MINI REVIEWS: January & February

So mini reviews are a thing now. I have done two other posts like this if you like this format and want to check them out. For this post there are a lot of NetGalley titles that I did not want to write full reviews on. I tried to clear out my NetGalley titles during these months and managed to do okay (and then got approved for more titles).

MINI REVIEWS: September & October
MINI REVIEWS: November & December

Honeybee by Trista Mateer
I follow Trista on Instagram and tend to like the content she puts out there, so I was surprised when I did not love this. I could not connect with this collection at all. Which to be fair, is more on me than the writing. I have not experienced what the author is talking about. Some of the poems are gorgeous and I highlighted them. But, others…just fell flat. I also found Mateer’s writing to be a bit simple and less immersive than other poetry I’ve read. She does craft a gorgeous narrative and I will continue to read her work.
3/5 stars

*Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I am such a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid and was happily surprised when I went to buy this title that it was free for Prime Members. This is a short story told via letters between two people who find out their spouses are cheating on them with each other. Despite being super short, I cared so much about these characters and they felt so real (something have noticed in many of TJR’s books). If you are a fan of her work, I highly recommend this short story (plus bump that Goodreads goal up a bit).
4/5 stars

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
I had a fun time reading this and for contemporary romances that is sort of the main thing I care about. I am a huge Rom Com fan and enjoyed seeing a character who unapologetically loves them. I enjoyed the commentary on romantic comedies, the author talks about how heteronormative and white older rom coms are and the main character’s best friend is constantly bringing up how unrealistic certain aspects of them are. This book is also funny, I found myself laughing out loud a few times. The supporting characters were fun too, her uncle and best friend were refreshing. I believe there is a spin off novel with the best friend and I see potential in that one.

I really wanted to love this book and the above made me ignore some of the issues I had while reading it, but once I finished it, I realized I had some problems with it. Overall this book is cheesy (not always bad), infuriating, and I had issues with the main character. Annie seems sort of naïve for being 26 (or 27 I don’t remember her age). She still believes in the whole idea of the perfect man (she refers to him as her Tom Hanks) which to me seems a bit unrealistic for a woman in her mid-twenties in 2019. I also did not see any chemistry between Drew and Annie. There are tons of tropes, not all which are bad, but all together make for a predictable novel whose comedy and fun side characters don’t fix all the issues I had with the main plot.
3/5 stars

*Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb
If you like heist novels and are okay with not knowing what is happening for the first quarter of the book, you might like this. I had such a hard time connecting to this novel. I did not like the characters at all in the beginning and by the end they were just fine-ish. I am not sure if this is due to the fact that I read an eARC, but we would just switch points of view in the middle of chapters, with no warning. There were no indications that we switched, which confused the heck out of me. Also, since most of these characters do drag and we are introduced to them while they are in drag, I had no idea who any of the characters were and kept getting them confused with each other and with their drag personas for at least 15% of the book. Overall, this book has some great queer characters and the drag queen element was fun (if not mentioned enough), but I would have DNF’d this if I had not received a copy to review.

I did appreciate the diversity and the representation and the idea for this novel is SO GOOD, but ultimately, I think the author tried to do too much in this novel and it fell flat for me.
2/5 stars

*Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

Blue Lily, Lily Blue & The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
I reread this series via audiobook over the past six months and that was a great decision. It took me a little while to get used to the audiobook narrator, but he truly has the perfect voice to narrate this series. Honestly, with this series I don’t remember much of what happens plot-wise, but I am left with a deep love for the characters and Henrietta. Seeing all these characters stuffer and grow to love each other so fiercely is moving. Maggie’s writing is gorgeous, and she somehow makes all the different POVs make sense. The finale isn’t perfect, and I have seen some critiques of it, but I spent half of my time listening to it being overly sad that this was the end of the series (I know we are getting a Ronan book and I am HYPED, but it is not the same). I also did not expect to almost tear up when we see how Maura, Calla, and Persephone met? Like I was on a run and getting emotional? Who am I? These characters will always have a special place in my heart, and I am excited to see them again in the Ronan books.

Books that I read during this time that have a review up or a review is coming:
Review is Up:
The Princess & The Fangirl by Ashley Poston
BOTM review: On the Come up By Angie Thomas
Review to Come:
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Thanks for reading! 
     xoxo, Tree