I read the reviews ahead of time, so I knew there was a big "gotcha" moment in the story, but wow, I was still not prepared for it. A great mystery read that led me to develop theories on what happened and change them as new information was presented. I liked the female narrator of the audiobook, but the male narrator was a little too monotone, which made some parts drag when, if I read them myself, probably would have been more interesting.

The first book is way better than it's sequel. The romance plot that I didn't like from Book 1 is a driving force in Book 2. The text became repetitive and caused me to lose interest in the story. The battle-relates sequences are well-written and put you right in the action. I understand why the book ended the way it did, but with Book 3 still to come it's a bit of a letdown to wait and by then I know I will forget some key details.

This was my first foray into audiobooks, and it was a great story to listen to. Within the kingdom of Orisha, I picked up some Harry Potter vibes and some GOT vibes, which I liked. There's a romance plot that felt forced and moved oddly fast; otherwise I enjoyed the progression of the book and really dived into the action sequences. I love books that give multiple perspectives, and here we get three! Looking forward to reading the sequel.

"When your opponent has no honor, you must fight in different ways, smarter ways."

I saw the movie and thought it was the weirdest thing ever. After reading the book, I can say that it's still really weird. It felt like I was reading a compilation of Bond villain monologues with a sprinkling of fictional blog posts tossed in. Having the story told from multiple perspectives was beneficial, but none were of characters I was rooting for.

Duel with the Devil takes an in-depth look at the first fully documented murder trial of the US. Hamilton, Burr, and Livingston are powerful presences in the courtroom. It was funny that, while reading Hamilton's dialogue, all I could hear was Lin Manuel Miranda. Court proceedings were vastly different in 1800, which was probably the most fascinating takeaway for me. Could have done with a more concise description of the well system, though.

The first 2/3 of this book were well written and reminiscent of the Katniss tales we know: suspenseful, cliffhangers abound, and moral dilemmas everywhere. The 10th Hunger Games was brutal. But the final third of the book was disappointing. The ending was clunky and didn't read as well. This prequel was worth reading to better understand Panem and the Games, but it's not as good as the original Hunger Games stories (cough cough Catching Fire).

This was a book that I put down for a while and picked up again. Surprisingly, after not touching the book for months, I was easily able to pick up where I left off and remembered many of the paths the characters were on upon reading. I liked how it was a collection of stories that intermingled rather than one beginning, one middle, and one end. Unsettling at times (because the apocalypse is spooky) but I was still interested and kept reading.

If there was an option to super-pick, I totally would for Ready Player One. I saw the film before reading the book (I know, I'm rebellious) and it was neat to see how the two differed from one another. I understand the changes made to translate the book to film. I found myself completely wrapped up in the story and I refused to put the book down. It was SO GOOOOOD.

Four students hire an author to make them better writers over the course of a 10-week period. There are some really humorous moments, as the majority of the characters seem to be dripping with sarcasm. The version I read appeared to have some grammatical errors that I couldn't chalk up to playwright's choice. There were also instances where I felt lost even though I was following along closely, but those could probably clear up when performed.

I enjoyed Turtles more than I did Paper Towns, but not as much as Abundance of Katharines or Fault in Our Stars. The narration really delves into the mindset of Aza, which I found both intriguing and disturbing due to her constant fears and concerns. To me, I felt like very little happened plot-wise, but I feel it was to play up what was going on in Aza's mind. I would have liked to have seen more balance between the two.

This book is the love-child of "Girl on the Train" and "Woman in Cabin 10". It had its moments, but overall was too similar to what I read from Train and Cabin. It was also somewhat predictable, so when the ending arrived I wasn't completely wow-ed. Overall a good read, but I think I needed more time between Train, Cabin, and this.

After reading "Me Before You" it was nice to see what happens next for Louisa in this sequel. However, if I could pick between pick and so-so as a rating option, I would. The book still manages to find ways to tug at the heartstrings, but felt cliche and predictable several times. If you liked "Me Before You" I would say it's still worth the read, but I don't believe it's as good as the original.

As a history fanatic, this book was fascinating to me. The fact that a company could blatantly ignore their employees that are pretty much falling apart in front of them was frustrating but still made me want to keep reading to see that the girls got justice. Occasionally lulled, and it was a lot of names to keep up with, but I enjoyed the read.

OH MY WORD, THIS BOOK. This was an emotional rollercoaster, but I don't think the story could have happened any other way. Seeing some chapters from some other perspectives helped switch up the pace of the story and allowed me to appreciate the secondary characters even more. I loved "Me Before You".

Most people think that after Yorktown, the American Revolution was pretty much over. However, this novel shows that was not the case. Focusing on the events of the Newburgh Conspiracy from the perspective of a fictional aide to Washington, this story provides a perspective of Washington that I find refreshing: incredibly flawed, but incredibly passionate. Technically fiction for the character Josiah, but much of what is told in the story is fact.

If Black Mirror and 1984 had a baby, they would get The Circle. Entertaining, and a unique "no chapter" chapter style. The story seems to spiral to a point where you love to hate the main character, Mae, and you want to keep reading to see what other antics the Circle can pull. It has relevance to today's high-tech, social media-savvy society and really makes you think about the world around you.

I'm sorry, Harper Lee. I want to like this work, I really really do, but I just can't finish Go Set a Watchman. I have tried three times to get into the story, but I always wind up putting the book down in favor of another read. While I liked TKAM, I'm not enjoying the same characters in their long awaited sequel. 4th time's a charm? Maybe, but I don't know if I want to start over again.

This book was a quick read (got it done in a weekend) but it moved fast because I could not put it down! I was HOOKED! Reminiscent of The Girl on the Train... lots of twists, constant questioning, and watching the main character's attempts to unravel a mystery... If you liked that, you will like this, too!

Obviously Hollywood glamorizes the life of pirates, but I didn't realize exactly how much glamorizing they actually did. Pirate life was brutal! While the book has some highlights, you feel like you are reading the same thing over and over again (one ship approaches another... sometimes they get away, sometimes not) to a point where it felt monotonous. Would like to see the tv series they created based on the book for comparison.

This book looks into some of the early phases of journalism where newspapers would do anything to get information on a story... and really, they would do everything and anything possible! The dialogue was collected from court testimonies and other primary sources, so the quotes used are things people actually said during that time. Really interesting read!

I feel like there are better Titanic-based stories out there. This book was just okay. It felt too predictable and at times really cliche.

A guy wakes up every day in a new body trying to reach out to a girl he falls in love with on one particular day. While the story is Freaky Friday-esque, it does stand on its own and was a book I really enjoyed reading. It was interesting to see how this character navigates his way day after day.

Overall, I was disappointed in Paper Towns. It started off pretty good and I was entertained for a while, but I felt like the ending did not match with what the rest of the story offered; it was a let down.

Mysteries and thrillers can rope me in easily, and Girl on the Train was no exception. It always kept me guessing with the curve balls it constantly throws at the reader. This is one of those books where you have to keep reading because you need to know what happens next.

I appreciate Larson's approach to writing about the Lusitania sinking, as he showcases both the u-boat and cruise liner perspectives. Sometimes the work gets bogged down in the details, but otherwise provides a solid backstory and interesting facts about the days surrounding the sinking of the sinking of the Lusitania. Great read for history buffs!