There's something about the conversation between Olive and Adam on pages 267-268 that automatically made me realize this was going to be 4-5 stars. It's hard to describe because there are so many other things to love about this story, but it's what made me really love it. 

It's something that I haven't seen in any romances that I've read, and I immediately connected with it. I really said, "Wow, that's me - 100%". How Olive describes how she feels sexual attraction made me feel seen. Was it the best representation, probably not but I really connected to it. 

"I don't feel sexual attraction unless I actually get to trust and like a person, which for some reason never happens" , pg 268

Also need to mention that this story does include Title IX issues in academia (two separate issues) so if that makes you uncomfortable, just don't read it. No need to say people can't love a book just because you don't agree the 'trope and/or relationship.

All of the freaking stars to my new favorite SJM book 

ALL OF THE STARS 😭

I would’ve read this a helluva a lot sooner if someone would’ve told me I would love the murder investigation part of this. Proud to say this is the first book I’ve read in 2022 that I’ve stayed up to finish (midnight on a work night). 

When a book makes me cry 5-6 chapters in, I get scared. When the plot pulls me in from the start - I get excited. 
I ended up reading about 450 pages in a day because I just couldn’t put it down.  

While some say the world building was too much for them for the first 200, it went down easy for me. It has everything: murder investigation, found family, family drama, slow burn romance, etc. 

Highly recommend and you don’t need to read any of SJM’s other books to dive right into this one. 

Anxiously waiting for my pre-order of House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City book 2) to arrive at my door!

 I love a good “good for her” revenge story, especially one with a dark academia setting 

I honestly didn’t want to put this one down and finished it just over a day!

I recommend this to those who love true crime podcasts such as Your Own Backyard and The Murder Squad and enjoyed the book Night Swim. It also has some dark academia vibes as the story surrounds a death of a senior nursing student. 

How far will sorority sisters go to protect each other when a forensics student starts a true crime podcast hoping to shed new light on a three year old case?

Did some of the personalities of the sorority sisters remind me of my own sorority sisters - yes 😅

I sure hope the people in charge of Agatha Christie’s estate are embarrassed by the blurb on the front of my copy, “A dazzling clever modern Agatha Christie”.

On the contrary, this was about 150 pages too long, 70 characters to keep track of than needed (82 people in play according to a list of persons of interest), and if I had read ‘bumps’, ‘boo’, or ‘gulp’ one more time I would’ve thrown it in the marina by my hotel. 

This may have been ambitious, but it needed to be reined in and more gripping. The ending and twists didn’t surprise me at all. 

2 stars for originality of making an epistolary mystery, but the lack of character depth as well as annoying characters ruined it for me even before the 100 page mark. 

My first Louise Erdrich and it definitely won’t be my last.

This was absolutely beautiful and I devoured it. 

If you think you can handle a fictional story that includes a storyline during beginning of COVID-19 in 2020 as well as George Floyd’s murder and the aftermath that followed, I highly recommend. 

While beautiful, it did not keep me from wanting to throw the book at the wall

More thoughts to come 

Had me hooked from the beginning and I couldn’t stop reading.

It has a woman striving to avenge a wrong, it has psychopaths, and it kind of has dark academia vibes set in DC? Check, check, and CHECK.

Some things had me rolling my eyes, but in the end I enjoyed it a lot more than another mystery/thriller that I gave five stars this month (Jan 2022 for reference) and I think this is one that could be recommended to anyone so FIVE STARS.