typedtruths's Reviews (1.8k)

After a stream of mixed reviews from my friends and YouTube favourites hit my dashboard, I knew that I had to give this one a go and see what I thought of it for myself. But from the very first page I knew that The Leaving and I were not going to get along. Altebrando’s writing style did work for me. I honestly tried so hard not to be affected by it but she was obviously trying so hard to be poetic and it did. not. work! I’m hardly the biggest fan of verse books (there’s nothing wrong with them, there’s just not my cup of tea) so making my way through Scarlett’s POV, in particular, was painful. Her chapters were written in an unusual style - similar to Magonia, actually - that was just plain old confusing. The character occasionally spoke/thought in patterns of slashes and I had no idea what it was meant to mean. Certain words were also emphasized in weird typography…. I honestly was just so confused by what it all.

I didn’t help that I could not connect to any of the main characters. Lucas seemed okay at the beginning but he randomly started having anger management issues halfway through the book and I wasn’t sure how to feel about him after that. I also found Avery pretty bland. Again, at first she seemed to be the most realistic of the characters but she was just got more and more dramatic and whiny towards the end. I wish her emotions surrounding her brother were explored in depth more. I also had no idea what her problem with Ryan and Emma was - did she really need to be so rude to them?

On top of that, the romance was abysmal. I still have no idea if Lucas and Scarlett were meant to be a couple or not. Avery and Lucas also had something going on and I just didn’t know if they were relationships or crushes. The make out scene was so vague that I was not sure what was happening or even if it was happening or just a fantasy in Scarlett’s imagination? There were also these mentions of “connections” between Scarlett/Lucas and Avery/Lucas but I didn’t really understand why. Were they just saying that they were attracted to each other or was there something truly otherworldly about them? The whole thing was blown out of proportion and made to more dramatic than it needed to be. In fact, it should have just been cut out.

The plotline in itself was all over the place. The beginning was so goddamn slow but I will admit that it slowly built up as the story progressed. There were moments where I was truly caught up in the mystery. From about halfway until just before before the ending, I was enthralled, completely caught up in the chase. I needed answers. I was invested. I was anxiously flipping the pages, waiting to see how it would all tie together… and then the ending happened.

The ending was anticlimactic to say the least. I mean, we barely got any answers! The entire point of this book was the Leaving. Six little kids went missing. Five of them came back eleven years later with no memories. We want to know what happened in those eleven years! It only seems fair, right? But the book just randomly peters out just as we were getting to the good stuff. There was one moment where a certain reveal was made and I was sure things would pick up and end on a terrific high note afterwards… but nothing came out of it. I’m honestly so disappointed by now chill and uneventful the ending was. I really needed more! I cannot believe that it ended without wrapping up the mystery properly.

I didn’t feel that the police/investigation aspect of the novel was particularly believable either. For one, Chambers was the only one investigating the case and he didn’t seem to take a very formal position within the investigation. He rang the victims to give them insights into the case and I don’t think this is how the police/detectives would actually work a case? I don’t know the ins and outs of abduction/murder investigations but none of it rang particularly realistic. It wasn’t formal enough and there just didn’t seem to be much police work happening at all.

Overall?

Another book that I think has gotten more attention than it deserves. While the premise and mystery itself was unique and undeniably fascinating, the writing style and poor characterisation made the reading experience more of a chore than anything. I did not enjoy the romance or feel satisfied by the meager explanations we are given at the end of the book. I’m not sure that I’ll eagerly be anticipating anything else by this author.

3.5 stars

Before we begin, I have to say don’t read the blurb if you haven’t already. It mentions something that does not happen until 48% of the way through the story. Essentially, the book is spoiling itself but I don’t want to talk about that at the moment or I’ll start ranting about the problem with synopses these days…

Anyway, The May Queen Murders was an unexpected read for me! I enjoyed it far more than I expected to, although I did have a few problems with it.

The characters were the main source of my mixed emotions. Our protagonist, Ivy (which I think it my newest name crush), is one of those types of MCs that you like - and there is honestly nothing wrong with - but for some unknown reason, you just cannot connect with them. I have no idea what made Ivy feel so distanced from me but I could not get in her head! I did find some elements of her personality to contrast in a way that I couldn’t wrap my head around. For one, she was incredibly superstitious and seemed to be rather conservative - shying away from exposure to drugs and sex - yet she and her friends used to smoke illegal drugs “for fun” and she gets angry when people slut-shame? I don’t know. It was hard to get a read on her at times when she had these two warring sides to her.

