thelovelylibrarylady's Reviews (1.1k)

Listen For The Lie is an easy-read mystery drama. With its short chapters, I found myself flying through this title. I highly recommend picking up the audio recording of Listen For The Lie so you can get the full experience of the podcast element of this story. Special shoutout to the protagonist’s grandmother. She was my favorite character by far and provided some much-needed comedic relief throughout the story. 

(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)

(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

 I devoured this romance book. As a huge baseball fan, I absolutely loved the premise of this story. Both love interests, Daphne and Chris, were well-rounded characters and I could not help but root for them to end up together. (Sidenote - Chris may be my newest literary boyfriend.) This was the first Alicia Thompson book I have read, but it most certainly will not be my last!

(PUB DATE: 06/18/2024)

(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

Unfortunately, this was my least favorite Hibbert book that I have read. However, it is very telling when your least favorite title from an author still gets a three-star rating. Hibbert is a talented writer and knows how to immerse a reader into her stories. My issue with The Princess Trap revolves around the characters themselves. I did not buy into the chemistry between Cherry and Ruben as a couple. To be completely honest, the pair had more friends-with-benefits energy than anything else. Because of this, The Princess Trap is not a title that I would go out of my way to recommend to others.  

While I found most of the characters in Under The Influence to be extremely unlikeable, I ended up enjoying the story. Books about fictional influencers are “in” right now, but this title stands out because of the cult-like actions of the company Harper, the protagonist, works for. Crooks, the author, shows the (questionable) business side of being an influencer by giving readers a title reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada. 

(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)

(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

I continue to be fascinated by cults, both fictional and real. If there is a book about a cult, I am going to read it. However, this memoir fell flat for me. Schneider included so many minute details that it bogged down the story. 

(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)

(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

 

Fans of the Meant To Be series will be disappointed with this title (I know I was). Tangled Up In You was messy, over-the-top unbelievable, and lacked loveable characters the reader could root for. I felt like the power author duo, known as Christina Lauren, phoned it in for this one, which is disappointing to say the least. I do not recommend this title, especially if you have read the other Meant To Be stories. This novel is nowhere near the quality of the previous titles. 

(PUB DATE: 06/25/2024)

(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

I’m glad I stuck with this story as I initially found the protagonist, Riley, to be extremely immature and annoying. However, the character arc Lord wrote for Riley was both beautiful and realistic. People, especially young adults, are not perfect and this title is a reflection of that. Outside of the character development, I found the plot to be implausible at some points which contributed to my eventual rating of this novel. 

(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)

(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

City of Ghosts is a perfect read for young adults interested in horror or adults who want something a little scary, but not too scary. While her parents are ghost hunters, Cassidy is the only one who can really see ghosts. One of my favorite parts of this novel was the relationship between the protagonist and her ghost friend, Jacob. The two have a very pure, loyal friendship that is challenged throughout the story. I am excited to read the next book in this series and see their relationship progress.

Set mostly in London during WWII, Jenoff did a fantastic job transporting her readers back in time. The Forgotten Chapter was extremely atmospheric and the story was one that tugged on my heartstrings.

While this novel was well written, I found certain plot points to be predictable. One of my biggest reading pet peeves is when I figure out twists before they are meant to be revealed, which happened more than once in this story. If you are a fan of atmospheric thrillers, you will enjoy Leave The Lights On. Andersson’s descriptions of Cape Morgan, Maine were so fantastic that I had to Google to see if it was a real place (it is not) and truly elevated this title. 

(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)

(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)