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stephsbooktalk's Reviews (915)
Thank you so much to Karen McManus, NetGalley & Random House for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This will be published on August 30th.
I have been meaning to read Karen McManus prior works but as any book lover will tell you, there's just not enough time in the day. BUT after reading this (my first one of hers) I need to start reading the copies of the ones I do own of hers. I absolutely ate this up.
After being away for 4 years, Brynn and her family are moving back to Massachusetts and she is going back for senior year to her old high school - Saint Ambrose. When she was there last, she was in 8th grade and one of her favorite teachers was mysteriously killed. After having an opportunity to intern with a crime podcast, she thought having the backing of the podcast would help look into the murder.
"That's the thing nobody ever tells you about being involved in a murder; tends to keep you up at night."
I was hooked on this book from the very beginning. I love the fact that we got the two point of views, Brynn & Tripp, but also two different timelines - present day & 4 years ago.
I thought the pacing of this book moved quickly. I had no clue what was going to happen and even though the twists weren't gasp worthy, they were enough to make me go "oh my." One thing that did make me happy, as primarily a romance reader, I liked that there was a touch of that thrown in. And I would've been so upset if Tripp ended up not being as genuine as he was coming across.
As far as YA thriller goes, this has been my favorite and will now compare all the others that.I read to this.
This will be published on August 30th.
I have been meaning to read Karen McManus prior works but as any book lover will tell you, there's just not enough time in the day. BUT after reading this (my first one of hers) I need to start reading the copies of the ones I do own of hers. I absolutely ate this up.
After being away for 4 years, Brynn and her family are moving back to Massachusetts and she is going back for senior year to her old high school - Saint Ambrose. When she was there last, she was in 8th grade and one of her favorite teachers was mysteriously killed. After having an opportunity to intern with a crime podcast, she thought having the backing of the podcast would help look into the murder.
"That's the thing nobody ever tells you about being involved in a murder; tends to keep you up at night."
I was hooked on this book from the very beginning. I love the fact that we got the two point of views, Brynn & Tripp, but also two different timelines - present day & 4 years ago.
I thought the pacing of this book moved quickly. I had no clue what was going to happen and even though the twists weren't gasp worthy, they were enough to make me go "oh my." One thing that did make me happy, as primarily a romance reader, I liked that there was a touch of that thrown in. And I would've been so upset if Tripp ended up not being as genuine as he was coming across.
As far as YA thriller goes, this has been my favorite and will now compare all the others that.I read to this.
I'm going to keep this short and sweet because there are TONs of reviews out there in the bookworld.
I highly recommend this book. If you are looking for a book about friendship, pc gaming, wee bit of romance and just life over a span of 30 years. You will laugh, cry and smile while reading.
Please check out the content warnings.
I highly recommend this book. If you are looking for a book about friendship, pc gaming, wee bit of romance and just life over a span of 30 years. You will laugh, cry and smile while reading.
Please check out the content warnings.
2023 Re-Read: I reread this one for an upcoming book discussion and this is still just an enjoyable!
Thank you to Penguin Random House for an advance audio copy of this book along with my local Barnes putting it out on the floor early!
This book will be published tomorrow, August 16th.
I had no intention of purchasing and then reading this book in 3 days but it happened.
I absolutely devoured it!
I wasn't sure what I was in for as I am pretty bad with reading synopsis/description of books so I really went into this blind. But after attending an instagram live where 4 debut authors discussed their upcoming debut books, I thought let's check it out.
I am not a fan of true crime and honestly it scares me because its real life. I think I am the exception as most women in their 30s love all things true crime (tv shows, docs, podcasts). I was pleasantly surprised that this book was mostly a rom com then a romance thriller which honestly is what I thought it was going to be.
Phoebe is in the homestretch of the doctorate program and actively working on her dissertation on what else true crime. Phoebe returns to her former hometown to help clean out of her late father's home and because she is in such a true crime mindset, she starts to suspect that the neighbor, Sam, is possibly a serial killer! Phoebe learns more about this mystery neighbor throughout the summer and begins to fall for him though she tried to resist. She knows that she is not staying in Florida once her dad's house is cleaned out and doesn't want to make leaving harder.
Phoebe's relationship with her brother was such an added surprise. I honestly loved when there were scenes with them together because of their playful banter and you could really tell how much Conner loved his sister. And actually I did send a text to my brother the part about the severed head from Wayne's World as that was frequently quoted in our household.
OH another thing that had me cracking up was all the different pop culture references and you could definitely tell an millennial wrote this which I really appreciated it. I mean how often do you find a specific call out to Gerard Way's hair in "Helena" - swoon!
The audio was also well done and thought the narrator did a great job!
If you're a fan of true crime, pop culture jokes, romance, brother/sister dynamic, check this out.
