I finally got around to reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and I was not disappointed! As a woman, this story is terrifying. When the protagonist (whose real name is never revealed by the way... I will refer to her as the protagonist only and not by her handmaid's name) describes how she first noticed the restrictions for women being implemented, I took a moment and thought about what I would do if I found myself in that situation. What would I do if my credit card was shut off and my spending had to be monitored by a man? What would I do if my male boss came in and fired me and all of the other women in the office because the government told him to? I'd like to say I would resist these changes, but I don't know for certain I would due to the fear of losing my life. With all that said, from a structural standpoint, I was all ready to give this story three stars, but then I came across the epilogue. It truly made the story for me and it was a wonderful choice by Atwood to include this section with her story. I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this book, The Testaments, very soon!

When I was approved for the kindle ARC of this title, I was wicked excited! I had already read the first two books of the Hot & Hammered series and was highly anticipating this release. Similar to Fix Her Up and Love Her or Lose Her there are some racy love scenes. While I would categorize this one as erotic literature, there is much more to this story than sex. The love story between Bethany and Wes is both engaging and realistic. Bailey, the author, does a fantastic job with creating her characters and Tools of Engagement truly is the perfect way to close out this series. It is always refreshing to read a "fun" title and I highly recommend this book to other adults looking for a sexy and provocative read.
(PUB DATE: 9/22/2020)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

The Testaments just might be the best sequel I have ever read. Even though it was written over thirty years after the first book, Atwood does an incredible job continuing the story of Gilead, a totalitarian patriarchal theocracy. The narrative is told from three different characters, one of which is Aunt Lydia who is from the original story. I am glad that I read this novel right after I read The Handmaid's Tale as there were many little details embedded in this book that I probably would not have noticed if the first title was not so fresh in my mind. I recommend rereading the original story if it has been a while before tackling this masterpiece. I promise it will be worth it!

This one wasn't my favorite. My main issue with this story was the plot. I felt that for the majority of the book, nothing was really happening. I am not sure if the repetitive action of Jenna being paranoid about her stalker was to build suspense for the reader, but it just didn't work for me. I was super disappointed with the ending and overall did not enjoy this novel.
(PUB DATE: 9/01/2020)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

I was really excited to read this story. The premise of the book - a task force being sent to the most homophobic town in the United States to educate the population about LGBTQ+ issues - was really unique, but the way Laskey decided to write the story just didn't work for me. This novel is told from multiple perspectives with the narrator switching every chapter. Because of this, I did not feel invested in each character's story. From the reader's perspective, there just wasn't enough time with each of them. I also felt that some of the descriptions of Big Burr (the fictional town deemed the most homophobic) and its residents were somewhat unrealistic. Overall, there were quite a few aspects of this book that didn't sit right with me.
**If you are considering adding this to your reading list, I do have to warn you of the possible trigger of animal cruelty. It is only present in one of the chapters, but it was certainly difficult to read.

This book is actually comprised of four stand-alone novellas. To make sure you understand my rating, I have decided to address each novella separately below.
1. Mr. Harrigan's Phone: This is the first story in the collection and I am glad King chose to present it that way. Out of all four of the stories, this one was the most straight forward. I really enjoyed the blend of a traditional ghost story with modern technology (something I have not seen much of yet). The characters were well developed and the plot was thought-provoking. 4/5 stars
2. The Life of Chuck: The format of this story was strange as it was told in three acts, but the acts were reversed (so it started with the last one). At first, I was confused - which I think King intended - but when the story started to come together, I really enjoyed it. Others may not like this one because of its ambiguity, but I thought it was both beautiful and clever. 4/5 stars
3. If It Bleeds: Being such a fan of King's novel The Outsider, I was most excited to read this story. It is a sequel so I do suggest you read the first one before picking up this collection. The main theme of this novella is people's fascination with tragedy. News networks consistently see that their coverage on violent events gets the most attention. King runs with this idea and crafts a story around it. Out of the four selections, this one spooked me the most. 5/5 stars
4. Rat: This novella focuses on a short story author struggling to write a full-length novel. I couldn't help but wonder if there was some autobiographical aspects to this one. It was a well-written story, but I just didn't fancy it as much as the other three stories in this collection.

If I were to describe this book to someone I would call it a slow-burning (EMPHASIS ON SLOW) psychological thriller. I really only enjoyed the last few chapters when all of the loose ends started to come together. While this one was not my favorite, I will continue to seek out Burke's writing. She truly has a talent for writing well-developed thrillers that keep readers on their toes. If you are looking to read her work, I would suggest going with The Better Sister over this one. The characters in this piece of literature were not developed well and I simply didn't care what happened to them — to put it bluntly.

Earlier this year, I read the first book of this series and really enjoyed it! I was hesitant to read this title because I didn't want the world Hibbert created within the first novel to be tainted. However, I wish I hadn't been so skeptical. While Chloe and Red (the protagonists from the first book) do make an appearance, this story really is focused on Danika (Chloe's sister) and Zafir. Unlike other series of the same caliber, Hibbert does a commendable job not relying on the first book to tell this story. Her representation of Anxiety disorder through one of the main characters was crafted perfectly and was one of my favorite aspects of this title. Also, (I know this is an unorthodox topic to write about in a book review) the sex scenes in this book were very well written. They were intimate and all-inclusive of the activities taking place. Talia Hibbert really knows how to write a good romance novel.

As my first read of 2020, this was disappointing. Yes, it is very powerful to read the stories of those who have experienced something you have not in order to understand that phenomenon (in this case, being transgender). However, it is important to remember the author, who is cis-gender, is the real storyteller here. She is taking her interviews with these teens and paraphrasing their experiences, often using her own biases and gendered stereotypes. This book would have been much more insightful and honest if it was just transcripts of the interviews the author conducted. As I am still curious about this community, I will definitely look for something written by a trans author in the future. Representation matters.

The premise of this book was interesting. A med student turned acupuncturist/natural healer is the emergency contact of a woman found dead. When Charlotte, the main character, is asked to identify the woman, she realizes that she doesn't know her. This is where the mystery begins. Why does this woman have Charlotte's name and number? Is she connected to Charlotte's troubled past in some way? This is definitely a legal thriller with some psychological thriller aspects. Personally, I was not satisfied with the ending because I felt that there were too many things left unexplained. However, the person who I thought was the "bad guy" was not so I do credit the authors with their ability to effectively mislead the reader and write such an unpredictable story.
(PUB DATE: 8/04/2020)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)