I enjoyed this book although, personally, I would classify it as Fiction with a super strong romance theme because of how it ends. However, I don't feel that the love story between Florence and Ben was the sole focus of the story. Really, it was about Florence's journey as she reconciled with all the changes that had happened to her in the last year. And she came out stronger and Ben was there but really it was a journey of self-discovery. So, if you're looking for a pure ghost romance, while this will be an enjoyable read, it may not scratch that particular itch.

I feel that it touched on the subject matter of all kinds of grief very well without being too much in any regard. Now there were moments where the grief was very real and raw and those parts were especially hard for me to read and I imagine it would be that way for anyone who has experienced a parental death. But still, it was hopeful towards the end which is always nice. I would recommend with the associated and expected content warnings of parental death.

I honestly can't say I loved this book more than Beach Read but boy is it a close call. I think it handled everything Nora went through really well; the grief of her mother, the guilt and feeling of needing to be there for her sister...oh and let's not forget the constant fear of being left behind. It di this all and more without being too heavy handed. Plus, I love that the banter between her and Charlie started almost immediately with the emails about the Bigfoot erotica. Yes you read that right.

Plus the ending...almost got me. I was prepared to throw it across the room and have to buy my friend a new copy but it was just what I wanted and thought would be the best one all around. Highly recommend.

I know that this wasn't a lot of people's cup of tea but it was mine and it was a nice breath since I personally didn't enjoy PWMOV as much as Beach Read. I am looking forward to her next one which I hopefully will love just as much.

This is more like a 3.5. As mentioned, I have a tricky relationship with short story collections because it's very rare that I enjoy every single story in one. And this is one. The ones that were a hit for me knocked it out of the park and the ones that missed it was by a large margin. A lot of these could have been longer stories on their own as well which left me a bit wanting more were due to either not being a preferred genre or not flowing as easily as they could. That said, it's a cute collection and the diversity in it is beyond amazing. However, I'm honest enough to state that I would not re-read this entire collection in the coming years and will only re-read the ones that really stood out for me.

I have been wanting to reread this book for years, ever since I read that it was written as an allegory for King's own addiction. And that is certainly apparent when you read it with that mind set.

And it is easily still one of his most unsettling novels. I will always maintain that Annie is one of King's most terrifying villains because she's human. There is nothing to her that makes her special, unique, or supernatural. She is a human and what she does to him is beyond brutal. What she does to him in the book makes the scene from the movie look like a papercut and I mean that, even knowing how brutal *that* scene is. And I think it really does a good job of showing how an addict's mind might work both in the acknowledgement of the addiction as well as the justification for it.

That said, it is still very much early King not much much in the word or page count, since it's one of his shorter ones, but in the language that is used. Even bearing in mind the time it was written in, there is still very much problematic language and words used here. So, if you're reading it for the first time, be mindful of that.

Still I would recommend it because of the reasons mentioned above because it is Classic King and there is no boogeyman that can be blamed for the horror find within its pages; it's just a regular albeit slightly unhinged human being.

While I was enjoyed this story overall, it was a much slower burn, both in the horror and the romance aspect, than I expected. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing but, as with most other content, it is something I would like to know going in. And it's entirely possible it was stated elsewhere and I just overlooked it.

That said, this was exactly what I was hoping for in a romance with horror tendencies. Because, while the horror is a small part of it, it is still there since the mermaids outside of Lorelai were terrifying. But they were also sympathetic, which is something I am looking forward to hearing more about from later books in the series. I also found myself enjoying the entire cast of characters, with the exception of Carrie (you'll see why) and look forward to hearing more about them.

Also, as an aside, this is a HFN with a semi-cliffhanger ending. So, be warned of that going in.

Overall all would recommend as a read, any time of the year.

This was an AMAZING collection of short stories. I love every one which, if you're a regular reader of my reviews, you will know is not part for the course. This is unapologetic horror at its finest and by that I mean the monsters are real, they embrace it fully, and no punches are pulled in this. If you read this and say to yourself that it will not go in the direction that you're thinking of, chances it will. This is definitely one that I will pick up and re-read in the future, either in its entirety or picking the stories based on the mood I'm on. HIGHLY recommend.

I *loved* this book. Like practically everything about it. The idea of fake dating for revenge, which speaks so much to my soul. The slowly falling in like before they knew who each other was. The way the act quickly turned to play. The love scenes which were sizzling and had me fanning myself. All wonderful. Plus, I love the way Bea and Jamie were honest with each other about their feelings and their boundaries. Even though it had the divisive third act break up, it made sense and was quickly resolved. Like....this book was amazing and I can't wait for others to read it or to read the follow-ups because it was built up for me. Highly recommend.

This was a cute read. I know that the title may lead you to think otherwise, but it was. It dealt with a lot more than the romance though and was more about Phoebe coming to terms about the challenges she faced in her life, including her lack of noticeable grief at the passing of her dad.

There were some things that did make my roll my eyes, such as what the fight with Alison was about and Phoebe's self sabotage and every single relationship in her life, even her brother. While she did eventually come to terms with it all, it took her a bit longer than expected.

Again, this was still an enjoyable read and I would recommend it, especially for anyone who loves romance and true crime. Cause that is totally a thing.

This is a very soft three star cause that I didn't love this one as much as I loved the first one. And considering this was one of my anticipated books this year that's very disappointing especially since I felt Lia was one of the best background characters from the first book.

I had to remind myself that these were young 20-somethings because the constant back and forth between Lia and Grace got annoying quickly. It is very repetitive and that Grace would be like "I don't want a relationship" and Leah would be like "I don't do casual stuff" but yet they still kept at the physical aspect of the relationship. That constant back and forth in and from both women who were ultimately and setting themselves up to be hurt got tedious very quickly and just wasn't what I'd been expecting or wanting.

And without getting too much into it because I would be spoilery this is one where the third act whatever it is made me roll my eyes really hard. I was just not impressed.

That said, that's more on the story itself not the writing. And clearly I didn't dislike it enough to stop reading it because I do not hesitate to DNF a book for any reason. The writing still good I still enjoy the author's tone and how they write. This was just a matter of being disappointed that it didn't live up to the hype in my head that I put there.

This collection of short stories is perfect for anyone who wants to spend a weekend lost in great stories but not have to worry about making a commitment to longer tales. They're short, impactful, and amazing. Of course, I had ones I preferred over others since that is the nature of these types of collections but I would still reread them all when the urge struck.