My SPOILER ALERT Book Reviews!

⭐ Book Review: Normal People by Sally Rooney 👉 Grab your copy of Normal People on Amazon (affiliate link) ⚠️ Trigger Warnings This book isn’t heavy on action, but it is heavy on feelings. Here are the trigger warnings : Abuse / Domestic Violence (emotional and physical) Toxic relationships Bullying Depression & Mental Health Struggles Suicide (off-page but impactful) Gaslighting & Miscommunication (honestly the biggest villain of this book 👀) 📖 Quick Take Normal People is one of those books that’s brilliantly written but hard to rate . Like… did I love it? Did I want to shake every character by the shoulders? Yes, and yes. There’s no traditional climax or neat little bow at the end. Instead, Sally Rooney gives us two extremely believable characters— so believable they’re frustrating —whose relationship is propelled almost entirely by miscommunication . Nothing “big” happens… and yet I couldn’t stop reading. It’s honestly kind of impress...

⭐ Book Review: The Lake House Children by Gregg Dunnett 👉 Grab your copy of The Lake House Children on Amazon (affiliate link) ⚠️ Trigger Warnings This book touches on some heavy stuff, so heads up if these are sensitive for you: Child death (drowning) Fire / arson Infidelity Suicide / assisted suicide Gaslighting / manipulation Family conflict (seriously, these people should not be left unsupervised around a lake… or matches 🔥) 📖 Quick Take Wow. I honestly wasn’t expecting much because Gregg Dunnett isn’t a “big name” like some of the authors I usually binge. But you know what? This was GOOD . It’s the perfect cocktail of mystery + paranormal + thriller + detective drama , shaken not stirred. 🍸 I’m usually skeptical about paranormal elements in thrillers because sometimes it feels like a lazy way out, but here? It totally works because everything is told through Kate’s lens, and she is NOT the most reliable narrator. It leaves you questioning whethe...

📚 Book Review: Under the Dome by Stephen King 👉 Grab your copy of Under the Dome here: Amazon Affiliate Link 🛒 ⚠️ Trigger Warnings This book includes: Graphic violence (murder, shootings, explosions) Drug use (meth, addiction, paranoia) Suicide and suicidal ideation Sexual assault references Animal deaths Religious extremism & corruption Proceed with caution, because this dome ain’t sunshine and rainbows. 🌞❌ ⭐ My Take (a.k.a. Confessions of a Lazy Listener) Okay, y’all. Let me just say — this book is LONG. Like, 34-hour-audiobook long. 🕰️ And yes, I did skip some pages because I was desperate to know why the heck the dome was even there. 🙈 Was it worth it? Sort of. The writing is classic Stephen King — sharp characters, layered side plots, small-town chaos that feels way too real. Every character serves a purpose. The town feels alive. BUT, if you’re like me and you’re here just for the “what’s up with the dome?” reveal… whew, it’s a s...

📚 Book Review: His & Hers by Alice Feeney 👉 Grab your copy of His & Hers on Amazon here (affiliate link – helps support my book-buying habit 📦💕). ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Before diving in, here are some sensitive topics explored in this book: Childhood trauma Sexual assault / grooming Suicide ideation Infidelity Violence & murder (lots of it 👀) Gaslighting & emotional abuse If these themes are heavy for you, proceed with caution. 😲 First Impressions Wow. Just… wow. Alice Feeney has never failed me yet. I’ve read Daisy Darker and Rock Paper Scissors , and both had me hooked. And now? His & Hers has officially cemented her as one of my favorite thriller writers. Can I give this one 10 out of 5 stars ? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Okay, real talk: I wasn’t shocked by the twist because it reminded me of Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica. But honestly? I didn’t even care. The storytelling, the atmosphere, the tension you could practically slic...