I am looking forward to what's to come from Alicia!
Thank you to Penguin Random House for an advance audio copy of this book along with my local Barnes putting it out on the floor early!
This book will be published tomorrow, August 16th.
I had no intention of purchasing and then reading this book in 3 days but it happened.
I absolutely devoured it!
I wasn't sure what I was in for as I am pretty bad with reading synopsis/description of books so I really went into this blind. But after attending an instagram live where 4 debut authors discussed their upcoming debut books, I thought let's check it out.
I am not a fan of true crime and honestly it scares me because its real life. I think I am the exception as most women in their 30s love all things true crime (tv shows, docs, podcasts). I was pleasantly surprised that this book was mostly a rom com then a romance thriller which honestly is what I thought it was going to be.
Phoebe is in the homestretch of the doctorate program and actively working on her dissertation on what else true crime. Phoebe returns to her former hometown to help clean out of her late father's home and because she is in such a true crime mindset, she starts to suspect that the neighbor, Sam, is possibly a serial killer! Phoebe learns more about this mystery neighbor throughout the summer and begins to fall for him though she tried to resist. She knows that she is not staying in Florida once her dad's house is cleaned out and doesn't want to make leaving harder.
Phoebe's relationship with her brother was such an added surprise. I honestly loved when there were scenes with them together because of their playful banter and you could really tell how much Conner loved his sister. And actually I did send a text to my brother the part about the severed head from Wayne's World as that was frequently quoted in our household.
OH another thing that had me cracking up was all the different pop culture references and you could definitely tell an millennial wrote this which I really appreciated it. I mean how often do you find a specific call out to Gerard Way's hair in "Helena" - swoon!
The audio was also well done and thought the narrator did a great job!
If you're a fan of true crime, pop culture jokes, romance, brother/sister dynamic, check this out.
I am looking forward to what's to come from Alicia!
Audiobook: Mina wants to be a filmmaker; thinking of ways of how to edge out her competitors. One day Mina runs into a boy and ruins their phones; turns out it is an actor going undercover at her high school to prepare for an upcoming role. Her grudge towards Emmett continues even after seeing him at school. Emmett wants to enter a photography contest and asks Mina to help him in order to continue to remain anonymous in-exchange to work on her film.They begin to spend time with each other & they begin to have feelings for one another. But the romance isn’t the main focus of the book. Mina feels the pressure and neglect from her parents. Not living up to their expectations and constantly letting them down for doing normal teenage things.
Tashie Bhuiyan will be an auto buy/read/listen. I love the language that Bhuiyan uses as it sounds like teenagers of 2022; she definitely has a way of writing a snarky, angsty teen,
Once again just like with her prior book, makes me appreciative for my parents and their leinancy growing up.
Also how cool that this is based off Tashie's own experience when Tom Holland came to her high school to go undercover in preparation for his role in Spiderman.
Tashie Bhuiyan will be an auto buy/read/listen. I love the language that Bhuiyan uses as it sounds like teenagers of 2022; she definitely has a way of writing a snarky, angsty teen,
Once again just like with her prior book, makes me appreciative for my parents and their leinancy growing up.
Also how cool that this is based off Tashie's own experience when Tom Holland came to her high school to go undercover in preparation for his role in Spiderman.
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you so much to the author Chip Pons for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
This will be published on August 23rd.
We meet Will Cowan on his first day at Austin Publishing House where he secured a position as a junior editor alongside his best friend and roommate Klair. Things didn't go as smoothly in the first few days as he had hope due to the serious Graham Austin, managing editor & son of the owner of APH. Will takes it personal when Graham comes off as very cold to him but Klair assures him that that is not him at all. Once Will came forth on his concerns and a very touchy dance at a club, the twos relationship took off. In addition to the romance, Will also begins working with an up and coming author on their book edits. We learn later of a personal connection that this book becomes for not only Will but to the Austin family as well.
This book starts at one place and ends in another. And I will be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to make it through because Will came off very dramatic and too whiny. BUT I am so glad I stuck with this because this book had SO much heart and ended up being a very emotional journey by the end for Will. I am so proud of the growth that Will had. Pons put so much passion into the second half of the book and you could tell that it wasn't sugar coated but his own real emotions were put into the pages. Have your tissues ready.
In addition, I was pulled into the romance that grew between Graham and Will. Also let me tell you that Chip knows how to write some SPICE (hello Team Steam fan here). Graham is exactly what Will needed and Will is exactly what Graham needed. Also I loved the Taylor Swift references as a fellow Swiftie (born & lives in her birthplace - my only Taylor flex).
Highly recommend & stellar debut Chip!
Thank you for allowing me to be an early reader & I cannot wait to see what else you write!
This will be published on August 23rd.
