Points for creativity, but ultimately I didn't really enjoy the experience of reading this book. There was a lot going on, and I felt lost almost the whole time, and when you finally learn what's going on it just wasn't worth the lead up. 

Basically...a woman is found murdered, and another woman has to figure out who murdered her, or everyone on the island will get killed by a poison gas. The twist is that all their memories have been wiped. There's a whole lot more going on the background, but it felt like it was just filler to set up a murder mystery that's based entirely on evidence and no memories or witnesses. 

I was not a fan of Evelyn Hardcastle, but I REALLY tried to give this a chance. But I honestly felt like I struggled through it. It felt long and at times it was repetitive, going over the same basic suspects over and over again. But then at times it would skip ahead several hours and I would be totally lost. 

As one final point, the characters all seemed somewhat one-dimensional (ultimately that made sense for some but not all) 

I went with 3 stars because it was completely unique and I never would have predicted where it was going. But it sadly wasn't for me. 

This was so good! I absolutely loved all the characters, and it was surprisingly emotional. This is the next book by the author of We Are the Brennans, which I didn't dislike, but didn't love it like others seemed to. For whatever reason, this book spoke to me so much more!

This starts with Tara Connelly getting released from prison after serving 18 months for drug trafficking. She goes back home to live with her brother and sister, who each have their own secrets, which all come together in a way that risks their family and Tara's newfound freedom.

I loved how every character had their (in some cases very significant) issues, and how real the interactions between them felt. It was easy to root for each of them but also dislike each of them in turn. I ended up just a hair shy of 5 stars because some parts came together slightly too perfectly and I was just so frustrated by some stupid decisions, but this was still such a good read!

Oh my gosh, this so completely charming and fun to read, I loved it!

Mrs Plansky, a 71-year-old widow, is woken up in the middle of the night by a call from her grandson who needs $9k to bail himself out of jail after a DUI. Mrs. Plansky happily helps him out, only to discover the next day it was a scam who wiped out her entire life savings, nearly $4 million. She refuses to be a victim, and decides she will do whatever she has to do to get her money back.

Ok yes, this requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief, but what an amazing premise, and I have not rooted for a character as much as I have for Mrs Plansky in a really long time. I'm not usually one for cozy mysteries (and this isn't that either, but a somewhat similar feel), but I absolutely loved this and couldn't wait to see how it all unfolded.

I also thought it was really interesting to get the perspective of the scammer himself, making him an actual human being who, while maybe doesn't have a heart of gold, is not evil.

I also really enjoyed all the other aspects of Mrs Plansky's life we got to see, even though nearly every family member she has is pretty terrible, it made her very real.

"Huntress. Warrior. Mother. Murderess. Queen." Most of what I'd heard about Clytemnestra previously was pretty much focused on the Murderess aspect of her story, but this book gives you so much more, showcasing every aspect of her character, and what led to the point she's usually known for.

This is thorough for sure. On the one hand, that means it felt slow for the first half or so. But it also meant that Clytemnestra, and everyone around her, was very well developed as a character. This was a much more complex portrayal of her than I've ever seen, and I really enjoyed seeing her in all the different roles she took on.

Another interesting aspect to this book is that it really is not mythology like you'd expect. They refer to the gods and goddesses, but they are not characters, and this feels much more like historical fiction than mythology.

The ending is dark (although really, if you know the story of Clytemnestra, you should expect that), and I thought the book does a great job setting up that atmosphere.

I definitely enjoyed this, and recommend to anyone who's a fan of Greek mythology!

This was very cute, and a good light option if you're looking for heart-warming family drama.

This takes place over a week between the funeral of the family patriarch and the wedding of a family friend. At the funeral, a major secret is publicly revealed, and several others come to light over the course of the week, affecting every generation of the family.

This took me a minute to get into. There are a lot of characters! And the writing changes perspective constantly, like often one paragraph to the next. Seriously don't listen to this on audio, you'll be lost immediately. The chapters are also really long, so it was one of those books where I was always looking ahead to see how far I had to go.

But it grew on me. Once I got them straight, I found most of the characters really endearing, and enjoyed seeing how their stories played out. It had some really touching moments as well as some funny ones. As a fan of the Bachelor franchise, I also very much enjoyed that one of the characters was on The Bachelorette!