I did also struggle with Heather as a character. This story very much focuses on the breakdown of her and Ivy’s relationship but at the very beginning of the story they had a massive fight and she was quickly out of the picture. It found it hard to mourn the loss of their friendship when we didn’t really get to see what they were like together. We then had to rely on Ivy telling us about their past. And well, you know how well telling instead of showing goes… It doesn’t.

I did really adore Rook, though. I thought he sweet and caring without being domineering. I liked that he had obvious character flaws even if those traits annoyed me at times. I was not pleased that he let his father boss him around so much, especially when it came to his future and career options, but I guess that is a very common thing for sheltered teenagers. The romance between him and Ivy was also done very well. Romance in mysteries is usually touch-and-go because they often take over the plotline. I thought that this book managed to balance the two elements effortlessly, and it actually added another layer of suspense to the story towards the end!

The plotline was a great blend of contemporary and mystery. It was surprisingly fast-paced, especially the second half, and had my heart racing in my chest multiple times. The atmospheric writing style really did wonders to bring the chill factor and suspense levels right up. I was definitely concerned for the character’s well-being and I loved that it was able to make me feel a little panicked for their sake! I also thought I knew which direction the story was going to take but just when I thought it was about to go down, I realised I was so far off. I never saw the ending coming and any book that can surprise me is just downright impressive in my books.

However, what made this story really stand out from the crowd was the setting. Ivy lives in Glen’s Rowan. It is this remote farming community in Missouri where everyone is very close-knit, almost in a cult-like way, and leads a simple and old-fashioned lifestyle. I had no idea that these sorts of communities still existed in America! I found the portrayal of their culture absolutely fascinating - it kind of reminded me of a mix between the Amish and the Romani, for those who are also unfamiliar - and it definitely has made me want to investigate the topic further. I’ve been obsessed with cults this past year and while this wasn’t a cult exactly, I found their culture just so interesting and unique. Definitely provided an insightful into a way of life I had no idea existed before this book!

This story does have diverse elements. However, I’m not sure how I feel about Heather’s sexuality being used almost like a shocking reveal/plot twist. I loved that everyone - for the most part - was accepting of it but I guess it reinforced the idea that straight = the default. I’m not sure if it did it in a positive or negative way still so I’m kind of torn on how to respond to it. Also, while I personally thought that Ivy’s ethnicity was handled pretty well - her mother is Mexican and her father Scottish-American - I have heard a lot of people criticise it and since I’m not Mexican, I feel that those reviewers who are have more of a right to judge than I do. It’s worth noting their opinion, at least.

Overall?

I thought this was a fast-paced and exciting suspense story. I was on board with the plotline and the romance so I found it easy to fly through and enjoyed the ride as a whole. I didn’t quite connect to the characters, especially our protagonist, Ivy, however, and this really brought the story down for me. But in the end, I adored the setting and the author’s writing style so much that I definitely will be seeking out more of this author’s books in the future. This has a great chill factor so I’d definitely recommend it as a spooky October/Halloween read if you’re a seasonal reader.

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Signs of You was both an engaging and emotionally entangling story about grief, friendship and the power of self-awareness. Although the initial hype for the book promised an emotional journey that would make me weep, I found the careful prose and a tightly woven mystery of France’s debut made more of a well-rounded story than a simple sobfest. The realistic dialogue made me laugh, the mysterious plot devices made me shiver with suspense and yes, I cried a little too. But while I undeniably enjoyed this book as a whole, there were a few elements that - in isolation - made me feel a little unsatisfied.

While the characters were by no means unrealistic or ‘unrelatable’, their development was somewhat lacking. Most of the characters, particularly our protagonist, Riley, were defined by their grief. Although the final chapters of the story did largely touch upon this - and some development was achieved - it was a case of too little, too late. I wanted to truly connect to the characters and understand their motivations as the story was progressing, but Kate was the only character with any personality. Noah’s shadiness made it hard to connect with him, while Jay’s mood swings were off-putting. I will say that the emotional aspect of grief, particularly the effect of survivor’s guilt and how it strained familial relationships, was incredibly well-done - with a sensitive touch but still in a blunt, raw style that resonated so, so well with me.

