I liked the culture and authenticity in the book, as Billie tries to follow her dream working in the music industry and navigating the intensity, dysfunction, and corruption, but also the joy and fulfillment of working with artists and making a difference with something you love. 

The cultural and racial struggles she faced were really well presented and I liked seeing and learning of the world from Billie’s and other characters’ perspectives. I also enjoyed her friendships a lot in the book - I loved the support and honesty she and her friends invested in each other. 

I did struggle with the very elaborate sections of the music industry mechanics - so many artist and band names, music theory and genre details. I am not really in that world so it felt like reading a technical document often and I ended up losing the plot a little. On the opposite end it kind of skimmed thru other parts of Billie’s story like starting her job or leading up to that part of the story that would help round it out instead. 

Overall the writing was well done and I enjoyed the story, but I got kind of stuck on the minutiae. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine. 

The writing was so gripping and the story of Jane so beautifully told. I wish there was a little more of the characters’ expressions or attitude with their dialogue - some of it was hard to place the emotion at times. But so good otherwise.

I liked the double agent scenario and thought it had some good relational tension as well as plot tension, and the setting of Scotland during WW2 was new for me. I liked both Cilla and Lachlan a lot and they played to each others’ strengths and weaknesses well. Enjoyed the story, strategy and characters a lot. 

Slow in parts but really enjoyed it. It was complicated, sad and profound. Things were often not what you expected and grew and morphed as much as the characters did. 

Super interesting, the setting of WW2 in Martha’s Vineyard, mostly from the perspective of two teenage sisters and their friends and family, and Cadence’s love of books and writing. 

The characters of Briar and Cadence were well done had a great compliment to each other - Briar with her quirky, determined, and sleuthing mind, and Cadence as ambitious, family-centered, and levelheadedness - as they tried to keep their farm afloat and manage unexpected war-related curveballs. 

I enjoyed the mystery and tension of U-boats off the New England coast, potential defectors and spies, Army camps and invasion drills along with family tensions with the sisters’ story, and how the women in the current timeline played into it all. And of course the books. Loved the thread of the books throughout! 

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

I really liked how candid it was, it’s like what you’re always thinking and never say. Great mix of characters too. 

I actually didn’t realize this was a legitimate teenage YA book initially, but it was cute and endearing, with some good depth and suspense. At some points the characters were a little dramatic but then again, they were teenagers and as a mom of 3 of teens, it was pretty on par lol. It was also fun for some of the characters of Sons of Vigilance to be introduced. I kind of wish I read this one first. 

So fun reading about Charlotte in history. I had no idea there was a massive army camp in WW1, and love reading stories set here in general so I loved the landscape of the book right off the bat. 

The characters of Calla, Jesse and so many others were rich and relatable. I really loved how their relationships grew, how they fought for each other and valued their friendships. The music and theater were a lot of fun to balance out a war focus and some real grief from it. 

Whether it was intentional in the storyline or not, the concept of injustices or severe blows and setbacks you didn’t see coming, but later finding out it’s what actually worked things out for the best and for the characters benefit was just so inspiring. I loved all of that and enjoyed the book a lot. 

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

I loved the first book, but I wasn’t feeling this one so much. Just so much detail and not a lot of character development to feel invested in it. I kept zoning out. 

I’m not usually one for ghosts and witches but I figured I’d try this one anyways, since quite often old 1600’s witch trials were a complete farce. This, however was a legitimate witch and ghost story, but I didn’t feel like it was all that creepy or eerie. 

The storyline was interesting, going back and forth in the two timelines and I thought the build up was well done. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style - it just felt kind of flat, at least for Megan’s timeline, and some of the dialogue felt unnatural or mechanical. 

The ghosts depicted in the book supposedly sent people screaming in terror but I never got that from the writing. They felt more like a weird interruption without much description to back up the declared emotional reaction. Susanna’s chapters were more fleshed out and better described, though the characters across the board felt fairly inconsistent. 

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