Review: Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida

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My Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Alright, let’s just get it over with… I didn’t enjoy this book at all! If you liked it, maybe don’t read this review.

To start with, the entire premise wound up not making any sense because the first thing that happens is this hospital where she wakes up just like sends her home a couple days later like she didn’t just suffer a mysterious head trauma and lose her memories. No one offered to call the police for her to file a report, she wasn’t assigned a caseworker, they didn’t even ensure she had someone to pick her up or someplace to go. Just: “Oh you don’t know who you are? K, bye!” and off she wanders in her blood stained dress.

And add to that the fact that this girl is obviously stupid or crazy because despite having all her knowledge of the world intact (just not her personal memories), she assumes that every man she meets is her boyfriend and every object she lays eyes on must belong to her even when everything and everyone around her is directly contradicting that.

So, she wanders around for days – in that same dress – pretending she is rich and for some reason refusing to tell anyone in her life that she has had a traumatic injury resulting in memory loss. And all while being incredibly insufferable about…everything, actually.

Honestly, at no point in this whole story does anyone do anything that makes any sense or that an actual person might do! When she finds the location of her accident (a public business) and goes to the police about her assault (but only because she wants access to her empty bank account), they don’t even ask the business for the security footage from that night. No, instead they decide she should be arrested for kiting checks and the only way out is to help them catch a meth kingpin. Of course!

I could go on, because there’s way more, but I’m really just hoping I’ll get amnesia about this whole book and never have to think about it again!

Review: A Heart of Gold by Meara Heenan

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Despite the background of class tension in the community of Whitebirch Lake, sheltered Lucy manages to find love with Ilya, a laborer in her father’s gold mine. But it’s only a matter of time before their secret romance is brought to light, and with so much against their union, will Lucy and Ilya even make it to the altar?

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ – it was ok
Genre: historical romance, forbidden romance
Pros: side characters
Cons: pacing

A Heart of Gold was a pretty quick read, but by no means boring. It was full of twists and turns, some of which I saw coming and some which took me completely by surprise.

That being said, I felt the pacing was a bit off in places. There were scenes that felt stretched out too long for their content, and others that seemed like they should have some gravity which wound up taking no time at all.

I also found it a bit odd that there was never any conflict between the romantic leads. This was the first romance I have read where the romantic leads literally never had a serious disagreement. They barely had any disagreements at all actually, with basically all of the conflict coming from outside sources.

The real stars of the show were a few side characters, namely Sadie, Tom, and Lydia. Each book in the Cousins of Whitebirch Lake series is supposed to feature one of the four cousins in the family, and I am super interested to see what happens to both Sadie and Lydia in future books. Whenever we would get a hint of their lives, I was riveted. And though we actually learn very little about Tom, I found myself liking his character so much!

It definitely felt to me like the author is still developing her voice, but overall, this book was a solid first novel. I would recommend it to fans of historical romance, and look forward to seeing what else Heenan puts out.

Mini-Review: Ghosted by Aisha Tritle

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My Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it

I received a free eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about a woman with secrets who gets in over her head with what should be just an interesting experiment. What will happen next is anyone’s guess.

If you like books that leave you thinking, “well, that was weird,” then this book is for you! It grabbed my attention right away and didn’t let go. But be warned, this book is also very short, and it will leave you wanting more!

But seriously, what would you do if you could talk to digital ghosts of people you once knew?

Review: The Sign for Home by Blair Fell

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My Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it

I received a free eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Arlo Dilly, a DeafBlind man raised by a strict Jehovah’s Witness family discovers his lost love may not be so lost after-all and embarks on an emotional and literal journey to find her with the help of his new interpreter (gay, atheist Cyril) and an elderly service dog.

The Sign for Home is both fascinating and beautiful, so I want to start out by recommending it to everyone, especially those who want more disability representation in their reading lives.

I admit to not being sure how Fell would pull this novel off, and cringingly anticipating something pretty ableist, but I have never been happier to be proven wrong. This book was obviously deeply researched and written with the utmost respect to the Deaf and DeafBlind communities. After reading, I did some research on Blair Fell and discovered he was an ASL interpreter, which just made me love this book even more.

My favorite part was the last paragraph or so, which made me cry, but I also really loved how the characters had clear flaws, despite being good people overall. Not all writers can harness the nuance needed to portray such distinct three-dimensional characters, but Fell pulled it off beautifully. And I especially loved that their individual character flaws had real consequences for them all.

About three-quarters of the way through this book I found myself simultaneously unable to put it down and also dreading what might happen next. I could see things going wrong in so many ways and just wanted to reach in and grab these characters, who now felt like good friends, and keep them safe.

There’s more I could say about this book, but I don’t want to give too much away and ruin the experience for y’all! The Sign for Home releases April 5, 2022, so add it to your TBRs because this is a must-read!

December 2021 Reading Wrap-Up

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World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 1
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: I was going to lie, but seriously it was Alan Alda’s part.
Least Favorite Thing: The movie lol

Been a minute since I read this last, but definitely still enjoyed it.

My Posts About World War Z

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 8
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: It’s so bizarre-o.
Least Favorite Thing: Literally nothing.

I basically read this one a second time to see if the audiobook was as unsettling as reading it physically. It was.

