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hermusings's reviews
239 reviews
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Nature is healing and Lucy Foley is back!!!
Finally a decent revenge mystery from Foley since The Guest List.
This was witty, intriguing and satisfying.
Foley has a way of writing stories that are satisfyingly interconnected and have a happy ending where the baddie always gets what they deserve. The midnight feast is no different, which made some things predictable yet it still held onto its suspense and intrigue.
I also enjoyed the lore and nature elements of this story.
One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin
4.75
The cover and title of this book is incredibly misleading but I’m deeply happy that I pushed through that appearance and continued to read this!! It was funny, tender and cathartic.
This is exceedingly more literary fiction than romance. And it is exceptional at that! However, the mistaking of it as a romcom to the reader does leave room for disappointment (similar to Beach Read, by Emily Henry, upon its debut).
Although annoying a lot of the time, main character Natalie mirrors what it’s like to be in your mid to late 20s still holding out for your dreams while you’re friends are moving on. And in a beautiful juxtaposition, Rob is someone who follows the traditional road to success and finds that’s also messy and unsatisfying.
Most importantly, I think this book is about female friendships and how they age. The things that go unsaid, how you go from doing life together to getting highlight reels of each other. Hankin does a beautiful job at depicting this.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book has some of the most beautiful and thought-provoking prose.
Its aim was not overtly ambitious however, the execution was unnecessarily convoluted.
The choice to have every other paragraph be about Cyrus (undoubtedly the most annoyingly unlikable character) made the story hard to follow at times. I will say I listened to the audiobook which may have made it harder to follow.
I think overall it's a book about humanity at its rawest form yet through the lense of someone who seems to do everything but appreciate life or humanity. Instead, Cyrus is on this deep quest to make his life meaningful through death and the deaths of others which is interestingly the most selfish way to go about finding purpose.
I will say the "book of martyrs" / the stories of different family members and acquaintances was my absolute favorite parts!
ALSO that twist at the end... explains so much and infuriated me.
Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Actually infuriating.
This book is reminiscent to Like Crazy meets One Day (rest easy there is no death at the end).
Grace and Matt are obnoxiously soul mates and every possible choice they make leads to them miscommunications about their love.
Carlino does a good job at creating the most annoying characters yet making sure the plot is just engaging enough to make you want to continue to see how they can dig themselves in deeper into their mess.
Overall, It felt a bit rush and as hard as Carlino tried, I couldn’t care less about their romantic relationship.
Also the whole “she had Matt’s child this whole time” was unsavory. Ashe being the main driving force pushing them together felt incredibly uneasy to me as this child had to suffer at the hands of these two twats not communicating.
One Last Job by Anise Starre
Finn buying Amber a house after knowing each other for ~4 months is WILD but good for her!!
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.25
This is a true escapism read.
Fast-paced, accessible and engaging.
As a romance it fell a bit flat. Their love story happens so fast it borders on insta-love for me. Since their romance couldn’t hold its own and the stakes of the work/project were not as high, once it was finished (about a third into the book) the story started to drag and dwindle a bit.
However, if you can suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride it’s actually an enjoyable quick read.
The Orphanage By The Lake by Daniel G. Miller
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
the author has said “spring of kinked hair” and “a face as round and as flat as a pancake” describing a black girl and an Asian man 🫠😵💫
That’s enough for me
That’s enough for me
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
4.25
This was extremely sweet!
Bri & Jacob are literal soulmates. The anxiety rep was really good and I loved how Jimenez would connect little details over and over.
However, the miscommunication is a major plot device and that almost killed me.
Bri & Jacob are literal soulmates. The anxiety rep was really good and I loved how Jimenez would connect little details over and over.
However, the miscommunication is a major plot device and that almost killed me.
They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom by Dena Takruri, Ahed Tamimi
fast-paced
5.0
Ahed’s story is infuriating, upsetting and should make anyone that reads it want to take actions to free Palestine.
I truly enjoyed learning about her story, which I knew very little of prior to this, from her own words. I think this does a good job on giving context to for those who may not know much about what’s been occurring in occupied Palestine at the hands of Israel for the past 76 years.
Wild what a regular day in the West Bank could be, how children are imprisoned, how loads of international laws violated daily and how insanely inhumane this occupation is!!
Ahed, her family, her village and the Palestinian people are beyond courageous. May Palestine be free in our lifetime ♥️