stephsbooktalk's Reviews (915)

Thank you so much to Celadon for the advance copy of the book!

This book was all over bookstagram and I am so mad at myself for not picking this up sooner! 

I love when podcasts/documentaries are incorporated into thrillers. It just adds an extra element and you learn so much about the characters in these moments.  The chapters were short and the podcast part really helped keep the book moving.

Obviously I cannot go into too much details my thoughts without spoiling the book but I will say that there were a lot of characters and the timelines to remember. We did get to see some flashback chapters which helped us establish a relationship with the deceased & learning more about Lucy then.

Lucy is our unreliable narrator as she sustained a traumatic injury the night her best friend died which hasn't allowed her to know if she truly killed her friend or not. Lucy has been ostracized by everyone and now a popular podcast is putting the spotlight on her even more. With the help of Ben, the host/found of the podcast they work together to figure out was Lucy truly the murderer or did someone else do it?

"What are you thinking about, when you do that?"
"I'm thinking about killing you."

My favorite relationship in the book was between Lucy and her grandmother. Their relationship was really sweet from the beginning and went strong even in the end. I normally don't like when a random romance appears for the FMC but in this case I did not mind. There was a moment towards the end where I gave big eye roll emoji as I was reading and was surprised by some of the stuff coming out of Lucy's mouth. I know I know it is very vague but trust me it would make sense when you read it. 

I paired my reading with the audiobook and the 2 narrators made it feel like a cast of characters which is always amazing to listen to. Husband and wife duo, January LaVoy and Will Damron are a stellar combo and their voices just worked so well together.  The podcast addition to it was really helpful in the storytelling. 

I just really enjoyed the book & thought it moved pretty quick! This did not feel like a debut so kudos to the author for knocking it out of the park from the start. 

I recommend if you love true crime podcasts, dual timelines and an unreliable narrator! 

Thank you Entangled Publishing/RedTower for the complimentary book!

"You laughed."
"I know."
"You're fucked."
"Shut up."

As my reader friends know, I am not a fantasy reader. I struggle a lot with world building but I do dabble a few times a year. This just tettered the line at what I can handle.

I love that you are sort of rooting for the Villain the whole book. As I describe to a friend, there was so much happening in the book but at the same time nothing was happening at all. One thing I wished I had done as I started reading was keep track the characters. It just would've helped me remember who was who.

Trystan was smitten with Evie right from the start and no matter how hard he was trying to resist he knew he was gone for her. And equally Evie was drawn to him and not scared of him being the "Villain".

Perhaps because I love romance, I really REALLY wanted more to develop between Evie and Trystan. Their chemistry was so good and I love their banter back and forth. So I'm really curious if we will get an intimate moment between them in the 2nd book (at least I'm fairly certain there will be one based on how it ends).

I am not good with predicting things so I was actually pretty surprised by the ending and the reveal. Obviously I am not going to say more than that because of spoiler. But I will say I am wondering how the fall out of the reveal will play into the 2nd book.

I paired my reading with the audiobook (thank you Hoopla). I do wish we got two different narrators for the two point of view chapters. Em Eldridge is a new narrator to me and I thought she brought the quirkiness of Evie and of the book into her narration. Plus it was a bonus that I could speed up to a 2.00 and gone down to 1.30 and there was no distortion either way.

If you are looking for a light fantasy, cast of characters with a smidge of romance - this one may be for you!

Mini Audiobook Review: Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

While reading romances, I can tell right away which lane of romances one falls into - is this going to be realistic or is it going to be a little campy and fun. And this one is the latter.

I love that our couple were friends back in high school and that they weren't total strangers. They knew how to push each others button which also led to the tension between them.

My biggest ick with this book that happens every once in awhile is the immature antics of the FMC and in this case the MMC too. I am sure there are people within a HOA community or any sort of community where you things are done out of spite & sabbatoges happen. It just is hard to watch grown adults act like that. Collins acknowledges that it is immature at least.

I did love the moment it clicked between Collins and Nate. I was fist pumping in the air because it was not expecting and just sort of happened. Once they put down their guard, the relationship between them was really sweet and of course so hot.

By the 2nd half of the book, I ended up enjoying it a lot more! I was happy for Collins for finding herself in the process of being home and standing up to her ex.

This as such a quick listen and I probably would have finished it in a day. Jade Wheeler made the listening experience very pleasant and I just enjoyed it greatly! I have listen to a few books with her narration and they were all so good.

This was not my fave from Alexa but I still ended up enjoying it!

If you are a fan of former friends, enemies to lover set in a neighborhood community - this one is for you!

