disappointing reads

Review: The Body by Bethany C. Morrow

~ megs14malloy

The BodyThe Body by Bethany C. Morrow
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is one of the rare cases where I’m going to keep my review as to the point as possible. Usually, I like to try to provide a basic breakdown of what you’re going to get if you pick up a book, and then go into my experience with it.

The only thing I am really going to say about this one is that it was not for me. I didn’t enjoy anything about my experience reading this story.

I’ve enjoyed work from Bethany C. Morrow in the past. I found her Song Below Water duology and Cherish Farrah, which I was in the minority opinion on, very enjoyable.

While her writing style does lean more towards a stream of consciousness style than I tend to prefer, I have vibed with it in her past stories. This also felt stream of consciousness, but in a way that was more confusing than lush and lyrical.

I also appreciated the character relationships and themes that were explored in those previous novels, while here, yeah, the themes being explored just are not anything that I’m interested in. I felt zero connection to this story and couldn’t sit down and go through with you what actually happened. It’s just out of my brain already.

I believe the intent was for this to be Religious Horror, and I have a great history with Religious Horror, hence why I picked it up. However, I feel like this could have been more impactful if Morrow had leaned into a hard-hitting Literary Fiction, or suspenseful Domestic Drama, lane.

But at the end of the day, what do I know? I am one Reader, and this is just my experience. Just because this didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. I’m sure there are plenty of Readers out there who will find something powerful in this story. Sadly, that just wasn’t me.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I’m anxious to see what Bethany C. Morrow writes next. I’d love to pick up more YA works from her.

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Review: You Did Nothing Wrong by C.G. Drews

~ megs14malloy

You Did Nothing WrongYou Did Nothing Wrong by C.G. Drews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

Greetings from Outlier Island!!

I’m surprised to find myself here again and certainly surprised that it’s with a C.G. Drews novel. I anticipated loving this, but sadly, I really did not. I’m struggling to keep my feelings for the MC apart from my overall feelings for the story, but it’s a challenge, since she’s such a pivotal piece.

Additionally, I did find a lot about the plot predictable, and super annoying to read. I had almost a constant feeling of distaste in my mouth, which sadly for me, overshadowed the rest of the story.

There’s no denying Drews skills as a writer, and my opinion on this one book by no means changes the fact that I’m going to pick up everything Drews releases. I really enjoyed both Don’t Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn.

The deeply complex relationships and stunning writing in both of those novels are to be admired, but here, I just didn’t feel that same pull, intrigue or raw ache for any of the characters and their journeys. I hate Elodie, the MC in this book, and never felt even one ounce of sympathy for her, which I think I was supposed to.

I’m not going to go into any of the details of this book, as I do feel it’s just best to dive into it. Further, there are so many glowing reviews of it, that I feel you would be best served going to read those to see others thoughts. I’m clearly in the minority opinion, so don’t let my experience keep you from picking this one up.

Even though the content wasn’t to my tastes, I would recommend the audiobook format though. The narration by Saskia Maarleveld was so, so good. It fit Elodie to a tee, and I did find myself not able to look away; like a train wreck.

It’s also fast-paced, and whether you enjoy it or not, it’s a memorable experience. I remember so many details of this book, and will moving forward. There’s something to be said for that. Drews has created a story that is sure to evoke a lot of emotions in the Readers, that’s for sure.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio and St. Martins Press, for providing me with copies to read and review.

Drews’ creativity cannot be denied and I’m already looking forward to their next release. I have a feeling, this will be a one-off for me when it comes to this author.

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Review: On Location by Sarah Echavarre Smith

~ megs14malloy

On LocationOn Location by Sarah Echavarre Smith
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**1.5-stars rounded up**

On Location has been on my TBR for 2021. On a whim last week, I decided to read it for a Romance Readathon I was participating in. I started it with the best of hopes, even though it’s overall rating isn’t particularly high.

I’m not a picky Reader, and frequently end up enjoying things others may not have. However, about 20% into this one, I knew that wasn’t going to be the case. In fact, I figured I might end up liking it even less than others.

A few friends advised me to DNF, but I rarely DNF. Sometimes, the saltier something makes me, the more I want to keep reading, with thoughts of, how did this even get published swirling in my head.

Honestly, there’s nothing like a rage read to keep you flipping pages. I disliked so much about this book, so I am going to do something a little different with this review. Instead of wasting time going through details, I will just share some of my status updates I posted while reading it to give you a general idea of my experience:

18% — “Wow. Alia (the main character) is a terrible manager of people. You manage by leading, not angrily bossing people around. She’s a tyrant. Besides her cringe management attempts however, I am enjoying this! We’ll see what happens 👀”

At this point, as you can see, I was remaining positive…

25% — “I hate this MC. She has zero emotional intelligence and shouldn’t be in a upper management position. I would fire her yesterday.”

