dapperreads's Reviews (1.29k)

This picks up pretty solidly where the previous book left off. Since it’s been awhile since I’ve read that one I did find it a bit difficult to keep track of everything for awhile. However, once it got going I had a very hard time putting it down!

This is told through a multiple POV format so we’re getting thoughts and opinions from everywhere which is actually perfect for this kind of book. I’m happy with the pacing and the action as well as the included emotion being spaced out because I do not like it when books get me in my feels too much. 

There are some trigger warnings included here so definitely check those out before you pick it up. They’re pretty solidly similar to the previous books and this is not a standalone.

I gotta say though that cliffhanger ending? It’ll have me back for more FOR SURE. I have to know what happens. 

Thanks to the author for the ARC!

Alan Rickman. 

The diaries themselves do their own talking. I don’t need to talk about them. What I will talk about is the book itself. 

It has an editor that has done some “editing” - I assume adding the footnotes but there are definitely places where footnotes would have been helpful and they were not included. I assume that this is because it is unclear what movie or person Mr Rickman was referring to. Instead of not saying anything, the consistency with maybe “we don’t know what movie/person this refers to” would have been nice. 

I listened to the audio and really enjoyed the narration. While it clearly can’t be narrated by the author, this was a solid audiobook. 

This short and spicy novella follows Riley, a girl dumped by her boyfriend on the eve of their 10 day vacation to Hawaii. She’s obviously upset, and too embarrassed to call her bestie just heads to her favorite pizza shop where she happens to run into her high school crush (and rock star) Ace. Ace decides it’s his job to turn her frown upside down and an incredibly spicy ten days follows. 

Each day gets its own chapter with an epilogue and it’s great. There’s a ton of spice but more than enough plot to cover it. They’re little Easter eggs to other series included and I enjoyed that wholeheartedly. 

So, you want some smut with some plot all wrapped into 100 pages? Here it is!

Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious while also telling the story of how Jeff Dunham became, well, Jeff Dunham. With included commentary from Peanut, Walter, Achmed, José and the others we learn about the good, bad and ugly of becoming a ventriloquist and how the show we know today came to be. 

This was cute but that’s about it. Pretty basic even for a children’s chapter book. The narration was spot on though. 

This story, told from multiple POVs across multiple timelines is just perfection. It’s got the perfect amount of witchy in it so keep it magical while also remaining a story of family and tradition. 

Told from the perspective of 3 women we get to experience the similar yet different struggles of each individual during their own time period and how they learn of their Weyward connection. It’s so interesting and I honestly couldn’t put it down. Once I started, I finished it. It’s so good. 

I received the audio through NetGalley but what brought it to the front of the line was being a Book of the Month pick for March 2023. I ordered a hardcover and completed the audiobook all in the same day. So good. Definitely recommend. 

“Restell was a businesswoman, a scofflaw, an immigrant, and an abortionist. She made men really, really mad. She deserves a place in the pantheon of women with no fucks left to give.” 

-I pulled that from the ARC copy I received so is it an actual accurate quote? I don’t know - but it damn well should be. It’s a powerful line and says a lot about not just her, but women who fight in general. 

This book was clearly well researched and written with the respect and appropriate amount of snark that a book like this requires. It’s obviously a pro-choice narrative and if that offends you then either skip it or go in with an open mind and maybe you’ll learn something. 

I really enjoy history like this. This is basically the history of medicine in the 1800’s USA. We get information about surgeons, lack of germ theory (yuck), midwifery, general practitioners and of course abortionists. We even get a look into women choosing a midwife over the hospital because a midwife was the safer option (again because germs). There’s information surrounding limiting the expansion of families (aka birth control that isn’t abortion) but it really is a dive into the life of Madame Restell - a woman I had never heard of - from seamstress to abortionist in New York City. It’s a wild ride. The parallels between 1800’s USA and today are absolutely no surprise to me either, but that’s a different story. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the ebook!

I was sold reading “A Jekyll and Hyde Remix” on the cover. I mean…who doesn’t love the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde…and then who doesn’t love retellings?

Well I personally love both and this seemed like the perfect storm of a book to read. Let me tell you -

I was correct. 

This book has every single aspect we look for in the story of Jekyll and Hyde while being different enough that it felt like a new story. Some retellings stick too closely and some deviate too far from the original to really satisfy me as a reader but this one was a perfect storm. 

On top of the story, the narrator for the audiobook is exactly what you would expect for a Jekyll and Hyde story. Creepy without being over the top. No complaints. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook!

I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would when it first started. The full cast of narrators really made this a book that was hard to put down. Did I stay up too late to finish it? Yes. Do I regret that? Not one bit. 

This was just not for me. It’s just too “lovey dovey” I guess. That’s not quite the right description but it’s close enough.