Thank you so much to Dial Press for the free book!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

As soon as I finished Done & Dusted, I knew I had to go right into reading Swift & Saddled. And this was such a great follow up. I love chemistry between Ada and Wes. He is known for being such a nice guy and guess what he is really a NICE guy. So him making out with a random girl in a hallway seemed way out of character but hey it worked out. I love how supportive he was of Ada and even after she ran he was there waiting for her. I love how open they were with each other - her with her prior marriage & abuse and him with his depression.

I was so happy for Ada that she was able to find a group of friends. I found it relatable when she talked about having a hard time making friends as an adult and wondering if they actually really liked her.

“You're the moon and I’m the tides. You pull me in without even trying, and I come to you willingly. I always will.”

We got to see our favorite couple from the first book which was nice to catch up with them! I am looking forward to seeing how Gus and Teddy get together. The author was strategically making them interact in each book to help build that tension between them which is only going to make their story even grander.

Another quick listen and the narrators were just so good! You can never go wrong with Teddy Hamilton as your male lead and for the female Vanessa Edwin did a great job as Ada (who I believe is a new narrator to me).

I am looking forward to the next book in the series & Lyla just announced the 4th book couple which I have to admit I was a little surprised by.

PS - The covers in this series are the absolutely gorgeous!!!

PSS - Can we get a book or a novella for Amos finding love again?! He is the best!

Mini Audiobook: Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary copy of the audio!

I feel like I am the last of my romance reader friends to jump on the Rebel Blue train but we have finally arrived!

I really enjoyed this! The audio was super quick and kept me engaged the whole time. I love that Emmy was the competitive horse rider while the male interest was a normal guy. I am always a fan of when the guy falls first and Luke fell hard.

One thing that a lot of romances do is keep bringing up the trope throughout the book so in this case, the overuse of "I shouldn't be falling for my best friend's sister" or "he's my brother's best friend." It's like we get it. The internal conflict and perhaps if I was in the same situation, that would also be floating through my brain all the time.

I am very curious to see how Gus progresses through the books (as the author said he was getting a book) and I'm sure he will be popping up in the rest of the series. He has all the traits of an elder brother which can be both good and bad.

Both narrators Aaron Shedlock, Stella Hunter were perfect for their characters! Aaron's low country twang in his voice was so good.

I just really enjoyed this & was the quick romance fix I needed after a short break!

Mini Audiobook Review: 3.75 - Thank you so much to S&S Book Club Favorites for the free copy of the book!

Liselle's fantasy books are not for me (I know people LOVE THEM; it's not her, it's me - I just don't like fantasy) but Liselle's YA Thrillers are ones I love!!

"No matter how much money we had, how much good our family did, how much acclaim, people would look at Dom and see a guilty dark-skinned Black man-not an innocent fifteen-year old boy. Because at the end of the day, he was an easy and familiar target.

I was super excited to see that we were getting another thriller from her this year. This is clocking in just over 400 pages and the middle did lag a bit but the last 6 chapters were WILD times!

I had the book next to me to reference but I primarily listened via audio. I think what would have helped more with the audio is having a different narrator for the mom's journal entries. The narrator Kimberly Woods was great as Sunny but I need a different inflexion or tone for when she was talking from the mom's perspective. It would've helped a lot in tracking what was happening. Especially since a lot of the mom's stories impacted what was happening in the current time.

When the reveal happened I literally wrote on a sticky on the page saying WHAT! It just was something I had ever encountered while reading before and was definitely not expecting it. The family dynamic between the siblings and even their dad was a lot.

Thank you so much to Putnam for the advance copy!

This book will be published on May 21, 2024.

"What happened to you? You used to think I was fun."
"We grew up."

The Guncle & Steven Rowley will always hold a special place in my heart as that book was one of the first books I read and posted about on my bookstagram page. And Steven was one of the first author's I ever did a zoom q&A with. It is one book that I always recommend to friends!

So when the announcement came out that we were getting a second book, I was THRILLED! And this was just everything. Patrick's divaness was in full swing especially when he felt like he was in competition with Maisie & Grant's new soon to be launt (lesbian aunt).

The book takes place 5 years after the book (which I loved). This book had so much heart, adventure, love, & the best banter. I found myself laughing a many times at the dialogue. The conversations with children once again were the best parts! I absolutely just love Patrick's relationship with Maisie and Grant. It is so special and I only hope as the children continue to grow they don't lose that relationship.

One thing I did enjoy about this book was that we got to see more of Patrick & Sara's relationship as well more of Greg. This book takes place in Europe and we are taken to different countries and Patrick is trying to instill love lessons to both Maisie and Grant as they are having apprehension for their father upcoming wedding.

"Why is she so special? Like, what's the appeal?"
"No one really knows."
"Oh, so she's like you, then, Famous, but no one knows why."

