All the Books.

"When Emmett Truesdale is chosen to be a participant in a clinical trial for a new weight loss procedure, he's all in. He starts to shed the weight like magic but, of course, there are side effects, unpleasant, disturbing, frightening side effects. Though the book had many good points about body shaming/the obsession we have over fitting in and being skinny, in the end, the characters and the plot were just overdone and ridiculous."  ⭐⭐ Pros: This was a harsh reality of body shaming and shows the kind of culture that sadly, many people struggle with. If you're not skinny, then you're not worth other peoples time, attention etc. It's a sad fact but it's one that's still very much prevalent.   Cons:  I feel like some of the characters were unnecessarily crass/uncouth, especially Lizette/Emmet himself would always crumble into tears, run away or lash out violently when met with a hard conversation.  Full Review:  Emmett Truesdale is a 300+ heavy man who w...

"Martha Jefferson Randolph is the eldest daughter of Thomas Jefferson and has spent the last five years in France. She now returns to her mountain-top childhood home of Monticello. She has every belief that the running of the house will be up to her. Things don’t precisely go as planned though when her father announces he’s been nominated to be the Secretary of State. Their life continues, Jefferson moving up the Political ladder and Martha, at home, having to care for eleven children and deal with her husband’s sullen moods and silences. Though Gunning made a good effort and it did hook me because I wanted to see how it ended overall it was vastly underwhelming."  ⭐⭐⭐ Pros:  Martha was an honest, open-minded and progressive woman, for her time.  Cons:  The plethora of children (both from Martha and Sally) as well as the multiple plantations was a lot to keep track of, so much so that I just stopped trying eventually//Marth'a extreme dislike towards Sally and her clu...

“It seems like a normal morning in August 1975 at Camp Emerson, a summer camp for wealthy families set far into the Adirondack mountains. Except one of the bunks is empty. The empty bunk is Barbara Van Laars, who just happens to be the only child of Peter and Alice Van Laar. What's more horrifying is the fact that Barbaras' brother, Bear, went missing in these very same woods almost fourteen years earlier and was never found. What follows is a fast-paced, emotional, gripping tale of family, loss, love, grief and self-reliance.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Pros: The ending was absolute perfection/The character of Judyta was genuine and driven, I liked her.  Cons: The Van Laar's were a despicable group of people/It took me a bit to get used to the alternating timelines but I eventually got used to it.  Full Review:  Camp Emerson has existed on the Van Laar Preserve, a large stretch of land in the Adirondack mountains for decades. It's a two month long summer camp that caters to the child...

"An intriguing, page turner that picks up right where the first book left off and never lets the reader go."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: The deception of some of the characters is truly gut wrenching, you want to believe that they're good then Ness just takes that theory and turns it on its head, it really keeps the suspense up/All the interwoven intricacies of each characters journey and how everything fits together perfectly Cons: Mayor Prentiss, though undeniably evil, began to be a bit stereotypical villain at the end, monologuing, claiming that he and Todd would be great together, very Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker, "rule the galaxy together as Father and Son" feel, felt unoriginal and forced by the end of it. Full Review: ***Disclaimer*** - If you haven't read The Knife of Never Letting Go, please do so and then come back and read this at your leisure. That way you'll know what I'm talking about. Starting off right where The Knife of Never Letting Go  lea...

"James Willoughby has traveled to Edinburgh and enrolled in the University, in hopes of becoming a pioneer in the new Enlightenment. When he attends a demonstration at Malstrom's surgical school, he's fascinated and knows immediately that Surgery is his calling, only, the tuition is far more than he could ever afford. Fortunatley for him, Aneurin, Malstrom's assistant is willing to offer James a job, since his lodgings are just what Aneurin needs. When Aneurin's "line of work" is revealed, James is both horrified and fascinated and finds himself eager and willing to assist Aneurin in his duties. He becomes a body-snatcher. This was a quick, dark, eerily entertaining read and though not for the faint of heart, it was quite a change of pace and I enjoyed it."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros:  I liked when James finally took a stand against his overbearing family.  Cons:  The constant italicized text for emphasis.  Full Review:  Jack Willoughby is the third son of a promi...

​“Magic is real but can only be summoned by the spells held within certain books. Joanna has spent her entire life protecting the small collection that her father has compiled over the years. Esther, her older sister, left home when she was 18 and has spent the last 10 years moving from place to place, never staying in one spot for more than a year. And across the pond, Nicholas, is the last remaining Scribe of the Library, someone gifted with the ability to create spells, ones that must be written in his own blood. This was a complex, intricate and overall entertaining read. It touched upon family, loyalty love and loss and was definitely a unique and interesting take on magic.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: It was definitely a unique and interesting plot.  Cons: At the beginning of the book, it’s explained that technology is weird in the house in Vermont yet later, when they write the spell to break the NDA, Joanna has a printer and a desktop computer. It seemed like a bit of a continuity error...