We meet Will Cowan on his first day at Austin Publishing House where he secured a position as a junior editor alongside his best friend and roommate Klair. Things didn't go as smoothly in the first few days as he had hope due to the serious Graham Austin, managing editor & son of the owner of APH. Will takes it personal when Graham comes off as very cold to him but Klair assures him that that is not him at all. Once Will came forth on his concerns and a very touchy dance at a club, the twos relationship took off. In addition to the romance, Will also begins working with an up and coming author on their book edits. We learn later of a personal connection that this book becomes for not only Will but to the Austin family as well.
This book starts at one place and ends in another. And I will be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to make it through because Will came off very dramatic and too whiny. BUT I am so glad I stuck with this because this book had SO much heart and ended up being a very emotional journey by the end for Will. I am so proud of the growth that Will had. Pons put so much passion into the second half of the book and you could tell that it wasn't sugar coated but his own real emotions were put into the pages. Have your tissues ready.
In addition, I was pulled into the romance that grew between Graham and Will. Also let me tell you that Chip knows how to write some SPICE (hello Team Steam fan here). Graham is exactly what Will needed and Will is exactly what Graham needed. Also I loved the Taylor Swift references as a fellow Swiftie (born & lives in her birthplace - my only Taylor flex).
Highly recommend & stellar debut Chip!
Thank you for allowing me to be an early reader & I cannot wait to see what else you write!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse
Thank you to Megan Goldin, St Martin's Press & NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book will be published on August 9th.
The story starts when Liv has a fuzzy memory of what happened that night. She goes to what she thought was her apartment but her belongings or roommate are not there. When she was kicked out, she found a knife in the sweater she was wearing and discarded it. She has written on her hand Stay Awake along with an address. She goes to the address and the bartender knows who she is and remembers her from that night. But she has no recollection being there or leaving. The bartender told her that she had said that bad things happen when she goes to sleep.
From the detective's timeline: she runs to a crime scene where a man was stab but doesn't appear to have defended himself in the attack. And in blood on the window it says Wake Up.
If you are a fan of amnesia driven stories, then this is for you!
This book is told from 3 different POV/timelines - one from Liv, one from the detective, and one from Liv's past (2 years prior). You piece together from the 3 timelines and I thought the pace moved quickly especially in the 2nd half. I was more into the detective pov the most. Just to see them trying to piece together the complex person that is Liv Reese.
I was iffy on the formatting but the further I went on the better I got with it. It ended up working out great with how the story unfolded.
As with any thriller, I always think I know where it is heading but of course I was wrong. There wasn't anything mindblowing at the end or one big final twist so I was a little bummed about that. Without giving too much away of the ending, I like how the author incorporated a small detail that stuck out in Liv's memory that ended up tying it all together with who did it. I do wish we found out why the killer did what they did.
I didn't love this but I also didn't hate it. I was invested in how the story played out and needed to find out the conclusion.
This book will be published on August 9th.
The story starts when Liv has a fuzzy memory of what happened that night. She goes to what she thought was her apartment but her belongings or roommate are not there. When she was kicked out, she found a knife in the sweater she was wearing and discarded it. She has written on her hand Stay Awake along with an address. She goes to the address and the bartender knows who she is and remembers her from that night. But she has no recollection being there or leaving. The bartender told her that she had said that bad things happen when she goes to sleep.
From the detective's timeline: she runs to a crime scene where a man was stab but doesn't appear to have defended himself in the attack. And in blood on the window it says Wake Up.
If you are a fan of amnesia driven stories, then this is for you!
This book is told from 3 different POV/timelines - one from Liv, one from the detective, and one from Liv's past (2 years prior). You piece together from the 3 timelines and I thought the pace moved quickly especially in the 2nd half. I was more into the detective pov the most. Just to see them trying to piece together the complex person that is Liv Reese.
I was iffy on the formatting but the further I went on the better I got with it. It ended up working out great with how the story unfolded.
As with any thriller, I always think I know where it is heading but of course I was wrong. There wasn't anything mindblowing at the end or one big final twist so I was a little bummed about that. Without giving too much away of the ending, I like how the author incorporated a small detail that stuck out in Liv's memory that ended up tying it all together with who did it. I do wish we found out why the killer did what they did.
I didn't love this but I also didn't hate it. I was invested in how the story played out and needed to find out the conclusion.
Audiobook: 4.5 - Thank you to Libro.Fm for a copy of this book!
I knew that a lot of people loved Linda's prior book (own it and one day I'll read it) so I wasn't sure of her style of writing. This was a the book club selection for my Bad Bitch Club Pocono retreat and I am so happy it was. We had such a meaningful discussion with the baddies that tied both the book and our personal experiences together.
I loved that the female MC Laurie was 40 and knows exactly who she is and won't settle.