Blog Review  — The It Girl by Ruth Ware 🛑 TRIGGER WARNINGS  Murder & strangulation Drug use Infidelity Violence / attempted murder Grief & trauma 💌 AMAZON AFFILIATE LINK Get your copy of The It Girl by Ruth Ware here → 📚 Amazon Affiliate Link 📢 Spoiler Warning This review contains full plot spoilers — including who killed April and exactly how they pulled it off. Proceed with caution if you haven’t read it yet! 🚨 ✏️ My Thoughts This was so enjoyable. Honestly, Ruth Ware could write a grocery list and I’d still be flipping pages like my life depended on it. While Zero Days is still my all-time fave from her, The It Girl is right up there. The dual timeline (“Before” and “After”) works perfectly — no confusion, no messy jumps. I really liked sleuthing alongside Hannah, piecing together the clues, and making wild guesses at midnight like a wannabe detective. The reveal of the killer wasn’t a jaw-drop shock for me, but the twis...

📚 Book Review: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden Get the book on Amazon here (affiliate link) ⚠ Trigger Warnings Child separation from family Grooming of minors Sexual exploitation Bidding on virginity (mizuage) Physical abuse & bullying Death of parents War & poverty ⭐ My Honest First Thoughts (and Why I Was Wrong) So here’s the thing: I watched the Memoirs of a Geisha movie back in college and… meh. Pretty dresses, lovely music, but I honestly felt like nothing happened . So when I picked up the book, I leveled my expectations way, way down. 💡 Cue me, several chapters in, shouting internally: “Oh. My. God. This is actually GOOD.” The novel grabbed me instantly — little Chiyo’s bleak reality, her mother’s illness, her father’s frailty, and the raw unfairness of what happens to her… I was invested. The voice, the details, the emotional pull — so much richer than the film. And yes, I learned a LOT about what becoming a geisha really inv...

Blog Review: The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn 📚🪟 ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Alcohol abuse 🍷 Prescription drug misuse 💊 Murder / violence 🔪 Parental neglect 🥀 Mental illness (agoraphobia, depression) 🧠 My Take: A Page-Turning, Wine-Soaked Hitchcockian Ride 🍷🎥 Some books are “put down, come back later” reads. This is not one of them. The Woman in the Window had me hooked from page one — a woman, stuck in her house, spying on her neighbors, mixing wine with prescription meds… oh yes, we’ve got a deliciously unreliable narrator here. As soon as you realize Dr. Anna Fox isn’t exactly in a healthy mental space — and she’s throwing alcohol and sedatives into the mix — you know the author can take this story absolutely anywhere . And I’m here for it. Bonus points for moments that made me actually laugh out loud (whether or not A.J. Finn intended it). Like when Anna tries online dating, only to slam the laptop shut after seeing her basement tenant David’s pro...

📚 The Little Friend by Donna Tartt — Review & Full Spoiler Summary ⚠️ Trigger Warnings The Little Friend contains: Child death & murder (off-page but discussed) Drug use & methamphetamine trafficking Attempted murder & violence Animal death (including a cat) 🐈 Snakes 🐍 (poisonous ones!) Racism & classism Grief & family dysfunction 🤔 My Overall Take Well… I’m glad it’s over. This is a big book — the kind you could use as a doorstop and a self-defense weapon. Donna Tartt writes beautifully, sure, but she also writes on…and on…and on… . It’s sold as a murder mystery . But by the end? We still don’t know who killed Robin. That’s a lot of pages for…not knowing. ⭐ My rating: 1.5/5 stars. The prose? Gorgeous. The premise? Fantastic. The actual mystery payoff? Nonexistent . 🕵️‍♀️ Spoiler Warning: The following section spills all the plot beans. I’m talking full spoilers , ending included. 📖 The Little Friend — Full P...

📚 Book Review: Tilt by Emma Pattee — When the Hype Hits Hard… and Misses Rating: ⭐ 1.5/5 (and yes, I’m being generous here) 🚨 Trigger Warnings Pregnancy & childbirth (including solo/unassisted birth) Earthquake & natural disaster scenes Death of a child (side character) Death from injury COVID-19 death (family member) Violence & assault Looting and societal collapse 🌊 My First Impressions This book came in so overhyped I expected a literary earthquake of my own. Instead, I got more of a tremor and a lot of… rubble. Yes, I liked the earthquake-as-life-metaphor idea — that was smart. But the ending? Ugh. It was like the author dropped all the plot threads during the quake and forgot to pick them back up. We get no closure on Taylor’s kid, Spencer, Dom, or half the characters we spent the whole book meeting. I don’t mind abrupt endings when they feel intentional, but here it just felt lazy . The baby was born alive (cool), but then? N...

