dapperreads's Reviews (1.29k)

This just didn’t do it for me. 

To start, I listened to the audio and it’s just one long chapter. I don’t like to stop mid-chapter so this led me to finishing this in one setting, which is fine but it’s annoying honestly. After that the story was just okay. I thought this was going to be more Chinese heritage and zodiac related and it really wasn’t. It was a cute little enemies to lovers. 

And then the main character’s Po Po dies and I can’t with that. I didn’t need it in this sweet little love story. I hate when that is added to a story, especially when in this case the character already decided to admit her love - it wasn’t prompted by this loss. I just didn’t find it necessary and it honestly ruined the story for me.

As someone who has also experienced issues with suicide attempts, suicidal ideation and lost loved ones in this manner, I jumped at the chance to read this. I was hoping to find some insight or something. That’s not what I got. This was closer to a memoir than I was ready for. I was expecting this to be more scientific or research based mixed with personal experience but it’s mostly a wordy memoir, which is just not what I was prepared for. 

This isn’t something I would just recommend either. There is a considerable amount of triggering language in this book and if you’re in the throes of suicidal ideation this may read as a bit too relatable. 

I do wish this had taken a couple trips through an editor or something as the potential is there for this being a really powerful and helpful book, but in its present state I can’t say it’s effective (but that’s just my opinion as someone who has been there).

I don’t rate memoirs, but a rating is required on NetGalley so I’m going a neutral ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoy this author, and after reading this I can definitely tell this was an earlier book. While it’s got the basic style I’ve grown accustomed to, it was missing something - I’m not sure what - to keep me invested the whole time. 

Once this book got going it was absolutely fantastic and I couldn’t put it down. The problem though was getting there. It was over the 50% mark before I was interested enough to read more than one chapter at a time and then at the 60-70% mark I was invested. It generally doesn’t take me that long to get invested in a book. 

The idea behind this was absolutely spectacular and I’m glad that I powered through. The ending left me with a little to be desired, but it fit the book completely. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can’t say I enjoyed this as much as I thought it would. It’s a serial killer story but also a romance - I guess? I’m not really sure. 

I enjoy both those types of stories separately and I feel like the potential for greatness was present in this book but it just didn’t translate for me. While I did connect with many of the characters, the story itself was so almost random that I just couldn’t get on board completely. 

The serial killer angle was easily the best part. While the romance part was fine, it almost felt like two entirely different books that were meshed together. I’m not sure what I would have preferred in this case but something just didn’t mesh for me overall with this story. 

Now to separate my opinions out, sticking strictly to the story, the murder/serial killer/crime part was a pretty standard crime novel and it was easily the best part of the book. Following the one person that seems not to have an alibi at all for any of the killings, we learn many things that lead us to many red herrings and they work. While I personally figured it out before the end, I can see how the many possible red herrings could throw off a reader in many directions!

The ending was pretty rushed. We go from a chapter ending with the case solved to “one year later” which is fine, but we’re filled in on that missing year in a rather stilted way. 

Overall this was fine, just not my cup of tea. 

As usual, no rating for the memoir, but I do have a few comments. 

This was mostly a back and forth between the author and a psychiatrist. Which is fine, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I did enjoy the notes from the translator explaining some of the ways it was translated. I listened to the audio and it was very slow - it felt much longer than the 4hrs it was, and since I speed it up that’s saying something about the pacing. I don’t care for slow paced books, but I do understand why this one was a slow as it was. 

I realized when I started this that I hadn’t read ALL of the previous books, but that didn’t make this any less enjoyable. I enjoy a solid horror story, and I’m definitely one for short stories too. 

This definitely had its moments. There were definitely relatively gross descriptions of gory scenes so if you’re not here for that then move on because it starts almost immediately. It’s a solid story to tell us about Old Joe Booth and the intro gives us the information needed to tell us exactly who Old Joe Booth is. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And the Getting Shipped! series continues! I love this series and the stories that come out of Bordeaux, Ohio - especially as a small town Ohioan myself. 

We follow Duke and Shannon in a brothers best friend sort of story - which is very hit or miss for me. I did like this one though, but that could be because I’m already invested completely in this town and its residents. It follows a predictable path to a HEA and it’s funny and lighthearted throughout. 

I’d say this can absolutely be read as a stand-alone, but I’d recommend the entire series!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love the Empire High novels, even if the cliffhangers are absolute torture!

Cliffhangers are always a way to ensure readers return, but this series is catchy even without them. Do they make it more interesting and dramatic? Absolutely- so I’m here for it. 

I started in the middle of this series and have since gone back to start catching up. It’s definitely possible to read this book without the others but the others really do add something to the story! It’s a cohesive storyline and I do enjoy it.

I received an audio copy through NetGalley and I love the narrators. They’re fantastic. The two narrators for the different POVs really bring the story to life and they way they each handle the characters is perfect. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

I love the way that Jennifer Hiller tells a story! It’s creepy and feels realistic enough to be believable but it’s outrageous enough to be obviously a work of fiction. 

Wonderland revolves around an amusement park of the same name - and it has a Clown Museum. That’s right. Clown. Museum. But even creepier, is the dead body that shows up around opening day, which results in an investigation by the new deputy chief in town and she isn’t handling the park with kid gloves like the other law enforcement in town. She’s new and cares more about justice and solving the missing persons cases and the murder case than saving face and protecting the park. 

While I was confused initially with where this was going, I caught on and then couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was going on in this small, corrupt-appearing town (I love those kind of stories honestly!). The ending came on a bit quicker than I was prepared for but I’m not mad about it. I was ready to know what happened, but I did feel the rest of the story was more filled out than the ending. 

The audio version, having released 8 years after the initial ebook, was absolutely fantastic. I love the way the narrator handled the story and brought the suspense along with the story. It was perfect. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️