rebeccasreadingrambles's Reviews (3.06k)

What a fun start to a series! A bakery owner who can't bake?! I love it.  Maddy is a fabulous character who is instantly relatable and likable.  She showed immense growth throughout this book and I can't wait for more.  I love the small town and the strangers that quickly become close friends with Maddy.  She is thrown into a new situation with a lot of factors going on and then a murder mystery?!  She handled it so well, smartly and carefully (for the most part).  Also a big lovably pooch sidekick named Baby - what a perfect addition.  I was completely stumped and intrigued by the mystery and love how it all wrapped up.

Audiobook: I loved the audiobook! I definitely will continue listening to the series.

I loved this book! The ambiance was just perfection; I could easily picture this motel in need of some love in the middle of the woods outside a state park. Dee was instantly likable, funny, and not at all a pushover. Which was perfect since she was dealing with a new-to-her town rivalry and some very snobby people. She also met some of the MOST delightful townspeople turned friends and I already cannot wait to return to this town to see more of the people and the progress with the motel.

I loved all the facets to the story - not only the town rivalry, new business start up, but Dee being part of Hollywood brought a whole new layer of fun and interesting sleuthing. And of course you know the whole murder thing - another wonderfully pieced together story that had me SHOCKED by the ending.

I adored this and cannot wait for more!

This book! I loved it! Unique, addicting and kind of unhinged.  I have no idea but I found the character SO RELATABLE even though she made decisions that had me aghast.  I have never felt so completely inside a character’s head; the author did an AMAZING job portraying Hannah that even when she made the most questionable decisions, I totally understood why and feel like I knew her so well by the end.  The story is completely captivating and I would have sat down and read the entire thing in one sitting if I could.  It made me laugh the way it probably shouldn't and the writing is fabulous.  I highly recommend this one!

This was a delightful book! I am always a sucker for a school/training/trials fantasy book, especially to kick off a series and this one was a lot of fun.  I so enjoyed the fact that instead of warrior training, this is an engineering guild, so we get to read about the different cool inventions and ideas that Ying has.  Ying is a fantastic MC who is smart and brave and has SO much growth throughout this book. And all while being an underdog trying to avenge her father and learn secrets from the past - that is always a win.  I also really appreciated how the gender-swap / disguise was really well done; obviously a big part of the book but not the biggest and not overly dramatic. There are also political intrigue and interesting dynamics with the leaders and royal family.  Of course many gasp worthy moments and a Even with all the drama and trauma, it still felt almost like a fantasy hug, just all the best elements from a YA fantasy book in an easy to follow story that you can get lost in.

Note: I listened to the audiobook and HIGHLY recommend that version!

What a ride! I loved it. There are two POVs - before and present. I cannot even decide which I loved more. They both captured me immediately and did not let go. I could not turn the pages fast enough, but there were enough new technologies / futuristic things that had me stopping frequently to try and picture in my head.  The characters were fantastic! Always a bit vague, never showing their true selves, adding to my unease and unsure feeling the whole time reading. Who do you root for, who can you trust, when is the author springing the trap?! You never know!

The atmosphere - just perfect.  It was thrilling futuristic horror and the only type I want to read from now on.  I yelled out loud so many times, but then was smiling so my partner was so confused.  This is UNLIKE anything I have ever read and I absolutely loved it and this will stick with me certainly forever.  Now I bet the audiobook would be even more fabulous....

What a fun book.  Charlotte was instantly likeable and relatable as another over-interested (definitely not nosy) person.  I love her deductive skills, which were so believable and made me think that I too could be a detective (oh sorry definitely not a detective right).  This cast of characters was SO much fun and I love how this story developed into something much bigger.  And even though something potentially dangerous was happening, the author did such an amazing job growing the characters and portraying their relationships that each one jumped off the page.  I absolutely related to Charlotte and her feeling lost, like a burden, and trying to figure out what to do with her life.  These feels were perfectly written and I felt so very seen! It also made me fell better as the characters helped her try to allay these fears. I was constantly smiling while reading this book and I CANNOT wait for the next one!

Note: I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend it!

What a fun book.  Charlotte was instantly likeable and relatable as another over-interested (definitely not nosy) person.  I love her deductive skills, which were so believable and made me think that I too could be a detective (oh sorry definitely not a detective right).  This cast of characters was SO much fun and I love how this story developed into something much bigger.  And even though something potentially dangerous was happening, the author did such an amazing job growing the characters and portraying their relationships that each one jumped off the page.  I absolutely related to Charlotte and her feeling lost, like a burden, and trying to figure out what to do with her life.  These feels were perfectly written and I felt so very seen! It also made me fell better as the characters helped her try to allay these fears. I was constantly smiling while reading this book and I CANNOT wait for the next one!

Note: I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend it!

What a fabulous book! I am not even a big movie person (I know I know), but I loved every aspect of learning about the movie theory and the behind the scene looks into the industry.  At some points I felt like I was in film class myself and loved how much research went into any snippets of the coursework that were included in the story.  What I loved even more were Val and Maeve.  This is one of those times I wish we got to see Maeve's POVs also because she is so interesting and I would have so loved to get a peak into her head and her thoughts about both her career and the romance.  

Val was SUCH an amazing relatable character.  I don't care if she is famous and "has people". The way her anxiety is described is the most real to me of anything I've read before.  This is a miscommunication troupe I actually can get behind because you can see very clearly the REASON for the miscommunication is the anxiety PHYSICALLY preventing Val from expressing herself to Maeve.  It isn't laziness, stubbornness, lack of care...it is the anxiety controlling the narrative in her head.  

I also love love all the conversation about Queerness in Hollywood; both the struggles and discrimination, the public obsession with getting to personal and demanding all the answers, and the accolades, the hope, and the joy.

The writing was lovely, the characters amazing, the spice amazing, and this just left me with all the warm and fuzzies!

Note: I listened to the audiobook and LOVED it! Highly recommend.

This book. Wow.  The writing was incredible. It left me in tears and had the hair rising on my arms so many times.  The short chapters kept you on you toes, guessing and unsure, and also DEEPLY invested.  The perfectly honed dynamics between the different characters, the perfect pace and storytelling technique.  The confusing atmosphere of loss and hope, determination and fear (of both the past, of failure and the possibility of what happens NEXT) was fantastic. I don't want to spoil ANYTHING as I went in pretty blind and I was blown away.  This book is gut wrenching and amazing and like nothing I've read before.  This is a new favorite author for me!

Note: though the book has a high page count, it has SHORT chapters which I know others like me will appreciate!

Audiobook note: I looooooved the audiobook and definitely recommend that format if you can!

Wow. Phew.  After the last quarter or so of that book I am feeling stressed and honestly had to go for a walk, my emotions are HIGH. It did not turn out at all what I had expected, the story taking so many turns and leaving the reader pretty uncomfortable the entire time.  The atmospheric writing was SO WELL done as the tension, unease and mistrust were so pervasive and hard to shake even for the reader outside the story.  This was a character driven story with so many interesting players and yet, it also did an amazing job of dropping you in this pretty unexplored area during this time period (at least for me).  It is heavy, I didn't realize how emotionally invested I was until a few times when I audibly gasped or yelled, and I think that's because the author isn't trying to win you over with his characters, just really present them in their raw form.  

Definitely recommend this one!

Note: I both read and listened to this book and I recommend both - equally amazing experiences, though the audiobook will definitely heighten the intensity (I listened to the ending and am still off-kilter).