ARC Review: One Last Stop

 

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself. 

Casey McQuiston's previous book, Red, White & Royal Blue is one of my all-time favorite reads (and re reads). RWRB feels like one of those magic books where quite literally everything works, a book I find myself returning to, especially during 2020, because it is wonderful and beautiful and gives me hope for a better future for the world. Just thinking about Alex and Henry makes me smile.

So I was crossing all my fingers and toes that One Last Stop would also be full of McQuiston's magic, and it absolutely was.

Our main character, August, has learned to keep herself closed off, and she thought moving to New York City would solidfy that. Instead, she's immediately adopted into her roommates' found family, and meets Jane on the subway. As she becomes closer and closer to Jane, August discovers that Jane is actually from the 1970s, somehow stuck in time and stuck in the train.

McQuiston makes this premise work so well. As a reader, I completely bought into it from the first page, no questions, no hesitations. There is a reason behind Jane's predictment, but I didn't need to know it to lose myself completely in the world McQuiston created. New York comes alive through the most vivid prose, almost its own character, and Jane makes the New York of the past come alive as well.

Every character in this book is fantastic, from August's group of roommates to the drag queen accountant down to the hall to her coworkers at the diner. I cared so deeply about every single one of them and their relationships and their lives. I was so invested in every single bit of this book, and McQuiston's incredible writing made me feel like I was right there with them, in a dirty subway car, at an epic drag show, in a booth at the diner.

This is absolutely a favorite read of the year, and I cannot recommend this book enough. I can't wait to read McQuiston's next magical story.

ARC Review: Playing the Palace

 

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

What happens when an American event planner meets the openly gay and absolutely gorgeous Prince of Wales? 

A ton of fluffy fun that feels like a rom-com that leapt off the big screen.

You've got the openly gay but still conflicted over loyalty to his country Edgar, the just getting over a terrible break up with an actor Carter, and a meet cute at a political event Carter happens to be planning. There's chemistry, flirtation, and love at first sight. There's big humor that had me genuinally laughing out loud multiple times (who knew the Queen of England would end up being one of the funniest characters?). There's wry and supportive members of the Prince's team, very enthusiastic big sisters, and an aunt who always put a bread roll in her purse for later. There's big breakups and big makeups and lots of romantic drama. There's too many second hand embarrassment sequences for my taste, but that kind of thing always makes me cringe.

This may not be the greatest work of literature ever written, but that's not what I wanted when I picked it up. What I wanted wasa exactly what I got, a book that made me smile and laugh and feel good.

ARC Review: The Hunting Wives

 

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself. 

Having decided the seeming idyllic life in small town Texas is what she wants for her and her family, Sophie now finds herself less interested in growing her lifestyle blog, and more intrigued by finding a way into the elite company of women who call themselves The Hunting Wives. Obsession, desire, and illicit activities soon have Sophie completely ensnared...and that's all before the murder occurs.

Cobb has done an excellent job of creating a story thick with atmosphere: lake houses and endless glasses of wine and seedy clubs and four wheelers driving towards a secret shooting range. 

It's the characters themselves I really struggled with. That they are deeply flawed, frustrating, and sometimes completely unlikable makes complete sense within the story and world Cobb has created, but that also meant I was reading about characters I did not like and/or just plain wanted to scream at for the choices they were making.

The ending twist was a really great one, and caught me completely by surprise, and I appreciate that Cobb went for it with darker themes and tones. I just personally tend to struggle with books where I essentially can't stand anybody I'm reading about.

ARC Review: The Plot

 I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

This review is going to be a short one, because I absolutely refuse to be the one who spoils any part of this brilliant book for anyone who hasn't read it yet.

Go in knowing more than the basic plot (and isn't this word played with so cleverly by Korelitz) that you can find on the inside cover or in the summary section of an online retailer:

Writer wrote a first book that was well-received but doesn't make a huge splash. Second book ends up not even making a ripple. So writer becomes a reluctant teacher at a barely-acknowledged program, where one of his students describes one of the most incredible plots for a book he's ever heard. When the writer hears this student has died, writer takes said plot, writes it, and becomes earthshakingly famous for his new book. 

