In The Solarium

 4/5  ⭐ Sarah Pearse is back with another destination mystery featuring Detective Elin Warner. A family trip to an all-new eco-retreat to help reconnect and learn more about new family members starts off as they travel to the island clouded with a dark past. The cast of characters presented covers the gambit, self-absorbed influence who scored the tickets, freeloading boyfriends, distant sisters, and cousins with a tragic past. Take your pick there is one of each. And they are all stranded together on this island with a murderer picking them off one by one. We definitely get to see some character growth with Elin which I loved. Instead of being stagnant and making it a focus of her character we get to see her grow from the traumas of her past. As well as see how she does solving a crime in an official capacity and being backed by her department. I love a locked room mystery and boy, does Pearse know how to structure one. The twists in this were flawless and kept me on my toes....

5/5 ⭐ A run-down, falling-down house surrounded by the sea and a visiting family so fractured it’s a wonder if they are even related. Daisy Darker has died so many times. Ever since she was young with a heart too weak to beat properly. Her life has been one big question mark of when will it happen next. It’s no surprise that I was drawn to this one. The mere mentions of anything Agatha Christie inspired whatever has me interested. And I was not disappointed. This novel starts dark and gets darker as it plays out. One by one people start to die, clues and hints, and macabre poems are left for the remaining to find. Building the tension here is something Alice Feeney does masterfully. Blending beautifully tragic laced prose with delicate and deceiving dialogue left me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. While familiar elements to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None were there, Feeney creates her own mystery masterpiece that is sure to please many. Thank you ...

4/5 ⭐ TBR: 9/13/22  Going into this, I was expecting something totally different and I wasn’t at all disappointed by what it turned out to be. Dimple Pennington isn’t an only child just like she isn’t really an influencer even though she tries. And after one tragic event pulls together all the Pennington siblings again, she’ll learn what familial ties really mean. At some times it is not very relatable and a little unrealistic, but it is also a piece of fiction so I wasn’t too bothered by it. Even with all the characters I really enjoyed the exploration of all the possible relationships and the very well wrapped ending. I love a good ending. Thank you to Scouts and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.  8/9/22 *This review was previously posted on my Google Site.

5 /5 ⭐ There is something magical about this book. Beyond the time-traveling aspect. This tucked-away cafe serves coffee and gives visitors a chance to travel back in time provided they follow a specific set of rules. In this first set of stories, we get to see how four different visitors use the opportunity to travel back in time and how it affects them in the present and future. The age-old question… if you could go back in time would you? What would you want to do, see, or talk to? This is a beautiful story that explores those questions and while bittersweet in parts is satisfying in all ways. Kawaguchi takes us on a journey that gives us a look into what could happen if you got the chance to visit the past. 6/14/22 *This review was previously posted on my Google Site.

3/5 ⭐ While this story started great and had some really great qualities, it, unfortunately, fell flat for me. I tend to avoid historical fiction and I had hoped that the murder mystery aspect would help. And I think it would have if it had actually been about the murders. But instead, they became almost an afterthought. I was drawn in by the attention to detail and well-developed prose but after a while, it was overwhelming and tedious. It felt like it took forever to get to the point and while some build-up is good, this was too much. This is definitely for someone, but not me. 6/7/22 *This review was previously posted on my Google Site.

4/5 ⭐ Translated from the original Korean, Violets gives the reader a look into the complexities of not only San’s life but offers a reflection on mental illness, violence, and loneliness. The novel starts with the tragic upbringing of Oh San and her dysfunctional family that one by one abandons her for their own gain. A defining moment with her only friend, Namae in the minari field they grew up near also leads to Namae distancing herself from San. Leaving her all alone. Years later she finds herself working in a flower shop with a mute boss and assertive coworker who she becomes fast friends and roommates with. This work is definitely more character-driven rather than plot-driven. This is the first work by Shin that I have read and I can understand all the hype about her distinct language. Her writing is incredible. The language is soft-spoken and subtle in its exploration of loneliness and desire for something else. Something more. Definitely more for the woman in Korean society. S...

