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whatmeganreads's reviews
1517 reviews
Sleeping Giants by Rene Denfeld
3.75
This author is one of my auto-buys. Everyone of her books is not a roaring success for me...but enough of them are to make it worth it!
I really enjoyed The Child Finder and The Enchanted is a book I loved so much I still think about it from time to time even years later. I wasn't too keen on The Butterfly Girl - too much gratuitous twistiness and not enough else to grab onto.
This book fell in third place for me-really engaging and enjoyable, but not quite as much as Child Finder and lacking the magic and resonation that blew The Enchanted out of the water.
I really enjoyed The Child Finder and The Enchanted is a book I loved so much I still think about it from time to time even years later. I wasn't too keen on The Butterfly Girl - too much gratuitous twistiness and not enough else to grab onto.
This book fell in third place for me-really engaging and enjoyable, but not quite as much as Child Finder and lacking the magic and resonation that blew The Enchanted out of the water.
The Radleys by Matt Haig
2.75
Not nearly as good as most of his others. I was invested enough to finish, but not by much.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
3.0
Womp womp. Ok, so I am being up front and owning the fact that I am completely conflicted about this book. In fact, there were times my reactions fluctuated so completely and so quickly from one extreme to the other I gave myself mental whiplash.
Case in point – I have begun annotating my books, which is super fun and makes me so much more invested (nerd-game = leveled up) – but in reading this novel I have a post-it on top of a section I highlighted that says THIS ENTIRE PARAGRAPH IS GORGEOUS AND GOSH I LOVE THEM, followed not even two pages later by another post-it that says THIS IS RIDICULOUS AND I HOPE THE HELLHOUNDS EAT THEM BOTH. I was talking about the same characters on each post-it. 😬
Trying to break down my conflict…..
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝: I enjoyed the historical background elements and the world-building, and pretty much all the secondary characters and folks Iris meets up with in the war. I loved the female journalist angle. The enemies to lovers trope is fun.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝: The writing left a lot on the table at times – moments that should have been super intense, major turning points were handled quickly and felt almost choppy, making them seem disappointingly anti-climactic. The author shined in the build-up and lacked a little in the delivery of the big payouts.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐠𝐥𝐲: Have I discussed my biggest pet peeve in all of literature? I HATE WHEN CHARACTERS CONTINUOUSLY AND MELODRAMATICALLY REPEAT EACH OTHERS’ NAMES. When two (or more) characters are well known to each other, they shouldn’t do that.
“Jan, I can’t believe you’re finally here! I’ve been so worried about you!”
“Oh, Chris, you shouldn’t have worried. I was only a few minutes late.”
“You know I can’t help but be afraid if you’re late, Jan.”
“Chris, you’re a silly fool but I love you anyway!”
See what I mean? Who talks like that? LITERALLY. NO. ONE. It’s so contrived. And the two main love interests/characters were like that every. time. they were together. At one point near the end, I was so annoyed I highlighted every time they said each other’s names over the course of a single conversation that didn’t even take up a whole page. ELEVEN TIMES. She said his name 5 times and he said her name six. One conversation. (Does this bother anyone else? Just me? I can accept that I may be a hypersensitive outlier.)
I really enjoyed the central story. I enjoyed the characters immensely when they were apart. I hated them when they were together. I’m a special kind of twisted, I guess. 😂
I do plan to read the second in the duology, both because I had already bought it before I read the first one and also because I’m hoping Iris and Roman will be separated and I can be free to enjoy them both separately again. 🤣 Solid 3 stars from me.
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
4.75
How much fun was this?! I LOVED this one. Is it high literature? Nope. Was it endearing and delightful and funny while throwing in some surprisingly meaty little socially relevant tidbits? YES. Did I immediately download it on the Kindles for both my little teen and big teen and send them off to class today with an order to begin it at their first opportunity? Sure did.
I wish this was a series because never in my life have I been more invested in a sentient gingerbread man and a killer sourdough starter (I love you, Bob! 😍😂). If this feels out of your wheelhouse, it doesn't matter. Trust me and read it anyway. ❤️
I wish this was a series because never in my life have I been more invested in a sentient gingerbread man and a killer sourdough starter (I love you, Bob! 😍😂). If this feels out of your wheelhouse, it doesn't matter. Trust me and read it anyway. ❤️
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson
5.0
Five stars for The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club!
After way too many recent DNFs, it was such a joy to start this novel and immediately be swept away. This one packs such a girl-power punch! I enjoyed the deeper dive into a slice of time I was aware of but completely unfamiliar with: the years immediately following WWI.
Much attention is given to the years of active combat, but you don’t find too much about the dragging efforts of recovery and rebuilding after everything is over. Women had been so empowered during the war, stepping up and filling all sorts of roles traditionally held by men….and then when the war is over, they were expected to quietly retreat back into what society viewed as their more subservient, traditional responsibilities.
The women in this novel were fighters - refusing to be pushed back into a box they no longer fit in. I found myself mentally cheering for Iris and Poppy and Tilly….but Constance (and Mrs. Fog!) stole my heart.
This one made me both tear up and laugh out loud. There were moments of high tension and high stakes, and everything doesn’t always end tied up in a pretty bow (which I think is more realistic anyway), but it’s ultimately so hopeful and uplifting. A perfect blend of heart and humor with weightier social and gender themes.
After way too many recent DNFs, it was such a joy to start this novel and immediately be swept away. This one packs such a girl-power punch! I enjoyed the deeper dive into a slice of time I was aware of but completely unfamiliar with: the years immediately following WWI.
Much attention is given to the years of active combat, but you don’t find too much about the dragging efforts of recovery and rebuilding after everything is over. Women had been so empowered during the war, stepping up and filling all sorts of roles traditionally held by men….and then when the war is over, they were expected to quietly retreat back into what society viewed as their more subservient, traditional responsibilities.
The women in this novel were fighters - refusing to be pushed back into a box they no longer fit in. I found myself mentally cheering for Iris and Poppy and Tilly….but Constance (and Mrs. Fog!) stole my heart.
This one made me both tear up and laugh out loud. There were moments of high tension and high stakes, and everything doesn’t always end tied up in a pretty bow (which I think is more realistic anyway), but it’s ultimately so hopeful and uplifting. A perfect blend of heart and humor with weightier social and gender themes.
A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke
3.5
Weird, but engaging. The ending wasn't necessarily ambiguous, but the "why" of it all was, along wkg uh...which honestly bothered me. Still, when I suspended my disbelief about the disease, the travel adventures and characters she met along the way were really fun.
Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne
4.25
Spectacular, slow-burn horror. I am STILL creeped out from reading this one...it will be hard to knock it off the "best horror of 2024" pedestal!