I struggled to get into this book, patiently waiting for the pivotal murder to occur while the world was built around me. This is because I don’t usually read long mysteries and prefer when we jump right into the action. But oh my gosh, the action started and THEN BAM, I was in! 

Some favourite quotes/scenes revolves around the mother-daughter relationship and completely caught me off guard — especially the parallel from the beginning to end!!: 

‘Mom. She won’t survive this. One bullet will kill us both.’ | ‘I am thinking of my mother when the blast changes everything.’ <\spoiler>

[also, my predictions were right about the initial murder ^^]

‘I want to see the sky. A combination of purple and gray, mixing to become lilac. My mother’s favourite color. Her favourite scent. Sweet little flowers that bloom for such a short time. But lilac bunches are hardy, surviving cold temperatures. They can live for over a hundred years.’ | ‘I want my mom.’ |

‘She is who I am thinking about — my strong, beautiful mother — when I die.’ <\spoiler>

obviously HER MOM IS MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER. okay…Levi WAS my favourite character but

uhhh that turned out to be…problematic…

anyways, her mom was the one to

call out the FBI for their lack of a moral compass <\spoiler> — which is something that had been bothering me.

Daunis, as a main character, rubbed me the wrong way many times. But during the finale, she won my heart. I think I disliked her as much as I did because I saw myself in her.

Also, HATED the relationship between Jamie and Daunis. We’ll call it an ick for the lack of a better word.

I am so happy that I finally got to read/listen to this book! Learning about the lives of these women is compelling and inspiring. I definitely need to continue my search for more stories featuring women in science, as a woman in science.

While there are no groundbreaking ideas presented, I did truly appreciate how soothing and honest the advice was reiterated. A little self-help won't hurt anyone, though I am still working on rewiring my brain to accept the help when I hear it. Additionally, the voice actor did a phenomenal job: he kept my attention the entire time and did not sound preachy. 

I was excited to dive into this book, as I don't often read celebrity memoirs, but appreciate Ali Wong's outlook in her standups. As I finished though, it felt like it was missing something...or maybe it felt like there was too much? To be completely honest, I'm not sure. Maybe it was because I listened to the audiobook, but her stories didn't stick with me and I found myself not fully listening.

A cute paranormal romance with an ever-changing pace, no definitive rhythm, and characters I simply couldn't care about.

The concept and point of view are interesting, but lost appeal about halfway through. The "mystery" is solved and since I lacked any emotional connection to the main character, I simply wasn't bothered by the next step of his adventure. 

This took me longer to finish than I’m willing to admit, based on the pace. 
BUT THEN IT KICKED UP A GEAR and I was hooked. I loved the characters and the plot was very interesting.

This book wasn’t for me, for several reasons, but I can certainly understand why others may enjoy it. Featuring an insecure female lead and an array of tropes, such as insta-love and food play, Sadie’s Highlander provides a quick read that has a good fluff to angst ratio.

My final score is 2.5/5🌟

This was my first time reading Baldwin, and it not only reminded me why I enjoy classics so much, but also there are thousands of others that I haven't gotten my grubby little hands on yet. Classics challenge me, in the best possible ways: intellectually and emotionally. This is grim, distressing, and above all else, a reminder. 

Heavy on the history (i.e. war), and light on the mosquito. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book, however, it did keep me entertained. While I am not a huge fan of military-based history, I did appreciate the author's ability to dive deep into the mosquito's role in both winning and losing battles. I learned a lot, and that's all I can really ask for!