Caroline Kepnes

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2024 (1/29/24)

January 29, 2024 — 1 Comment

Welcome to another year of my Goodreads Reading Challenge! I have set a goal of 50 books in 2024. That’s a reasonable goal, considering I read, like, 65 last year, two of them after I’d stopped counting.

Anyway, if you’ve been following for a while, you know the drill. If you’re new here, it’s very simple: each month, I’ll list the books I read with my rating and a (very) brief…review? Well, not exactly a review. More an explanation of my rating. I always invite my followers to tell me what they’re currently reading and to recommend books they think I’d enjoy. (Hint: I’m a huge sucker for horror! And, more recently, I’ve discovered a love for cozy mysteries.)

So here are the books I have read thus far in 2024.

For You and Only You (Caroline Kepnes)

Rating: 2/5

Okay, I wanted to like this book. I really did. But at this point, it’s basically the same story we’ve been through three other times! Not to mention Wonder was just…unlikable. I mean, I wasn’t Mary Kay’s biggest fan, but sheesh. For You and Only You spends a lot of time waxing poetic about being a writer while no one is actually writing. The kills are lackluster, as if Joe’s heart isn’t even in it anymore, and – spoiler alert! – the person who figures him out this time is kind of a fangirl. This is the last of the Joe Goldberg series, in theory, and I, for one, am glad. He’s made too many mistakes at this point and is no longer the suave serial killer we all adored after reading You.

Paper and Fire (Rachel Caine)

Rating: 4/5

I gave Paper and Fire a solid rating because I love Rachel Caine’s writing style and her characters. However, as much as I find myself entertained by this series so far, I’m still not sure there’s going to be a definitive point. The story seems to be moving forward, I suppose, but it feels a little aimless. To be fair, this is only the second book in The Great Library series. I will be diving into the third novel soon, and I hope it carries me somewhere gripping!

Peppermint Cookie Murder (Trixie Silvertale)

Rating: 2/5

Know how I said I love cozy mysteries? Well, I thought this one would be a homerun, as it’s a “paranormal” cozy mystery. Needless to say, I was wrong. It’s a cutesy idea. Peppermint Cookie Murder centers around Cindy Claus, the daughter of – you guessed it – Santa! Instead of following in her father’s footsteps, she decides to go to the human world and open a bakery. But when her neighbor is murdered, Cindy becomes the top suspect and has to solve the crime before she goes down for it. Not a terrible plot, right? The thing is, Cindy was annoying. She was too much of a goody-two-shoes. (I know, I know. Santa’s daughter! But come on.) Not only that, I couldn’t stand how little she knew about the human world. Again, Santa’s daughter. You’re telling me that Santa shipped his daughter off to the human world with his adviser (a talking arctic fox, by the way) and not a single lesson on how life in that other world works? Nope. Not buying it.

The Lost Girls: Get It Started/After Hours/Last Call (Morgan Burke)

Rating: 2/5

This was a trilogy – and shouldn’t have been. It’s not so much that the story was bad, it’s just that it could have been wrapped up much sooner. Lost Girls is a teen melodrama/murder mystery, heavy on the teen melodrama. The main character does a lot of dumb stuff and “falls in love” with every guy she speaks to. It’s rather ridiculous. Plus, if you put even an ounce of brain power into it, you can figure out who the killer is pretty quickly.

The Ritual (Shantel Tessier)

Rating: 1/5 (only because I can’t give it a zero on Goodreads)

Y’all. This book was so bad. My best friend recommended it, telling me only that it was a spicy read. (Apparently, it was trending on TikTok, but I don’t have one, so…) The Ritual is categorized as a dark college romance, whatever the hell that is, and it came with a list of trigger warnings from those on social media. I didn’t find anything triggering, the story just sucked. The characters weren’t likable: Ryat was too controlling, and Blakely was a whiny brat who was into being dominated and didn’t insist on Ryat respecting her limits (not that there was much discussion of limits, or safe words, or anything, really). The sex scenes were repetitive, the descriptions nearly identical each time. Oh, and there were all these big “twists” that the characters were aware of – everyone but Blakely, for the most part – but that were never alluded to until BAM, it conveniently moved the story along. No explanations of how the characters knew these things; there would just be the big dramatic moment when someone decided to drop the knowledge. The writing was awful, the editing even worse, and it was over 600 pages long. This one almost landed on my DNF list, but I am truly stubborn. Lol.