She went back to her hometown to go through her late Aunt Dot's belongings and became fascinated by the history of a decoy duck. The duck goes on a journey and become its own character in the book. I also love that this has a second chance romance. Nick was SO swoon worthy. He loved Laurie and knew that they weren't meant to be together in someway, somehow. Plus hello he is a librarian!
I knew that a lot of people loved Linda's prior book (own it and one day I'll read it) so I wasn't sure of her style of writing. This was a the book club selection for my Bad Bitch Club Pocono retreat and I am so happy it was. We had such a meaningful discussion with the baddies that tied both the book and our personal experiences together.
I loved that the female MC Laurie was 40 and knows exactly who she is and won't settle.
She went back to her hometown to go through her late Aunt Dot's belongings and became fascinated by the history of a decoy duck. The duck goes on a journey and become its own character in the book. I also love that this has a second chance romance. Nick was SO swoon worthy. He loved Laurie and knew that they weren't meant to be together in someway, somehow. Plus hello he is a librarian!
Audiobook: Absolutely loved this!! I thought the audio was great and definitely gave me the same vibes as The People We Keep. I think the musician/Hollywood theme is one of my favorites of 2022 because I loved that added element of Greta James being an indie musician. Greta heads off to Alaska to go on an Alaskan cruise with her dad which was an anniversary trip that was booked prior to her mother's death. I love the growth in the relationship Greta has with her father. It wasn't always pretty but conversations had to be done. I just couldn't stop listening and was invested in all the characters. Also I am ready to go to Alaska.
Thank you to Harper Collins for an advance copy of this!
I wanted to like this more than I ended up.
There were aspects that I loved but then other areas fell flat for me.
The sexy parts were great (minus the random hookup right in the beginning?).
I just didn't understand fully Jeremiah's role (maybe missed it in the audio?).
I did love the teamwork of Jeremiah and Alex which lead to their top notch chemistry.
I also loved that Alex was the grumpy character who didn't have a typical look; she had piercings, tattoos, short hair.
I thought the Mexican culture infused into the mystery was an added bonus.
A lot of people enjoyed this one so it might have just been me.
Content Warnings from StoryGraph:
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Alcoholism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Addiction, Bullying
Minor: Abortion, Abandonment, Animal cruelty
I wanted to like this more than I ended up.
There were aspects that I loved but then other areas fell flat for me.
The sexy parts were great (minus the random hookup right in the beginning?).
I just didn't understand fully Jeremiah's role (maybe missed it in the audio?).
I did love the teamwork of Jeremiah and Alex which lead to their top notch chemistry.
I also loved that Alex was the grumpy character who didn't have a typical look; she had piercings, tattoos, short hair.
I thought the Mexican culture infused into the mystery was an added bonus.
A lot of people enjoyed this one so it might have just been me.
Content Warnings from StoryGraph:
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Alcoholism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Addiction, Bullying
Minor: Abortion, Abandonment, Animal cruelty
Audiobooks: 4.5 - I had been wanting to read The Boyfriend Project for so long and I knew I had an ARC of The Hookup Plan but time got away from me so I wasn't able to get to the first one. BUT! I was able to listen to the second book in the series and which caught me up to speed on what happened in the first one.
Taylor wants to be a fitness/nutrition coach. She has "failed" and isn't getting the respect she wants because she does not have a college degree. We meet Jamal at one of Taylor's pop up exercise classes. He is a former football player who wants to get back into shape and likes Taylor’s boot camp style instruction. Taylor being close to complete rock bottom moneywise accepts offer. She gets seen with Jamal at a local colleges practice and they tell a reporter they are dating to hide the fact that Jamal may go back to playing on the field. Fake dating begins which of course leads to them having feelings for one another. This worries her because she doesn't want to be known for dating her clients.
I absolutely love Farrah's writing style. Everything flowed so beautifully and I would laugh at the banter between Taylor and her friends as well as with Jamal. I really enjoyed the audiobook and it was one that I couldn't stop listening to.
Taylor wants to be a fitness/nutrition coach. She has "failed" and isn't getting the respect she wants because she does not have a college degree. We meet Jamal at one of Taylor's pop up exercise classes. He is a former football player who wants to get back into shape and likes Taylor’s boot camp style instruction. Taylor being close to complete rock bottom moneywise accepts offer. She gets seen with Jamal at a local colleges practice and they tell a reporter they are dating to hide the fact that Jamal may go back to playing on the field. Fake dating begins which of course leads to them having feelings for one another. This worries her because she doesn't want to be known for dating her clients.
I absolutely love Farrah's writing style. Everything flowed so beautifully and I would laugh at the banter between Taylor and her friends as well as with Jamal. I really enjoyed the audiobook and it was one that I couldn't stop listening to.