Book Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

The Love Hypothesis

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The Love Hypothesis 〰️

This is the third book I’ve read by Hazelwood (the second being her YA debut, Check & Mate), and I really enjoyed my read. I do wonder why this book is in the third person when all (as far as I can tell) of her other books are in the first person. That’s not a complaint; I'm just wondering.

I love reading about women in STEM. Makes me feel smarter than I actually am. Although I will say I felt like Olive wasn’t as smart as she’s supposed to be sometimes. Only at the end did she use her smarts to fix all the issues. And for someone who is supposed to be uber smart (I suppose this goes for Adam, too), they both don’t think to have an adult conversation about their feelings. It’s the miscommunication trope discount cousin, lying by omission/assuming the other person doesn’t feel the same, so they don’t say anything at all. It’s very annoying. I get it; we wouldn’t have a third-act conflict if they talked sooner, but, like, it’s annoying. (Though I hate the miscommunication so much more). If these adults actually discussed the things they heard from people and talked about what was really going on, it would save everyone the heartache.

That being said, I still really enjoyed this book. I love the LGBTQ+ rep. I also find it fascinating to hear about academia since I know absolutely nothing about it. Hazelwood is the only author I know (I’m sure there are plenty of others) who writes books about women in STEM and all that science stuff. Makes me feel like I can learn a little bit while not actually trying to learn.

The romance in this book was cute. It’s been a while since I’ve read a good grumpy meets sunshine trope done so well. I didn’t find the spicy scenes super spicy, and that’s okay. It was pretty tame as far as spice goes. I think the spice in Love, Theoretically was a lot spicier. However, I have trouble believing that Adam was into Olive since the first time they met in the bathroom. Like, yeah, he could find her attractive and vibe with her, but by the end of the book, it felt like we were supposed to believe he was in love at first sight. Now, if they interacted over the years, even just running into each other for some science thing or something, then I can see him loving her by the time they start their fake dating.

Speaking of fake dating, I’ve read a lot of fake dating tropes lately. They were okay. But I feel The Love Hypothesis is the one that does it right. (Although I wish Adam wasn’t already infatuated with Olive at the start, and they both fell in love naturally as their fake dating progresses; we can’t have everything). I enjoyed how Hazelwood handled this fake dating scenario. 

I know I ranted about a few things, but they’re minor things in the long haul. I really enjoyed this book. Not as much as Love, Theoretically, but enough that I will keep reading Hazelwood’s books.

Book Review: Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Horrorstör

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Horrorstör 〰️

I know this is Hendrix's earlier works, but this is the third of his books I've read. I enjoyed both The Final Girl Support Group and How to Sell a Haunted House, but this book? This book is by far the best work I've read. Actually, it's one of the best horror books I've read in a while.

The concept of setting a horror story inside a discount Ikea was genius. Ask anyone who has worked in retail, especially after closing. It's scary enough. Add actual supernatural stuff to the mix, and you've got a great recipe for success.

I will say, however, that every time Hendrix wrote the name of one of the furniture pieces, I "blah blah blahed" over them like I was reading a name in a fantasy book. Again, I love the idea of a discount Ikea, but like, could you remind me which particular type of furniture we're interacting with instead of using its (I'm assuming) Swedish name?

I also super enjoyed all the art. It added to the creepy factor. And I love how each chapter title is a piece of furniture that will be used in said chapter. I love even more that they get more sinister as the novel progresses, but still sound like something you'd find in an Orsk flier. And the copyright is a part of the Orsk catalogue, and the author's photo is an employee ID? Genius, really.

My only issue (and it's a small nitpick since this book is short) was that Amy surrendered to her "treatment" awfully fast and then was snapped out of it just as quickly. For some reason, out of everything, that was the most unbelievable.

I do wish we could have gotten more scenes, like when Amy and Matt got lost and had to use their camera to find the way back because the camera's reality was distorted. That was pretty cool and creepy.

But all in all, this was an excellent, refreshing, quick horror read. Does it have flaws? Absolutely. But I can look past them to enjoy the retail gimmick that made this an enjoyable read.

Book Review: The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

The Spanish Love Deception

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The Spanish Love Deception 〰️

Actual Rating: 3.5/5

So, I accidentally read the second book (The American Roommate Experiment) first, not knowing it was a spinoff. (It reads perfectly well as a standalone if you are a dumbass like me and want to start there). I absolutely loved the second book. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy and all that weird jazz. I absolutely loved Rosie and her story. So I thought, now I HAVE to read the first book, see more of Rosie (but obviously in the background), see how Lina and Aaron get together and so on.

Usually, a second book can be a hit or a miss. Sometimes, they're just as good as the first. Sometimes better. Sometimes, they don't live up to the expectations. The second book (which was my first) was a smash hit with me. Now that I've finally read the first book? I feel like it's the crappy sequel.

