Take a photo of a barcode or cover
chronicallybookish's Reviews (1.53k)
Quick Stats
Age Rating: 14+
Overall: 5 stars
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
TW: holocaust and generational trauma exploration, antisemetism
I absolutely adored this book! Everything from the characters, to the atmosphere, to the romance was impeccable. From the way the book was pitched to me, and the fact that it was tagged as historical fiction, I was expecting a split POV, where Abby was in the present day, and we would have some chapters from her grandma’s POV during WW2. This was not the case, and I was a little disappointed at that, but the book was still so good the way it was that I don’t mind too much.
The book isn’t split POV, but we do get to read a couple letters from Abby’s grandma. It gives us a little peak into her head and the time in which she lived, but most of the information about her life is what Abby learns by talking to people. This is in the vein of Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian, if you’ve read that (but much better done, in my opinion).
I was hooked from page one, and desperate to see how it all would play out. There was something so earnest in the way Abby was searching for answers, and I was swept up along with her. The romance was intoxicating and swoon-worthy, and the friends Abby made in Nantucket added a fun, heartwarming touch.
I’m a sucker for a good bookstore plotline, so Abby’s working in one was a treat for me—and her bosses were such fun and lovable characters.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
Age Rating: 14+
Overall: 5 stars
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
TW: holocaust and generational trauma exploration, antisemetism
I absolutely adored this book! Everything from the characters, to the atmosphere, to the romance was impeccable. From the way the book was pitched to me, and the fact that it was tagged as historical fiction, I was expecting a split POV, where Abby was in the present day, and we would have some chapters from her grandma’s POV during WW2. This was not the case, and I was a little disappointed at that, but the book was still so good the way it was that I don’t mind too much.
The book isn’t split POV, but we do get to read a couple letters from Abby’s grandma. It gives us a little peak into her head and the time in which she lived, but most of the information about her life is what Abby learns by talking to people. This is in the vein of Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian, if you’ve read that (but much better done, in my opinion).
I was hooked from page one, and desperate to see how it all would play out. There was something so earnest in the way Abby was searching for answers, and I was swept up along with her. The romance was intoxicating and swoon-worthy, and the friends Abby made in Nantucket added a fun, heartwarming touch.
I’m a sucker for a good bookstore plotline, so Abby’s working in one was a treat for me—and her bosses were such fun and lovable characters.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
Quick Stats
Age Rating: 14+
Overall: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
I did enjoy this book, but the more I’ve sat with it, the more I’ve wavered between giving it a 4 star rating vs. 3.5 stars. I think I’m going to keep it at a four.
Pros: The idea behind this story, the idea behind the world, the characters.
Cons: The execution of the world building, the pacing, and the ending.
The characters were, for me, the most enjoyable aspect of this book by far. I loved every single one of them and thought they were well developed and relatable (with the exception of the prince, who felt pretty two dimensional). I liked the idea behind the world, but it was very confusing at times, and there were areas of the world building that needed something more to flesh it out, especially surouning the fairy godlings. The plot itself was interesting and engaging, and it took the beloved “beauty and the beast” story and made it its own in a really unique way. However, the pacing of the story undermined the plot. In many places, the story dragged and felt boring, and then we got to the end and everything moved way too fast and left things feeling rushed. I understand that with a fairytale retelling, you want a happily ever after, but this was just way too much in that respect. It felt unnatural and out of character for both Tevin and Merit.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and if it sounds like something you’d be interested in—go for it, but it didn’t live up to its potential.
Age Rating: 14+
Overall: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
I did enjoy this book, but the more I’ve sat with it, the more I’ve wavered between giving it a 4 star rating vs. 3.5 stars. I think I’m going to keep it at a four.
Pros: The idea behind this story, the idea behind the world, the characters.
Cons: The execution of the world building, the pacing, and the ending.