My deepest, darkest fear is that maybe we don’t even get over some things. Maybe we just carry them around, permanently, these heavy dull aches in the heart. And maybe they don’t heal; maybe we just learn to work around the pain.

As with most recent YA novels, there was some romantic drama incorporated into Signs of You. Riley has an unrequited crush on her best friend, Jay, but she also has something going on with her other best friend, Noah… so it’s was a love triangle. As always, I will complain that the drama which ensued was perfectly avoidable and completely unnecessary. It added nothing major to the overarching plotline and should been removed to allow the story to have complete focus on the more important plotlines. It was a massive turn-off for me.

The plotline as a whole was undeniably the most interest aspect of the story. The author’s choice of Jesusim as a focus point was unique and fascinating. It certainly appealed to the history buff side of me! Although the author’s note did state that she took some liberties, the research never rang anything but true. It was incredibly exciting, fast-paced and undeniably captivating. Without the mystery driving the story forward, I do not doubt that the tone and pace of the story itself would have dramatically changed... and not in a good way.

With that being said, I did question the character’s reaction to the more startling conclusions their research revealed. For one, connecting their supposed sightings of their dead loved ones to a ‘cursed’ cross necklace was a little forced and unrealistic. Seeing as this is actually a common phenomenon amongst those in mourning, I think it is safe to say that most individuals would blame their grief on their “sightings” and shrug it off. The more and more they uncovered, the less and less I believed that this could genuinely occur. I’m not saying that fantastical stories have to be realistic, but I didn’t quite understand why the characters assumed that the book was anything but fiction. I don’t automatically think all stories are fact and none of the characters were religious. It seems a bit of a stretch to think that some historical figure’s diary was the truth when he was writing about such outlandish ideas. Maybe this could have been elaborated on further?

The ending - while touching and sweet at moments - was largely unsatisfying. Without the promise of the sequel, leaving so many elements of the story unanswered is problematic. I’m curious! I want to know whether these ‘powers’ affected the characters for the rest of their lives or whether they were able to overcome them. Were they driven insane like Jay’s father? There’s nothing worse than a mystery without a conclusive aha! moment where all is revealed and everything ties together.

Overall?

This was a fast-paced, exciting read that set itself apart from the other 2016 YA releases. The characters were slightly underdeveloped, but the mystery was engaging and different to anything I’d ever read before. I couldn’t put the book down and flew through the story with relative ease. The romance was as pointless and frustrating as expected, but for a debut, Signs of You was an undeniably solid novel. I will definitely be reading more of this author’s future works and I wish she would release a sequel of some sorts.

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.

You know how, after a perfectly shitty day at school/work, plonking yourself down on the couch with your coffee/hot chocolate/glass of wine and watching your favourite cheesy chicklit is the most satisfying thing ever? Yes? Good, because this book was completely and utterly the book version of that. I’m not going to pretend the story wasn’t a little too cheesy or the characters a little over-the-top - because they were. But can we just say how much fun this story was? It made me laugh and smile and blush at its adorableness. I seriously don’t see how you couldn’t adore the banter and spark between Phoebe and Dev. I was invested in their story. I cared. I cried. It was just much fun. If you love chicklit or funny, slightly cheesy romances in any form than you must, must, must give this one a go.

I loved our protagonist, Phoebe. She was such a relatable character. Her bookishness was realistic and provided a lot of perfect moments. She cosplayed, she obsessed over her favourite book boyfriends, she highlighted her favourite quotes - she led the life of a fangirl, like so many of us readers do. What I loved most about Phoebe though was that she never wavered from her bookish habits. Too often characters are “cured” of their introverted nature by the end of their book - as if having a boyfriend/girlfriend means they cannot enjoy time alone - but Phoebe is still Phoebe and it’s perfect.

Also, round of applause for the diversity in this story! Not only do we have an interracial romance (Dev is also Hindu), but there are also Jewish and lesbian characters. It’s always nice to see a diverse cast of characters, and there were some great moments were Dev and Phoebe talked through some issues. It was done so well.

