literaryhaunt's Reviews (647)

I might write a longer review soon, but to sum: I took two whole stars off for how much I hated Anh, but it earned one back for chapter 16.

Vera has lived her entire life in her small mountain community. Sequestered within the clouds, the village is close knit and adheres closely to long-held cultural traditions, namely surrounding their affliction. This affliction that sets them apart is the reason that with no warning, some mothers in the community vanish, disappearing into the clouds. They are not scared of their affliction, rather it's what sets them apart- a necessity that comes with their isolated way of life.

Vera has personally come into contact with the affliction, as it took her mother when she was young. Elsewhere follows Vera through her life and her experiences as an adolescent and then a new wife and mother in the village. As her own daughter grows, Vera thinks more and more about what she would do to stay with her child, or if she will follow her own mother's journey into the clouds.

Elsewhere really surprised me in that the writing was so thought provoking, seeming almost as if it is from another time. The audio narration by Ell Potter was sublime and comforting as well, which added a really nice background to subject matter that was emotional for me as a mother myself. There are many questions left unanswered, but in that there is so much room for personal interpretation. I think this would make a perfect book club book for that reason. It's warm like a cup of tea but makes for such interesting conversation as well. I could easily recommend Elsewhere to almost anyone, especially readers who love speculative fic as much as I do.

Thanks so much to Celadon books as well as NetGalley for an ALC of Elsewhere in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book got me with some unexpected buzzwords, such as "queer specter" and "lesbian sasquatch". I asked no further questions, I simply buckled up and went along for the ride.

Patricia Wants to Cuddle follows the final four contestants of The Catch (Think "The Bachelor") as well as a producer, a cameraman, a Chris Harrison-esque host, and The Catch himself, Jeremy to a remote island off the Washington coast. Each of the final four women has their reasons for being involved in the show, and most of those reasons don't involve riding off into the sunset with Jer, who is a prince among men. The women are ready to put their best face forward in hopes of gaining more social media followers, but what they aren't prepared for is Patricia- the aforementioned queer specter witnessing the love connections from the woods.

This was an absolute riot, and I mean that in the best way. It gave me Fear Street, but made it hilarious. I really enjoyed the character development. The pacing is pretty fast, so I was never bored. I do wish there were more details about Patricia and life on the island. I was so curious about her and I would have loved a more thorough ending. Over all, I really loved this book and definitely recommend it if you want a creepy laugh.

I was able to listen to the audio version of this book, and it made the experience that much better. I really love audiobooks with full casts and this one in particular was great. Thanks so much to RB Media and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.