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mackenzierm's reviews
1519 reviews
Can't Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan
5.0
Lexi was a track star in college but was forced to drop out when her dad passed away. Now she’s trying to make ends meet while finishing her degree and caring for her mother. A comically bad waitressing shift lands her in the path of a handsome stranger, Will. Will may be the distraction that Lexi was looking for, but their first date turns into a misunderstanding that they’re unable to talk themselves out of. Will is the heir to a major company and Seattle’s most eligible bachelor, bringing Lexi into the spotlight when she’s already wary of commitment. As they take a more casual approach to their relationship and enjoy the fall season, Lexi realizes the scariest part of this season is that she may be falling in love.
I want to scream from the rooftops about this one. CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE has the perfect cover for this sweet story mixing flawlessly with the perfect fall vibes within these pages. This will without a doubt be an excellent fall romance for the upcoming season. This story is set during fall and I loved the fall activities featured, such as apple picking, outdoor breweries, changing leaves, and Halloween prep.
I’m a sucker for fake dating romances, and this to be specific, is a fake engagement so I was beyond excited to dive into this story. Lexi and Will’s story is so cute and I loved their meet-cute and the following fake engagement. The banter and swoon-worthy scenes that they share were chef’s kiss. The trick or truth scene was everything and definitely one of my favourites after the original meet-cute!
I loved the themes of change after loss that the author addressed with care. Lexi navigated loss and the feelings and changes associated over the course of the novel in a realistic way. These themes resonated with me hard, and I think it was really well written.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own.
I want to scream from the rooftops about this one. CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE has the perfect cover for this sweet story mixing flawlessly with the perfect fall vibes within these pages. This will without a doubt be an excellent fall romance for the upcoming season. This story is set during fall and I loved the fall activities featured, such as apple picking, outdoor breweries, changing leaves, and Halloween prep.
I’m a sucker for fake dating romances, and this to be specific, is a fake engagement so I was beyond excited to dive into this story. Lexi and Will’s story is so cute and I loved their meet-cute and the following fake engagement. The banter and swoon-worthy scenes that they share were chef’s kiss. The trick or truth scene was everything and definitely one of my favourites after the original meet-cute!
I loved the themes of change after loss that the author addressed with care. Lexi navigated loss and the feelings and changes associated over the course of the novel in a realistic way. These themes resonated with me hard, and I think it was really well written.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own.
Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen
slow-paced
2.5
2.5 stars.
Nick Morrow left rural Nebraska behind many years ago and never expected to return to the difficult and traumatic past he experienced living with his father, Carlyle. Joshua, Nick’s brother, was disowned by Carlyle for marrying Emilia, a woman of Asian descent. When Nick and Joshua each receive an invitation from their father to return home, they know it is an invitation they cannot refuse. Joshua and Carlyle quickly return to their old dynamic, leaving Emilia and Nick to their own devices. What starts as a simple flirtation quickly escalates to something more between the two, but Nick soon starts to suspect that Emilia’s interest in him may be more sinister than he believed.
SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS is a debut novel written by Kailee Pedersen and is inspired by the author’s journey of adoption from China in 1996 and growing up on a farm in Nebraska with supernatural horror and ancient Chinese mythology weaved in.
This novel has an interesting inspiration and a compelling synopsis but unfortunately, didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I initially found the story difficult to get into due to the lack of punctuation used for dialogue, while this was a simple annoyance and confusing, I soon became accustomed to the author’s writing style which is quite verbose.
SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS is told in the POV of Nick in alternating timelines, the present time, and the past (something like 20-30 years ago when Nick was a child). I enjoyed learning about Nick’s life experiences through this alternating timeline, although his character does experience some terrible and traumatic things. Nick’s narration is somewhat monotonous and flat which is paired with a slow burn development of the plot making this feel like a long way to get to the heart of the story. It’s an unsettling read that focuses on family drama (including abuse).
I wish I had looked more closely into the trigger warnings for this book because while I do not have many triggers, I do not appreciate reading about animal abuse in the novels I consume. The animal abuse contained in the beginning of the story was graphic and hard to read. I am grateful that these scenes were few though and limited to the first few chapters.
I loved the infusion of ancient Chinese mythology within this story. I am not super familiar with Chinese mythology but did pick up on these elements from the beginning of the story. I was rewarded with an interesting ending, and one that I wasn’t entirely expecting and was easily the highlight of this book! The ending is somewhat open-ended and leaves some interpretation up to the reader.
Overall, while this wasn’t entirely my cup of tea, it is certainly an interesting debut!
<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own. </i>
Nick Morrow left rural Nebraska behind many years ago and never expected to return to the difficult and traumatic past he experienced living with his father, Carlyle. Joshua, Nick’s brother, was disowned by Carlyle for marrying Emilia, a woman of Asian descent. When Nick and Joshua each receive an invitation from their father to return home, they know it is an invitation they cannot refuse. Joshua and Carlyle quickly return to their old dynamic, leaving Emilia and Nick to their own devices. What starts as a simple flirtation quickly escalates to something more between the two, but Nick soon starts to suspect that Emilia’s interest in him may be more sinister than he believed.
SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS is a debut novel written by Kailee Pedersen and is inspired by the author’s journey of adoption from China in 1996 and growing up on a farm in Nebraska with supernatural horror and ancient Chinese mythology weaved in.
This novel has an interesting inspiration and a compelling synopsis but unfortunately, didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I initially found the story difficult to get into due to the lack of punctuation used for dialogue, while this was a simple annoyance and confusing, I soon became accustomed to the author’s writing style which is quite verbose.
SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS is told in the POV of Nick in alternating timelines, the present time, and the past (something like 20-30 years ago when Nick was a child). I enjoyed learning about Nick’s life experiences through this alternating timeline, although his character does experience some terrible and traumatic things. Nick’s narration is somewhat monotonous and flat which is paired with a slow burn development of the plot making this feel like a long way to get to the heart of the story. It’s an unsettling read that focuses on family drama (including abuse).
I wish I had looked more closely into the trigger warnings for this book because while I do not have many triggers, I do not appreciate reading about animal abuse in the novels I consume. The animal abuse contained in the beginning of the story was graphic and hard to read. I am grateful that these scenes were few though and limited to the first few chapters.
I loved the infusion of ancient Chinese mythology within this story. I am not super familiar with Chinese mythology but did pick up on these elements from the beginning of the story. I was rewarded with an interesting ending, and one that I wasn’t entirely expecting and was easily the highlight of this book! The ending is somewhat open-ended and leaves some interpretation up to the reader.
Overall, while this wasn’t entirely my cup of tea, it is certainly an interesting debut!
<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own. </i>
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
All the Way Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen
4.5
4.5 stars!
Annalisa Vega is new to the world of private investigators and her first client is Mara Delaney, who insists that some sociopaths are beneficial to society. Mara has even written a book about this topic that centres around Dr. Craig Canning, a successful neurosurgeon who has saved countless lives. A young woman in Dr. Canning's apartment building mysteriously plunges to her death from her balcony, leaving Mara worried that Canning could be responsible. Mara wants Annalisa to uncover the truth before Mara's book publishes, leaving Annalisa on a short timeline.
ALL THE WAY GONE is the fourth instalment to the Annalisa Vega series and makes for an excellent addition. I loved seeing Annalisa's character progression from book three to this book, particularly within her new role. I think this new role works well for her in this stage of her life and career but I can see that nostalgia associated as she sees her former colleagues participate in police investigations. That said, it's really cool to see the establishment of a PI firm as a one-woman operation. I enjoyed Annalisa's continued character development as well as the continued development of relationships established in previous novels, such as with Nick and Cassidy. The author does an excellent job at fleshing out her characters in a realistic and compelling way. I'm curious if there will be a fifth book in this series as I'd love to know what's next for these characters given how this book came to a close.
ALL THE WAY GONE features a twisty plot that's fast-paced and complex. I was hooked and fully invested in this story from the get go. I didn't see what was coming but experienced a big lightbulb moment as the author skillfully revealed the pieces to the mystery leading up to the big reveal. I loved the discourse on sociopaths and their benefits to society - not something I'd ever considered before!
Overall, an excellent read!
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own.
Annalisa Vega is new to the world of private investigators and her first client is Mara Delaney, who insists that some sociopaths are beneficial to society. Mara has even written a book about this topic that centres around Dr. Craig Canning, a successful neurosurgeon who has saved countless lives. A young woman in Dr. Canning's apartment building mysteriously plunges to her death from her balcony, leaving Mara worried that Canning could be responsible. Mara wants Annalisa to uncover the truth before Mara's book publishes, leaving Annalisa on a short timeline.
ALL THE WAY GONE is the fourth instalment to the Annalisa Vega series and makes for an excellent addition. I loved seeing Annalisa's character progression from book three to this book, particularly within her new role. I think this new role works well for her in this stage of her life and career but I can see that nostalgia associated as she sees her former colleagues participate in police investigations. That said, it's really cool to see the establishment of a PI firm as a one-woman operation. I enjoyed Annalisa's continued character development as well as the continued development of relationships established in previous novels, such as with Nick and Cassidy. The author does an excellent job at fleshing out her characters in a realistic and compelling way. I'm curious if there will be a fifth book in this series as I'd love to know what's next for these characters given how this book came to a close.
ALL THE WAY GONE features a twisty plot that's fast-paced and complex. I was hooked and fully invested in this story from the get go. I didn't see what was coming but experienced a big lightbulb moment as the author skillfully revealed the pieces to the mystery leading up to the big reveal. I loved the discourse on sociopaths and their benefits to society - not something I'd ever considered before!
Overall, an excellent read!
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own.