Horror Circus

Rating: 1/5 (again, only because there’s no way to put zero)

The nicest thing I can say about Horror Circus is at least it was short. There was a plot, kind of, but it was a struggle to get to it. Basically, the circus visits the town of Darkside each year, and half the residents want it shut down because bad things always happen when it arrives, while the other half – mostly business owners – welcome the increased cash flow. Farkas then goes on to explain each terrible incident that has occurred during the circus’s time in Darkside. The novella concludes with a group of townspeople attempting to destroy the circus, and those who support the circus going to stop them. The writing was bad and often redundant, and though I know there wasn’t a focus on character development, all of the characters were just…lame. I would not recommend Horror Circus to anyone, but hey, it’s only 62 pages if you wanna give it a try!

***

I am currently reading Caraval (Stephanie Garber) and Gone to See the River Man (Kristopher Triana). Here’s hoping they are better than what I’ve made it through so far!

Progress: 6/50

Update: Goodreads Reading Challenge 2023 (12/23/23)

December 23, 2023 — Leave a comment

This will be my last update of 2023! I reached my goal of 60. I actually surpassed it and finished the year with 63 books read.

Here are the books I read in December with my personal ratings and a little review. If you would like to see my full year-in-review (without having to find the blog posts), you can visit my Instagram account.

Dracula (Bram Stoker)

Rating: 4/5

The story itself was really good. It definitely held my interest. The writing style, however, took some getting used to. (Yes, I am aware when it was written and that Stoker was Irish. Lol.) If this is a classic that you have also not read thus far, I would highly recommend it.

The Witch of Halloween House (Jeff DeGordick)

Rating: 2/5

I was not a fan of The Witch of Halloween House. It was very simply written and rather predictable, and I didn’t care for how DeGordick wrapped it up. This is apparently part of a series, but I doubt I will be pursuing its successors.

You Love Me (Caroline Kepnes)

Rating: 2/5

Okay. I have overlooked a few things I do not care for in this series (like Kepnes’ insistence on waxing poetic about her liberal beliefs via Joe), but this novel… This was the worst of the series so far. I will not include spoilers; however, I will say that too much time is dedicated to the building of Joe’s relationship with Mary Kay for the book to end the way it does. Unfortunately, I am not a quitter, and I’ve made it this far, so I am going to read For You and Only You.

Camp Slaughter (Sergio Gomez)

Rating: 3/5

If you want a slasher without any deeper plot and with some graphic descriptions that might make you gag, Camp Slaughter is the book for you. It’s like a cross between Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Sergio’s writing style was not my favorite, but I do think I’ll try out the sequel, Halloween Slaughter.

Witching on a Star (Amanda M. Lee)

Rating: 3/5

So far, Witching on a Star has been my least favorite of Amanda M. Lee’s “Wicked Witches of the Midwest” series. I do enjoy the cozy mystery genre, but Lee is teetering on a little too much seriousness. I will continue this series; if the books continue in this vein, though, I will likely stop reading them.

Redemption (David Baldacci)

Rating: 4/5

This was my first Baldacci. I received it when I did one of those “blind date with a book” things on Etsy. As someone who is not a huge fan of books that center around cops, FBI agents, etc. as the main focus, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about Redemption. To my surprise, I enjoyed this one! Detective Amos Decker was quite likable, as was his former partner, Mary Lancaster, and the man Decker saved from death row, Melvin Mars. Redemption was the fifth book in Baldacci’s “Memory Man” series. I may have to go back and read its predecessors.

