turningpagesmm's reviews
611 reviews

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

1.0

At 100 pages I put a poll on my story asking if I should keep going or DNF this book, DNF won and I should’ve listened. 

This was bad, I don’t know what else I want to say. I was excited because I thought I had like Lucy Foley books in the past but I looked back at some of my old reviews, the average rating I gave them was a 3. 

This book was slow which made it boring and I think the author tried to hard to make a metaphor out of “the birds”, it didn’t land (pun intended). 

There were so many storyline’s that I just wanted one of them to be written and wrapped up well, instead, they were all left hanging. This fell short and the ending was disappointing. 

Sorry to anyone who liked this book but in my opinion it was a fail. 

The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell by Lucia Osborne-Crowley

This book has to be a piece of history, just like the Ronan Farrow book ‘Catch and Kill’, The Lasting Harm needs to be read by everyone. 

A powerful and necessary book that outlines the lasting harm and trauma that comes with abuse and a flawed justice system. 

I think we all need to be aware of the scrutiny that these victims go through no just while in court but in the media and the court of public opinion. Frankly, it’s disgusting. 

I don’t rate true stories/biographies/auto biographies because I don’t feel that I have a right to give a star rating to someone’s story. However, I will say that, this is a must read. 

Thank you to @allenandunwin for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review. 

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No

3.5

This book was a last minute pick up at the library as I was checking out and it just sounded like something I would devour and I did. 

I’m a true crime girlie, documentaries, books, podcasts- I’m there. I’ll walk my dog at night while listening to a true crime podcast like I’m not a potential target. 

I had high hopes for this book and they weren’t ALL dashed but I think my expectations were just too high. There were a few twists which were amazing, I have to say that I did figure it out (I always do) and I even took a picture of the page that did it for me (page 132 if you’re wondering). Not only was the main character frustrating, naive, unlikable and frankly dumb but the book started to drag. At the start of the book it took a while to get into the story, I’m surprised it held my interest, I think it was the style of writing that did it. We reach a lull in the middle of the book when the courtroom hearing is happening BUT push through! 

We all wonder about those women that “fall in love” with serial killers and try to wrap our heads around the why of it all, this was I think just a little look into what goes through their heads. I wanted to yell “are you crazy!?” A million times. 

All in all, It was a fun read and completely engrossing however, it could have been sped up a little. 

Honeycomb: Seven Days. Six Strangers. One Experimental Drug. by S.B. Caves

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

I am still struggling to find words, the ending made me so MAD. This book was like an episode of Black Mirror of strangely enough, like the movie ‘Ready or Not’ which I watched last night.  

Honeycomb is a unique premise, 6 strangers enter an experiment, living in one house and required to take a daily pill, 5 of them are taking placebos and only one is taking an actual dose- they’ve been guaranteed no adverse side effects but that is of course, a lie. 

Some scenes went so far that it crossed into disturbing and I had to read it again to make sure I read it right originally. The reason for the 3 stars is that it was intense and intriguing the whole way through until that ending, it left a lot to be desired and I am so disappointed. 

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my review. 

No Escape by Maren Stoffels

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

3.0

The idea of an escape room thriller is so exciting which is why I picked up Maren Stoffels Escape Room in the past and then No Escape. 

The end was a bit disappointing and it was one of those books that I forgot about nearly as soon as I had finished it but it was a nice circuit breaker between longer reads. 

At the time, I was on the edge of my seat and needed to know what happened but like I said, the end was pretty tame. However, you have to remind yourself that it’s a YA novel and I think with that in mind, it was written very well. 

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

This book had major Eleanor Oliphant vibes to me, I think it was the anti social outcast female protagonist. It was SO relatable, I mean, c'mon, how many times have you thought about telling someone how you really feel in a work email!? most of us don't ACTUALLY send it though!. 

This book really does highlight that you don't know what people are going through and it is so easy to judge a book by it's cover, I think every one just needs to be a bit more aware of people's feelings. I loved this book.

In the Shadows: True Stories of High-Stakes Negotiations to Free Americans Captured Abroad by Mickey Bergman

challenging dark informative tense fast-paced

5.0

First of all, a big thank you to NetGalley and Center Street for providing me with a copy of this book in return for my honest review. 

I really enjoyed this book, I love a book that details the behind the scenes of a career they you wouldn’t normally know much about. I remember a few of these cases, where you would hear about someone who was arrested in a foreign country but reading this book reminded me that I never found out how those situations ended. 

A inspiring and thought provoking insight into what really goes into not only negotiating the release of these prisoners but the care of the families left behind.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Funny story, I started this book less than 24 hours ago. Every time I read an Emily Henry book, I remember why I absolutely love her writing. The dialogue is so easy to follow and it’s just deeply realistic, the banter is always top notch.

Like with any romance book, it was a little bit predictable but I think they literally all are. I love that Funny Story didn’t just focus on the romance but also friendships and the deeper issues that both Miles and Daphne face with their family history, the book doesn’t shy away from letting the characters discuss these problems and shaking up there relationships/friendships with some conflict. Tropes galore with this one (fake relationship, forced proximity, opposites attract, friends to lovers- you name it) which were all my favourite- Miles is one of THE best book boyfriends. 

Miles loves the way that Daphne tells their story but I seriously love the way that Emily Henry tells this story. 

Lockdown by Sara Driscoll, Sara Driscoll, Jen J Danna

challenging dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

A hard book to read with so many emotions. When it comes to a school shooting or a mass shooting of any kind it can be hard to read but with the state of the world at the moment, it hits close to home. Though I live in an Australia it is rare that a day goes by where I don’t want up and hear about a new shooting somewhere in the world. 

I liked this book and really enjoyed that it didn’t hold back from the investigation side of the story. This book pulls you in from the very beginning.

The Perfect Fiancé by T. J. Brearton

3.0

It took me a while to write this review because I am not sure how I felt about it. The storyline and outcome seemed a bit convoluted. I enjoyed to pace of this book and the premise had potential and all in all was well executed but may have fallen a bit flat towards the end. I felt Ike there was a rush to tie up a few loose ends and it didn’t really work. 

I loved the investigation chapters, it felt like I was watching an episode of Law and Order, one of the most well written investigations I’ve read.