Don't get me wrong, I still very much enjoyed the read. But it was nowhere near as good as the second book and had some issues. They only get to Spain like halfway though the book so it takes until then for things to start getting all romancy. That Open House thing Lina had to plan at the start that was made a big deal of? It's barely mentioned until the end and hardly happens on the page. (Which I guess is a good thing as that would have been boring to read, but like, why include it at all?) Also, the book's first half seems to set Lina up for an ED, and it gets pretty serious for a bit. But then Aaron is basically like, don't do that, and she's like, okay, and then it was never brought up again? I'm not sure why it was included if there wasn't a) going to be a discussion on it or b) not going to go anywhere. Actually, it didn't need to be in the novel at all.

Also, this book is full of the miscommunication trope, second cousin, not talking about your feelings as an adult to another adult. The book could have been so much shorter if Lina just talked about what she felt about Aaron and asked if he wasn't pretending to like her. It irked it. So much that I used the word irked.

At least when the romance started to happen (which took a hot min), I enjoyed it. I didn't enjoy it as much as Rosie's story.

As a side note, I also expected more of Rosie in this book, seeing how she got her own novel. I thought fans probably read the first book and couldn't get enough of her, so that's why Armas had to write her story. (She's barely in it or mentioned compared to how long this book was). Not that this is a big issue; I just wondered why Armas decided to write Rosie's story. Though, as spoilers for me, we do see a bit of how Lina and Aaron end up, and they cameo, so there's that.

So, I guess I'm unsure how to feel about this book. I truly liked it, but I also didn't. It's weird. I'd still recommend it, but I also recommend book two more.

Book Review: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Onyx Storm

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Onyx Storm 〰️

I loved this book. But even though I enjoyed it, it had some issues to go with the good.

Rants and raves ahead.

The first half of the book felt like filler. It was interesting enough for me to be engaged, but I wouldn’t call it groundbreaking literature or anything. I didn’t really care for the whole “quest squad” portion of the book. Well, again, enjoyed it enough to keep reading, but it could definitely have been condensed or something. The only cool thing to happen during the whole “island hopping” portion was Andarna finding her family. (Well, and Xaden’s mom suddenly appears. That was interesting as well). At least with the island hopping, we learned more about the world and how other cultures live. I thought it was interesting that there was no magic outside the Continent. I just assumed magic was everywhere in this world, but I was wrong. Plus, Violent didn’t have to info dump all the new world-building facts we learned in this book, so that’s a plus.

But honestly? I wanted more Xaden turning venin plot, which I found surprisingly lacking. Sure, we have Violent and gang looking for a cure (and so far finding none). But, and this is compared to the previous books, Xaden was barely in this book (in my opinion). We barely even have him and Violent talking down the bond since he blocks her out most of the time. The dynamic between them was lacking. Which, speaking of, when they were together, all they wanted to do was bone. (Which fair, but there is a war going on, guys). It’s been a while since I read Iron Flame, but I distinctly remember Violet having a love/hate relationship with Xaden throughout the entire book because she couldn’t trust him fully, and thus she was barely able to tell him she loved him. Now suddenly he becomes venin and she won’t shut up about how much she loves him and he’s her everything and she’d basically say screw the world if it meant saving Xaden. Did I forget something from Iron Flame? How did she shift her feelings so harshly? I’m sure I’m forgetting something that happened near the end, so I guess this is on me, but I’m not re-reading a 500-page book to jog my memory (as much as I enjoyed said book my first read).

Now let’s talk characters. Loads of major characters from the previous books (like Sloan) basically disappear for most of the book. And we get some new (at least I don’t recall them in the last one) characters that I don’t care about. And when they died, I was like, oh, I’m supposed to be sad? There was a guy who got shot with an arrow during the island-hopping bit, and he died, and I honestly had no idea who this character was. Was he even in the previous book? Yarros made it sound like he was a bigger player than normal just because he was on this quest squad mission, but I really don’t recall him, and if his first appearance was actually only in this book? Yikes. I think his death was supposed to be impactful, but I didn’t feel anything. He contributed nothing to the story. And Sloan? Yarros made a huge deal about Sloan in Iron Flame,e but she’s almost nonexistent in Onyx Storm. She was only there for her signet in both books. (Which is a super lame signet to have if you ask me. Helpful, but only during certain occasions. 90% of the time, her signet is useless if you ask me. Well, I suppose she could drain someone of power not on the battlefield, which is great, but she’s not being used to do that in this series, and thus she’s only around when the plot needs her). Even Rhiannon is barely around, and she’s Violet's best friend!

