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the_boozy_baking_bibliophile's reviews
1163 reviews
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
5.0
This was one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time. I was on the edge of my seat and read it in one sitting.
Her employer gives her an identity and target and she must achieve the task set out without giving up her identity or the whole game. She is an expert at gaining access and getting out of situations without being caught. And she never knows who the mysterious Mr. Smith who sends her on assignments really is.
Until it’s clear she is no longer his favorite and she finds herself potentially a target - the cat and mouse game is on. And the first lie wins.
Her employer gives her an identity and target and she must achieve the task set out without giving up her identity or the whole game. She is an expert at gaining access and getting out of situations without being caught. And she never knows who the mysterious Mr. Smith who sends her on assignments really is.
Until it’s clear she is no longer his favorite and she finds herself potentially a target - the cat and mouse game is on. And the first lie wins.
The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong
3.5
Another enjoyable book by Kelley Armstrong - spinning off the Rockton series. The second novel in the Haven’s Rock series - still following Casey and Eric and their band of unforgettable characters living mostly off the grid in the Canadian wilderness. I’m not 100% sure why I love these so much but they are familiar read, characters I enjoy and always leaving me with a little cliffhanger about what comes next.
This time a 10 year old boy is kidnapped from Haven’s Rock and it’s up to our fearless sheriff and detective to find him and save him from his captor.
This time a 10 year old boy is kidnapped from Haven’s Rock and it’s up to our fearless sheriff and detective to find him and save him from his captor.
The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
2.75
This series is a fast and entertaining read. It’s not anything earth shattering or world changing - and tbh, it’s a total palette cleanser for me after reading books with more depth and emotion. I often find myself skimming rather than reading because I don’t feel like I’ll miss anything if I do so. I find the situations totally over the top and unbelievable which is fine because I’m not looking for much else.
Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner
3.75
Frankie Elkin is back after a 2 year hiatus and her latest case is the wildest of them all. Contracted by a female serial killer on death row to find her abducted sister, she is thrown headlong into a case full of lies, misdirection, and murder. All taking place on an isolated atoll of the coast of Hawaii where a billionaire tied to the killer is building an eco-resort that is plagued by accidents and sabotage.
This book jumps in fast, grabs you by the throat and never lets go. Read in less than 4 hours flat.
This book jumps in fast, grabs you by the throat and never lets go. Read in less than 4 hours flat.
One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner
4.0
Super fast read - another thrilling Lisa Gardner with twists and turns and lots of action. Frankie Elkin, the drifter who finds missing people and solves cold cases, is back again. This time venturing deep into the woods to help a man find his son who has been missing for 5 years. She is underprepared for the physical aspect of the treacherous terrain and is surrounded by a mixed group of experts and broken men who were friends of the missing man. Almost from the start, things become dangerous and it’s clear that they are not alone in the mountains and they are far from safe.
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
5.0
This may be my favorite Katherine Center of all time. I spent the last 1/4 of the book crying, both sad and happy tears. Like I just can’t stop. It was a perfect rom com, as the name would have you believe, full of characters with depth and tragedy and flaws. It was about grief and coming alive again. And I would read it over and over. Thank you for this gift Katherine - it’s all the stars all day long.
A Lovely Lie by Jaime Lynn Hendricks
4.25
Hendricks does it again with one of her twistiest ever! Told in multiple perspectives and time periods 20 years apart - it centers on the secrets and lies of a group of high school friends. The truth about what happened on that deadly graduation night won’t stay buried and someone is going to pay the price.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
5.0
And my first 5 ⭐️ read of 2024 goes to Emily Henry!!! I’ll admit I may stan her a little but her books have a way of reaching into my shriveled little black heart and making me feel all the good things.
I went into it totally blind - after getting an unexpected netgalley approval. The premise is a jilted bride moving in with the ex-boyfriend of the girl who is now dating her ex-fiancée. Yup. That’s some 70s key party shit right there and lemme tell you…I AM HERE FOR IT!
They were both flawed and fractured people and they felt real and genuine. I love this book and I hope you will too!
I went into it totally blind - after getting an unexpected netgalley approval. The premise is a jilted bride moving in with the ex-boyfriend of the girl who is now dating her ex-fiancée. Yup. That’s some 70s key party shit right there and lemme tell you…I AM HERE FOR IT!
They were both flawed and fractured people and they felt real and genuine. I love this book and I hope you will too!
Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher
🙄
****SPOILERS****
Look, I know a lot of people like Tarryn Fisher - hell, I’m pretty sure I have enjoyed one before. But this one just reminded me that CoHo is her bestie and sometimes birds that write trash flock together. Don’t @ me on that. I said what I said.
Where do I start on this? Besides the fact that none of the math in this book was mathing at all. Twin kidnapped at 15 - she’s now 23 but has a 9 year old? Or is he 8? Because it went back and forth about 8/9 times on that one. And this child of her sisters was delivered to them a year and a half after the sister was kidnapped so she was still 16 at a minimum but possibly 17 so MATH IS HARD. And Iris said after Cal arrived that she did online school and graduated 4 years later - ok, so that makes her 19-20 at a minimum but how she’s 23 and IN A FUCKING GRADUATE PROGRAM?!?
And the whole actual plot twist at the end? Jesus fucking Christ on a cracker - the inmates literally running the asylum and the main baddie having John Travolta’d the actual shrink’s face to trick the employees?
I’m glad this was a free ARC and I didn’t spend my own dollars on it. I’m going to go bleach my eyes so I don’t get pinkeye from the shit I just read.
1.0
🙄
****SPOILERS****
Look, I know a lot of people like Tarryn Fisher - hell, I’m pretty sure I have enjoyed one before. But this one just reminded me that CoHo is her bestie and sometimes birds that write trash flock together. Don’t @ me on that. I said what I said.
Where do I start on this? Besides the fact that none of the math in this book was mathing at all. Twin kidnapped at 15 - she’s now 23 but has a 9 year old? Or is he 8? Because it went back and forth about 8/9 times on that one. And this child of her sisters was delivered to them a year and a half after the sister was kidnapped so she was still 16 at a minimum but possibly 17 so MATH IS HARD. And Iris said after Cal arrived that she did online school and graduated 4 years later - ok, so that makes her 19-20 at a minimum but how she’s 23 and IN A FUCKING GRADUATE PROGRAM?!?
And the whole actual plot twist at the end? Jesus fucking Christ on a cracker - the inmates literally running the asylum and the main baddie having John Travolta’d the actual shrink’s face to trick the employees?
I’m glad this was a free ARC and I didn’t spend my own dollars on it. I’m going to go bleach my eyes so I don’t get pinkeye from the shit I just read.
Reign by Katharine McGee
3.25
This was the perfect wrap up for the American Royals series. The Washington’s have long ruled America and the family has been embroiled in scandal since the young generation has ascended the throne. This book was full of gossip girl style drama and showed that HEAs can happen!