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geraldine's reviews
306 reviews
Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
despite trying to go to sleep at 7:30pm and being tired enough, i couldn't fall asleep until like 1am and so instead i read this entire book in my bed. quick read! very tense.
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
i cannot express how much i truly do not care about YA love triangles. solid YA otherwise though
The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
really really difficult to suspend disbelief for the entirety of the book. bits of it ring true but the main premise is complete nonsense as you read. like it's just really a HUH moment the whole time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
i was possessed (thought too hard about andré holland as mr jenkins casting in the wrinkle in time movie. WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN...!!!!!!!!!)
why does meg call him the r-word?????? i was so taken aback by this. i didn't remember this at all
still, formative book as a child
why does meg call him the r-word?????? i was so taken aback by this. i didn't remember this at all
still, formative book as a child
Dirt Creek by Hayley Scrivenor
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Was originally going to rate this a 3.5 but after thinking about it in the car AND half writing this review I think a 3 is more fair.
i did genuinely like a lot of it! i thought all the different character perspectives worked really well, even the "we" perspective. i thought all the characters and their reactions felt very real, especially constance, hers was the most harrowing and affecting to me. the voice of the book just really worked for me and i was engaged the whole time
however,
look. i said all the characters and reactions felt real, and i did mean that. and with that said i hated sarah. she was well written and felt like a real person i could meet! and i hated her. her and her cop buddy manipulating their suspects in order to arrest them, getting mad when people wouldn't talk to them without lawyers or without a warrant, misrepresenting the confidence of DNA evidence... really gross stuff.
i mean, to an extent i do think you're supposed to recognize that they're flawed individuals just like the rest of the cast, like... it's not like constance is perfect and the book knows that and expects you to realize that as well. but with sarah... she talks about how her exes (or women she expressed interest in that didn't go farther!) all hated that she was a cop and how her ex tried to get her to pull away from it, and she just dug in further and viewed it as an intrinsic part of herself.
plus the whole segment with her and amira's breakup and domestic violence... you can't remove this from the statistics that cops are much more likely than the general population to abuse their spouses/partners. when sarah was thinking "what if she tells my superiors" this was all i could think about! and it IS domestic violence even if it isn't in the same way that lewis's father terrorizes his family.
i also felt comparing sarah hurting amira with shel's drunk driving and esther's subsequent death rang false and left a bad taste in my mouth. i get the message of "sometimes tragic accidents happen when you make an emotional mistake" and how this can change the course of your life, but comparing "sarah getting mad that amira doesn't like that she's a cop, and then shoving her into a nightstand and hurting her" and "shel being triggered by seeing someone involved in her horrific trauma, a friend calling her a liar about it, drinking and then accidentally killing someone with her car" are apples and oranges. sarah wanted to shove amira out of anger. shel didn't want to kill a child. like yes i don't think sarah wanted amira to hit the nightstand and actually get physically hurt, but she did consciously choose to put her hands on her?? i mean i suppose you could make an argument about drunk driving, about it being always dangerous (and you would be right), but it's not a pointed, directed choice against a single person. i'm not even really arguing about either circumstance being in the book but the book directly calling a comparison between them feels so nasty to me.
thestorygraph only note: i do wish i had a better book club so we could actually discuss a book like this. i think there's a lot to discuss!!
the three stars really are for everything else not in my spoiler section. i really genuinely liked the rest, the story, the writing style, the characters...!
i did genuinely like a lot of it! i thought all the different character perspectives worked really well, even the "we" perspective. i thought all the characters and their reactions felt very real, especially constance, hers was the most harrowing and affecting to me. the voice of the book just really worked for me and i was engaged the whole time
however,
look. i said all the characters and reactions felt real, and i did mean that. and with that said i hated sarah. she was well written and felt like a real person i could meet! and i hated her. her and her cop buddy manipulating their suspects in order to arrest them, getting mad when people wouldn't talk to them without lawyers or without a warrant, misrepresenting the confidence of DNA evidence... really gross stuff.
i mean, to an extent i do think you're supposed to recognize that they're flawed individuals just like the rest of the cast, like... it's not like constance is perfect and the book knows that and expects you to realize that as well. but with sarah... she talks about how her exes (or women she expressed interest in that didn't go farther!) all hated that she was a cop and how her ex tried to get her to pull away from it, and she just dug in further and viewed it as an intrinsic part of herself.
plus the whole segment with her and amira's breakup and domestic violence... you can't remove this from the statistics that cops are much more likely than the general population to abuse their spouses/partners. when sarah was thinking "what if she tells my superiors" this was all i could think about! and it IS domestic violence even if it isn't in the same way that lewis's father terrorizes his family.
i also felt comparing sarah hurting amira with shel's drunk driving and esther's subsequent death rang false and left a bad taste in my mouth. i get the message of "sometimes tragic accidents happen when you make an emotional mistake" and how this can change the course of your life, but comparing "sarah getting mad that amira doesn't like that she's a cop, and then shoving her into a nightstand and hurting her" and "shel being triggered by seeing someone involved in her horrific trauma, a friend calling her a liar about it, drinking and then accidentally killing someone with her car" are apples and oranges. sarah wanted to shove amira out of anger. shel didn't want to kill a child. like yes i don't think sarah wanted amira to hit the nightstand and actually get physically hurt, but she did consciously choose to put her hands on her?? i mean i suppose you could make an argument about drunk driving, about it being always dangerous (and you would be right), but it's not a pointed, directed choice against a single person. i'm not even really arguing about either circumstance being in the book but the book directly calling a comparison between them feels so nasty to me.
