Title: Landline
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Contemporary, Magical Realism
Format: Kindle
Pages: 319
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:
My Thoughts
I really loved LANDLINE. I thought it was an honest look at marriage and relationships. I felt for the MC in regard to the consequences of her choices. While I understood what was happening to her marriage every time she put work before her husband and daughters, I know it’s difficult to see the dissolution of a relationship when you’re that close to the problem.
I thought Rowell’s bit of magical realism in the story was a great way to show how the relationship went from what it was to what it is. I really enjoyed that aspect and going down memory lane with the MC as she decided whether her marriage was worth saving.
I’m a bit disappointed by the ending because it wasn’t everything I wanted it to be, but it felt more realistic than what I had imagined / wanted, and my disappointment isn’t enough to ruin the book for me.
Update: One of the quotes from this book has been my motto for marriage ever since: “I love you more than I hate everything else.”
The Twilight Wife
Author: A.J. Banner
Genre: Thriller
Format: Paperback
Pages: 304
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
My Thoughts
I enjoyed THE TWILIGHT WIFE for the most part. It was simple yet interesting. I’m a bit disappointed because it wasn’t as suspenseful as I had hoped it would be, at least not until the end. At that point, the ending just felt rushed. I’m not sure how it could’ve been helped, though, since for most of the story Kyra isn’t sure what to believe / think because of her memory loss and then when she understands what has happened, it had to go down quickly.
Attachments
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Romance
Format: Paperback
Pages: 323
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Spice Rating: 1 / 5
Rating:
My Thoughts
I enjoyed ATTACHMENTS so much. I loved Lincoln, his personality, almost everything about him. The conflict he had about his job and reading Beth and Jennifer’s emails was a great premise for the story. Rowell did a good job of not making him seem stalker-y. I really enjoyed getting to know Beth and Jennifer through their emails. Their voices were very distinct so I always knew who was speaking. And, I loved how “real” their voices and stories were. My only complaint is that I wish Lincoln and Beth had met sooner than the last 30 pages. I felt like the resolution was rushed since it only took place over the last two chapters.
The Butterfly Garden
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Format: Paperback
Pages: 391
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating:
My Thoughts
THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN was very suspenseful and unique because it switches between first-person narration to third-person limited narration, which I haven’t really encountered before. It was a good way to tell the story and made me want to keep reading so I could find out what happened. I also really like the MC, Maya, and thought she was an interesting character.
Unlike other reviews suggested, I don’t think the story was very plausible. I think I could’ve liked it and even overlooked the implausibility IF the antagonist hadn’t seemed so “normal” instead of the psychopath he was. The story contained quite a few rapes, but the way the writer described them (not too descriptively, thankfully), they seemed more like normal sexual encounters than the assaults they were and that didn’t sit well with me.
Landline
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Contemporary, Magical Realism
Format: Kindle
Pages: 319
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:
My Thoughts
I really loved LANDLINE. I thought it was an honest look at marriage and relationships. I felt for the MC in regard to the consequences of her choices. While I understood what was happening to her marriage every time she put work before her husband and daughters, I know it’s difficult to see the dissolution of a relationship when you’re that close to the problem.
I thought Rowell’s bit of magical realism in the story was a great way to show how the relationship went from what it was to what it is. I really enjoyed that aspect and going down memory lane with the MC as she decided whether her marriage was worth saving.
I’m a bit disappointed by the ending because it wasn’t everything I wanted it to be, but it felt more realistic than what I had imagined / wanted, and my disappointment isn’t enough to ruin the book for me.
Update: One of the quotes from this book has been my motto for marriage ever since: “I love you more than I hate everything else.”
Behind Closed Doors
Author: B.A. Paris
Genre: Thriller
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 304
Reason Read: Recommended
Rating:
My Thoughts
Crazy suspenseful and addicting. I had dreams about it in between reads. I wanted to know how it was going to end as soon as I finished the first two chapters. Even though it’s pretty implausible, I loved every minute of my read. My one complaint is that Jack didn’t suffer enough before he died for what he did to Molly and Millie, put Grace through, and how twisted he was.