ARC Review: The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life

 

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

All Alison wants is to be valedictorian of her high school class. To that end, she lets herself be convinced to be the producer of her school's version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. But it turns out the job entails much more than was initially described, andAlison feels like her world has been suddenly turned upside down. Now Alison is juggling her oldest friend (who her best friend has a crush on) wanting to go out with her, while Alison herself is reckoning with a crush on the girl playing Titania, and trying to stop the play and her valedictorian dreams from crashing all around her.

I really enjoyed this book. Every character feels like their own person, and their relationships and struggles feel so real. As a theater kid in high school, reading this made me feel so nostalgic. Jansen really nails the emotions and experiences that came with putting on a play back then. Jansen writes so authentically about a diverse group of teenagers brought together by a common cause, and draws readers right into their world.

ARC Review: The Night Swim

 

I received a copy 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. 

So here's a bookworm fact to know about me-I am immediately drawn to a book if it is a mystery/thriller centered somehow around a true crime podcast. I love listening to true crime podcasts, and something about a book that includes transcripts of a (fictional) one (the mixed media? the use of another something I love?) hooks me right away. A lot of the books on my TBR shelf and Kindle are this exact type of book.

That's what got me excited about The Night Swim. I had enjoyed Goldin's previous book, The Escape Room, but had also felt a little let down by it, and was very curious to see how her second book went. 

The plot is definitely intriguing-a true crime podcaster famous for solving cold cases, heads into a small town for a trial, and finds a mysterious note on her windshield from someone she has never met, pleading with her to please solve her sister's murder. The way these two plots intertwine is clever, and there's such a sense of foreboding in the way even just the town itself is described. The use of podcast transcripts I of course loved, though they did seem a little short if they were being presented as full episodes. I found the ending definitely a surprising twist, and I thought it was well done.

This is not a book that shys away from material that can be hard to stomach, in particular sexual assault and rape. But because of this, this book also has a lot of important things to say. 

While not my favorite in the book with a fictional podcast genre, I found Goldin's second book did not disappoint.

ARC Review: Dragon Soldier

 

On this blog, I've definitely already established myself as a fan of this series. 

Thanks to a series like the Supernatural Consultant, I've found myself trying some books outside of my usual genres. Eight's books just work so well for me. There is magic, there are dragons, but the heart of every one of these stories is the characters and their relationships. Whether it's Mercury and Dane, and now another couple, as romantic mates, or the kits as a group, or Mercury and Dane as the kits' dads, these books are full of love, which makes them full of joy. 

I need books like these, that make me feel happy, that are full of humor, and where the good guys (and good dragons) save the day and stay together.

ARC Review: We Are All The Same In The Dark

 

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.

Heaberlin's book Black-Eyed Susans was one of those glorious surprise books for me-a book where it sounded like one I would really like, and ended up being one I loved enough that I purchased my own copy so I could have it on my shelves. 

We Are All the Same In The Dark had that same kind of magic for me.

Heaberlin tells the story of lost girls and the places and men that surround them. Trumanell disappeared a decade ago, and her unsolved mystery is almost worshipped by people in town and online. Odette is a police officer reconciling how well she truly knew and knows those she has let into her life, while laser focused on being the one who finally finds Trumanell. And Angel, the one-eyed girl found in a field of dandelions, may not want to be found at all.

This is a highly suspenseful story full of secrets, where you never quite feel like you know what is coming next, which I love. About halfway through the book a huge twist happens, that was so perfectly executed. Heaberlin is absolutely incredible at keeping readers guessing, but also keeping all her twists in character and perfectly aligned with what has come before. The ending twist was absolutely incredible as well and completely shocked me. I absolutely recommend this book and this author.

ARC Review: Cassadaga Nights

 

Cassadada, Florida is famous for being full of psychics. Tourists flock there, and so has Santino, a psychic himself who works for the mysterious Aspida. When Santino meets Ryan, a fellow psychic, sparks fly immediately. As they juggle dating, secrets, and a powerful supernatural force set loose on the town, both must decide what, and who, their futures hold.

This was a quick read full of fun characters, and I especially enjoyed Santino and Ryan. They are both delightfully self-described geeks, who also are gorgeous and have amazing psychic abilities. Their relationship is definitely one to root for.

The side characters are fun too. I especially liked Cam, Santino's coworker, who can shift into an owl. The Florida setting is really brought alive as well, I could practically feel the oppressive heat and humidity Denardo describes.

I do wish this book was a little longer, but I think the shortness of it is because Denardo is (hopefully) setting things up for a sequel.

ARC Review: Don't Look For Me

 

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.

The absolute first thing I want to say about this book is that the big twist is amazing. I never saw it coming. I quite literally gasped out loud and put my hand over my mouth, the twist was just that good. 

I wanted to make sure I said that first because the rest of the book can move a little slowly. This is a suspenseful read for sure, one that also has a lot of important things to say about families, mothers and daughters, the perception of women, and the heavy weight of guilt. But even though this book takes place over a short span of time, it can feel longer sometimes.

I was engaged throughout the whole story: Molly, the vanished mother, carrying the worst guilt a mother can bear; Nic, her daughter, struggling with her own guilt and attempts to fill her emptiness, while also attempting to find her mother; and the myriad other characters I won't mention for fear of giving anything away. 

But this book took me longer to finish than I thought it would, and I think that's because it just moved at a slower pace. Again, this is not a bad thing in this instance, but I could see how it could be a deterent. I think the big twist packs even more of a punch because of this slower set up, because once that happens, everything starts happening, and my heart was in my throat and I could not put this book down.

ARC Review: In a Midnight Wood

 

Despite this being a series with 27 books already out there, I somehow had never heard of Jane Lawless. I'm glad that has been rectified now, as this was a clever mystery with a strong female protagonist.

Jane Lawless is a private investigator who also works on a true crime podcast. Visting her friend, Jane finds herself drawn into a mystery surrounding the 1999 disappearance of a teenage boy, brought to a head by an upcoming high school reunion.

The mystery is a good one, with lots of ties to secrets in the past that are linked to characters in the present. I did feel that the ending twist was partly given away by a clue, but I still didn't guess the whole reveal. I was definitely invested in finding out what had happened to the missing teenager.

Jane is a great lead character. I fell in love with her even without having read the previous 26 books in the series. She's strong, believes in herself, and genuinally wants to help others. Her budding romance with the female mayor of the town she is visiting has a lot of sweet potential.

It felt like there was a little too much going on sometimes. There were so many characters I couldn't always remember who everyone was in the beginning. There were a lot of side plots as well (the stalking plotline especially felt unnecessary). But everything came together well in the end, and the resolution felt satisfying.