I requested this book from NetGalley because as I've probably mentioned before, I'm always into anything that sounds a little Black Mirror-y. The afteI requested this book from NetGalley because as I've probably mentioned before, I'm always into anything that sounds a little Black Mirror-y. The afterlife as a wellness commune where the main character has to deal with unexpected and unwanted interpersonal issues instead of just moving on to peace pinged my radar. Also, I apparently had read and enjoyed the author's book The Psalm of Lost Girls, according to my GoodReads history.
For the first 60% of the book, I was really looking forward to picking it up at the end of each day and honestly thought I was on track to consider it a 4-star read. But then it just started spinning its wheels and it felt like I was never getting any closer to the end. The final 20% of the book in particular really needed an editor to suggest drastically simplifying the plot and asking the author what exactly the motivations of the antagonists were (and maybe even clarifying who the antagonists were). The very final stretch of 10-15 pages takes on a goofy, slapstick tone that isn't consistent with the rest of the book and left me skimming through as fast as I could so that I could just be done with it. ...more
I tend to like books that are about the internet, especially when they are genre fiction. This one was being offered on NetGalley, and the idea of a gI tend to like books that are about the internet, especially when they are genre fiction. This one was being offered on NetGalley, and the idea of a ghost haunting streamers pulled me in. A lot of the narrative is told through chat transcripts and descriptions of what viewers are seeing while watching streamers on the screen. It is definitely creepy, to the point that I had to switch to something a lot less intense when reading at bedtime. The mystery that unfolds as the main character gets wrapped up in the hauntings is well plotted, and I thought that the author did a very nice job of laying out the crumbs for the main character and reader to follow. Endings to horror novels can sometimes feel like a let-down, but this one stuck the landing pretty well. It left me unsure if the final conclusion was hopeful or ominous, which was a nice bit of ambiguity. ...more
I got a copy of this from Netgalley because it promised The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue and This Is How You Lose the Time War vibes. I usually end I got a copy of this from Netgalley because it promised The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue and This Is How You Lose the Time War vibes. I usually end up finding these kinds of comparisons meaningless, but Our Infinite Fates actually had a lot of Addie La Rue similarities - if you liked that one, you will like this one.
I did think the synopsis didn't quite capture the plot. Much like Addie La Rue, this book switches back and forth between the present time and the past, showing all the various reincarnated lives where the two main characters theoretically fall in love over and over again only for one to kill the other. The actual passages that take place in the past don't really demonstrate the "falling in love" part - most of them are "surprise, I am here and ready to kill you now" vignettes. It all gets a little repetitive and much like my feelings toward Addie La Rue, I found myself impatient during the past sections and just wanted to know more about the present storyline. There was so much "Why are you killing me again and again?" "I can't tell you!" over and over again, it got a little old.
I did enjoy the explanation for why it was happening, once it finally got there - it wasn't anything I predicted, which was nice. The resolution was satisfying....more
I've been into YA mysteries lately (as is much of the reading world, given the popularity of A Good Girl's Guide To Murder and the books that have comI've been into YA mysteries lately (as is much of the reading world, given the popularity of A Good Girl's Guide To Murder and the books that have come out in its wake), so I jumped at the chance to read The Meadbowbrook Murders when Netgalley offered it up. It is a really solid entry to the genre, and I absolutely recommend it if this is an itch that you want to scratch.
I really enjoyed that the points-of-view alternated between the roommate of the murdered student and the high school newspaper editor. Both voices felt distinct, and I enjoyed that there was the YAish element of both of them growing up a little bit over the course of the story and figuring out what kind of person they want to be. I was a little worried that the solution to the mystery was being telegraphed a little too hard, but it remained twisty and turny and left me surprised in the end....more
This was a really enjoyable rom-com that caught my eye because it also touched on a lot of different topics - transracial adoption, languages, and ideThis was a really enjoyable rom-com that caught my eye because it also touched on a lot of different topics - transracial adoption, languages, and identity conflicting with religious expectations. Like most rom-coms, the very premise required an absolute breakdown in communication and the plot never would have happened if the main character had just spoken up at the right moment. I liked that the teenaged main character's growth as a person was given just as much time as the romance plotline. I wished that we'd gotten a little more description of the notes that the main character's dad left in the book he left behind for her. It started off that way, giving insight into the relationship they'd had and the type of person her late father was, but there wasn't much more of that shown after the initial scene where she finds the book.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book....more
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