Mini Thoughts

Hello, all!

I realized I have quite a few reviews that I haven't put up, so bear with all these posts you'll be getting to catch myself up!

Pub Date: 4-1-21
Adult - Contemporary

The Temporary Roomie- Sarah Adams: There isn't much that Jessie hates in this world, but Drew Marshall is at the top of the list. Jessie has hated her best friend's brother since before she even met him, and the feeling is mutual. The pair spends the majority of their time pranking and throwing verbal jabs at one another, but when Jessie's home needs renovating, Drew takes pity on his very pregnant nemesis and lets her stay in his spare bedroom-- the only catch is she has to pretend to be his girlfriend. Jessie agrees to Drew's terms all the while planning the ultimate prank for when the time comes. But as the pair are forced into cohabitation, Jessie sees a completely different side to the usually stoic Drew and can't help thinking maybe the spark between them is more than just annoyance.

I haven't read much by Adams, but this was another instant hit. This enemies-to-lovers story had me laughing out loud right from the start. I loved the animosity between Jessie and Drew, and yes, while they could be very childish at times, I couldn't get enough of their banter. Their relationship felt very natural and believable, and I enjoyed watching them grow together and realize these feelings they both tried so hard to ignore. They each brought out a fun silly side to one another but were also still able to have deep, meaningful moments. Just like the first book, The Off Limits Rule, the characters tend to fall in love very quickly and everything escalates pretty fast, and usually, I'm not super into insta-lovey relationships, but Adams has a way of acknowledging it and making it charming rather than ridiculous. This was another that I read in one sitting because I didn't want to put it down. If you're a fan of hilarious pranks with a side of tenderness, this is the one to pick up.

Rating: 4/5

Pub Date: 4-13-21
Adult - Thriller

Near the Bone- Christina Henry: Mattie lives in a remote cabin in the woods with her husband, William. Mattie doesn't remember how they came to be on this mountain, or even much about her own life before William. All she does know for sure is that she must never make William angry. Mattie hasn't seen another person besides her husband for years, but when she comes across the mutilated body of a fox, she quickly realizes they aren't alone-- something with big claws is prowling through the woods. When three cryptid-obsessed strangers appear, Mattie knows their presence will anger William and bad things happen when William gets in a mood. Mattie desperately tries to get the strangers to flee, and in her haste to get them as far from William and the monster as possible, long-buried memories start to come to the surface and it'll take a strength Mattie didn't know she possessed to survive and uncover the truth about who she is.

If you were to take a psychological thriller mix in a suspenseful survivalist plot and add a dash of slasher horror, you would get Near the Bone. You can tell straight away that there's something wrong with Mattie's circumstances being that she's left so isolatedly sheltered, you can't fully put your finger on it, but it's clear it has something to do with her husband. I liked how Mattie's memories were triggered by these strangers she meets in the woods who vaguely recognized her, and you slowly got to piece together what happened to her which was so sad even if it was slightly predictable. Aside from how that, I also found the plot to be a little repetitive at times and would've loved to have gotten more of the monster aspect. There's this big terrible creature picking them off one by one, yet we don't learn much about it at all. You don't even get a clear picture at the end of what it exactly was either, so that left me a bit underwhelmed. There were times where Henry did a nice job of keeping you on edge, especially in the smaller, quieter moments, and her writing was very atmospheric, but I just wished for a little more.

Rating: 3/5

Pub Date: 6-1-21
YA - Fantasy

For the Wolf- Hannah Whitten: As the first Second Daughter to be born in centuries, Red has lived her whole life knowing that when she comes of age, she'll be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Woods in the hopes of restoring the old Gods who were captured long ago. Red knows that this thought should terrify her, but she can't help but feel a sense of relief that maybe she'll finally be rid of this strange dangerous power that flows through her veins. Red grew up on legends of the mysterious Wilderwood and the beast that lurks within, but she quickly learns that the tales had it all wrong. The Wolf in the woods isn't some beast but a man, and the power she always thought of as a curse is her only means of saving her land and those she loves if only she can learn to control it before it's too late.

Like most, I went into this thinking it was going to be a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, but aside from the name Red and a wolf, this is a story completely unto itself. I thought the premise was imaginative and I enjoyed Whitten's writing a lot. It was lush and vivid and pulled you in right from the start. There were times I found it overly descriptive, but not so much that it made the story sluggish. I also liked the world-building and the magic system, though just with any other debut fantasy series, there were a few times I was confused at how things worked but it all came together eventually. I loved how Red and Eammon were both tied to the woods and could almost bend it to their will, and I liked how the magic was very give-and-take. The majority of this is told through Red's perspective, and I liked getting to know more about her and her powers, but there were snippets we also got from her sister which I think helped flesh out the story and will tie in more in the coming books. There's also a slow-burn romance between Red and Eammon, and while I wasn't fully invested in it, I did still like it and I'm interested to see how it progresses. Overall, I thought this was a solid start to the series and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Rating: 4/5

Comments

  1. I meant to read For the Wolf this month but got distracted by Star Wars books and comics! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I think I need to take inspiration from you and dive back into my Star Wars reading!

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  2. The Temporary Roomie seems like a cute story

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