Steph Caffrey

Book Review: The List by J.L. Bowman

May 21, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged ARC, Book Review, Book Siren, Books, J.L. Bowman, The List1 Comment

THE LIST by J.L. BOWMAN

Release Date: June 6, 2023

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The List by J.L. Bowman is a romance book about a woman, Ever, who is planning to go on a year long cross country road trip to cross things off of her bucket list. Everything is going to plan, until she meets Xavier, a retired professional surfer, and things begin to bloom between them.

I liked the book. Ever and Xavier were well developed characters. You could see their growth throughout the book. And I liked that we got to see each character separate from the other. I liked the romance, and the side characters. The plot was plausible, and I liked how independent Ever was.

The things I didn’t like about the book were some of the aspects of the relationship. It seemed a little over the top at times, and a little forced. The book also had a lot of errors in it, which I hope will be corrected before publication. A lot of pronoun mix ups and I think the timeline was a little fuzzy for each of the characters’ pasts. But the mistakes were not glaring enough to really affect my reading of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and did cry the last 10% of the book – happy and sad tears. If you’re looking for a fun romance, this is for you. I will probably read more books in this series.

April 2023

May 1, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged Book Recommendations, Books, Catullus, Clockmaker's Daughter, Five First Chances, Immortality, JR Ward, Lassiter, London Seance Society, Reading, The Lives of Puppets, The Sandman, TJ KluneLeave a comment

I almost didn’t read this book, since I was disappointed with her debut, The Lost Apothecary. I’m so glad I chose to read this book. London Seance Society was everything I had hoped Apothecary would be. It was enthralling, suspenseful and it kept me guessing. I couldn’t put it down. even when I could kind of guess what was happening, it really didn’t disappoint.

Immortality was everything I could hope for in a sequel, and the conclusion of a duology. I loved the plot with Hazel and the Princess, and I honestly did not see the conclusion to that story coming. Loved the love story even more in this one. The secret society of immortals was a nice twist. And I loved, loved, LOVED the ending. I could honestly see a series of novellas chronicling their lives.

This book was pretty good. Took me a while to really get into it and read it. I really liked the multiple point of views and the timelines. There were several elements that I liked, in fact, but sometimes it felt like the book was rambling a little, and it felt disjointed at times. But, in the end, I really enjoyed how the stories were interconnected.

My most anticipated book of the year, and I was not let down. What a way to reboot the series. Obviously, the Lassiter and Rahven storyline was the most important, and I loved how it played out. It felt authentic and how I would expect two really superpowered immortal beings to match up. And it was absolutely beautiful. Love my fallen angel. I’m so happy Eddie and Adrian from the Fallen Angels series are back, especially since Devinia is in the mix. The Wrath stuff, I don’t want to say too much, but ripped my heart out and put it back together in the same book. I’m really interested to see where the series goes from here. The time jump is going to really breathe fresh life into it I think. Although, I don’t know if I’m completely on board with all of the Lash stuff.

I read this as an ARC, and you can find my indepth review here.

I also read this as an ARC, my review can be found here.

Beautifully drawn and wonderfully written, I really enjoyed this book, and flew threw it. It made me love the show even more. It was such a faithful adaptation, and I appreciate the casting, which was perfect btw, so much more.

I am really not a poetry person, but boy did I enjoy this. Catullus’ poetry reads like the OG burn book. He holds nothing back and lays out all of his grievances. It’s hilarious. And so, so, so dirty. I recommend everyone read his poems. But get a better translation than I did.

Review: In the Lives of Puppets

April 23, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged ARC, Book Review, Books, In The Lives of Puppets, Reading, TJ Klune1 Comment

IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS by TJ KLUNE

Release Date: April 25, 2023

I received this advanced copy from NetGalley, and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

“Heaven. I’m in Heaven.”

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune takes Pinocchio, Terminator, and Wall-E and creates a unique story about found family in the time of the apocalypse and makes it whimsical in only the way Klune can.

Klune is already an auto-buy author for me, and Puppets has really reminded me why. He paints such a wonderful picture with his storytelling and his characters. He truly is one of the best out there as far as creating spectacular characters who you only grow to love as the book progresses.