And then the writer gets an email from someone who knows exactly what he did, leading the writer to try to discover the story behind the plot.

Now go get the book. 

I'm not kidding. 

Don't read any spoilers, don't do more research, just go get the book and read it. 

The ending...it's still with me. This book is a series of jaw dropping twists that all work, with a finale that will leave you absolutely stunned. 

This book is amazing.

ARC Review: The Ghost and the Haunted Portrait

 

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

Penelope owns a bookstore in Rhode Island, and also happens to have a PI ghost from the 1940s named Jack who comes with the territory. Only Penelope can hear Jack, and when a supposedly cursed portrait suddenly starts seemingly causing mischef and murder, she definitely needs his help to solve the case.

In lesser hands, this cozy mystery premise could come off as ridiculous or silly, but it actually really works here. Jack is wry and street smart, and makes a great friend and foil for Penelope, who is a fun and smart character in her own right. I especially liked that Penelope could enter Jack's memories in her dreams, as this not only allowed readers to experience one of Jack's cases from the past, but enables Jack and Penelope to have physical interactions.

The mystery was clever, with a surprising reveal and a satisfying ending. Overall, this was a very enjoyable book, and made me want to read more of the series.

ARC Review: Counting Down with You

 

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

Also, an important note: Much of the conversation and concern surrounding this book in its ARC form centers around how race, religion, and culture are depicted. I do not feel I am qualified to do this very important issue justice, and recommend going on Goodreads to read the in depth and insightful reviews surrounding this topic. It appears that the author had plans to make some changes in response to those reviews, so please remember my review here is based solely off the ARC and not off the final published book.

This is a story about many, many things, but at its romantic heart, it is a story about fake dating suddenly showing the potential to become real love. Karina Ahmed agrees to tutor Ace Clyde  (long known as the high school's resident "bad boy" who doesn't care about his education) for their English class because of her deep love for literature and poetry. When Ace introduces her as his girlfriend to his family, Karina is horrified, and afraid her parents will find out. But with her parents out of the country, Karina finds herself with the chance to explore how she truly feels about her life, her future, and Ace.

I really appreciated that the main character, Karina, is a character with anxiety. The book discusses how her anxiety manifests itself mentally, emotionally, and physically, and rang very true for me as someone with anxiety. I think it's so important to have more YA main characters with realistically depicted mental health, and I thought that was well done here.

Karina's two best friends are really great characters. They are girls who all have each other's backs no matter what. There is no drama, nothing coming between them, and they provide an incredibly beautiful support system for each other. This was really refreshing and lovely to see in a YA book.

I also found the romance between Karina and Ace charming and I was definitely rooting for them. I really liked that Ace, instead of finding Karina's anxiety off putting or too much to handle, chose to do research and find new ways to help her cope when she felt overwhelmed. 

The ending, while enjoyable, felt way too pat for me, though. It just didn't seem possible, given everything the characters had gone through and were still up against, that everything would work out the way it did. I would say this book had a lot of potential, and it mostly lived up to my expectations.

ARC Review: Ruby Falls

 

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

Paying homage to Rebecca, Ruby Falls is narrated by Eleanor Russell, a fired former soap opera actress whose father left her in an underground cave and completely disappeared when she was six, and who now has married a man she barely knows and is starring in a remake of the movie version of Rebecca. 

If this sounds like a lot, it is. If this sounds strange, it is. But somehow Goodrich Royce makes it work. The first few chapters did leave me confused and unsure if I wanted to continue reading. I am glad I kept going. It's an intense read, that becomes masterfully creepy at times, and is absolutely fascinating. The ending left me stunned, but fit when I looked back at everything I had previously read.

If this sounds interesting to you, I would definitely give this book a chance. Give it a couple chapters before you decide how you feel. I don't think this is a book everyone will like, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down.