I don't think this is one that will necessarily stick with me, but I did end up really enjoying it, it's very cute family story.

This was a fast, unique, and compelling story of three boys suspected of murdering their prep school principal. They have to overcome the evidence against them, as well as the prejudice of all those in authority, to figure out who really killed him in order to save themselves.

This was a really creative approach to a murder mystery. In addition to chapters providing the POV of each of the three accused students--Trey, JB, and Ramon--we also get transcripts from their police interrogations, news clips, and testimonials of the people around them, both who knew them and those that didn't. It makes it very clear just how much the color of their skin played a role in the accusations, and the assumptions made by just about everyone.

Beyond the murder accusation, it was pretty upsetting to read about this school, which essentially felt like it was just training minority boys for prison rather than college, and you couldn't help but feel connected to each of the characters and the frustrations they faced in this environment, where all authority assumes the worst of them.

It was YA, so it was a bit simplistic, and I was left with a couple questions about how things came together, but overall I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend.

I haven't read much speculative fiction, so this was fun to explore. It was really unique and had a lot to think about. This would be great for book clubs to explore some of the themes it brought up. Thanks to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the early copy.

Synopsis: Vera grows up in a small village in the mountains, where there are no strangers, it is believed to be the most beautiful place around, and the villagers face a strange affliction--on occasion, some mothers will simply vanish into thin air. When Vera becomes a mother herself, she tries to figure out how to stay, looking for signs that she might be the next to "go".

The writing was absolutely beautiful, and I was completely captivated by the story. It brought up key themes about identity and motherhood, and how women balance the expectations they face (or place on themselves) with maintaining their own identity but also wanting to be everything for their child.

The whole book evokes this really sad feeling, even parts that aren't necessarily sad. It's like the characters are constantly on edge for something to go wrong.

I did think some parts dragged a bit, and perhaps if I was a mother myself, I would have connected to it more. Also, what the heck was going on with the women licking men's blood during sex? Forget the disappearing women, that part was the weirdest!

I definitely enjoyed this, and appreciate how unique and thought provoking it was!

This was such a fascinating memoir, perfect for lovers of true crime!

In his memoir, Paul Holes tells about how he got involved in criminology, and his fascination with and work on cold cases. This was absolutely fascinating. It does a really great job of blending the background on the cases with Paul's personal story, and showing how he managed a career in such a field (and ultimately the price he paid for having a career in such a field.)I really liked how it intertwined anecdotes of cases that he successfully solved immediately, with the cold cases he later cracked, with the cases that were ultimately never solved. It showed that he was a real person, not a superhero able to solve any case that came his way.

It was also a really great look at how DNA testing has changed over time, and how law enforcement has been able to change their approach to have more success in solving cases.

I loved how this incorporated some very well-known cases, including the Golden State Killer (I'd read Michelle McNamara's book, and this continues her story wonderfully), Laci Peterson, and Jacee Dugard. There's so much he has been involved in, and it was so exciting to see how these famous cases were handled.

I'd definitely recommend to any fan of true crime! You get so much out of this book! Thanks to @bookishfirst and @celadonbooks for an early copy!

I'd really enjoyed Sabaa Tahir's fantasy books, so I was really excited to see how she was at YA, and oh my god it was so good! Thanks to @bookishfirst and @penguinteen for the early copy of this! 

Synopsis: Sal and Noor are two Pakistani-American teens who are trying to rekindle their friendship after a falling out. Sal's mom is gravely sick and he's doing everything he can to help the family motel survive, while Noor desperately wants to go to college but her uncle who takes care of her wants to stop her. This also flashes back through Misbah's life (Sal's mother) showing how the family got to where they were. 

This was amazing. Well-written and layered and powerful and emotional.  There are a lot of triggers so definitely check those out before reading, but otherwise run out and get this ASAP. This gave me so much to think about and was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. 

Rage is an emotion that is not really addressed much in fiction, at least not in a meaningful way that I've seen. Rage usually only comes up with someone evil, someone who's resorting to violence. But this does such an amazing job of showing Sal's and Noor's emotions and how they change over time and how rage ends up being not only justified but necessary. I really appreciated how that was addressed here, and making Sal and Noor so incredibly real.