christhereader8's Reviews (2.42k)

Genuinely don't know what to think about this - it swings between discussions of narcissism and parasocial relationships and obsession and then into dark topics and bad YA novels and some unlikeable leads. Definitely glad I read it though if nothing else.

Really enjoyed this - the first 100 pages take a bit of time to get used to, but from then on its a rollicking dark fairytale that doesn't hesitate to give you three separate female heroes who have to find themselves while a war rages on.

A really solid 4.5 - while it's not as dazzling as The Appeal, The Twyford Code is much more of a cerebral puzzle box that rewards readers and manages to be challenging, engaging, and ultimately satisfying in equal measure

This is a totally sweet concoction that blends together mystery, intrigue, danger, and romance through the lens of a young gap-year chambermaid living and working in the eponymous Castle in the Clouds, a luxury hotel in the Alps. It reads as a natural successor to the works of Mary Stewart, whose romantic suspense works in the 1950s were pitch-perfect blends of spirited heroines battling fiendish plots and falling in love too. I'd happily read more from Gier and really enjoyed reading this cosy, warming adventure as a post-festive winter treat.

...*SIGH*

Gods I tried to like this one. Perfectly fine, great concept, just sunk down with a lot of messy and overly-complicated worldbuilding, thin characters, and a plot that, while thrilling in parts, is a bit too tangled to really shine. I really enjoyed Bracken's Passenger duology which gave its pair of protagonists time to breathe and work inside a spacious plot, so it's a shame this felt too overstuffed and underdeveloped for a single book.

A darkly satirical look into the way social media affects our perception of reality and the darkness of toxic friendships, Idol is bleak and bitingly fresh, a story of two former best friends dealing with the decades-old aftermath of a sexual encounter that one reads as an awakening, the other sees as a trauma. Not for the faint of heart but well worth a read, it's a twisty gut-punch of a novel with a cathartic ending that feels less like a sigh of relief than a howling scream.