♟️ Book Review: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars) Affiliate link: Grab your copy of The Midnight Library on Amazon 📚 🚨 Trigger Warnings 💊 Suicide attempt / suicidal thoughts 🐈 Death of a pet (cat) 💔 Depression, grief, and loneliness 🍷 Alcohol use 🌊 Near-death experiences 😍 My Quick Take Wow. Like, capital W, underline, bold, italics — WOW. This is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. The premise? Chef’s kiss — it’s something I’ve thought about a lot. Honestly, the book didn’t reveal anything earth-shatteringly new for me… because I already agreed with most of its conclusions. But reading it still felt like a warm hug from the universe. Also, I loved the chess metaphor running through the book — totally nailed it. And as a chess lover myself, it made my nerdy little heart happy. ♟️ ⚠️ SPOILER WARNING — Full & Complete Plot Summary Ahead If you haven’t read The Midnight Library yet and want to be surprised, sk...

  🌊 Book Review:  This Summer Will Be Different  by Carley Fortune ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars) Affiliate link:   Grab your copy of  This Summer Will Be Different  on Amazon 📚 🚨 Trigger Warnings 💔 Death of a family member (aunt) 🦪 Casual sex scenes (and a LOT of oysters) 🏃‍♀️ Avoidance / ghosting 🍷 Drinking 🌏 Moving far away (Australia!) 😏 My Quick Take Okay, confession: I  did not  like Carley Fortune’s  Meet Me at the Lake . At all. I finished it mostly out of stubbornness (and caffeine). So imagine my surprise when I picked up  This Summer Will Be Different  and fell head over heels for it almost immediately. The writing?  Effortless . The pacing?  Slow and dreamy  (but in that sipping-wine-on-a-porch way, not in the “OMG just get to the point” way). The Prince Edward Island references?  Chef’s kiss  👌 — especially for me, since I’ve been there, toured the  Anne of Green Gables  house, and eaten ...

🏡💀 The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager – Full Spoiler Review & 5-Star Squeal Fest ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Alcoholism 🍷, murder, serial killing, drowning, domestic violence, poisoning, supernatural possession 👻, stalking, and some violence-related gore. ⭐ My Rating: 5 out of 5 Creepy, Twisty, I-Did-Not-See-THAT-Coming Stars ⭐ Friends… FRIENDS. I went into this book thinking I was ready for Riley Sager’s twists. I wasn’t. My jaw actually dropped, I may have audibly gasped (ask my cat 🐈), and I finished the last page with that satisfied “YES, this is why I read thrillers” feeling. 📖 Quick Plot Recap – Full Spoilers Ahead 🚨 🥂 A Widow, a Lake, and a Binocular Problem Casey Fletcher, a 35-year-old widow and former actress, retreats to her family’s lake house in Vermont after her husband’s death and a spectacular downward spiral into booze-fueled self-destruction. She plans to drink the summer away — until she rescues glamorous neighbor Katherine Royce from drown...

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon — Book Review & FULL Spoiler Summary ⚔️🔥😂 Spoiler Alert! 🚨 If you haven’t read Outlander yet and want to be surprised, pick it up on Amazon  ( affiliate link ) and turn back now! This review spills ALL the tea — and then some. ⚠️ Trigger Warnings (Because This Book Gets Real) Sexual assault (ouch, serious stuff) Torture and violence (double ouch) Witch hunts (spoiler: not the fun kind) Steamy smut scenes (prepare your blush) Emotional rollercoasters (bring tissues) What Even Is This Book?! 🤯 Okay, confession time: I’m not a time travel fan. Usually, it feels like the author just forgot how to write a regular story and went, “Hey, let’s fling people through portals!” But Diana Gabaldon? She took my skepticism, put it in a medieval sling, and fired it right out of the park. This book is like Game of Thrones meets Bridget Jones’s Diary , with a side of historical Scottish drama and enough steamy scenes to heat a castl...