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#24in48 #readathon
17 hours & some change into the readathon. Still not sure if I'll make it to 24 hours but I am going to try.

Finished Book # 5 & it's a so-so leaning pick.😉The pick for the writing & vivid imagery the author paints about cult life & the compound in the Blue Ridge Mountains with all its ugly beauty & also for the premise. The so-so is for the main character who I just didn't attach to & because I wanted more from the story.🤔

#24in#48. #readathon. #24in48readathon
It's about 1:00 AM & I must sleep. I got about half-way through this one, book # 5. I was hoping to get another hour in but there is always tomorrow.
Good night everyone. 😴

#24in48 #readathon #24in48readathon
On the upper patio of my usual Saturday breakfast place & fueling up for a few errands & plenty reading with avocado toast & cold brew with coconut milk. I'm about to dig into Last Summer so I can finish but I was vetting my next e-book & this library e-book caught my eye the other day. I am a sucker for books fiction & non-fiction centered around cults. 📚🥑🍞☕️😋

Belletrist April Pick

This novel may change your life. Okay, maybe I'm a little dramatic, but I learned so much after finishing this story. Berie's journey of arriving at the farm as a prospective member of the community will keep you wanting to read more. As the months grow longer, Berie realizes that everything is not what it seems, and she may have to make a decision that will change who she is forever.

A girl is supposed to be heading to college but gets sidetracked by a cultish commune in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside Asheville. I read this for the setting since I live an hour south of Asheville and have driven around tiny mountain towns with lots of nooks and crannies, even stumbled on what looked like a commune outside Gerton at one point. ⤵️

Princess kind of approves of my B&N haul. She‘s just probably wondering when I‘m going to stop buying books 😂

Oh god. What have I done? #librarylove #sorrynotsorry #cantstopwontstop #stackemhigh #readthemallordietrying

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced readers copy of this book. I was really excited about this book as the subject of cults fascinates me. Unfortunately this book was lacking. I found I did not care about the characters or the purpose of the cult. I do not think I will remember this book in a few days.

I really dislike writing negative reviews but, with this book, I can‘t see any way around it. I could not finish this book. The cult members and “false world” references completely turned me off. (For me personally, the frequent use of the term “false world” brought to mind “fake news”.) I could not muster up any compassion for the characters in this story. In addition, the writing itself really needed some work.

There‘s something inherently fascinating about cult stories. Dektar creates such a vivid setting, atmosphere and mood. There‘s a subtle feeling of ominous tension that she teases out, while simultaneously lending insight into Berie‘s desperate need for belonging. Her ambivalence is what keeps her so interesting as a character: constantly teetering between what she wants to do and what she feels like she ought to do—often confusing the two.