The female friendship was also done incredibly well. Phoebe had different relationships with her friends but they were done well. I loved that her friends slowly grew more and more supportive of her. They weren’t perfect and yeah, sometimes they did crappy things or made decisions that didn’t work out so well, but they grew from that and I think it was an honest depiction of high school friendships.

Overall?

This book is fluffy and light. It has it’s cheesy moments and sometimes there’s some drama that will make you roll your eyes. But it’s quick and fun. You’ll love the characters. The banter will make you laugh, and Dev will make you blush and swoon. A great contemporary romance. Not one to miss!

P.S. The title, cover and synopsis of the sequel was just revealed, and it looks like we're getting Em's story next!

The Possible was a hot mess. After Altebrando’s previous book, I expected this to be a dramatic improvement but it was not. In fact, I disliked this one a whole lot more than The Leaving. I wish I could say there was a single redeemable aspect to this story but I did not enjoy a moment of it. It was simply horrendous. The plot was all over the place. The premise was there but its execution was severely lacking. I am not sure whether this was meant to be a thriller, magical realism or what. The layout did not help. It did my head in with its incredibly brief - think two sentences to one paragraph - chapters. The plot felt choppy and disjointed as a result, and it meant that there was rarely enough time invested into the important scenes. The blunt, juvenile writing style compounded this.

Our protagonist, Kaylee, was completely unlikeable. She was utterly selfish, bratty and treated her friends and family like crap. This was particularly brought out by the romance. When one of her friends somewhat admits he has a crush on her, she acts disgusted to his face but is also jealous of his girlfriend and ignores him for a bit but then it gets complicated and… just no. This was on top of her being scarily obsessed with this other boy who was already in a relationship. The romantic drama that resulted was just messy, unnecessary and downright unpleasant. I was grinding my teeth the whole book trying not to scream with frustration. I could have forgiven Kaylee is she had any character development but she did not.

Overall? This was such a disappointment. I got absolutely no enjoyment out of this story. I doubt I will be seeking out any more of Altebrando’s novels.

I adored the convention setting and the friendship between the convention kids. Adrian was an amazing love interest. He was dorky and sweet. His banter made me smile and his nervous tics were just so relatable. The plot was well-paced out and the romance was suitable cute (just not not overly shippable in my opinion).

My problems were all with Lexi. I was not a fan of hers. She was snappy and condescending at times. She went into rages for no good reasons and hated on her father’s fiance for literally no reason at all. Bea was sweet and her relationship with Lexi’s father was nothing but positive. There was no reason to use the fake evil stepmother trope! I also wish the book had been more… fandomy? Lexi was only a real fan of Adrian’s book and that was definitely realistic and relatable but she never - not once - fangirled over any other guests. She didn’t talk about favourite books or shows. She just did not seem like a true fangirl and I would loved to see that play out more.

A mix of Geekerella and Geek Girl.

River was more of a selfish dickhead than the relatable teenager that everyone seems to be praising. I'm confused what was meant to be so charming about this story.

This is one of those books that just could not get into. I know that it is getting a fair amount of buzz and a lot of my blogging friends adored it or at least found it thrilling but, personally, I couldn’t get past the fact that it was so darn slow and plodding. I never came to really care for the characters. Tessa was not particularly likeable - not just as a protagonist but as a character in general. I never felt that we truly got a read on her. She kept saying that she was weak and wimpy compared to her father and sister yet she was also ‘street smart’ and knew her away around trucker lingo…? She was made up of too many contrasting facts: a leader and a sheep, independent but needy. I never knew what was what with her. I also just did not find myself getting attached to any of the secondary characters. Callie, Maggie and Ryan all would have been more interesting if - like I said before - we just got to know them better. I always felt out of the loop and the character never jumped off the pages.

The mystery, also, just was not that great in my opinion. It tried to do too many things at once and I hated how it dumped all of the reveals and plot twists in these big chunky chapters at the end of the story. I did love how different and weird the twists were but I just wished it wasn’t just all plopped down at the end. There was no climax. It was just yep, we’ve reached the end of the book. Here is all your answers lumped together for your convenience. I would have liked the reveals to be a touch more dramatic or at least, revealed slowly over a period of time. We didn’t even get time to really see how they impacted the characters. The book was over before we could even wrap our heads around what was happening.