My Posts About We Have Always Lived in the Castle

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 10 – 13
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: Weird.
Least Favorite Thing: Weird.

A friend at work read this recently and I realized while talking to her about it that I still wasn’t sure what this book was about. Now having read it a second time, I can definitively say… I still do not know what this book was about.

My Posts About American Gods

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
(The Twilight Saga, book 1)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ – it was ok
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 14 – 16
Read Count: 4
Favorite Thing: At least it wasn’t The Host?
Least Favorite Thing: It was Twilight.

Ok do not judge me for rereading a book I hate. I wanted to experience the audiobook version because I’ve always read it physically before. News Flash! It was equally terrible having someone read it to me!

My Posts About Twilight

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
(Strange the Dreamer, book 1)
Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 21 – 22
Read Count: 3
Favorite Thing: Wait do I find Lazlo attractive?
Least Favorite Thing: Gimme a second, I’ll think of something…

I have wanted to listen to this one for a while because I just knew it would be excellent, and my library happened to have it available for me so I listened to it while I worked and it was so calming (the narrator’s voice) and beautiful (the prose).

My Posts About Strange the Dreamer

White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: Oct 23 – Dec 22
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: So beautifully written it makes me want to cry.
Least Favorite Thing: Actually makes me cry because so much bad stuff happens.

This was my car book. That is, this is the book I left in my car to read on lunch breaks and when I have to wait for something. As you can imagine, it was a bit heavy for a car book lol

My Posts About White Oleander

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour
Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: Nov 6 – Dec 28
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: The writing was so beautiful!
Least Favorite Thing: Literally nothing. Maybe I’ll pick something next time I read it.

Nina LaCour is officially on my favorite author list now. I will read a book, regardless of the premise, if Nina LaCour writes it.

My Posts About Watch Over Me

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
(The Twilight Saga, book 2)
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ – did not like it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 27 – 28
Read Count: 4
Favorite Thing: [cricket sounds]
Least Favorite Thing: I actually hate the audiobook narrator…

Edward wasn’t even in this book and yet I had to hear about him every 10 seconds. Blech.

My Posts About New Moon

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
(The Twilight Saga, book 3)
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ – did not like it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 28 – 29
Read Count: 4
Favorite Thing: It was over quickly.
Least Favorite Thing: It was still torture.

Seriously, these characters are so much more insufferable when you have to hear them out loud! Like they were annoying people before, but then hearing their words aloud? Oh my gawd, I wanted to slap people who don’t even exist.

My Posts About Eclipse

In Progress

November 2021 Reading Wrap-Up

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The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
(Marriage Game, book 2)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ – it was ok
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Nov 5 – 8
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: That one joke about the auntie’s cooking.
Least Favorite Thing: If I hear the word “prom” one more fucking time…

Look, I was ready to love this. I wanted to love this. But I could not…

My Posts About The Dating Plan

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
(Ex Hex, book 1)
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ – did not like it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Nov 8 – 9
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: The world was interesting I think?
Least Favorite Thing: The narrator ruined this book for me.

I couldn’t even tell you if I liked this book or not because the narrator’s voice caused me such physical discomfort I couldn’t even focus on the story…

My Posts About The Ex Hex

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Nov 9 – 11
Read Count: 6
Favorite Thing: The narrator’s voice.
Least Favorite Thing: A bitch be identifying with Nell too much…

I listened to this book to get the bad taste of The Ex Hex narrator out of my ears.

My Posts About The Haunting of Hill House

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Nov 11 – 12
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: WHY IS IT SO CUTE????
Least Favorite Thing: The lack of an oxford comma in the title.

I’ve been wanting to reread this for a while. I was intending to read it physically, but I saw the audiobook available with my library and I couldn’t resist. And then obviously I couldn’t put it down.

My Posts About Red, White & Royal Blue

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows
(The Lady Janies, book 2)
Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Nov 14 – 16
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: The whole teacup thing lol
Least Favorite Thing: Over too soon!

I’m about to cancel my subscription to Scribd, sadly, so I’m trying to get in all the audiobooks that I can. Plus I needed something funny because all three of the books I’m reading physically can get a bit heavy.

My Posts About My Plain Jane

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
(Graceling Realm, book 1)
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ – did not like it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Nov 25 – 30
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Seriously??
Least Favorite Thing: The fact that no one had ever heard of just like….plugging your ears with something.

Do people genuinely like this book? Like for realzies?

My Posts About Graceling

Abandoned (Again): The Host by Stephenie Meyer

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Dear Future Self,

Do not ever pick up this book again. I know everything that you think and have formulated a list of rebuttals below:

“I didn’t hate the movie…”
Yes you did, you only watched it because Saoirse Ronan was in it, do not lie to yourself.

“Well if I can stand to read Twilight, I can stand to read this…”
False. You have tried to read it twice now, and both times you hated every second of it.

“Maybe an audiobook…”
You just tried that and you got 2/3 of the way through, saw how much longer it was going to go on, and gave up because it wasn’t worth it.

“Yeah, but so-and-so loves it…”
So-and-so obviously has infinite patience, but you don’t. Move on.

“But-“
No seriously think of one thing you liked about this book. Go on. One little thing.

Exactly. Now go read something good.

Best Wishes,
Your Past Self