait for the release of the 3rd book!
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I thought this book was going to be overhyped and was thoroughly surprised to find myself loving every second of this book.
The book had me on the edge of my seat, gasping and having to take breaks to regroup and sit with the new developments in the story. But I couldn’t sit for too long because I needed to know what happened next. Another amazing page turner from Freida!
The book had me on the edge of my seat, gasping and having to take breaks to regroup and sit with the new developments in the story. But I couldn’t sit for too long because I needed to know what happened next. Another amazing page turner from Freida!