My SPOILER ALERT Book Reviews!

❄️ Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See — ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5) 👉 Buy Snow Flower and the Secret Fan on Amazon (affiliate link) ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Foot binding (graphic detail), child abuse, domestic violence, miscarriage, terminal illness, death, grief, and gender inequality. 💭 Initial Thoughts I think I’ve officially reached my historical fiction limit 😅. My brain is bursting at the seams with dynasties, customs, traditions, and tragedies. I might need a palate cleanser after this one. That said — Lisa See’s writing really is lovely. The story starts out strong, and the descriptions of Chinese traditions and foot-binding were vivid and emotionally powerful. My father’s mother actually had bound feet, and seeing them in person was something I’ll never forget — so reading about it here hit differently. Even though I’m already familiar with this practice, I still found her portrayal detailed and hauntingly accurate. But… halfway through, I started to drift. 😩 Maybe ...

🎭 Audition by Katie Kitamura — ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5) 🛒 Buy Audition on Amazon (affiliate link) ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Pregnancy loss, abortion, emotional abuse, elder abuse, relationship tension, and grief. 💬 My Thoughts Some books feel like entertainment. Others feel like an experience . Audition falls firmly into the second category. Katie Kitamura writes in a way that’s hard to describe — it’s controlled, elegant, and quietly unsettling. The story moves slowly, but it absorbs you. You don’t just read it — you live inside it for a while. The premise sounds deceptively simple: an actress preparing for a new stage role meets a young man named Xavier, who claims to be her son. From there, the story morphs into something much stranger and deeper — about identity, performance, and the thin line between truth and illusion. I can’t say I fully understood it, and I’m not even sure it’s meant to be fully understood. It’s layered and cerebral, and at times it felt a little too “hig...

🌊 The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See — ⭐️⭐️💫 (2.5/5) Affiliate Link: Buy The Island of Sea Women on Amazon ⚠️ Trigger Warnings War violence, torture, mass killings, sexual assault, drowning, grief, and loss. 💬 Initial Thoughts I really wanted to love this one. After reading Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (which I adored!), I went into The Island of Sea Women with high expectations — and let’s be honest, it’s one of Lisa See’s most acclaimed novels. Everyone calls it her masterpiece. But I have to admit… I struggled. 🫣 I’d heard about the haenyeo women before — the incredible female divers of Jeju Island — and that’s what drew me in. Their real-life story is fascinating. But somewhere between the history, politics, and cultural detail, I started to feel like I was drowning in information (pun intended 😅). It’s beautifully researched, yes, but at times it felt like being lectured more than being told a story. The emotional moments should have gutted me — they just di...

🕵️‍♀️ The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Sequel to The Maid — and just as charming!) 👉 Buy The Mystery Guest on Amazon (affiliate link) ⚠️ Trigger Warnings This cozy mystery contains mild references to: Alcohol addiction Sexual harassment (brief mention) 💬 Spoiler Warning Full plot details and the killer reveal ahead! Proceed only if you’ve already read it — or if you, like me, don’t mind a few good spoilers. 😏 🧹 The Regency Grand Returns! If you loved The Maid , rejoice — Molly Gray is back! She’s now Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, and still as adorably literal, meticulous, and unintentionally hilarious as ever. When world-famous mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead in the hotel tearoom just as he’s about to make a big announcement, chaos ensues. Poisoned tea, missing spoons, and panicking maids — it’s all delightfully messy. And once again, Molly finds herself caught in the middle. 🕰️ Two Timelines, One Messy Mystery The story al...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb — Powerful, Raw, and Absolutely Heart-Shattering 🛒 Buy on Amazon → [Affiliate Link] ⚠️ Trigger Warnings This book contains depictions of: Child death and grief Substance abuse (alcohol, prescription drugs) Prison violence and sexual assault Suicide, depression, and trauma Racism, discrimination, and homophobia COVID-related deaths Read with care — this one hurts . 💔 💭 My Thoughts So right before I started The River Is Waiting , I was doom-scrolling through a Facebook book group when someone asked, “What’s the saddest book you’ve ever read?” I wasn’t even looking for book recs — but hundreds of people flooded the comments. And almost half of them said this one. So naturally, I thought, oh great, here we go. When I started reading, I was emotionally bracing myself for some next-level sadness. I finished Part One, where Corby accidentally runs over his son, Niko. Obviously devastating. But I was thinking, t...

💔 What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman — 4⭐ Heartbreaking Dual Timeline with Powerful Payoff 👉 Buy on Amazon: What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman (affiliate link — thank you for supporting the blog!) ⚠️ Trigger Warnings This book deals with very heavy topics including: Mental illness & psychiatric abuse Child sexual abuse Domestic violence Sexual assault & harassment Suicide ideation Institutionalization & forced treatments Death, trauma, and grief Read with care — but if you can handle dark historical fiction, this one will stay with you. 🕯️ 💭 My Thoughts This book was beautifully written , heart-wrenching , and slow-burning — in a good way. The pacing can drag at times, but honestly, it worked here. The alternating timelines between the 1920s and the 1990s are executed so smoothly that you can’t help but keep turning pages to see how everything connects. That said — Ugh! I have to vent: it drives me crazy when c...