bookishaddictions's Reviews (310)

I’ve officially added Positano and the Path to the Gods to my bucket list. I got this one in my @bookofthemonth box this summer, and it’s definitely a fun read if you want to “explore” a bit. I can’t say I fell in love with this story, but I did enjoy it. The struggles of the main character- Katy- is understandable, as she faces issues that many of us will encounter at some point in life. Serle addresses grief, understanding love, and finding ourselves. I loved the visual descriptions of Positano, but I wasn’t huge on the fantastical element (I won’t have spoilers). If you want to discuss this book further, you can find me fantasizing about booking a trip to Positano 🤣✈️

I’ve been diving deeper into the YA lit pool lately, and I really enjoyed this one. I was looking for something as addictive as Divergent or The Hunger Games, and book one is showing that this series just might be it. For those that are unfamiliar with this one, Avery finds herself the unlikely heir of multibillionaire Tobias Hawthorne- but that comes with the requirement that she lives on his estate for one year with the same family he disinherited. I loved Avery’s character; she’s smart, loyal, generous, but has a healthy dose of survival instincts. The Hawthorne brothers are each so alike yet so different; I can tell that teenage me would be in love. Overall though, I really loved all the puzzles and riddles the characters must solve as the novel (and series as a whole) progress. This read was fun, fast, and the energy was electric. If you’re looking for something that isn’t *too* heavy to get you or your teen out of a reading slump, I recommend snagging a copy of The Inheritance Games 💰♟🔪

I snagged this bad boy on @libby.app when it became available, and now I understand why the wait list was so long! This is the second Sager novel I have read, and it did not disappoint. Like The Last Time I Lied, it was full of twists and surprises. I enjoyed the complexity of the protagonist- Casey Fletcher- and her lack of credibility adds to the thrill. I definitely get Rear Window vibes, so I thought it was cool the Sager actually brings it up within the story; we have the nosey neighbor, the odd spousal disappearance, and the poor sap that gets roped in just like in the Hitchcock film. The plot was strong, and most of the situation is pretty believable. Although there is a few twists that caught me off guard and weirded me out (won’t elaborate to avoid spoilers), I kept wanting to read more just to find out what happens next. I’m not huge on bouncing between timelines within a story, but Sager always manages to make it go smoothly. If your library has a copy of The House Across the Lake up for grabs, snag it while you can 🌊

I loved Gone Girl, so I decided to give Sharp Objects a chance when it became available on @libby.app. Although this one didn’t have quite the same intensity as Gone Girl, it was still really good; I could definitely see the growth that Flynn made as a writer. I found that I had such conflicting feelings about the main character, Camille, due to the different depths to her personality that we encounter. Let me tell you- I HATED 95% of the characters encountered in this story, so it helped me feel like I could understand how Camille became the woman she is after escaping Missouri. Her mother is horrid, and her little sister is a nightmare of a child. Although I won’t say too much about Camille’s issues and coping methods, I can say her choices make much more sense after getting to know her family. Flynn has successfully left me with zero desire to check out Missouri in the future, as her stories tend to shine a light on some of the worst parts of living in a small town. I thought that actual investigation of the murders was interesting, and I enjoyed trying to puzzle out the villain as more details emerged. I won’t say who, but I actually did guess who the murderer turned out to be; I’m curious to know who you think it is if you check this title out! 

Ya’ll… This book is so under-discussed! I love a good whodunnit, and good psychological manipulation can make a book really stand out. I won this title from a @goodreads giveaway months ago, and I wish I read it sooner. Elle, an independent investigator that solves cold cases with the help of her podcast followers, is a very intriguing main character. I loved that Clarke was also able to really given the villian- a serial killer known as The Countdown Killer- depth. Along with the mind games that the story plays on Elle- and readers-, Clarke managed to keep me guessing. If you haven’t read Girl, 11 yet, you should do so ASAP! 🔎

First, I’d like to say thank you to @netgalley for my ARC of this book. I found myself wanting to learn more about Shanghai as I read about Rosalind’s adventures as a 1930s spy. I love a good whodunnit, and I found myself changing guesses every chapter or so; Gong really kept me on my toes. I feel like Gong also did well by her characters; they felt authentic, and I appreciated that she could show some of the downsides/concerns of immortality and other genetic changes. I didn’t know much about the Nationalist/Communist/Imperial war over territories in China, so this left me wanting to learn more. I don’t want to share any spoilers, but I will say that this book was addictive; I found myself engaged and had no desire to put it down each time I started reading it. If you love mysteries or historical fantasy, I suggest snagging this title when it releases later in the month 🔎🔪

I found this at my local used bookstore (bookhoundsbooks) and I just had to snag it. I loved Jane Eyre, so I was thrilled to find an alternative version that satisfied my desire for a good fantasy. If you enjoyed the classic, I highly recommend giving this one a chance. I found the changes to be well thought out, and it really fit what I knew about the character’s originally. This story has it all- vampires, werewolves, and necromancers, oh my!- so it really embraces how different creatures would fit together in Jane’s world. While I won’t say what- I will warn that the ending differs from the original in a few key ways. Overall, this version of our darling Jane ranks pretty highly for me 🕷🗡

As I was one of the children that frequently needed to help with the younger siblings, I LOVED this book. I found Nora to be so relatable, as I had experienced many of the same things she did. I can recall stressing on money for necessities, how to make sure everyone was where they needed to be on time, and just in general parenting. It depicted the stress and beauty of parenting as an older sibling so honestly. Thankfully my dad was highly involved every step of the way, he just needed help. I won’t pretend my mom is as big of an asshole as Nora and Libby’s dad, but there we definitely had some drawbacks of our own. I found the characters were extremely charming, and even Charlie grew on me quickly. I’ll admit that I typically find the enemies-to-lovers trope cheesy, but Henry really made it work. I found myself rooting for the cranky duo on every page. I enjoyed that their romance is real; although many people do not get a happy ending like theirs, it was true to the complicated development of many relationships. There is so much more I could say about Book Lovers, but my commentary would only include spoilers. If I could recommend one book that I have read this year to the world, this just might be it 📚

I snagged this as a Prime First Reads from @amazonkindle this month. This brief introduction to Quinn’s writing has left me excited for some of the other titles I own- such as The Alice Network- and I’ve heard it pairs beautifully with The Rose Code. In 57 pages (cover to cover), Quinn made me root for the success of Lily and Jackson. This story takes place in two different times, during two different wars, and yet similarities can be drawn between both realities that remind us that the things that matter transcend time 🕰