october ‘23 book reviews
i am fully embracing autumn and the chill in the air that makes you want to curl up with a good book! need a recommendation? here’s what i’ve read in october:
starling house by alix e. harrow
rating: 4/5
synopsis: opal has dreams of getting out of the town that’s swallowed her whole. in a small corner of coal country in kentucky, twenty-six-year old opal is saving away every cent so her brother jasper—bright & talented & too good for eden, kentucky—can attend a private boarding school. when the opportunity to make a ton of cash falls into her lap by way of the creepy warden of starling house, a property shrouded in rumors and mystery, opal jumps at the chance. it’s just cleaning this old house, and honestly, she’s curious what goes on inside!
review: this was so easy to devour!! opal is a character that’s totally lovable even though she’s got a hard exterior. the world has been cruel to her but she uses it to fuel her work ethic. when the elusive arthur starling offers her a job, she’s both intrigued and frightened. the whole town talks about starling house and the weird happenings there—some say the family’s part of a cult, some say people disappear on the property—but no one knows what’s true. so of course opal wants to find out. what caught me by surprise was the enemies (if you can call them that) to lovers trope between opal and arthur. it was a deliciously good read right before halloween.
pretty girls by karin slaughter
rating: 4/5
synopsis: claire and lydia’s lives are torn apart when their sister julia disappeared without a trace when she was nineteen years old. two decades later, the hole and that rift continues as claire, a wealthy trophy wife, and lydia, a struggling single parent, still don’t speak. until claire’s husband is murdered and a sick horror finds its way into their lives. the sisters now band together, nancy drew-style, to uncover secrets & find the truth.
review: this was such a strange book for me to review. i gave it four stars because it illicit such a visceral reaction — it almost felt like reading verity again. words are so powerful!!! however, this is not a book i’d recommend to anyone. the topics are vile, inhumane and disgusting and i struggled to finish this book. i listened to it on audiobook which i actually really liked for once (1.5x speed to make it feel like another episode of crime junkie), but it was super tough to get through. if you’re brave and want to try, just read the trigger warnings—there’s mentions of kidnapping, rape, murder, torture and suicide.
currently reading: the very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna
rating: 3.5/5
synopsis: mika is an irregular witch. it fact, she’s part of a very secret society of witches (though she’s the only one who calls it that). when a random instagram message asks her to help teach three young witches, she suddenly finds herself intrigued. these three young witches have fallen under the radar of the leader of the society, and they seem to be hidden for a reason. with the help of a ragtag bunch of guardians (an archeologist, a former actor, two caretakers and a librarian), mika works with altamira, rosetta and terracotta to control their magic. this family of sorts is the first time mika feels like she belongs, and for once, she doesn’t want to leave.
review: i’ve been holding off on reading this until we got closer to halloween because it’s the perfect cozy read for the holiday! mandanna crafts very lovable and relatable characters. mika has spent most of her life alone, because groups of witches together can be troublesome with their powers, so when she comes across three charges & their caregivers, she feels part of something & can finally be her true self. the plot felt a little flimsy to me, but the themes of acceptance and found family make this a worthwhile read!
all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr
rating: 5/5
synopsis: this story follows two children living very different lives during world war II. marie-laure is a blind young woman who flees paris, during the nazi occupation, for saint-malo, a place along the sea she learns to be familiar with when her father creates a mini replica of the town. it’s here that she helps send secret messages using a transmitter in her great-uncle’s house.
werner is an inquisitive young man living in an orphanage in germany when he’s recruited to track illegal radio activity for the fuhrer. as a young man he’s impressionable and before he can even get a grasp on what’s happening in the world, he senses something incredibly wrong. though seemingly world’s apart from one another, werner and marie-laure prove that in the darkest times, there is good in people.
review: i was not prepared for how much this novel would move me. it’s an incredible story of human perseverance in the face of true evil. there were so many lines that stuck out to me, but what’s resonated most was a sentiment from marie-laure after the war. she had lived in a brutal environment, fearful every day for years, until one day, the war is proclaimed over and she can resume her life. but there are so many unanswered questions, how do you just begin again? my heart broke reading this and i’d do it all over again.
divine rivals by rebecca ross
rating: 5/5
synopsis: iris is a fierce eighteen-year-old trying to make the best possible life for herself. her world is engulfed in a war between gods, a war that her brother is fighting in, and her mother is an alcoholic who struggles to provide stability for the family. iris’ only escape is the local paper she works for, oath gazette. here she’s working towards an ever-coveted columnist position, one that she’s fighting for with her workplace rival, roman. to help cope with the loneliness she feels, she writes letters to her brother, forest. a magical typewriter allows her to send letters to her brother—or so she thinks. when someone writes her back, someone who’s not her brother, she begins to form a friendship of sorts with the anonymous author. and in a weird twist of fate, she finds herself falling for the beautifully written words that seem to leap off the page & provide a welcome light in dark times.
review: i simply adored this book! the characters, iris and roman, are so well written—i felt as if i knew them. when iris was upset, i was upset. when they were both happy, i was squealing for joy! you’ll quickly find out that roman is the mysterious author of the letters iris receives and the dual pov is truly wonderful! i had heard so many good things about this book and it far exceeded any expectations. i am itching to get the second book because that cliffhanger is unbearable!!!!!!!
bad men by julie mae cohen
rating: 1/5
synopsis: saffy huntley-oliver rids the world of bad men—rapists, abusers, murderers and the like. she’s a bona fide feminist serial killer whose tough exterior begins to crack a bit when she starts to fall for true crime podcaster, jonathan desrosiers. and jonathan is about to get into trouble himself when a dead body on his doorstep makes him the prime suspect in the investigation. lucky for him, saffy will do whatever it takes to protect her crush.
review: i didn’t know what i was getting myself into when i requested this on netgalley a few months back—it sounded like the perfect dark comedy read for spooky season, however it fell short of my expectations. it was poorly written and the plot lacked any depth. there was no flow to the story and i couldn’t tell how much time had passed which left me confused most of the time. the orchestrated relationship between jonathan and saffy was weird - she was forcing too much of her “feelings” that the interactions felt scripted almost? i don’t know how to describe it but i cringed every time they flirted with one another. there were too many things and subplots going on in the story for me to enjoy it so it felt like a chore to read.
summer after summer by lauren bailey
rating: 4.5/5
synopsis: olivia and fred have never gotten their timing right. when they met at 17, sparks flew and a budding romance began over the summer — until a misunderstanding separated them. five years later, they cross paths again. maybe now they’ll be able to work it out, but fate isn’t on their side this time either. over the course of twenty years, you see the pair come together and fall apart until finally it seems like it may actually be the real deal. is the fifth time the charm?
review: thank you netgalley for this advanced reader copy! i devoured this book on a bachelorette trip to the beach because it’s a cozy beach read. set in the hamptons, fred and olivia are entangled in more ways than one, but life continues to get in the way. when olivia is back after twenty years, ready to help her elderly father move, she’s surprised to find fred is the one who bought her childhood home. it was a well written second chance (or fifth chance) story, though the typical “misunderstanding” is utterly frustrating when you know they’re supposed to be together! but in simple, i loved this!
twisted love by ana huang
rating: 2/5
synopsis: ava is an independent college student struggling with a difficult past when her brother (and next door neighbor) leaves for a gap year in south america where he’ll practice medicine. like any good big brother, he’s worried about his sister so asks his friend, alex, to watch out for her while he’s gone, much to ava’s dismay because she can’t stand him. as the two become closer, and feelings change, they could be on the verge of something really amazing or something seriously destructive…
review: y’all, i’ve seen the booktok reviews here and had such high hopes but i really didn’t like it! the characters were alright and i’ll admit the protectiveness of alex was cute at first but is truly so toxic. i learned i am not a grumpy/sunshine girly - i can’t stand this trope! don’t even get me started on the plot — first her mom tries to kill her, but wait, it’s actually her dad, and then she moves to london and alex follows her for a year. my head is spinning. i read another review that said the writing “tells” you what happened and not “shows” you, and for me, it made it so hard to get into this book.
crown of midnight by sarah j maas
rating: 4/5
synopsis: the king’s assassin, celaena sardothian, has a secret. though she’s been tasked to kill the enemies of the king, she’s been letting her marks escape and collecting information. while hiding her secrets, she also gets cozy with the captain of the guard, much to dorian’s dismay. but when tragedy strikes close to home for celaena, she’s beside herself with grief, wondering who she can trust.
review: while i didn’t love throne of glass, i’ve heard so many good things about the series as a whole so i decided to trudge on. and i must say, it is getting better!! celaena is finding her way in the castle and giving in to her feelings for chaol. i can see sjm’s writing progress and am excited to see where this goes!
weyward by emilia hart
rating: 5/5
synopsis: the weyward women are uncanny. strange. weird. altha is being tried for the death of a local farmer and is accused of witchcraft. violet is longing to get out into the world when societal pressures force her into a life she never wanted. kate is in an abusive relationship when she flees for an old cabin in the woods that she inherited from a great-aunt. these three women are tied together not only by blood, but by nature’s unique forces.
rating: add this to your list immediately! i was instantly intrigued when i heard witchcraft because it’s perfect for spooky season. i fell in love with the three main characters and the struggles they faced in very different times—1619, 1942 and 2019. it’s easy to root for altha, violet and kate in this book that makes you want to scream sometimes. i loved every page.
what lies in the woods by kate alice marshall
rating: 5/5
synopsis: the woods can be a dark and scary place for some and a mystical world for others. for naomi cunningham, it’s both. when she was eleven, naomi was playing make believe with her two best friends in the woods when she was viciously attacked and nearly killed. they put the serial killer behind bars and we dubbed heroes. but they lied. and the lies are catching up with them. they didn’t put the wrong person behind bars did they?
review: what a total mindfuck this was!!!!!! just when you think you know the full story, there’s another twist that makes you question everything. who can naomi trust? it’s literally no one!!! it’s a darker read but i loved it!
i have some questions for you by rebecca makkai
rating: 3.5/5
synopsis: podcaster bodie kane is understandably nervous to be going back to her boarding school, granby, to teach a class—the school at which a girl named thalia, bodie’s roommate, was murdered. they caught the guy, the athletic trainer, and he’s been sitting in jail for over twenty years, but bodie has always been left with some questions. what if they got the wrong guy? what if the investigation wasn’t thorough? what if the killer is still walking among them? armed with years of amateur sleuthing experience and renewed interest from her students, bodie works to uncover what truly happened in the woods of new hampshire back in the 90s.
review: i don’t want my rating to dissuade you from starting this—i really enjoyed the book! the writing was enthralling, making you feel like you’re the killer (bodie is addressing the person she thinks killed thalia) and makes you want to keep turning the page to see what happens next. ultimately, i was disappointed with the ending, and without giving too much away, that was the point. this isn’t a fairytale and won’t end with a perfectly wrapped bow, though i sort of wished it did.