The characters were, for me, the most enjoyable aspect of this book by far. I loved every single one of them and thought they were well developed and relatable (with the exception of the prince, who felt pretty two dimensional). I liked the idea behind the world, but it was very confusing at times, and there were areas of the world building that needed something more to flesh it out, especially surouning the fairy godlings. The plot itself was interesting and engaging, and it took the beloved “beauty and the beast” story and made it its own in a really unique way. However, the pacing of the story undermined the plot. In many places, the story dragged and felt boring, and then we got to the end and everything moved way too fast and left things feeling rushed. I understand that with a fairytale retelling, you want a happily ever after, but this was just way too much in that respect. It felt unnatural and out of character for both Tevin and Merit.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and if it sounds like something you’d be interested in—go for it, but it didn’t live up to its potential.
Quick Stats
Age Rating:
Overall:5 stars
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
This. Book. Is. SO GOOD. It’s definitely in my favorite thrillers of all time. This is the first book by Jessica Goodman I’ve read, but now I can’t wait to read her debut. I adored the characters and the writing indescribably. Stella and Ellie’s relationship was so raw and real. It was heartwarming and infuriating. It was everything.
I actually almost DNFed the book because of the mystery. It felt so obvious. And I guess it was meant to. But I’m so glad I didn’t because I was so wrong and the way everything played out was SO GOOD. Jessica Goodman played me, but she almost did it too well. I stuck around because the writing and the characters were so well done that I thought there was no way that the mystery could be so poorly done—and I was right.
The best part of the book was definitely the characters. Aside from Noah, who was really just an annoying, cliche spoiled white boy jerk, everyone was so well rounded and I felt for and connected with everyone.
This book starts a good bit before the murder takes place, and so the victim, Mila, was able to be a three dimensional character herself. Usually with murder mysteries, the murder takes place before the book starts or within the first two chapters. You don’t care for the victim, you’re only invested because the main character is invested. But because we had several chapters of getting to know Mila, seeing the kind of person she was, and even seeing some character growth in her, I was invested in what happened to her because of her as well as because of Stella and Ellie and the whodunnit aspect, and that added another layer to the book that I really enjoyed.
One might think, that since it took so long to get to the murder, the first chunk of the book was boring, but it wasn’t. The writing and the characters were strong enough that I was fully engaged in what was happening even before the mystery truly started.
This book was an easy five stars for me and I cannot recommend it more.
Age Rating:
Overall:5 stars
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
This. Book. Is. SO GOOD. It’s definitely in my favorite thrillers of all time. This is the first book by Jessica Goodman I’ve read, but now I can’t wait to read her debut. I adored the characters and the writing indescribably. Stella and Ellie’s relationship was so raw and real. It was heartwarming and infuriating. It was everything.
I actually almost DNFed the book because of the mystery. It felt so obvious. And I guess it was meant to. But I’m so glad I didn’t because I was so wrong and the way everything played out was SO GOOD. Jessica Goodman played me, but she almost did it too well. I stuck around because the writing and the characters were so well done that I thought there was no way that the mystery could be so poorly done—and I was right.
The best part of the book was definitely the characters. Aside from Noah, who was really just an annoying, cliche spoiled white boy jerk, everyone was so well rounded and I felt for and connected with everyone.
This book starts a good bit before the murder takes place, and so the victim, Mila, was able to be a three dimensional character herself. Usually with murder mysteries, the murder takes place before the book starts or within the first two chapters. You don’t care for the victim, you’re only invested because the main character is invested. But because we had several chapters of getting to know Mila, seeing the kind of person she was, and even seeing some character growth in her, I was invested in what happened to her because of her as well as because of Stella and Ellie and the whodunnit aspect, and that added another layer to the book that I really enjoyed.
One might think, that since it took so long to get to the murder, the first chunk of the book was boring, but it wasn’t. The writing and the characters were strong enough that I was fully engaged in what was happening even before the mystery truly started.
This book was an easy five stars for me and I cannot recommend it more.