Overall, I guess this story would appeal to a particular group of mystery enthusiasts but it fell flat for me. The plot was too slow-moving for my personal tastes and the ending was not paced well. I also just could not get attached to any of the characters, even our protagonist. I haven’t heard particularly good things about the author’s previous trilogy but I think I’d like to give her another go. Maybe her next mystery will be more of my sort of thing?

To Catch a Killer was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year but it fell short. It was a slow-paced story that dragged out a predictable and unexciting plot. While I liked that the mystery was very forensic-orientated, I found it laughable how unrealistic it played out. The foreshadowing was also incredibly clunky. It made the identity of the murderer completely obvious within the first thirty pages. The writing was also a bit uninspired. The romance subplot did not help. Do I even need to say that instalove will never be well-received? I thought it was a given by now.

It did not help that I was not a fan of our protagonist, Erin. She was reckless and constantly made dumb decisions against the advice of pretty much everyone in her life. I understand that she had to make those choices to move the plot forward but there are only so many times I can brush off a character’s stupidity without wanting to scream at them. I did appreciate the exploration of a different guardian/child relationship than most YA stories adopt. I was not a particular fan of Rachel myself but I did really get attached to Victor. The standout character was without a doubt Lysa. She was the only logical person in the whole damn book.

This book started off so well and I think that if I had connected to the characters - particularly our protagonist, Scarlett - on any level whatsoever, I would have enjoyed this book more than I did. However, the characterisation was so lacking that it made my enjoyment of the book all but evaporate. I can understand why Panitch decided to be vague in her descriptions and development, and I do think that it did so many wonderful things for the story’s suspense levels and plotline but sacrificing well-written and developed characters for a good storyline is not the way I prefer things. Panitch should have focused on fleshing out Scarlett’s character and her struggles to assimilate back into ‘normal life’ after her kidnapping rather than the plotline she did.

I honestly believe that there was so much potential in a protagonist like Scarlett that it is sad none of it was tapped. She could have been this fantastically gritty and raw character but instead, I found her too vague. I could never understand her motivations or empathise with her decisions because I never felt like we got to know her on such an intimate level. Like I said, though, I do understand the author’s intentions in writing Scarlett like this but - personally - it did the story a disservice. On top of that, Scarlett was not the only character I struggled with. I found it hard to connect with any of the secondary characters and this made it almost impossible to care to for the people in this story in the slightest. Again, there is a deliberate vagueness in Scarlett’s relationships with her family and coworkers but this just furthered my struggles with caring about Scarlett in general.

The romance was what really made me cringe and dislike Scarlett even more. While there was technically no real cheating, Scarlett’s crush on Connor still made for an awkward situation. It is never a good indication when you end up siding with the supposed romantic interest’s rejection of the protagonist instead of the protagonist herself! I could completely understand why Connor told Scarlett that it was not the best time for him to get into a relationship. Yes, he had already broken up with Cady but she was one of his best friends and going through a pretty shitty time of her life. Cady needed Connor’s support and friendship more than Connor needed to be getting into another relationship. I understand that Scarlett would be a little hurt by this but it was hard to care for her when Connor seemed to be (1) being a fantastic friend - and how can you not love someone so loyal and considerate? - and (2) completely logical. I found the resulting angst and woe-be-me routine dull.

With all that being said, the creep and suspense level on this book was definitely there and undeniably delicious. I loved the creepiness Scarlett’s work at a theme park provided and the intrigue behind the missing girls, Melody’s shiftiness and Katharina’s cryptic comments had me flipping the pages. I was not a massive fan of how the flashbacks were disjointedly integrated into the story but they did certainly aid in creating a suspenseful and haunting atmosphere. I was eager to find answers and while the story did get distracted at points - with romance and petty work drama - the overall mystery was definitely consuming. The ending was a little rushed and there were certain parts of it that I felt were too out of character and sudden but the shocks and thrills it provided more than made up for the majority of these issues.

Overall?

I think that this was a solid mystery but the characterisation was so poor that I really struggled to enjoy this book. In fact, I couldn’t say that I did enjoy it at all. Scarlett bugged me as a character because we never got to really know her on a personal level and the decisions she made never seemed consistent. I also really struggled with the secondary characters and attempted romance. I do think that this author has potential - and her debut is definitely calling to me - but I doubt I’ll ever go around recommending this particular story.