26% — “Seriously, reading this MC thinking about how she needs to talk to others about their professionalism is so laughable. Did the author do this on purpose? She realizes she’s made her MC, who is supposed to be this strong woman in charge, act like a child throwing a temper tantrum every 5-mins, right?”

32% — “I’m 100% rage reading this right now. I hate it.”

42% — “That was the stupidest OTT fight ever. My eyes hurt from all the rolling.”

47% — “Holy shit. This dialogue is sooooo cringe. Good Lord.”

69% — “Alia’s 7th-grade persona went away for a couple of chapters, but she’s back with a vengeance now 🙄”

86% — “Oh my god 😳 seriously!? Alia is sooooo ridiculous 🙄 I cannot with the fact that she is supposed to be in her 30s!?”

And that pretty much sums it up. There were two scenes in the 2nd-half I thought were good, a sexting scene in a shared condo and a hot tub scene. Other than that, I was annoyed each and every page by one thing or another.

You know in Junior High school when there’s a school dance, and a boy that a girl likes ends up paying attention to another girl, and the next thing you know, half the girls in the class are running in and out of the bathroom, crying and blubbering and living their ultimate dramatic lives?

That was this MC.

At the end of the day, happy to cross it off the list and clear up some space on my kindle. I’m now going to block it from my mind forever.

Berkley, I love you. Thank you for providing me a copy of this all those years ago. I love so, so, so many Berkley Romances, past and present, but this was not it for me.

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Review: How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates

~ megs14malloy

How Bad Things Can GetHow Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

How Bad Things Can Get, which features an online influencer hosting a retreat on a private island, started out mildly intriguing for me and then promptly fell right off the cliff into eye-rolling, when will this be over, territory.

Glancing over some other reviews after I finished, I’d definitely say I’m in the minority opinion on this one, so please take this review with a grain of salt, because that’s what I am: salty.

I’m starting to think Darcy Coates maybe just isn’t an author for me, and that’s okay. This is the 3rd-book I’ve tried from her, and they’re not going well.

This had a bit of promise in the beginning, as our characters arrived at this island, I liked the excitement of that. As it started unfolding though, it felt so all over the place; chaotic and not ever able to capture my attention.

It was a bit Beast Games, mixed with the Fyre Festival and just a little sprinkling of the live-action Scooby Doo, when the gang heads to Spooky Island.

If this sounds like a mess, it is. It is.

There was one really fun, creepy scene on a beach though, involving naked people and some deaths. I liked that bit, but one scene does not a successful book make. The characters drove me nuts, the direction it took made my eyes glaze over, it just didn’t work for me.

Nevertheless, others are enjoying this one, so don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m sure many Readers will love this one. Sadly, it just wasn’t for me.

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Review: The Story That Wouldn’t Die (Jolene Garcia #2) by Christina Estes

~ megs14malloy

The Story That Wouldn't Die: A Mystery (Jolene Garcia Mysteries Book 2)The Story That Wouldn’t Die: A Mystery by Christina Estes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The Story That Wouldn’t Die is the 2nd-book in the Jolene Garcia Mystery series. I actually didn’t realize this was the 2nd-book when I accepted it from the publisher, though that didn’t really affect my experience.

I think had I picked up the 1st-book though, I probably wouldn’t have picked this one up.

I’ll be frank, this Mystery wasn’t to my tastes. I thought I was picking up a Cozy, but it definitely wasn’t that. I’m not quite sure how to explain it, but it the entire thing felt so forced. There was nothing cozy about it, IMO, and it was hardly mysterious.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the opposite, hard-edged, or compelling, either. I actually didn’t care for the MC, so that certainly didn’t help matters. I’m glad I gave it a shot, but I will not be continuing with the series.

I generally like mysteries that involve journalists, but this didn’t end up scratching that itch. The writing felt more like the author had bullet pointed issues she wanted to include, got all those in and then tried to build a mystery around it.

It just didn’t work and it wasn’t an enjoyable experience. The audiobook narration by Devon Sorvari was solid though, and that definitely helped me to push through and complete it. Otherwise, I’m not sure I would have.

Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media and Minotaur Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Even though this didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

If the synopsis and mystery presented sounds interesting to you, go ahead and give it a go. You may end up loving it!

