thelovelylibrarylady's Reviews (1.1k)

Love That Story is the perfect companion to JVN's previously published memoir, Over The Top. Each essay in this collection exudes their passion for the topic being talked about and genuinely intrigued me. If you can get your hands on the audiobook, I highly recommend listening to it, as JVN narrates it and is an absolute delight to listen to. There is one story that touches upon the death of a pet which was especially hard to listen to, but I am glad that they decided to share it with us. I only wanted to mention it because I know that this topic can be difficult for people to read about/listen to, especially if they have lost a pet in a traumatic way as Jonathan did. 

If I did not receive this book from the publisher, I probably would not have finished it. The pacing of this story was incredibly slow and I kept waiting for something exciting to happen. Jacobs, the author, did touch on some important themes, such as classism and greed, but any messages she was trying to get across were overshadowed by how boring this book was. I will not be recommending this title to anyone.
(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.)

This title may be my least favorite Fiona Davis book and it still got a three-star rating so that tells you something! Compared to her other novels, I did not get "swept up" in the story. The setting, Grand Central Terminal, didn't intrigue me in the same way her famous New York locations usually do and I thought the chapters set in the 1920s were more interesting than the ones set in the 1970s. Usually, Davis is a pro at balancing her dual narratives, but this was not the case with The Masterpiece. Overall, this novel is okay. I definitely would not recommend it to someone who is looking to read their first book from Davis, but rather to fans that have read her other titles and have established a liking for her particular writing.

This anthology made me want to read everything Fu has written. Her novels, her short stories, her grocery lists... I need it all. Unlike other similarly structured titles, there was not one story that deserved anything less than five stars making Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century the best short story collection I have ever read. This title is a must-read if you enjoy magical realism and/or dystopian fiction. Every piece of the collection left me unsettled and the three stories that stood out to me the most were "Twenty Hours", "Scissors"- which I had actually read before in a different anthology collection, and "Do You Remember Candy?" The bottom line is this title is one of my favorite reads of all time and if you don't pick up this piece of literature, you are missing out on a completely magical experience. 

Let's just say this book was not for me. I found it to be incredibly repetitive, which makes some sense because the main character has a rare amnesia disorder that causes her to forget the last two years of her life every time she falls asleep, but I found the middle of the book to be excessive in repeating the same scenes and conversations. In addition to this, Stay Awake had one of my biggest reading pet peeves: I figured out the "bad guy" before it was revealed. The only saving grace for this title was that the characters Goldin created were really well developed and I think others will enjoy this title more than I did. My favorite book of hers is still The Escape Room and I will pick up her next title despite not vibing with this one. 
(PUB DATE: 08/09/2022)
(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

The Heartstopper graphic novels are always a delight to read. The illustrations and the plot lines in each one are really fantastic and I highly recommend them to both teens and adults. I have NOT watched the series on Netflix because I am worried that it won't live up to the books. This volume focuses on a main character's journey with mental health and inpatient care. Oseman did a wonderful job navigating these difficult topics and I believe that some readers will be inspired by the story to also ask for the help that they need. I am excited to continue with this series once the next volume is released. 

I found this memoir to be absolutely fascinating. The author does not hold back while recounting her childhood and the trauma she endured while growing up in a well-known religious cult. This book will not be for everyone - I can see people being put off by her graphic descriptions of abuse - but this is Jones' lived experience and I am glad she did not water anything down to make the writing more palatable to the public. Before reading this title, I had minimal knowledge of The Children Of God, the cult that the author was born into, and now I feel much more educated about them and the inner workings of cults as a whole.

When Adi travels from New York City to a small town to find the perfect story to pitch and jumpstart her career in journalism, she unexpectedly falls for a fellow New Yorker who also happens to be there and extends her stay. As Seen on TV reminded me of a Hallmark movie, which was definitely intentional given that they are referenced multiple times in the plot. Other reviews say this story reminded them of Gilmore Girls, but I have not watched that series so I can't make the comparison myself. As far as romance books go, this one was just okay. I didn't get attached to Adi (Actually, I found her to be quite annoying at some points in the book) and I probably will forget about this book within a few weeks. 
(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.)

When this book first popped up on my feed, I knew that I had to get my hands on it. And if you're as interested in other people's secrets as much as I am, this is a must-read for you as well. Craigslist Confessional is a collection of narratives that are full of the craziest anecdotes I have ever heard/read. Dea Bala, the author, did a wonderful job preserving the stories so we could read them in the same way she was told them by her interviewees. Overall, this is a nonfiction book you do not want to skip!