Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

It's with a really heavy heart that I say that The Final Revival of Opal & Nev was a disappointment for me. While the writing from Dawnie Walton was gorgeous - I'll definitely read her next novel - I found myself not caring what happened to any of the characters besides Sunny, Opal, and hearing the resulting of the story about Sunny's father. 

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev will be a favorite for someone, but it just wasn't mine. There are plenty of five star reviews so please know that I am the odd one out. 

I started off reading this galley on my Kindle, but I just couldn't get into it. Therefore, I waited until I could get the audio from my library. If you're looking to pick this one up, I do highly recommend the audio. The audio queen Bahni Turpin herself being apart of the full ensemble audio should be reason enough to listen to it on audio, if you like audiobooks. So S/O to my library and Libby for having this on audio. 

I loved Daisy Jones and the Six and was really looking forward to another fictional biographical take on a music act. Hear me out, Walton was very successful in taking on the biographical nature of Opal and Nev's story. However, between the executives at the music label, Nev, Nev's agent, and Chet the confederate flag waving, Trump supporting musician - I got tired of being annoyed at the 'woe is me' celebrity problems. 

I LOVED following along Sunny's mission on taking on this biography and tackling the industry as an editor-in-chief. However, the point where Nev's agent decides to royally screw her over about took me over the edge - but I guess every story needs a 2/3 act issue that will be resolved. I do like how the issue was resolved, just hated the issue. 

We need more badass women in the journalism industry that don't take 'no' for an answer from celebrities, thanks Dawnie for giving us a glimpse of that.

Thank you Grove Atlantic, Mysterious Press, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review. 

This novella collection was my first  Joyce Carol Oates read and it will certainly not be my last. Each novella was eerie and atmospheric with an amazing sense of place. I good picture myself in each sign and each story was unique. 

My breakdown of the four novellas:
<i>Cardiff, by the Sea</i> - title story. 4.5 stars. Atmospheric story that takes place in Cardiff, Maine about a woman who returns to Cardiff after was adopted as a child after her family died. 

<i>Miao Dao</i> - 3.5. Honestly this one was hard for me to read at times as it deals with animal abuse, and step fathers being creepy. However it was very atmospheric and I felt like in the moment with 

<i>Phantomwise: 1972</i>-4 stars. Takes place on a college campus where a female freshman is pursued by two predators. I didn't see the ending coming at all. Finally a suspenseful college campus story that didn't disappoint me (it's no secret that nothing can live up to The Secret History to me). 

<i>The Surviving Child</i> - 4.5 stars. A supernatural suspense that takes place in Boston. 

If you're looking for some suspenseful short stories or novellas, look no further - you've found them!

Compelling, reflective, and informative -  that's Shugri Said Salh's memoir in a nutshell. 

Shugri Said Salh's memoir is a story of resilience that everyone should read. Shugri shares her life as a young nomad, given to her grandmother by her mother in order to help her out in accordance with history. Shugri didn't have to share some of the hard hitting details of her life, but she did so. Including her female 'circumcision' - that was tough to read, but her explanation behind the history of the custom was astounding. I appreciated that she brought the reader into her culture by setting the scene and explaining what was happening that may be connected to her culture. Her story of escaping a clan war torn Somalia is truly gripping and I never thought of how important it may be for someone to remember all of their clans and subclans in order to escape danger. 

 I feel like the story of a nomadic Somalian fleeing for turmoil isn’t one that we hear often as many voices are silenced in North America. If I could push a copy to all of my friends right now, I would do so. 

Thank you, Shugri, for letting us into your life. You are truly a remarkable woman. 

Thank you Algonquin and NetGalley for a galley in exchange for an honest review. Algonquin has published some amazing memoirs this year!

Thank you Algonquin and Libro.FM for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

What I liked: The lyrical writing and the extensive sense of place. Also liked that a cold case was solved.

Other than that, let's get into it:

It is always hard for me to hear "dark academia" in a book description and not think that the author is trying to go down the same path as The Secret History. I am guilty of always immediately putting them up against on another.

So in my opinion- this is another wannabe.

When I think of dark academia, I think of college professors and students - not catholic boarding school girls and their teachers. To me, this is more gothic than dark academia.

This one is the standard 25 year old cold case that hinges upon the go-to, "let's blame this on the new student from the 'wrong side of town'" vibes right from the start along with zero likable characters. Can a rich kid be the one thrown under the bus from the fellow students for once?

The lyrical writing set up a stage for an interesting plot, however it dragged. The catty high schoolers just left me annoyed and uninterested. I had completely lost interested in the disappearance of Lousia and Mr. Lavelle. Also didn't really care about the reporter with the loose connection to Louisa even though she did move the plot along and help the case come to a conclusion in the end.

I would love to pick up another book from her though because her lyrical writing was gorgeous. However, lyrical writing does not equal a gripping plot line.

Another The Secret History wannabe in my opinion. 

After one of my most trusted book review sources DNFd this one, I was scared that I would do the same.

This was an absolutely gutting memoir. It’s weird to say it was refreshing to listen to, but it was as in it was refreshing to read a memoir from someone that grew up just 40 minutes from my hometown. I recognized her love for Indiana sunrises and her close knit family as distinct connections. 

I’ve seen people people say that they’ve seen herself in her life with similar events taking place in theirs. That they feel seen, and that enough is a reason to pick this one up

This is my least favorite Riley Sager so far. Now I just need to read Final Girls to see where I sit with that one.

I’m going to try to give thoughts without spoiling it: 


I will say that Survive the Night was in fact, a binge worthy summer read. Maybe great for a read by the pool or on the beach. 

Not great to pick up during a reading slump (trust me). 

The plot was somewhat predictable since it’s such a small cast of characters, but there are twists that you may not see coming.

My main issue that won’t giveaway spoilers: what woman is going to get in a car with a stranger after their best friend is murdered?? Even in the 90s? Come on. Also, setting this in the 90s seemed like a cop out to me because obviously writing a ‘kidnapping’-esque story set in the 2000s would be harder to develop. 

In the future, I’d like to see Riley Sager to write a plot where the victim/person in trouble doesn’t do something that’s super obviously opposite what they need to do.

I really hope he’s not going to go down in quality like the other authors that are pushing a book out every summer.