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Review: The Librarians by Sherry Thomas

~ megs14malloy

The LibrariansThe Librarians by Sherry Thomas
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars**

The Librarians is set in a public library in Austin, Texas, and follows, you guessed it, a group of librarians, Hazel, Sophie, Astrid and Jonathan. They’re all very different, but have grown comfortable working with one another every day.

In fact, the library seems to be more than a workplace for them, it’s a safe haven from the outside world.

That is until two patrons are found dead after the library’s inaugural murder mystery–themed game night. It no longer feels quite so safe, not with a murderer afoot.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I became obsessed with getting it. Who doesn’t want to read about librarians solving mysteries? I don’t know, probably some people, but I can’t get enough and I wanted this one badly.

After reading it though, I’m not sure quite how to react to it. It wasn’t to my tastes at all. It had a very different vibe to what I anticipated, though I bet a ton of Literary Fiction Readers will love it.

Even after the murder, which took a minute to get to BTW, but even after that, I thought, here we go, it’s gonna get fun now. But it didn’t. It never got fun. The amateur sleuthing was like at a 2 on a scale of 1-to-10.

To me, the mystery felt like a non-entity as it was buried so deep amongst the copious amount of character work, which never seemed to end. I don’t think I would have minded that as much, if I didn’t find the characters so bland and boring.

Overall, the tone was all Literary, and oh yeah, someone got murdered way back at the beginning. Way more Literary, and way less Murdery, than I wanted.

Nevertheless, don’t let my salt turn you away from this one. If you think it sounds interesting and you don’t mind all the character work, give it a shot. You could end up loving it.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it very much!

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Review: The Bloody Brick Road by Maude Royer

~ megs14malloy

The Bloody Brick Road: A Wizard of Oz Retelling (Volume 1)The Bloody Brick Road: A Wizard of Oz Retelling by Maude Royer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I feel robbed. I wanted a bloody and brutal Wizard of Oz retelling; thinking Slasher Horror, or something equally exciting and got nothing of the sort.

Giving a character the name Dorothy and incorporating red shoes, does not a Wizard of Oz retelling make. At the end of the day, this story felt like it was searching for an identity and required further edits.

The 1st-sentence of the Publisher’s synopsis I read states, ‘In this wildly creative, horror-soaked reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, nothing is as it seems in Dorothy’s dystopian nightmare.‘

Whoever wrote this, you lie. 1. This isn’t wildly-creative. 2. This is hardly a reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. 3. This doesn’t feel dystopian at all.

Things you got right: 1. It’s a nightmare.

I’m not going to drag this out. It wasn’t for me. I’m sad I wasted 6-hours reading it, but am happy to be moving on. If it was going to go the Extreme Horror route, which it seemed it wanted to take due to the graphic fetish elements, it needed to lean much further in to get there.

The sad part is, there were inklings of a solid Serial Killer Police Procedural in here, but mashing it together with the other elements, it just didn’t work. It needed to be one or the other, or perhaps better blended than it was.

Overall, a very uneven read, nothing like what I was pitched. The dialogue was forced and laughable, and the graphic sexual elements felt absolutely ridiculous in this story.

Thank you to Gallery Books for the copy.

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Review: They Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil

~ megs14malloy

They Fear Not Men in the WoodsThey Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

They Fear Not Men in the Woods follows Jen Monroe, who returns to her hometown in rural Washington after receiving word that her father’s remains have been found.

Her Dad, a forest ranger and avid conservationist, went missing 7-years prior while out in the backwoods. He was a knowledgeable survivalist, and Jen has always held out hope that he was still alive somehow, but it’s hard to argue against a positive dental identification.

Jen returns home, not just to attend her father’s funeral services, but also determined to figure out what really happened to him after his disappearance.

The homecoming is awkward. She’s been estranged from her mother for years, and their reunion goes about as well as expected, but Jen also feels distant from her friends. She just feels so different from the girl she used to be.

Nevertheless, when her ex-boyfriend suggests a camping trip in honor of her father’s memory, Jen sees it as the perfect opportunity to get back into the forest and maybe find the truth about what happened to her Dad.

Unfortunately, the dangers lurking in the forest are darker and more dangerous than she ever expected and now all of their lives are at risk.

While this book started out fairly strong for me, in spite of how abrasive I found the MC to be, it was still looking like a possible 4-star read. Unfortunately, the farther I got into it, the more I started to dislike it, until it ended up falling off an absolute cliff for me.

By the end, I was just grateful it was over.

It’s impossible for me to really go into what I didn’t like about this one without giving anything away. The reveal of what was going on in the forest, that’s where my brain just turned off completely to this story. I hated it.

