Reviews and Comments

3.5 stars, rounding up. I'm not usually one for cozy mysteries (too slow and not enough hook for me) but this one was a delight. I started the audiobook on a roadtrip and enjoyed listening to the Queen outfox her own detectives. The narration was half the fun.

I listened to this on my drive to Michigan and I'm struggling to understand how it won "best book" for Goodread's Horror genre. It started out promising, but then just went off the rails.

3.5 stars, rounding up. When a time travel book is well-executed, it is a delight. This one has a bit of a chick lit vibe that keeps it from being great, but the premise is fun and well-executed, even if a bit confusing at times. (There is a desire to go back and read the chapters sequenced chronologically to see if they hold up when Oona is IN order – but the events aren't so compelling that I'd spend time doing that.) Overall, a well-done trollop through time with a good bit of mystery and twists lurking in the pages.

Stopped by the library and happened to catch this new release as it was first being shelved. I've enjoyed other books by TJR, so I scooped it up – and was not disappointed. At first I worried that I'd get bored by an entire book that basically talks tennis in point-by-point detail, but she did a good enough job developing the characters that I got into it. For her other fans: this book was more "Daisy Jones" and less "Malibu," which was a big plus in my book. (I hadn't realized that TJR wrote this, Daisy, Malibu and Evelyn Hugo all as part of one world... while they aren't a series, there ARE overlapping characters and references across all four books, which I found fun. Fun enough, in fact, that after finishing this book, I went and found this article summarizing those connections: www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2022/08/taylor-jenkins-reid-universe-carrie-soto-malibu-rising.

People seem to LOVE this book and I can't figure out why. I didn't connect with any of the characters. Most of the guys seemed to be d'bags. It both wanted to go macro (social movements and government overthrow) and micro (the characters and family relationships) and in the end I found myself asking what the point was.

I finished this book about a week ago and while it was fine at the time, it took me a bit to remember what it was about, so I guess that's my summary: unmemorable.

When I think of Larry McMurtry, I think of westerns, like Lonesome Dove – which I've never read. I was relieved when my book club chose this book because it was billed as a coming of age story rather than a western, though it was set in Texas. While I found it to be an easy read, I couldn't figure out what all the hype was about.

Read this as part of the book club I joined in Richmond and probably would've otherwise not sought it out. It's definitely a product of its time, and while Kesey seems to be making some important statements about mental institutions and being controlled within society, it's all served up with a side of misogyny and racism that is a bit jarring. If you've watched the movie with Jack Nicholson, the most striking difference is that the book is told from the perspective of a different character.

It's been a while since I've read a WWII book because for a while it felt like they were everywhere. What I liked about this one: the focus is on survival in the woods. What I didn't like about this one: the romantic aspects of the story felt unnecessary and moved it from an original, interesting novel to a more of the Romeo and Juliet trope in different clothing. It was all right, but I probably wouldn't recommend it.

I usually like her books but could NOT get into this one, despite its interesting premise. Abandoned about 50% in.

If you're looking for a book that's kind of like feminist revenge porn meets Witches of Eastwick, this is a solid pick. Even beyond the magic it's a bit over the top, so if you pick this up, treat it like a Halloween beach read. You'll need to forgive some gaps when it comes to character and plot, but if you can paper those over and imagine it as a movie, you'll probably have a good time.

3.5, rounding up. In some ways this feels like a quippy chick lit book that's about a difficult woman who can't maintain a marriage, but it's actually a pretty excruciating look at undiagnosed mental illness and the shockwaves it can have across lives and generations.