Twelve Slays of Christmas (Jacqueline Frost)

Rating: 4/5

Have I mentioned my love of cozy mysteries? I saw Twelve Slays of Christmas recommended on Instagram and decided to try it. After all, ’tis the season! This is definitely a book you choose when you’re going to be wrapped in a blanket, sipping tea or cocoa, and indulging in a merry murder mystery! I’m about to dive deep into this series, even if Christmas is almost over.

Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow (Christina Henry)

Rating: 4/5

Horseman was an interesting re-imagining of the well-known legend of Sleepy Hollow. Learn the “real” story of the Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane, the man who won Katrina’s heart and their granddaughter who bucks social norms and sets her own path. This was a fun read, a well-written page turner. I already have my next Christina Henry novel picked out: Alice.

**

If you read anything in 2023 that you particularly enjoyed, drop a comment and tell me about it!

Update: Goodreads Reading Challenge 2023 (7/5/23)

July 5, 2023 — Leave a comment

I can’t believe it’s been almost 2 months since I last posted about the reading challenge! Time really got away from me, but rest assured I am still progressing towards my goal.

When I updated y’all in May, I had just finished Harrow Faire book one, The Contortionist (Kathryn Ann Kingsley) and was about to check out Room Service by Maren Stoffels, as well as book two in the Harrow Faire series, The Puppeteer. I read both of those, along with a few others, so here are my thoughts on each.

1/2. Room Service and Fright Night – Maren Stoffels

Rating: 3.5/5 for both

I enjoyed both books, don’t get me wrong, but the stories feel almost as if you’ve missed something from the very beginning. There’s not a lot of background, nor is there any character development, and while I don’t want to be overwhelmed with details (as Stephen King is prone to doing), I do need a little more in regard to the characters and their relationships. Still, if you’re looking for a fairly fast-paced read that is easily digestible, definitely check out this pair of books.

3. Cirque Berserk – Jessica Guess

Rating: 4/5

This was a fun read with a good twist. I think I finished it in two days. My complaints were minor, so I won’t bore you with them. If you like slashers and amusement parks, this is a must-read!

4. The App – Stuart James

Rating: 4.5/5

Stuart James delved into one of my new favorite subgenres of horror: using the internet to find victims. It’s not unheard of in this day and age, which creates a sense of reality (though the complexity of the app in this book still seems…not quite doable yet). I loved this novel, even if the characters frustrated me at times.

5. Hidden Bodies – Caroline Kepnes

Rating: 4/5

It’s odd that I’m just now reading this, as I have watched every season of “You” the instant they were available and read the first book over a year ago. This was a quick read for me, because Kepnes’ style of writing is easy to follow and keeps you wanting to see what’s next. I could have done with less of Joe’s snide opinions on certain topics that had very little to do with the story, but overall, I really liked this book.

6. The Puppeteer – Kathryn Ann Kingsley

Rating: 3.5/5

I’m still not sold on this series and these characters, though I do like Cora’s sass and determination. I still have the remainder of the series on my To-Be-Read list, but I think they will be read when I don’t have any “must-reads” to get to.

7. Wonderland – Jennifer Hillier

Rating: 4/5

Wonderland was certainly readable, but I wasn’t necessarily absorbed in the story or attached to any of the characters. I will admit, the labyrinthine twists and turns kept me turning the pages and earned the book its 4/5 rating.

8. The Last House on Needless Street – Catriona Ward

Rating: 5/5

I have saved the best for last. I feel like I could do an entire blog on Catriona Ward’s The Last House on Needless Street, but I’ll keep it short and sweet. This novel is so beautifully crafted. I was almost put off by the beginning, because it seemed to dive straight into the middle of something and I was momentarily lost. That was done intentionally, however, as the reader soon discovers. I loved the characters, the story itself, the twists, the overall sense of melancholy throughout. I actually cried at the end. There was hope in those final pages, but Ted was such a likable, tragic character. If you’re reading this mini-review, let me tell you that this book has to be on your list and should be read ASAP!!!!!

**

Next up on my list is Any Witch Way You Can by Amanda M. Lee, which is book one of the Wicked Witches of the Midwest series. I have read 28 books, and my goal is 35. Feel free to drop in and tell me what you’re reading, or about any good finds you’ve come across this year!