Review: Unfollow Me

Unfollow Me by Charlotte Duckworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: My Dark Vanessa

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Intriguing story with a surprising turn

Very well written, timeless story that is fascinating to read and with a sort of writing that draws you into one story and then is turned on it’s head.
Loved it!

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Review: A Good Neighborhood

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book!! Wow. This will most certainly end up in my Top 10 for the year!
This is a heart-wrenching story about two families who are backdoor neighbors in a wonderful neighborhood. One of the families is a black, woman professor at the local college who is an ecologist and loves to maintain her yard due to her love for plants and trees and the wildlife they attract. Her son, who is biracial, is a brilliant young man who is a senior in high school and talented classical guitarist. He is leaving within weeks to go to university for a degree in music. Then the new, white neighbors move in and there is the possibility of befriending these neighbors, who happen to have a teenage daughter who is slightly younger, but also academically gifted herself.
The story is like a retelling of Romeo and Juliet with the possible teenage love story but also with two families who each carry their own baggage.
The voice throughout the story is unique, in that it is told as though there is a narrator taking the reader through the events as a reporter would take the public through a news story. This was an interesting method for telling the overall story and then the back story of each character.
I highly recommend this book if you enjoy controversy and family sagas. The writing is superb and both the plot and character details were engaging throughout.
Loved it!
#AGoodNeighborhood #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #ThereseAnneFowler

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Review: Please See Us

Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A slow burn, mystery/thriller with a unique dual perspective. Really entertaining and well written. This book took me a little longer to become invested as compared with my usual taste in this genre, but overall I really liked it.
Definitely would recommend.
#Netgalley #PleaseSeeUs #GalleryPocketBooks

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Review: Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An interesting tale of the number of children that go missing in India and the people who live around them. I found the writing to be terrific and did a great job of capturing the atmosphere of the markets in an Indian community. There is a large discrepancy between those that have money and those that do not. The writer did a good job in giving a description of the community and sense of how they react, or not, to the epidemic of missing children. Well done book, recommended.
#NetGalley #DjinnPatrolonthePurpleLine #RandomHouse

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Review: Don't Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life

Don't Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life by Anne Bogel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anne Bogel is masterful in her ability to persuade. Whether it is in calling out all of us who overthink everything, sometimes to the point of decision paralysis or in her podcast trying to entice people to read something that they hadn't ever considered. This book brilliantly does this through insightful messages and ideas.
Great book for anyone looking for a shot of positivity and insight.
Thank you for the eARC. I've already bought the final book.
#Netgalley #Don'tOverthinkIt #BakerBooks #AnneBogel

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Review: Saint X

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an amazing story. The characters are so rich and full. This centers around a wealthy, American family who are on a trip to a small, Caribbean island for a relaxing winter break vacation. The children are 18-year-old Alison who attends an Ivy League school and her younger sister, Claire. The eldest daughter goes missing on the morning that the family is supposed to be traveling home. her story becomes the centerpiece of the family's lifelong story. How they react or process the events on that island.
"With the truth we will do what, become what? And in gaining the truth, what do we lose?...That in the end, you just have to decide. To live. To continue."
This is an intricate and highly interwoven story of love, loss and resilience.
Highly recommend.
#Netgalley #SaintX #CeladonBooks

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Review: Follow Me

Follow Me by Kathleen Barber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This thriller is one of those that I thought that I would not like because it is a "stalker" themed book. Usually this genre makes my DNF pile or run and do not touch pile. However, this was an entertaining and well done story. It is based on the protagonist, Audrey, who is a social media influencer with one million followers on her Instagram account. She initially lives in NYC but takes a job in DC to be the social media director for a gallery. It seems like the perfect timing and the perfect fit of a job for her. She creates a social media marketing plan for the gallery previewing the latest exhibit following a woman who had a stalker and then was brutally murdered in the DC area. Audrey is a naive and carefree sort of character who rents her apartment prior to the move, sight unseen. She is also not afraid to overshare her life through social media and one thing leads to another.
The premise of this story was a bit different from the recent stalker type books and shows, such as You, which also follows the life of a young woman whose life is easily followed by a stalker. There were many characters who seemed suspicious throughout this story and kept the pacing of the novel going. The conclusion was intriguing and well done overall.
This is a recommended read for thriller lovers, especially if You was a favorite. I liked the story in this one better than You, where the gory details were too much of the novel. That is not the case here. This is more about the build-up.
#Netgalley #GalleryBooks #FollowMe

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