Puppets is the story of Gio, a lonely an living in a forest sanctuary that would make the Swiss Family Robinson envious, as he raises his son, Victor. Victor’s best friends are a Roomba named Rambo, and a robot nurse aptly named Nurse Ratched. The four of them live happily until Victor finds a decommissioned android, Hap, in the scrap yard. That’s when the plot really gets started, and never stops.

Rambo and Nurse Ratched are easily my favorite characters in the book, which I never thought I would consider a Roomba to be one of the best, most hilarious, characters I’ve encountered all year, but that’s what Klune does. He makes you fall in love with the most unlikely of “people.” I laughed out loud several times, and I highlighted so many passages.

In addition to his trademark humor, there are also the moments that make you cry. There is a scene near the end where I found myself crying, and had to stop myself and shake my head over what I was crying over. That’s all I’ll say. I don’t want to spoil anything.

If you enjoyed any of Klune’s previous books, I highly recommend you pick this one up. If you’ve never read any of his books before, you might as well start with this one, and then read his back list. If there’s a long wait at your library, go read the back list first.

Book Review: Five First Chances by Sarah Jost

April 18, 2023April 17, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged Book Review, Five First Chances, Netgalley1 Comment

FIVE FIRST CHANCES by SARAH JOST

Release Date: April 18, 2023

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Five First Chances by Sarah Jost is a Women’s Lit book that focuses around the character Lou as she falls through time, again and again, learning to become the person she wants to be.

I couldn’t put this book down. I am a sucker for time loop novels, especially ones that include romance. And while this book includes romance, it is not a romance book. This book is heartbreaking and inspirational, and it will make you cry so hard you can’t see the words on the page.

But don’t let the “heartbreak” deter you from reading this book. The Time Loop is done wonderfully, and in a way I hadn’t seen done before, which is good, because I read a lot of time loop books. The characters are beautifully written. The growth Lou and Nick make after each loop is noticeable and appreciated. And reading the book never feels repetitive, which is hard in books like these.

I highly recommend this book. But make sure you set aside ample time to read it, because you will not want to stop. And also, make sure you have a box of tissue next to you. You’re going to need it.

March 2023 Reads

April 1, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged Agatha Christie, Anatomy, ARC, Book of the Month, Book Recommendations, Books, Daisy Jones and the Six, Fortunes of Jaded Women, Georgie All Along, Ho, Hollyland, Iowa, Reading, Secret Garden, Silence of the Girls, Stamped From the Beginning, Tag Me For Murder, The House Is On FireLeave a comment

This book was okay. I expected a deeper story about Briseis and the other women, but all I got was something very surface level. The POV and tense made the story feel very cold and distant. The addition of Achilles POV really irked me. You don’t advertise a book as a feminist retelling and have half the book from a male’s POV. And this wasn’t so much as a “re-telling” it was basically the Iliad. After having read Song of Achilles, which was amazing, this book really fell flat.

I read this as an ARC, and reviewed it separately! You can read my in-depth review here.

Obligatory re-read (or re-listen, rather) before watching the Prime series. Loved the book just as much as the first time, possibly even more. This book is probably one of my favorite books of all time. It is everything I love put into a book: 70s Rock, Behind the Music, strong female characters. Camila is and always will be my favorite character. If you haven’t read this yet, get the audiobook, it’s read by a full cast, and then watch the show on Prime.

After starting the month with a couple duds, it was really refreshing to read this one. Fortunes is a fun, light story about generations of a Vietnamese Family “cursed” to only have daughters. The story really shed a light on the relationships between mothers and daughters, especially in immigrant families. The book made me laugh out loud, and it made me cry. (BOTM)

A cookbook with history! This was a very interesting read about the history of the state of Iowa through the quintessential food of the state. I learned so much I didn’t know before, AND I now have some iconic recipes I can’t wait to try out.

Levi is easily one of my favorite romance protagonists in a long time. Bearded, socially awkward, the best. Georgie and Levi’s chemistry was on fire, and I really bought into the premise. the book was really cute and I devoured it in the matter of one day. (BOTM)

Another ARC review you can check out here.

Book club picks with my sisters are often hit or miss (see: Silence of the Girls above), but this one? Hit. I loved this book. LOVED. The romace! The Science! The CLIFFHANGER! Hazel is such a great character – her drive, her gumption, her independce while staying within the confines of the time period. The slow, tender love story between her and Jack was so beautiful. I was completely enthralled and didn’t want to put the book down.