I do wish I had done a re-read of the first book because I couldn't remember the specific personalities of each of the characters. With that being said I thought Steven did a good job with putting some throwbacks from the first book into this that I recognized. Another reason why I wish I did the reread was to see how much grief made up the first book. Because grief was definitely a side character in this book more so than what I remember in the first. We hear from all 4 key players in the book on how the lost of Sara is still hurting 5 years later. I did not get emotional while reading but the last couple of chapters I think could make those who have lost a parent figure could be put in their feels.

I do wonder if this will be a duology or if we will be getting a 3rd book.

If you were a fan of the Guncle, I think you will really love being back with this family!

This was a fun read! I paired it with the audio which definitely helped me as I read through it.

Antonio went on such an adventure to seek revenge on his brother's death while on a treasure heist. His brother's death was very sad and even though I knew it was going to happen didn't make it easier when it happened. He is a the definition of strong willed. We meet a cast of characters along the way before he makes his way back home. There was another character that we meet later on that I really loved & I thought him and Antonio worked so well together!!

This was told from two dual timelines - Antonio in 1895 and Jamie in 1964. Jamie was trying to learn more about his past as his father did not want to talk about any of it. Jamie's part really didn't interest me but did play a part as we got closer to the end.

I did struggle with finding the magical realism of it all. I thought there was going to be more but it really only came through (that I'm aware) in the last little bit of the book. The last two-three chapters were SO beautiful and had so much heart in it. And I thought it ended really well.

I love that the author took inspiration from her own grandfather which I thought was really cool & she has a photo of him on her instagram page.

I am glad I read this and gave a genre that I normally don't read a try. I would recommend having the text with the audio.

Check this out if you are looking for a quick western told in dual timelines!

Thank you so much to Delacorte Press/Random House, TBRBeyondTours & Holly Jackson for the advance copy of this book & having me on this book tour!
Thank you so much to PRHAudio for the complimentary audio!

This book will be published on April 2nd.

I am probably one of the last people to not have read A Good Girl's Guide to Murder so when the opportunity came to be on this tour & this was a stand alone - I knew I had to read it! And if this book is any indication on her writing, I really need to do a deep dive into the series.

"Nothing is your fault, it's everyone else, and I will protect you from them."

There was so much that happened in this book & I can't even tell you all about the twists and turns this book takes. I was here for the ride the whole way. This book is a lengthy one but yet I felt like it went by rather quick. When you think that you know where the book is going, it will likely change. I found that I was hooked on this story right from the get go. The way that Jackson just continued to add more layers and you learn about the characters as you go which leads you to not knowing who to trust. As I mentioned there were a lot of twists that happened and when I looked I still had 3 hours to go on my kindle and I had no idea what else could possibly happen. Sure enough more did happen! One of my favorite chapters was the chaotic dinner that was being filmed, "To the most fucked up family in America. Cheers!"

Despite having a lot happening it did not feel like it was doing too much. The little romance piece that was in I could leave or take and with that I did like that she had this confidentate in Ash. They seem to really get along well but I was sad that they didn't try to remain in any sort of connection once the documentary was completed (at least that is what it seemed like). In addition to her friendship with Ash, I loved her relationship with cousin Carter. They just were so close & were best friends and Bel could always rely on her.

I paired my reading with the audio & Sophie Amoss knocked it out of the park with her narration. I thought she took on Bel and all the characters so well! And I think listening to her helped fuel me wanting to keep going on with my reading. It just was going by so quick.

As much as I loved this book and the emotions that came along with it, I did feel some small plot holes that were left on the table. I was talking to another reader who just finished the book right before I did and she had a great way of putting it "there were plot holes where I don't mind when I'm reading but afterwards it's like nooooowww wait a minute." That was exactly how I felt. In the moment I was not worried about it but after it left me questioning. My guess they were dropped do to length.

I just really enjoyed this & was the kind of YA thriller I needed.

Definitely check this book out if you like true crime documentaries, family drama, unreliable characters - check this out!

Mini Audiobook Review: I don't want to make this a long elaborate review but my goodness this book is as fabulous as everyone is saying it is!  

I was not the biggest fan of Tia's last book so I was hesitant in reading this and I was proven incredibly wrong.  This is not a tradition love story which I appreciated and if you love some magical realism in your reading. This could be the book for you. 

I am notorious for not reading summaries so I had no clue what I was getting into with this. I love the dual pov, the past & present timeline. Tia did an excellent job building Ezra's character and backstory which was so important to the relationship. Ricki & Della's relationship was so special and Della was really her fairy godmother and came into her life with such a purpose. 

I thought the audio was done beautifully. Both narrators were perfect casting for Ricki & Ezra. I was able to complete it in a quick time because I just couldn't stop listening. 

It just was so beautiful & I know will stick with me.