featherlashes

I loved this book even though it made me cry

Reviewed: 06-02-24

Why does Kristan Higgins have to make me cry every time? Higgins shines a light on hospice angels, medical personnel, and first responders in a story that will throw your emotions all over the place. I loved this book.

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Brief but cute rom-com

Reviewed: 02-13-24

Cute rom-com short story. Author managed to develop characters well in brief amount of time. Excellent narration. Unique story of how characters meet.

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Wonderful exploration of family + Mexican culture ♥️

Reviewed: 09-26-23

Big Chicas Don’t Cry is a wonderful exploration of family, following four cousins who journey through grief while also navigating their own unique life and relationship circumstances. The author developed these characters in ways that most all readers can relate to… and the Mexican culture shines strong. The audiobook narrators provided an excellent performance that added value to the reading experience. This was a great book.

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Whimsical and familiar

Reviewed: 06-10-23

Meg Shaffer is Tiffany Reisz! And if The Wishing Game is any indication, Shaffer is the clean and innocent side of Reisz's notoriously wicked mind. Never fear, the talent here remains strong. Tiffany Reisz is storytelling magic no matter what name she goes by.

Based on my personal reading experience, The Wishing Game is a reimagining of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. All the elements and milestones are here, but instead of chocolate it's heavenly books (...and instead of a little boy, our main character is a grown woman). Regardless, the classic story this book is based on is 100% obvious even if you didn't hear it from me. I enjoyed this title a great deal and am excited to see what else is in store for Reisz's alter ego.

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7 people found this helpful

Engaging, raw and vulnerable

Reviewed: 11-29-22

Excellent memoir about the evolving life of a child actor. Although the meat of this story is parent/child dynamics which is why non-celebrity readers will be able to relate. Jennette McCurdy puts it all out there and what she has been through and recovered from will surely allow many of her readers to feel seen. Excellent book. McCurdy narrates this book herself and if I’m not mistaken there are a few clips from Miranda cosgrove.

Trigger warnings: disordered eating, multiple kinds of abuses

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Completely bingeable

Reviewed: 10-19-22

Very little can be said about this book without spoiling the many twists and turns. Just know, Unmissing is a dark and wild ride. This alternating POV story will require you to massively suspend disbelief, but the exaggerated plot added to the many jaw-drops for me personally. This is my second read from this author and I am enjoying her style.

Audiobook narrators Carly Robins and Jane Oppenheimer provided an excellent performance.

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4 strong novellas - books about books

Reviewed: 10-19-22

I LOVED IT! Ronald Malfi does not disappoint in this short-story collection. There are 4 novella-length books inside this cover and each is a strong, open and close story. Books are the theme in this collection of horror, mystery and thriller/suspense, and Ghostwritten is the PERFECT title. I labeled each one my favorite, until I read the next one. They just kept getting better.

Audiobook narration by Joe Hempel was excellent as always. He always adds value to the Ronald Malfi experience.

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4 people found this helpful

Completely bingeable

Reviewed: 10-19-22

The Stillwater Girls is a bit less twisty than this author's other work, but it is still so good. Minka Kent's suspense here relates to the mystery and emotion associated with a sad story about two girls who were raised off the grid away from civilization. The author shows us parallel stories of the girls and the couple who take them in while the case is sorted. Make no mistake, Minka still provides a few of her famous jawdrops, but they are secondary to the girls as they should be. Completely bingeable, full of mystery, suspense and heart.

Audiobook narrators Lauren Ezzo and Melissa Moran were excellent.

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Bingeable Psychological Thriller

Reviewed: 10-03-22

Oh man, this was a wild one. It begins with a slightly mysterious vibe, causing the reader to wonder which roommate is going to be the crazy one... because when a book is called "The Perfect Roommate", you know there's a rabbit hole somewhere to fall down. There are a lot of subtle and not-so-subtle things that keep the curiosity strong, and I found it effortless to remain invested in this story. But the end! The end is where it's all at, of course. Overall, a strong psychological thriller that is completely bingeable. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

Audiobook narration: Narrator Elizabeth Siedt gave an excellent reading performance, but audio editing could have been stronger. There were some distracting pauses, sniffles, and other background noise (and the audio was released in 2018 so you can't blame the lockdown).

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Excellent

Reviewed: 06-10-22

This fantastic indie horror novella is now available on audiobook!! Excellent narration by a new name in the audiobook world: Kellen Boyle. Keep your eyes out for this author and narrator. They’re going places!!

Book review:
Fire and brimstone. This subject may be the most horror-inducing out there. Especially when eternal damnation is hung over a child’s head as a form of behavior modification. Prey Without Ceasing is a 100-page novella with themes related to spiritual abuse. The story combines horror elements to serve as a giant metaphor for the anxiety and responsibility related to the impossible standards set for young minds. It’s a lazy kind of teaching to use shame and guilt as a guiding light, but there are religious leaders highly skilled in the art. I know this on an intimate level. I swear this book feels like it was written for me, like Andrew Franks and I grew up together in the same Bible-belt Pentecostal church back in the day. This is exactly why books like this are so important… the reader is reminded that they are not alone.

Please note, based on my reading perspective this novella does not condone bitterness towards the church or the reverse expectation of perfection. It simply showcases how destructive it can be when one is placed under the religious leadership of the wrong person. In a community that is hypervigilant about what is being taught in schools, I pray they use the same energy to monitor their own house of worship. In this book, the reader sees the bad but there is also good. There is a perfect scene featuring our young main character and the children’s pastor which gives the reader hope that safety exists. Thank you, Andrew, for writing this story and being brave enough to share it with the world. Excellent book!

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