Which, speaking of Rhi, she gets her own POV chapter near the end of the book that contributed nothing to the story. It was a POV of stuff that already happened to Violet, but seen from Rhi’s POV. Yarros could have utilized our time with Rhiannon a lot better. At least with Imogen’s random POV chapter, we get new information (and a death I actually cared about). While the random one-off chapter POVs not from Violet's perspective were mostly interesting, it did throw me off. I mean, we spent like 96.7% (not an accurate number) inside Violet's mind, and randomly near the end, we have three non-Violet chapters? Weird stylistic choice, but okay.

Now I know I just ranted, but I gotta admit, I loved the hell out of this story. Though admittedly, the first half of the book was a little show (again, island hopping), but once it picked up, it picked up HARD. It was actually going to be a four-star read, but the latter half of the book, and especially the ending (omg that ending!!) made this a solid five. I knew Yarros was going to end this on a cliffhanger; she’s done so in the previous two books, but hot damn! Book four can’t come fast enough.

I loved how Andarna broke the bond (and later returns, but we don’t know much about that part yet), how we get more backstory regarding Asher Sorrengail, and the introduction (and end lol) of Violet's nemesis. I can’t recall how to spell or say her name, but it was something like Theopanie (stupid name for such a cool, badass character, but I digress). Plus, we learn that Violet may not be who we thought she was because her parents did something with the goddess Dunne. I’m interested in learning more about that. Who knew there was a backstory behind her hair? I mean, of course, Violet has to be “special”. But honestly, if the MCs of our books weren’t, there probably wouldn’t be a story, so I’m not mad that “she’s not like other girls/riders”.

Also, that cover?? The whole Empyrean series has amazing covers, honestly. Each one is soooo gorgeous. And my copy of Onyx Storm has beautiful sprayed edges with dragons on it. And the formatting and that map? Erg. So good. Even if you hate this series, you gotta admit, the covers are fantastic. (But I love this series, so I proudly display them on my bookshelves.)

All in all, I think this is a solid addition to the series. It’s a five-star read, but because of the slower start, I don’t think it’s as good as the first two, but I still had a blast reading it. There were even audible gasps! (When Riddoc got stabbed) and some actual laugh-out-loud moments (nothing major, but some lines made me chuckle), so I call this a win. I’ll for sure be continuing this series, and I can’t wait for the next book to arrive.

Book Review: Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang

Yellowface

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Yellowface 〰️

What a wild ride! There were so many good quotes in this book that I agree with.

Though June was a dick most of the time, I still wanted her to succeed. I desperately wanted her to succeed even more with something wholly her own, with no "inspiration" from Athena. She was close to that with her sorta memoir, but then it seems like she never finished it, which is a shame. It would allow her to come clean about everything, all while telling an original and engaging story.

I'm not sure about the ending, however. She says all the things that can happen with her new book, but we don't know for sure if it will even see the light of day.

That said, this book contains a lot of excellent, thought-provoking questions! Should people be able to write people who are not of the same culture and race and tell a story that is not their own lived experience? (Provided it's not plagiarized). June makes an excellent argument about that, though I sadly forgot which page it was on to quote it, but I totally agree with her. Yes, I'm a white woman myself, but that doesn't mean I can't write people of colour (which I have in my novel, SOUTH). If I wrote a story entirely of white people because I'm white, then I'd also get called out for lack of diversity. So, as you can see, this book poses lots of questions in regard to the writing world, in who can write what and why. It's an excellent book for discussion.

Back to the story of Yellowface, yes, June made it her own story, but the idea and the skeleton of the story were Athena's and therein lies the ethical debate. She took the story, a very rough first draft, edited the hell out of it, added to her writing, completely made it her own and used Athena as her biggest inspiration. But it wasn't entirely her work, and thus, she should have credited Athena as a co-author or something. What she did was wrong, but maybe also not. It toes the line of right and wrong (more on the wrong side).

As a writer myself, I love reading about the publishing industry. I feel like this book had great insights into what it's like to be one of the authors who made it big, because not every published author gets a six-figure book deal with potential movie rights and earns out their advance. This book indeed shows the hardships of being an author in general, and I respect that.

I love all the work Kuang put into making this book. It deserves all the recognition it received, and I highly recommend it. Probably an excellent book for some book club debates, too.

Book Review: Verity by Colleen Hoover

Verity

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Verity 〰️

My friend read this book and highly recommended it to me. I hear so many mixed feelings about Hoover online. Some people love her, and others hate her. I'm sure there exist people out there who are indifferent, but I've yet to find them. So, after hearing so much about her and having my friend tell me if I was going to read any of Hoover's books, it should be this one, I picked it up.

Holy shit.

Thank you, friend, for the recommendation! This was one helluva read. I mean, that first chapter, heck, the opening scene was intense and had me hooked from the beginning! I could barely put it down.

