Review: Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jar of Hearts was so amazingly good! I was in the mood for a thriller I couldn't put down and this novel had me gripped from start to finish. Loved the jumps between past and present as a way to understand how each character ended up connected to the death of Angela. The characters were complex with messy backstories, which made them feel very real. The mystery surrounding the new serial murders kept me guessing and the ending came as a big surprise. Highly recommend to thriller fans! Can't wait to check out more books by the author.

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Review: Sadie by Courtney Summers

Sadie by Courtney Summers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Courtney Summers is one of my favorite YA authors, so I couldn't wait to read Sadie. The thing about Sadie is the book is very heavy. Like extremely dark and depressing and very hard to stomach. There are all sorts of triggers and I just felt there was never a glimmer of any hopefulness anywhere in the book. The format also didn't work for me. The podcast chapters were strong and engaging and I almost wished it was told entirely in that way. Sadie's POV sections felt flat in comparison. Although I gave the book 3 stars, I would still recommend it. Just wasn't quite in the mood for a very depressing read.

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Review: The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Rouda

The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Rouda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the blurb, I expected a completely different novel than what I got. The Favorite Daughter was definitely a book you can't put down once you start reading. I expect this story to be an emotional read about a mother trying to process her daughter's death. This isn't even close to what I got. Instead, The Favorite Daughter is a psychological thriller with a narrator I loved to hate. Jane is completely narcissistic with a twisted (albeit funny) sense of humor. The author kept me guessing over where exactly the plot was going and I was surprised by a few late novel reveals. My rating is actually 4.5 stars, only because I wasn't a fan of the ending (sequel please?!).

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Review: The Child by Fiona Barton

The Child by Fiona Barton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed The Widow last year, so I was excited to read the author’s follow-up The Child. I mistakenly thought this was a sequel, but although the books share a common character, it is definitely a standalone with a completely different plot. Like The Widow, the book is very slow building with a character-driven narrative. A lot of different stories are weaving through The Child and it takes some time for the connections to be revealed. I think the book could’ve been thinned out a little since some of the sub-plots only came across as filler and didn’t lend much substance to the novel. The Child was a solid 3 stars for me, but the ending was very well done and elevated it to 3 ½ stars.

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Review: The Winter Sister by Megan Collins

The Winter Sister by Megan Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Winter Sister is full of broken characters. Besides Sylvie's aunt, all of the characters are a hot mess. The messy characters and messy relationships really made this book work for me. I felt the author did an amazing job of making the reader feel the complex emotions that come along with losing a sister. Sylvie, Ben and her mother are all carrying around guilt over Persephone and are stuck in their tragic pasts. The mystery was fairly predictable, but that didn't take away my enjoyment of the novel. There's a romance that I was actually a big fan of, but I could see it being polarizing too. I'm just always drawn to romances with broken characters who find solace in one another. 4.5 stars to this stellar debut!

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Review: The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian

The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the premise of this book because I've never read a novel about a character who sleepwalks. I don't know anyone who is a sleepwalker so it was compelling to learn about the affliction. The mystery of what could've happened to Annalee was also compelling. The main issue I had was the pace of the book is painfully slow. The first half especially drags on and on. It took me forever to finish because I kept falling asleep reading at night. Once the plot kicked into gear and a twist is revealed, the narrative was much improved. Recommended to fans of character-driven books about family drama.

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Review; The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances

The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Girlfriend is a solid read with a very strong middle. The beginning was very slow and the ending was super abrupt, but the pacing was absolutely perfect in between. I felt a lot of sympathy for the main character Daniel, because both his mother and girlfriend were absolute disasters and he was caught between the two. I was expecting more of a thriller of a book based on the description, but I’d label it more of a domestic drama. Highly recommend for fans of character-driven novels with leads that you love to hate.

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