If the main character is this insufferable 25 pages in, I don’t even want to know what happens 

Enjoyed, but would’ve loved more thrill throughout with more games. Also it was a bit predictable

TW: mention of abortion, pregnancy

Two stars for Ralph 

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and LibroFM for eGalley and ALC.

Well I think this one will be best read in Italy with an aperol spritz in hand, but if that’s not possible inside with coffee will do just fine. 

The plot started out slow, but once it started going it moved quickly. I liked the mix of present day and past set in the Villa as well as the inclusion of song and book excerpts from the 1970s setting. 

Chess is a horrible friend so Chessie from Parent Trap is still the best Chess around. 

Overall, if you like thrillers set on vacation, with books, friendship, and questionable motives: this one is for you. 

It’s safe to say I’m entering my cozy mystery era. I loved the strong family dynamic in this one and that it was set in a bigger city locale compared to other cozy mysteries.

My one complaint that causes me to knock this rating down is that a lot of time was spent over explaining as well as spending time on all of the secondary characters that were cafe customers. I know this is being built into a series so info is needed, but I feel like the plot could’ve moved along faster without it. 

I’ll continue on in the series!

I loved this cozy! Definitely can be read alone, wouldn’t need to read the prior books in the series, but now I want to pick them up! Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Who doesn’t enjoy cozies with grilled cheese and rescue animals involved??

It’s rare that I DNF a memoir, even if I hate it. An example of that would be Amanda Kloss’s memoir, which I read in its entirety and give a 1 star review. 

Similar to Amanda, Matthew seems to not be self aware. Sure, he’s self absorbed, but aware of his words and actions? Doesn’t seem like it. In fact, after finding out he played tennis and was ranked as a teen tracks with how he came across.

I understand that he’s still working on his sobriety journey as well as still recovering from a pretty major health issue. However, I think a 53 year old man should be able to hold himself accountable instead of blame everyone else in his life. 

Additionally, the way he speaks of women is atrocious and I wish I could say that I refuse to believe a man whose step father is Keith Morrison treats people like that. 

Lastly, if you know me you know I cuss frequently. However, this man said f*ck so often you’d think he was getting a bonus for each time he used it. The usage added on to the horrible writing and confusing timeline was another reason I couldn’t finish this one. Two words: better editing.

So if you ask if I think you should pick up or pass, I say PASS. 

I kept reading to see if anything would happen that was more predictable.