I thought for a while Lowen may have been an unreliable narrator, and she is, but having Verity be confirmed to be faking her injuries made me question my own judgment. Turns out Lowen was right all along!

I will say, however, that I get why Verity did what she did; it's a little hard to believe. I mean, she should win an Oscar for her acting. She really sold the catatonic state. Does that make for an interesting story point? Absolutely. Do I buy that it can happen in real life? Not as much. No matter how good an actor you are, that type of injury is hard to fake. But did I suspend my disbelief for the sake of enjoyment? You sure bet I did.

That said, Hoover kept on coming with twists after twist that I didn't see coming. That final letter by Verity. Woah. Did she truly mean it? Or was it a safeguard for later? And will Lowen feel safe with Jeremy knowing he tried to kill Verity multiple times? (I mean, yes, since she watched him actually kill her and is still with him seven months later). But yeah, so much to unpack and though we want these questions answered, I'm glad for the ending Hoover provided.

I'm unsure if I'll end up reading another of Hoover's books. So far, the plots haven't spoken to me. But I will say that I don't think Hoover is a lousy writer. She certainly knows how to tell an engaging story.

Book Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House

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The Haunting of Hill House 〰️

I'm not one for classics, but I thought I'd give a modern classic a try. After reading this, I don't think I'm cut out for classics of any era. This book was not for me.

Eleanor's mood is all over the place. She loved Theodora at the start, then she hated her and wanted to watch her die, then she became obsessed with her and never wanted to leave her side.

People keep interrupting people and never let them finish answering the question they asked, and everyone behaves as though they didn't interrupt anyone and ignores the other person talking entirely.

Mrs. Dudley sounds like a German (or foreign, at least) butler. The characters sound like posh British people, always speaking so properly. I know it's the 50s, but they sound like they are in Victorian England to me. And in my head canon, I heard them all speaking with British accents because I thought they were in England, only to find out later from a friend that they were in America. They don't sound American or from the 50s. They speak too properly and use British terms a lot.

Also, spooky things only start happening around 50%, and even then, it's mostly off-screen. They spent most of the book being super afraid and being told the house is evil, but like nothing happened??? And after any "big" spooky thing happens, everyone acts like nothing at all happened in the next scene. Like, y'all aren't gonna talk about the spooky things? Is Eleanor not gonna mention to anyone that she was holding possibly a child's bony hand instead of Theodora's? Or ignore the whole ass house shaking? (Seriously, when anything does happen, the next chapter, they're like having tea or something and don't even discuss the previous night).

(Also, the doctor's wife is kinda a bitch to her husband, and I don't like her. Actually, none of the characters resonated with me. I really hated reading Eleanor's thoughts).

Why did the doctor ask them there if they were going to do absolutely nothing? They just explored the house most of the time doing jackshit. What was the doctor's purpose? Like, yeah, he's doing research and writing a book, but Eleanor, Theodora and even Luke haven't really done anything noteworthy.

Also, I don't get the ending. It just kinda fell flat. Eleanor gets super childish, and I'm not sure what her goal is. Was she possessed? Mental health declining? Who knows. But yeah. They decide to send her away, and in the next chapter, they are all gone, and the book is done. Super anti-climactic for a book that didn't have much going on to begin with. I kept waiting for spooky things to happen, but nothing ever really did.

Maybe if I were into classics, or even modern classics (or born at the time this was published), then maybe I might have liked it. I wouldn't have been spooked by it, but I may have at least enjoyed it.

Book Review: Final Girls by Riley Sager

Final Girls

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Final Girls 〰️

This is my second book by this author, and it will certainly not be the last. I've already ordered two more of Sager's books, and I'm pretty sure he's now going to be an insta-buy for me.

I absolutely love horror movies. Especially ones that include final girls. Halloween, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, to name a few. So, I picked up this book on the title alone. (And also because I've read The Last Time I Lied by the same author, which I also loved). While this book isn't anything like those classic horror movies, it still has that element of thriller, mystery and suspense.

We know Sager wants us to figure out what really happened to Quincy during the Pine Cottage incident. Sager tries to make us think Quincy herself was the real killer. But it's too obvious despite all the evidence pointing towards her for most of the read. Then, when we learn about Sam's true identity, the first twist, I was like, Oh my God! It was actually her the whole time! But nope! Sager pulls a fast one, and it was probably obvious to most readers, but it wasn't to me until a chapter or so before the big reveal of who actually committed the Pine Cottage killings. To say I was shocked was an understatement. Love that Tina, despite all her flaws, was actually pretty cool in the end and formed a bond with Quincy.

That being said, I love Sager's writing style. I also love how he breathes life into each character. And the twists! I'm a super big fan of Sager from now on. I think this author is one to watch out for.