Itâs true, I am a changed woman. Well, for this month anyways. Work has been mellowing out to a more normal, consistent pace so I have been able to keep up with my reviews as I have been finishing current reads. And the books I have been reading, have been so enjoyable and/or good to talk about!
I am excited to dive into some October reads, I have some spooky, witchy, fall vibe books sitting on my Net Galley shelf calling my name this month so I am hopeful to get to some of those! But hereâs Septemberâs wrap-up, enjoy!
The Measure by Nikki Erlick 3đ đ§
The concept of this book was so interesting- on the same day everyone in the world receives a string in a box, which they discover ends up determining the length of your life, how are you going to live that life? For some reason, I went into this book thinking it was going to give off major dystopian vibes, but it absolutely did not so that was just a complete missed expectation for me. Thatâs on me.
However, I feel like there was way too many story lines. A good handful of them crossed over, and I enjoyed those ones. The other story lines barely did and just felt very unnecessary to the plot line. At one point it felt a bit redundant because how can you really build a big plot.Â
I will give the ending some credit though, it was very captivating how everything wrapped up and I enjoyed that. The other 83% of the book, I did not love like that though.
Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 4đđ
Another miss for me this month? I donât know! I think I expected more banter and thriller-ish themes, but it felt a little dragged on and slow for my enjoyment. What I did love so much about it was the characters- although there were a lot to try to remember and who was who, etc. They were a riot to read about and envision. Picturing a group of old people at a retirement home trying to solve an actual murder was very humorous in my head.
Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage 5đđ
One word- yeehaw đ¤ I am so sorry I slept on this romance series because whatever was in that book, I absolutely ate it up. Give me all the cheese, and brotherâs best friend romance on a ranch there is in this world because I want more of it.
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli 5đđ
I took a hard left turn from cowboy romance to witch-ish fantasy so I did not know if I was going to enjoy this book so much, but it completely blew any expectations I had out of the water. It took a second to get into for me, as most fantasies are as I try to quickly grasp the world, but once I was in it, I was tearing through it. It had every dose of action, and mystery, with a side of forbidden romance.Â
This was one read I kept reaching for. I would highly suggest this one if youâre looking for a fall-ish fantasy book to read!Â
Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage 5đđ
Honestly, I couldnât stay away from this series for more than book. Am I ashamed? Absolutely not. I donât know what Sage puts in these books, but I physically couldnât put this book down either. The characters absolutely delivered and the trope was just *chefâs kiss*
Also, this book (at least the beginning of it) reminds me of the song You Look Like You Love Me.Â
My Murder by Katie Williams 4đđđ§
I finished this book, gave it an instant 4 because it wasnât stand out, but it also wasnât bad. However, as I sit down to write this review I almost want to give it a 3. Nevertheless, I always stick to my original rating.
I loved the setting/premise of this mystery/thriller (I truly donât know what genre I would put it under)- a world where VR is a daily occurrence and people can get replicated after death, so a group of women who were killed by a serial killer come back and we follow one of the womenâs lives. The futuristic setting was there, but it honestly didnât pick up or have that *shocking* moment until like 65% of the way through the book, but everything before that felt very introductory that it was a bit slow. The ending was good, unexpected, nothing mind blowing, but just good.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune 4đđ
Part of me wants to say, Klune should have just kept a good thing, a good thing. House in the Cerulean Sea was such a beautiful book that it maybe shouldâve just been left as a standalone. However, coming back to these sweet, sweet characters was the best feeling.
The first quarter-ish of the book wasnât my favorite, mainly because it felt very agenda-based and we werenât getting much of the kids. I know it was necessary to set the plot, but I couldâve done without some chunks. Once we got past that and back to the island, it was everything you loved about the characters and more of their quirky personalities plus a new lovable yeti.Â
On a side note, I feel like in every Klune book Iâve read he takes an unnecessary (like it doesnât add to the plot) dig at religion and it is just icky to me. I think I just expect it at this point so just ignore it.Â
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore 5đđ
I feel like it has been awhile since I read a well built-out, thought-through thriller. Iâve read page turners with ok writing that I devoured, but nothing this wonderfully intertwined in awhile.Â
There is multiple characters you follow and multiple time lines, which can get very confusing in a book at times, but in this case it kept up the pace of the book. Speaking of, I would think keeping the pace up in an almost 500 page thriller would be hard, but Moore nailed it and kept me wanting to pick up the book, constantly leaving me wanting to know more about X, Y, or Z. I also loved that youâre mainly focused on the one mystery of a missing girl, but thereâs also an underlying one where you question if it was actually solved.Â
Moore really blew me away with how well this was written!Â
If you also read any of these books, or some are on your TBR- drop your thoughts/comments/feelings in the comments!!