So, I decided to just get through the reviewathon and post all my reviews in one post. I was really hoping to get through all of the netgalley books I needed to review by today. By alas, I did not. But, I'll take what I could get done! It wasn't too bad!
Lemon Lavender is Not Fine by: Elle Pallmore
Published June 14, 2019
Rating: 4/5 ✰
I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review. This book was super cute and relatable to just about any 16 year olds trying to figure out who they are in the world. Add some family and school drama, and one can be royally confused. Overall, the book was well written but at times felt simple. Lemon, as the main character was very well developed and although she was frustrating to me at times, it added dept to the book. A good book makes you feel things about the main character. Frustration was a good thing! I wanted to scream at her to talk to an adult! Listen to your friends! But her lack of ability to do either of these things added to the overall story! Also, because Lemon was the lime light for this book, many of the main characters were underdeveloped. Graham being one of them. Their relationship started too soon, ended even sooner then we barely saw him again until the end and they end up together? A little more full character development for Graham or even more interaction between the two would have really push it over the edge for me. It just felt like the book spent a little too much time on Lemon's tantrums that could have been spent on relationship building or destruction. However, as I said, overall the book was good! I would be happy reading this again and have even recommended it to my Middle School age daughter to read!
Girl Without a Face by: Nasser Hashmi
Published: July 09, 2019
Rating: 2/5 ✰
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I tend to be pretty lenient with my ratings and I rarely rate under a 3. But, this book almost became my first DNF! However, I'm headstrong and will never have a DNF. And, I really hoped it picked up a bit. This story has a great premise. A girl with a scarred face uses her knowledge of her attackers to bring them down for justice. The premise was great. The exicusion wasn't the greatest. The story was rushed and unnecessary details lingered. The ending also seemed unfinished. Left me wondering how everyone ended up in the end.
Deserve to Die by: Miranda Rijks
Published: July 31, 2019
Rating: 4/5 ✰This book is so close to 5 stars but I don’t give 5 star ratings out easily. This book from the first chapter had my attention completely. When you start a book off with a BANG, it is hard to stray. I was eating it up wanting to know how it ends. Why where the things happening? What could one possibly do to lead to such revenge? What was she going to do next? The book was well written and very descriptive and had very few slow moments. It kept me guessing constantly and because I read so many mystery/thriller books, I typically can see the ending coming. But, nothing in this book I guessed. That is the best sign of a great book! I will be bragging about this book on all platforms I can! Keep up the great work Miranda Rijks.The Verdict by: Olivia Isaac-Henry
Published: October 31, 2019
Rating: 4/5 ✰I received The Verdict by Olivia Isaac-Henry by Netgalley for an honest review. This book was “good enough.” I really hate to sound mean, I’m really not aggressive. I just had a hard time with this book. I saw the ending coming. It was predictable. Very well written, but predictable. I tend to read a lot of mystery books and thrillers and for that reason, I tend to be able to see what’s coming in the stories. The book was very descriptive and would keep anyone entertained, it did me. I would recommend it to anyone I know and plan to. I found the book to be an easy read and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. There was one twist that threw me for a loop (who married who?)! WHOA! Never saw that coming, those are the types of twists that keep me going! And, this courtroom drama kept me on the edge of my seat though with the little twists thrown my way as well as waiting to see if my guesses were correct. Thank you Olivia for the amazing read!Stolen Things by: R. H. Herron
Published: August 20, 2019
Rating: 4/5✰I was given this book to review by Netgalley for an honest review. Let me start off by saying as a mom of girls, I had a really hard time with this book in the beginning. I love a good mystery/thriller book. In fact, they are my favorite. The book started off reminding me of the movie 'Taken' and was thrilling. However, the idea of getting a call from your daughter after possibly being raped is absolutely traumatizing. (In fact, one of my biggest fears.) However, I pushed through it and ended up really enjoying this book. The book was so well written, thrilling and kept me on the edge of my toes constantly. Herron did a great job of expressing the feelings of the character as their world is being turned upside down. Laurie is held very dear to me as she reminds me so much of myself. A mom who just isn’t ready for her daughter to grow up. Jojo, a teenager who is stuck in-between still needing her mom and wanting to be independent, grows up in a matter of a couple of days. The relationship built and expressed in this book was very well captured. Ultimately, a very very good read!Date Night by: Samantha Hayes
Published: August 20, 2019
Rating: 3/5✰I was given this book to review by Netgalley for an honest review. Date night was a tougher read for me. There wasn’t anything wrong with it specifically that I can point out. It just felt like I’d read it already. It felt similar to many other mysteries I’ve read. I saw most of it coming. I’m going to try to be non-specific details. I knew who the murderer was and how it was covered up within the first 3 chapters. It made the rest of the book, pretty boring. I didn’t see the epilogue coming though. That was a nice little twist. Samantha Hayes was very descriptive and is a great writer. The book was captivating, and I was able to read it easily. I just needed a little more mystery.
