Fascinating and so different from what I usually read. It was immersive and intriguing and oddly enough the slowness of the book had me even more pulled in because of the little pieces that were so enticing and mysterious. 

I loved the mystery and the characters, the imagery and detail. It was a book that had me sometimes re-reading sections because the detail and creativity in what was being described demanded my full attention so my brain could truly picture it. 

I loved the community of the circus members and how love and sacrifice and friendship were introduced as well. Really enjoyed this one a lot. 

Really fun and, as usual for Sophie Kinsella, lighthearted and funny. All the characters, especially the hotel staff, were fantastic and made the book for sure. 

The writing was excellent and relatable. It was a great progression watching both Michael and Natalie grow as characters, and face the obstacles in front of them, supporting each other - or muddling thru mistakes to get there. 

I liked the semi-unresolved story for Michael, trying to navigate abandonment and rejection, and learning the value of forgiveness over vengeance. While some of his situation wrapped up, other pieces of it didn’t which felt realistic. 

It was a slower pace of a book but it was well done and had you invested in the characters and where they were headed. I enjoyed it quite a bit. 

The meat of this one was good but the way it unfolded was just odd. There was so much narrative recap in the beginning and then the end felt rushed and was honestly a little bizarre. Also the Jake and Kate thing is becoming weird and I wish it’d resolve

Super cute and funny. If was a great light romcom. Enjoyed the writing, and as in all of Jess Mastorakos’ books, this was really well done. Loved the characters and their friends/family supporting and accepting them. 

Sort of had a bit of a Clue vibe to it. I enjoyed it and liked that some of the witty banter from the first one was back. I thought it did well keeping you guessing who the culprits were going to be or at least why. 

While the story was interesting and realistic, it was really sad and fairly depressing watching the brutality unfold of both the Japanese in Malaysia and the utter selfishness of Cecily and how destructive her decisions were. It really kind of felt like one bad situation after another, both from her own making and from her family members. I didn’t like any of the characters to be honest. 

The writing also wasn’t my favorite - it was more of a Tell rather than Show - as you watched from the outside. Overall I liked learning about the Malaysian people’s experiences during ww2, but it was a very dark book without any real redemption in the story. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine. 

Very cute and light Christmas romance. It was short so didn’t get too deep in the story but it was an easy read

Utterly beautiful and devastating. The writing in this was phenomenal - the description and storyline, the detail and the characters. 

The story itself was so heartbreaking and raw, but so hopeful once worked thru. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea - the subject matter of abuse and betrayal and self-destructive decisions, was very difficult and so incredibly sad. But I felt like the way she unfolded it, it was real and honest. It wasn’t a cut and dry hero vs villain, black and white story. There was a lot of gray. Just like real life. 

I loved how Kendra processed thru everything, with her desire and need to be seen and believed in, and how relatable that was. The journey her character took thru her own grief and growth was captivating. 

But Ms Bartels made you think really hard, past the easy labels and boxing-up, and forces you to have compassion and empathy in really messy situations. And look at ourselves and take ownership of our own decisions. I thought it was brave, painful, and redemptive. 

Interesting, and sad, I liked that I didn’t see a lot of things coming and wasn’t predictable. It didn’t have the same wit and humor as in the first book but it was an easy, good read for a murder mystery