thestorygraph only note: i do wish i had a better book club so we could actually discuss a book like this. i think there's a lot to discuss!!
the three stars really are for everything else not in my spoiler section. i really genuinely liked the rest, the story, the writing style, the characters...!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Car accident
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
i liked when paul's wife called him a beta cuck
has paul ever heard the phrase "self-fulfilling prophesy"??????????
has paul ever heard the phrase "self-fulfilling prophesy"??????????
Open Throat by Henry Hoke
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
look, i only read this book because the summary made it sound insane but now that i've read it, every single summary seriously misrepresents both the story and the tone
things the summary accurately reflects:
a) the story is about a mountain lion
b) who lives in LA below the hollywood sign
some of the rest is partially accurate but some is not even close. truly baffling???? based on the summaries i thought i would hate it but also have fun reading it and i can honestly say i did neither.
compelling though. the writing style i think will be hit-and-miss for people but it worked for me
things the summary accurately reflects:
a) the story is about a mountain lion
b) who lives in LA below the hollywood sign
some of the rest is partially accurate but some is not even close. truly baffling???? based on the summaries i thought i would hate it but also have fun reading it and i can honestly say i did neither.
compelling though. the writing style i think will be hit-and-miss for people but it worked for me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Gore
there is more about piss than you would expect
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
the author really was like ah yes our villain is the lesbian who wears doc martens, and whose wife wouldn't agree to let her carry a baby with a friend as the donor so she instead kidnapped a friend's baby HELLO??? PLEASE??? also that her wife is all "ah yes I fell in love with my historic house because it has """servant stairs"""" PLEASE??????????
i saw multiple people in my book club rate this 5 stars and depending on their reasoning I may finally quit for real. secret note for thestorygraph only because I have half of these women on goodreads. return soon to see if I finally do myself a kindness and quit
i saw multiple people in my book club rate this 5 stars and depending on their reasoning I may finally quit for real. secret note for thestorygraph only because I have half of these women on goodreads. return soon to see if I finally do myself a kindness and quit
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Car accident, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia
Dune by Frank Herbert
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I read a significant part of this in the early voting line for the 2020 presidential election, with my phone on 4% battery. Anyway i early voted in the 2024 primary last week so I figured I should finish this.
I think a guy named Craig should have shown up. I think there was a missed opportunity for there to be a guy named Craig. maybe Duncan Idaho could have been his friend and also indoctrinated him into his "barefoot is best" lifestyle
I think a guy named Craig should have shown up. I think there was a missed opportunity for there to be a guy named Craig. maybe Duncan Idaho could have been his friend and also indoctrinated him into his "barefoot is best" lifestyle
The Grave Between Us by Tal Bauer
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
i have got to stop reading stuff like this right before i go to sleep
how is it not prime government incompetence and corruption that they take a known murderer constrained with only handcuffs AND A SEATBELT and put him in a NORMAL ASS CAR and then act like it's the fault of the young new employee who interviewed him and not the fault of, i dunno, his SUPERIORS WHO PUT HIM IN A NORMAL ASS CAR AND NOT A PRISONER TRANSPORT VEHICLE??? NOT EVEN A NORMAL POLICE CRUISER BUT A NORMAL MERCEDES???? "oh you didn't see him eating a pencil" IF HE BROKE HIS CUFFS IN AN APPROPRIATE VEHICLE HE COULDN'T HAVE DONE ANYTHING UNTIL THEY STOPPED AND TOOK HIM OUT INSTEAD OF DRIVING. COLE, THIS IS NOT ON YOU. MIKE: LOSE YOUR JOB FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my god. they put this guy through the ringer. i wish they could both quit and move away with katie somewhere safe. was really glad their wedding was not in a cornfield though, they kept listing wedding venues and i was covering my face with my hands. those damn midwestern men and their cornfields...............
i do like all the main characters and i love a compelling mystery. wish i could rec these to my book club but the main girl bans explicit sex scenes (she WILL read them but doesn't want to discuss them in a book club with her mother) and also i don't trust them enough to rec a book with gay sex and gay main characters in it. anyone wanna start a gay mystery/thrillers book club with me
my god. they put this guy through the ringer. i wish they could both quit and move away with katie somewhere safe. was really glad their wedding was not in a cornfield though, they kept listing wedding venues and i was covering my face with my hands. those damn midwestern men and their cornfields...............
i do like all the main characters and i love a compelling mystery. wish i could rec these to my book club but the main girl bans explicit sex scenes (she WILL read them but doesn't want to discuss them in a book club with her mother) and also i don't trust them enough to rec a book with gay sex and gay main characters in it. anyone wanna start a gay mystery/thrillers book club with me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault