Month: October 2022

Quick Reviews: One of the Girls and Quarry Girls

Posted October 19, 2022 / Bite-Sized Reviews, Book Reviews / 1 Comment

I’ve been really into mystery/thrillers lately and was excited to finally dive into ONE OF THE GIRLS! Set during a bachelorette weekend in Greece, this story follows the group of bridesmaids as they celebrate the bride-to-be Lexi. Like with all bach weekends, the girls come from different areas of the bride’s life and don’t really know each other that well. There’s Eleanor (sister of the groom), Bella (overbearing childhood friend of the bride), Robyn (the less annoying childhood best friend that rounded out their trio back in the day), Ana (new friend of the bride), and Fen (Bella’s girlfriend). The reason this book really worked for me is that the tension slowly built throughout each chapter. I always thought I had figured out some connections (some of my theories were accurate) but there was always more below the surface. I really enjoyed trying to figure out who would be the one to plummet off the cliffside and who, if anyone, pushed them. The story alternated between all POVs, which was necessary in building up some of the tension, but was confusing initially. I kept forgetting who was who. The ending was interesting and fairly surprising overall, so that’s a win in my book! I wasn’t sure what to expect from THE QUARRY GIRLS. I’m not really into serial killers (in terms of true crime subcategories) but the author’s note at the very beginning intrigued me and set the stage. I also don’t usually read historical fiction crime/mystery books but for […]

October & November TBR

Posted October 14, 2022 / Book Lists, Features, TBR Lists / 1 Comment

My monthly TBR feature here shows my progress based on last month’s TBR, my plans for this month, and anything else I might be thinking about from a reading perspective. Sometimes I feature a little poll at the bottom so you guys can help me figure out a certain title I should read from a group of books. October and November TBR I thought I would have a fun TBR method in September and I just really did not read enough. I did manage to read or start four books from that TBR though! I’m a little late at posting this so I figured I’d include books for my October and November reading plans. I’ll probably focus mostly on non-holiday books since I usually post a holiday book TBR separately. I read those most often in December but I certainly sprinkle them in throughout the last three months. Review Copies I have a decent mix of books here – there are some seasonal reads like WITCHFUL THINKING and SPELLS FOR LOST THINGS, a couple of magical realism books like THREE KISSES ONE MIDNIGHT and THE REWIND, a mystery like NINE LIARS, and a contemporary like RIVALS. Owned Books I’ve been really meaning to read THE AGATHAS for a while now and I don’t know why I’ve been delayed! I hope to read YOU’RE INVITED for the Literally Dead Book Club in October (finally participating!). And finally, SAGA volume 10 was just delivered and I’m pumped to get back into these […]

ARC Reviews: What Might Have Been and The Hookup Plan

Posted October 13, 2022 / Book Reviews / 0 Comments

I’m always, always a sucker for a “what might have been” story, where the book splits into two timelines and plays out what might happen to the MC depending on a certain decision they make. In WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN (appropriately named), Lucy has a decision to make once she abruptly quits her job. Should she STAY in her beachside hometown, live with her sister, save money, and pursue writing her novel full time? Or should she GO live with her friend in London in her spare room and take on the cushy advertising job she’s also dreamed about? Lucy runs into her ex Max, who she believed was her soulmate before he inexplicably broke up with her toward the end of college, and this spurs her decision-making. In the STAY timeline, she decided to put Max in the past and pursues the cute guy Caleb she also met the same night. The two have to work through some things, like Caleb’s pending divorce, but she finds herself very happy pursuing her writing dream and spending more time with her sister and nephew. In GO, she reconnects with Max and the two have to try to figure out how to make their relationship work once some major secrets get revealed. These books usually go one of two ways: the two timelines result in the MC ending up in the same place and/or with the same guy regardless of their decision, OR they end up in two very different places but […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | September 2022

Posted October 12, 2022 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 0 Comments

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin wraps up the last month in reading and what was on the blog, as well as what’s coming up next. You can check out my book haul, books read, posts shared, challenge updates, etc. You can read past bulletins here. If you’re looking for more personal updates, you can check out my Lauren Lately feature; it highlights my life events and non-bookish fun from the previous 30 days. I did a great job getting on track in August and let everything go off the rails in September. I read four books – it was a busy month between my birthday and various celebrations and taking off for our delayed honeymoon. I actually finished two books and started a third during our trip, but the latter two happened in October instead. I wanted to finish THE HOOKUP PLAN before we left but I just didn’t get to it. I have a few months to get my shit together and hopefully I’ll have a few strong months with holiday books! 4 books read in September 4 new books • 0 rereads • 0 DNF Pages read: 1520 • Average rating: 4.38 stars Sources: 2 review, 2 owned Formats: 2 egalley, 1 mixed, 1 hardcover Genres: 3 contemporary, 1 mystery/thriller Age Target: 2 adult, 2 young adult Check out my 2022 challenge sign-up post for more details, goals, etc.! Popsugar Reading Challenge 1 read this month | 27/40 read total Found family Calendar of Crime Challenge Birthday wild card Breakdown: 1 purchased […]