I feel like the direction this takes is going to end up being divisive for Readers. You’re either going to be into it, or you’re not. I don’t see a lot of room for middle of the road opinions on this one.

I know McNeil is a talented author and I’ve enjoyed her work in the past, but this was not it for me. I found it cheesy and a little lame as far as the Horror elements went.

I know this sounds harsh, but I need to be honest about my experience, and that’s honestly what I walked away feeling. This is just my opinion though, and you shouldn’t let it keep you from reading this one if you want.

The fact that this was a miss certainly won’t keep me from picking up more works from Gretchen McNeil in the future. We can’t love them all.

Thank you to the publishers, DAW and RB Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. Even though the story didn’t work for me personally, I would recommend the audiobook, which was well-narrated by Justis Bolding.

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Review: The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

~ megs14malloy

The Staircase in the WoodsThe Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Normally, I would try to write a bit of a punchy synopsis of this book in order to entice other Readers to pick it up, but I’m at a loss here. I’ve literally got nothing.

While so many of my friends are loving this one, I’m finding myself yet again on Outlier Island, but not in a fun way.

I suppose it’s at this point where I should add in the obligatory, this is purely my personal opinion, statement. If you enjoyed this book, I am really, really happy that you did.

I’m not casting aspersions on this author, or their work. This story just absolutely, in no way, worked for me. There wasn’t one single, solitary moment, where I was enjoying my time reading this.

I struggled the whole way through. I didn’t like the writing, the characters, the action; none of it.

I pushed through because so many others were enjoying it, and I thought, it will turn around, it could get better. Sadly, for me, it never did.

I walk away, happy that it’s over and that I can move on with the rest of my life. Honestly, I have nothing further to say. Let’s all just forget this ever happened.

Thank you, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m sorry this is the shortest, most blunt review I’ve ever written.

Perhaps, I should have taken a min before writing it…

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Review: Pride or Die by C.L. Montblanc

~ megs14malloy

Pride or Die: A NovelPride or Die: A Novel by CL Montblanc
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Pride or Die follows Eleanora Finkel and her friends during their Senior year of high school in Texas. Eleanora has founded a LGBTQ+ Club at their school, which ends up playing a large role in this story.

During one of their meetings, the school’s head cheerleader, Kenley, is attacked right outside the classroom that the Club is meeting in, and she’s fairly badly injured.

Hearing the assault, the Club members rush out into the hall and find Kenley there on the floor. Suddenly, they find themselves the main suspects. Why?

I have no idea.

In order to clear their names, and ensure the survival of their Club, they must now investigate the crime and find out who really attacked Kenley.

I found the whole mystery a bit lackluster. Eleanora was running around like the sky was falling in, claiming she had to protect her friends because there was a homophobic murderer on the loose, yet no one was murdered and the person attacked was a popular straight girl who wasn’t even a member of their club?

It just seemed like, out of all the mysteries you could have developed, a very odd choice to me. Even after the Scooby-Doo like reveal, I was left scratching my head about it all.

Sadly, Pride or Die was not a hit for me. I love YA Mystery-Thrillers and do read a lot of them. Going into this, I was excited to get a strong Mystery, set in high school, following the members of an LGBTQ+ group.

Unfortunately, the MC, Eleanora, I found her personality to be so incredibly-grating, it was hard to focus on anything else. I’m happy she had a bit of self-reflection at the end, but it almost felt like too little, too late.

Honestly, I feel like the author did the story a disservice by only having that one perspective. I really enjoyed Noah and Tyler, Eleanor’s friends, as well as Kenley.

I wish I would have had the opportunity to get to know all of them more, but Eleanora was so self-absorbed, I really feel like I didn’t know anything about anyone else.

I hated the way every SINGLE PERSON, besides Eleanora’s three friends, were portrayed. Even the people showing her kindness, Eleanor judged and said critical things about.

I just found her perspective and outlook completely exasperating. There was zero nuance allowed and every single character was a stereotype of what that ‘type’ of person should be.

There were also so many odd, cringe-worthy moments, that I can’t really get into here without giving away important plot points, but yeah, chapter after chapter of that type of thing gets old quick.

I will say, the audiobook narrator, Ina Marie Smith, was really great. She was believable, vocally, as a teen, and she exuded emotion and sincerity throughout.

At the end of the day, this just wasn’t to my tastes. If you think the synopsis sounds intriguing though, I certainly encourage you to pick it up. Please don’t take my word for it. I’m sure many Readers will have fun with this one.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Even though it didn’t necessarily work for me, I’m glad I gave it a shot.

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