Part memoir, part medical and cultural history. Fay makes some astute observations, but this book felt a bit disjointed, swinging between academic tome and memoir. The footnotes are plentiful, which also slowed down the pace quite a bit. An interesting approach to the subject, but the execution did not quite work for me.

Love or hate Marnell, this is a compelling read. The behind-the-scenes look into the glossy world of beauty magazines of the 2010s is fascinating. Set against Marnell‘s harrowing descriptions of her addiction, this is a unique memoir of celebrity, fashion, and addiction. CN: drug use, disordered eating, sexual assault.

I really wanted to like this book, but I found the plot muddy and the plot holes were frustrating. There were shimmers of gorgeous writing though, so will be giving Jones another try. (Maybe this just wasn‘t the book for me?)

I almost bailed on this book. I also guessed the twist at the end, but the ending does make up for the rather slow first half.

This isn‘t the typical true crime read. Couple Found Slain dives into the aftermath of a murder and offers a heartbreaking deep-dive into a broken mental health care system. CN: discussions of violence, abuse, sexual assault.

A slow-burn, character-driven book. My first Lawson, but definitely not my last.

Part memoir, part science, part literary and cultural analysis. A fascinating and moving read! (Yes, a book about eels made me cry!)

I struggled to finish this book, the middle felt a bit meandering, but ultimately, a strong ending and solid read.

I went into this book knowing nothing and had no idea there was a big twist. Vanishing girls feels unfocused, a mishmash of genres. (Is it a thriller, love story, coming-of-age tale?) For a YA book, it took me some time to finish—mostly, because I was feeling rather uninspired about it all. While some chapters were captivating, this book was ultimately just ok.

A funny and at times, moving, YA read. Highly recommend!

Am interesting premise, but a slow-moving read. Was expecting more of a thriller, but Fan Club is a bit more introspective. A good, but not great read.

I am still digesting this book. It is a tough read (content note: sexual assault, discussions of disordered eating, violence. The story isn‘t quite what I expected and the ending fell fell a bit flat, but a solid debut novel otherwise.

A fascinating pop-academic read. Looking forward to reading more from Montell!

This elevator pitch of this story is solid: a professor from a middling MFA program cribs a plot from a student. I wasn‘t quite expecting this to turn into a murder mystery though—the twist of which I figured out early on. A small irritation: the author is a big fan of parenthetical asides (with exclamation!) which was oddly distracting. A fine, if forgettable read.

This book was a stellar historical novel that touches on fanaticism, gender, hysteria, and doubt. I agree with other reviewers that the first half felt a bit repetitive, but the final chapters…wow.

While the ending was okay, the humour just did not land for me and I found much of the dialogue stilted and cringey, too. (Although I am likely not the target audience…) Will be giving the move a try to see how the film adaptation compares (perhaps the rare case in which the movie is better?)

I flew through this book. While ultimately forgettable, it is an easy, domestic thriller that is impossible to put down. The perfect weekend read.

While I feel uncomfortable with the author drawing a parallel between mental illness and possession (the ambiguity is a crucial question in the novel) this was a compulsive read—and the twist…. 😮I could have done without the blog posts embedded throughout, but otherwise, a strong pick.

I actually let my loan lapse and almost bailed. One of the weaker entries in Hendrix‘s oeuvre, this book felt like quite the slog compared to his other works.

Tremblay is an expert at crafting unsettling atmosphere (there were a few chapters that were stellar) but I ultimately had trouble finishing this novel. A solid start but didn‘t quite keep me engaged throughout.

The first chapter had me HOOKED however, I wasn‘t a fan of the ambiguous ending. I will be giving this author another try. All in all all, a quick, solid enough read.

A quick but somewhat underwhelming read.

Not my favourite King, but a solid read. I found the protagonist‘s novel a bit of a drag to read (often skimming these parts) otherwise, I enjoyed Misery.

This is a spooky and atmospheric read. The ending felt a bit disjointed, but a solid pick regardless.