A difficult, but necessary read, Stamped is a powerful, eye-opening book about the history of racism in America. As a history major, I thought I knew everything, but I really didn’t. There was so much I didn’t know. It was upsetting to learn how much politicians throughout history have sytematically built in ways to discriminate against Black people. Also, how many films were “disguised” racism. This book should be required reading in school.

Another ARC. This was the best book I read all month, and a contender for best book I’ve read all year. You can read all about why I thought so here.

Even though it was basically Orient Express but on a boat, the mystery was still good enought to keep me interested. I honestly had no idea who had done it.

Having loved the movie as a kid, I decided to finally read the book. I was not disappointed. It was so good, and the movie adaptation was very faithful to the text. Reading this book was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. It made me so happy.

Book Review: The House is On Fire by Rachel Beanland

March 24, 2023May 15, 2024Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged #netgalley, Book Recommendations, Books, Rachel Beanland, Reading, The House Is On Fire1 Comment

THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE by RACHEL BEANLAND

Release Date: April 4, 2023

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book. I am giving this honest review freely.

The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland is a historical fiction set around the 1811 Richmond theater fire. What? You haven’t heard of the fire? Neither had I until I read this book. I probably would have plowed my way through this book without putting it down, except I had to go research more about this fire. This book definitely sent me down a rabbit hole. Which I loved.

The book follows four distinct characters: Sally, a young widow who is attending the theater with her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Cicely, a slave girl attending the theater with the daughter of her master, Jack, a young stage hand backstage during the play, and Gilbert, a slave who dreams of buying his and his wife’s freedom. The fire changed these four characters’ lives forever.

Fire is a beautifully written and well-researched book. Sally and Gilbert were real people actually involved in the fire. Cicely and Jack were based on real people. The story is definitely a fictionalized version of events, but there is so much historical accuracy, it reads almost like a series of first-hand accounts of the night.

Beanland really delves deep into the issues that women and slaves dealt with in 1811, not very many years after the United States gained their freedom from Britain. You can’t help but feel for Sally, Gilbert and Cicely as they navigate the obstacles they face as they navigate the days following the fire.

I absolutely loved this book. My degree is in US History, however, I had never heard of this event. Beanland not only drew me into the narrative of the story, which was enthralling, she inspired me to do my own research into the event. The characters felt so real, which they were, they were real people, but Beanland still made these names that can often feel two dimensional in a historical document become three-dimensional characters.

If you enjoy historical fiction, I recommend you pick up this book when it comes out. Rumor is this will be an April Book of the Month selection, so this could also be a wonderful opportunity to try that service out, if you’ve been interested.

Review: #TagMe for Murder by Sarah E. Burr

March 17, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged #TagMe For Murder, ARC, Book Recommendations, Books, Reading, Sarah E. Burr1 Comment

#TAGME FOR MURDER by SARAH E. BURR

Release date: April 25, 2023

I received this advanced copy from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I love cozy mysteries. They’re always fun, and I fall in love with the cast of characters. Sarah E. Burr’s #TagMe For Murder hit all the right notes for me. It was funny; it was light; the stakes were medium, and the characters were like having some friends over to hang out.

#TagMe is the second book in Burr’s Trending Topic Mysteries series, which follows Coco Cline, a social media specialist and influencer as she plays amateur detective when she inadvertently finds herself in the middle of murder cases.

I have not read the first book in the series, #FollowMe For Murder, but I didn’t feel lost. In fact, reading this one has made me want to go back and read the first book in the series!

#TagMe took me a little while to get into, but once we were sleuthing along with Coco, it became hard to put down. I needed to know “whodunit.” Coco and Hudson are a delightful couple and I really enjoyed their interactions, as well as the interactions Coco had with Jasper. I felt there were just enough characters to make it interesting, but not too many to not remember who each character was.

The mystery was typical of a cozy, and I honestly did not know “whodunit” until Coco began putting the puzzle together near the end, which I loved. Usually, in some cozies, you can figure out who the perpetrator is early on. I loved that it kept me guessing.

If you’re looking for a fun beach read, I highly recommend you check out this book. Maybe even start with the first book, I’m sure you won’t regret spending more time with Coco and her crew.