4/5 ⭐ A story of getting your life in order. On the inside and outside as well. With themes of alcoholism, self-discovery, and coming out, Huntley gives us Stevie Green, a perpetual runaway-er who has started her own organization business back in her hometown she originally ran away from 20 years earlier. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. While light in some spots, with humor and wisecracks being made about social media and the likes, there were some heavier moments as well. Although some of the bigger reveals felt very predictable and I wasn’t surprised when I read about them later. The characters themselves were... at points very frustrating and sometimes felt as if they were trying too hard to be realistic. And while a lot of people were frustrated with Stevie, I was most annoyed with the mother, Kit. Who seemed totally fine with talking about her children behind their backs, keeping tragic secrets from them, and just throwing money at them to make herself feel better. The POV shifts ...

5 /5 ⭐ This collection of short stories from Hiromi Kawakami takes the reader through the streets and peeks into the lives of the people from the neighborhood. The grumpy chicken farmer, a school principle who trains dogs, and a delinquent for a best friend. In between the mundane happenings of these people Kawakami creates a universe filled with mystery and occasional mayhem. Drastic transformations of people and places, reverting back by the end of these bite sized tales. 3-4 page stories, packed with a satisfying story from start to finish. Learning little bits and pieces of characters that have been expertly woven throughout the pages. This collection was my first short story collection in years and the first one of 2022. I’ve read other works by Kawakami, and I was so excited to see this collection. The eye catching pink cover with little figurines depicting Japanese styled houses was the first thing that caught my eye. It was cute and interesting. I ended up reading the entire co...

  5/5 ⭐ I am not the biggest fan of historical fiction, but there was something about this one that just captivated me into reading it all in one day. Maybe it was the fact that the present-day scenes were more frequent than the flashbacks to the past. Maybe it was the museum and artifact talk that made my little nerd heart happy. I really can't put my finger on what it was. But I was left at the end of this with the biggest satisfied grin on my face. It opens with the scene that changes the life of one of our main characters, Margot, on the night of a party that went horribly wrong. And the friendship that bloomed between her and Josephine, a resistance fighter, in a prison cell during World War II. Back in the present time, Evie is tasked with preparing Josephine's possessions for showcase in an exhibit to honor her life and work as a popular mystery author. Exploring her past raises more questions than answers as Evie, her son, Hugo, and the museum curator Clement search for...

5/5 ⭐ It's hard to put into words what I was left feeling after finishing Almond. This was one that I had on my TBR list for a long time before I was given the chance to read it and once I started, I couldn't put it down. As a psychology student, I was vaguely familiar with the condition Yunjae had. It was something we had talked briefly about in my neuropsychology class when we were studying parts of the brain. But that was brief and only talked about it in a clinical sense. Reading Yunjae's thoughts and how he looked at things and how he 'felt' about things was fascinating. At times I laughed at his bluntness and how uninterested he seemed. Other times I cried for how sad he must have been without knowing how to feel. To grieve. I think it does raise the question is it ever a good thing to not feel emotions. To keep a clear head and not be reactive. And after reading this, I think the answer is no. To not feel is to not live. To not experience. And if anything Yun...

4/5 ⭐   Thirteen short stories exploring what happens at night. A perfect summer read for when you're not ready to go to sleep just yet. This anthology features a wide variety of stories all focusing on high schoolers/young adults and certain events or predicaments that they must deal with. Added with the I am not the most familiar with anthologies but I did enjoy the variety and that they were diverse in their characters and representations. I think a lot of teens would enjoy this one. I do think that some stories were better than others, but that is just my opinion. Overall, I really enjoyed this anthology. Thanks to Algonquin Young Readers & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.  6/22/21 *This review was previously posted on my Google Site.