A dark, rich, and gorgeous novel. I simply could not put this book down. Crouch‘s writing is stellar and the sense of dread she instills through her writing and pacing is deeply affecting. Will be reading more from this author.

The first half is stellar, but the twists and turns are somewhat predictable. Definitely not Sager‘s strongest book.

Part Memoir, part literary analysis, this book is heartbreaking. The writing is gorgeous, but the subject is painful and you ache for young Alisson. An important, but tough read.

I really wanted to love this book, but I found it difficult to connect, let alone even like, any of the characters. A quick read, but ultimately forgettable.

A thoroughly researched work, Rule‘s book is the definitive work in Bundy. Rule‘s personal friendship with Bundy (predating Bundy‘s crimes) makes for a unique piece of true crime writing, too. A difficult, but compelling read.

This book was massively hyped. It didn‘t quite live up to its reputation, but I tore through this novel. The ending felt rather rushed, but a strong read regardless.

Forgot to add my review! (Which maybe says something about my feelings towards this book?) My Best Friend‘s Exorcism was entertaining enough, but not My favourite Hendrix novel…

This isn‘t my favourite King, but I am glad I finally found the time to start the series. I found the middle lagged a bit, but am invested now! Waiting for book 2 from the library now.

This book was a real-page turner, but the ending left a lot to be desired. (Was absolutely 100% all-in until the final chapters). If you can overlook the finale, a solid read.

I wanted to like this book more, but the casual racism and transphobia were hard to get past. I found the story to be dragging quite a bit (and almost abandoned this read) but the story was solid by the end enough I suppose. I had high expectations based on other reviews, but ultimately, I found this book largely tedious.

Horrorstor is a unique concept and the packaging is creative. 10/10 for concept. The characters however, are comparably underdeveloped. A speedy and quick read, but not quite as strong as Southern Book Club.

This book was a real page-turned. While the ending felt a bit rushed, this was an engrossing read and the structure of the novel-within-a-novel was very effective. I enjoyed this much more than Final Girls. A solid read.

This is a short, but powerful read. A multi-voice story that examines the shockwaves of gendered violence. Although focuses on one case, Goldberg‘s book considers gendered-violence its many forms, from overt to covert. CW: sexual assault and violence

My first Grady Hendrix novel and I am hooked! An outstanding piece of horror that is funny and has a bad-ass heroine at the centre. Would highly recommend. Cannot wait to read more from Hendrix.

The second half of the book is strong with a twist I did but see coming however, the first half was a bit of a slog. Ultimately, entertaining enough but this is likely a book I won‘t be re-visiting.

This is a speedy read (read the book in only a few hours), but the writing and characters are thin and superficial, and the plot unnecessarily contrived.

A re-read however, I remember this book being stronger. The first 2/3 are brilliant. The final 1/3 is comparably weaker. Mot my favourite King, but still solid enough.

A re-read however, just as compelling and moving the second time around.

I originally bailed on this book but gave it a second go when I spotted a copy in a local little free library. This is a gorgeous book. Will absolutely be reading more of Patchett in the future. Patchett has a knack for description and writing complicated characters with empathy.

This is a tough read, but an amazing, thorough, and empathetic piece of journalism.

Continuing my YA streak. A nostalgic and funny read.

A comfort read that I return to again and again. A bittersweet coming-of-age tale.

An engrossing quarantine read.

This book came highly recommended. It was a quick and solid enough read, but didn‘t quite live up to the hype.

The pacing of this book felt a bit off, but an entertaining enough read. I did not like this book enough to pick up the sequel though...

Morse‘s book tells the story of a brutal murder in a Bethesda-based luxury athletic retail store. Morse‘s narrative was sometimes convoluted and I felt like I was missing key details. (Perhaps, this is related to the brutal and chaotic nature of the crime though...) In my opinion, this is not necessarily the strongest piece of true crime writing, but may be more accessible to those familiar with the case.