Review: Hollyland by Patricia Leavy

March 7, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged ARC, Book Review, Books, Hollyland, Reading1 Comment

HOLLYLAND by PATRICIA LEAVY

Release Date: April 4, 2023

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hollyland by Patricia Leavy is an insta-love romance between Dee Schwartz, a writer and art researcher, and Ryder Field, Hollywood’s leading man. When the two of them meet, sparks instantly fly. From the first paragraph through the rest of the book, the two are inseparable. They just know they’ve met the love of their lives. What follows is a romance full of sweet moments between the two, however, the story often feels as if something is missing.

Because the characters meet in the first couple paragraphs, we never get to see Dee and Rye on their own. They’re almost never apart. Because we don’t see the characters separate, it feels as if the characters are not complete. It’s never really clear who they are as individuals. I think there are only a handful of scenes where the two aren’t together. There is no character growth throughout the whole novel. The characters feel very stagnant.

Because there is little character growth, there is also almost no conflict. The couple gets together, and then have a series of very happy interaction through the whole book. There’s no will they or won’t they, or question about whether or not things are happening too quickly. While this might be a very realistic story, it doesn’t make for a very interesting one.

In the end, the book wasn’t the best thing I’ve read this year, but it certainly wasn’t the worst. If you enjoy sweet insta-love romances, and just want something fluffy to read, this book is for you. If you want something with more meat, then you should probably skip.

February 2023 Reads

February 28, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged A man Called ove, All Quiet on the Western Front, Book Recommendations, Books, Canticle for Leibowitz, Carrie Soto Is Back, Dubliners, Emily St. John Martin, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, John Grisham, JR Ward, Kindred, Pride and Prometheus, Reading1 Comment

Powerful and graphic look at the conditions of the trenches during WWI. I was supposed to have read this book in high school, but didn’t. I’m glad I read it when I did. Even though the book is a work of fiction, it was definitely a way for Remarque to process what he went through while fighting in the trenches. And from what I could tell, it was a brutal nightmare.

I loved Grisham in high school, but now I don’t think I can stomach the misogyny embedded in his work. Add in the overuse of the n-slur, and the plethora of words used in this book, I think I’m done with him. The only thing I really enjoyed about this book was the actual plot, which took a lot of digging through to actually find.

This series gets better and better… and funnier. We get pieces of our characters but not everything. I know it’s to keep us wanting to read the next book, and it’s working. I love how Finlay and Vero keep accidentally entrenching themselves deeper with Feliks. The ever-increasing danger of each book keeps me completely invested in the series. Now, hurry, 2024, I need the next book.

I’m not a fan of character driven novels with unlikeable characters, and this book is not an exception. They advertised the book as comical, but I saw nothing funny about it. The book was very predictable, and I was glad when it was over.

A book of slice of life short stories following different people in Dublin. There was not a terrible story in the entire book. Each story brought something unique, and each one transported me to Dublin. My favorite had to be The Dead. Highly recommend listening to Chris O’Dowd read it to you.

Carrie Soto was such a splendid book. TJR has such a knack for making fiction read like non-fiction. I wish I could look up tapes of Carrie playing. Malibu Rising was weaker than her previous books, but Carrie Soto had Reid back in full force. The relationship between Javier and Carrie was perfect. And that slow burn romance? Perfection.

I read the novel about eight years ago, but reading the graphic novel was a great refresher. The adaptation was amazing. The illustrations really added something to the story, making it that much more horrific and emotional. Loved the story a second time around.

This book. I went into it without really knowing anything about it. And I’m glad I did. I positively loved it. The grumpy old man, Ove, was so much more. As we dug into his backstory and watched him interact with his neighbors, I absolutely fell in love. This is easily going to be an all time favorite book.

I had such high hopes for this book, only for it to let me down. This book is going to probably be one of the most disappointing books I’ve ever read. It held so much promise, and there was a lot I really liked about it. However, the backtracking in each of the three POVs really dragged the story. Add in what has to be the most disappointing ending ever, and this book really fell flat. I wish the author had gone all in on a romance between Adam and Mary rather than just following canon.