Quick Stats
Age Rating:
Overall: 4 stars
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
I was very apprehensive going into this book. I received an eARC via Entangled Teen and NetGalley because the blurb sounded interesting and I have a very eager trigger finger when it comes to requesting ARCs. But after I was approved, I looked a little more into the book… and it’s an alien romance. Which is very much not my cup of tea. Twilight-esque paranormal romances that are heavy on the cheese are always much more cringy than enjoyable for me, and based on the reviews I’d read, I was sure that was exactly what I was in for. And I wasn’t wrong, but I also wasn’t right.
Now, all of this is not to say that there is anything wrong with those types of books. I have just never been into them personally. If you love twilight and cheesy paranormal romances? That’s great! And you very likely will enjoy this book as well, because it definitely has those aspects. It just also had more substance than I was expecting.
In this book we follow Cassidy, a pretty average teenage girl in the aftermath of her mother unexpectedly checking herself in to an inpatient psych rehab. As Cassidy struggles with feelings of abandonment and some spooky—maybe even extraterrestrial—happenings, she begins to grow closer to the shy, mysterious new kid, Hayden.
As the book begins, it seems like a very typical alien-abduction storyline. But there are pieces that don’t quite fit and leave you guessing. For a while some of the storylines seem disconnected and disjointed, but as the story starts to pick up, I got too caught up in the plot twists and characters to be bothered by it, and in the end everything wraps up nicely with just enough open endedness to leave me hopeful for a sequel.
There were points at which the writing was a bit cheesy. A few overly cliche declarations of love and one instance in which a character says they have “skillz”. With a Z. That was painful to read. But it was otherwise very well written.
All of the characters felt fleshed out and interesting. I loved Alondra and the representation of a Deaf individual as well as Cassidy’s knowledge and use of sign language. Cassidy and Hayden’s romance wasn’t my favorite ever, but there was enough chemistry that I did end up rooting for them in the end.
In the end, I enjoyed this book, and if there is a sequel someday, I would definitely pick it up.
Age Rating:
Overall: 4 stars
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
I was very apprehensive going into this book. I received an eARC via Entangled Teen and NetGalley because the blurb sounded interesting and I have a very eager trigger finger when it comes to requesting ARCs. But after I was approved, I looked a little more into the book… and it’s an alien romance. Which is very much not my cup of tea. Twilight-esque paranormal romances that are heavy on the cheese are always much more cringy than enjoyable for me, and based on the reviews I’d read, I was sure that was exactly what I was in for. And I wasn’t wrong, but I also wasn’t right.
Now, all of this is not to say that there is anything wrong with those types of books. I have just never been into them personally. If you love twilight and cheesy paranormal romances? That’s great! And you very likely will enjoy this book as well, because it definitely has those aspects. It just also had more substance than I was expecting.
In this book we follow Cassidy, a pretty average teenage girl in the aftermath of her mother unexpectedly checking herself in to an inpatient psych rehab. As Cassidy struggles with feelings of abandonment and some spooky—maybe even extraterrestrial—happenings, she begins to grow closer to the shy, mysterious new kid, Hayden.
As the book begins, it seems like a very typical alien-abduction storyline. But there are pieces that don’t quite fit and leave you guessing. For a while some of the storylines seem disconnected and disjointed, but as the story starts to pick up, I got too caught up in the plot twists and characters to be bothered by it, and in the end everything wraps up nicely with just enough open endedness to leave me hopeful for a sequel.
There were points at which the writing was a bit cheesy. A few overly cliche declarations of love and one instance in which a character says they have “skillz”. With a Z. That was painful to read. But it was otherwise very well written.
All of the characters felt fleshed out and interesting. I loved Alondra and the representation of a Deaf individual as well as Cassidy’s knowledge and use of sign language. Cassidy and Hayden’s romance wasn’t my favorite ever, but there was enough chemistry that I did end up rooting for them in the end.
In the end, I enjoyed this book, and if there is a sequel someday, I would definitely pick it up.