Recommended by my husband, I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. And I’m glad. I’m glad I had no clue. I was pleasantly surprised . Once I got around the extreme wordiness of the book, I rather enjoyed it. It was funny, poignant, and very timely. A lot of what was commented on still feels relevant over sixty years later.

I will read every book in the BDB universe, and I will never regret it. There’s never a book I would rate less than four stars. This was not an exception. I really enjoyed the love story, three books in the making, and even ancillary plots. I hope we see more of these characters despite the prison no longer being a thing.

A very unique time travel novel. I loved how the stories intertwined. The characters were plentiful, but it was never hard to follow who was who. The plot was easy to follow and compelling. the overall mystery of the “anomaly” kept me reading. The ending was unexpected, which is always a good thing.

I picked this book up from the “blind date with a book” display at my library. It was fascinating and also scary. I wasn’t aware of the extent we were being surveilled by the government, and how much it infringes on our basic rights. That said, there were two sections that were really stretching it, and I felt were completely unnecessary, which brought the whole book down.

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January 2023 Reads

February 1, 2023February 21, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged Book Recommendations, Books, Charlaine Harris, Hooked, Peter Heller, Prince Harry, Reading, Small Favors, Spare, The Key to My Heart, Winter Night Trilogy1 Comment

Was not really a fan of the style this book was written. Definitely not a fan of Part 2. Baby death is something I wish I knew about going in, I would have skipped the book. I didn’t read the last twenty or so pages. The first part was really interesting with the societal commentary and internet culture though.

3 Stars

While I feel her first memoir is better, I still really enjoyed this one. My favorite essay this time was “Mochi.” It was deeply personal and vulnerable. I think that essay made me love her even more. The rest of the book alternated humor with poignancy.

4 Stars

What a book to start off 2023. So. Good. The book was almost poetic with its prose. The characters were vibrant and three dimensional. The mythology was so rich. There was nothing I didn’t love about this book. I immediately started the second book once this was finished.

5 Stars

What a great romance to kick off the year reading. Loved Natalie and Tom and their slow burn friends to lovers. I think what I loved most was Tom never pushing Natalie, never being openly jealous of Jason. He let Natalie decide in her own time. the relationship was smooth and full of palpable chemistry. I loved this book.

5 Stars

This series has not been disappointing, and the books have been consistently good. The characters are rich, and have shown growth. Vasya is going to be one of my favorite heroines of all time. I love Morozko and can’t wait to see what happens next.

5 Stars

Dark romance with Hook as the lead. I read this book really quickly. The characterizations were good, even if the plot was a bit predictable.

4 stars

I was worried I wouldn’t like the series once it switched to Felicia as the lead, but it turns out I needn’t have. This book was just as good as the others. It set up a lot of interesting threads so I really hope Harris continues the series.

4 stars

A slow burn that never felt slow, there wasn’t anything I didn’t love about this book. The characters were all three dimensional, and Ellerie and Whitaker had so much chemistry it was palpable. The book had just enough suspense to make me feel tense and want to keep reading. Once the action really started taking place, it was impossible to put the book down.

5 Stars

Do yourself a favor and listen to this one on audio. With all the press and leaks and speculation surrounding this book, I expected huge revelations and all the tea being spilt. What I got was a very personal story told by a very hurt man. A man who saw what the British Press did to his mother and when history began repeating itself with his wife, he stood up for himself and got his family out of a dangerous situation. This is not a book written to take down the monarchy. It was written to take down the British Media, which good. The media needs to be taken down. And I hope he’s successful in his crusade. Read this book. It is eye opening.

5 Stars

This year I am reading twelve books recommended to me by twelve friends. This is the first one. This book started off slow, and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it, especially since it was also coupled with no quotation marks. However, the farter in I got, the more invested I became in Hig’s survival. I read it pretty quickly, only so I could make sure everything would work out in the end.

4 Stars

Why, yes, I did read an entire trilogy in one month. And let me tell you, this trilogy was amazing, and it is now one of my favorite series’ of all time. Full of Medieval Russian history and fantasy elements, these books tie together wonderfully and tell a complete story. Vasya was amazing. I loved watching her grow. Morozko was also amazing to watch grow and change throughout the series. It’s rare a series ends and I’m not looking for fan fiction to fill the void of an unsatisfactory ending. This one ended the best way it could, and I felt it was complete. Highly recommend.

5 Stars