Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Darling Girls

I got this audiobook NetGalley widget in my email and decided to give it a shot on a bit of a whim. Sally Hepworth is a new-to-me author but I was feeling in the mood for a bit of a mystery or a thriller. Full disclosure, I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump and the narration wasn’t my favorite, but this story held my attention from beginning to end. I wouldn’t say it was particularly fast-paced, and I don’t think I would classify it as my usual read, but the *characters* absolutely hooked me.

The characters are all deeply flawed, and yet somehow I still loved them all. The incredible bond between the three main characters and the history between them had me rooting for them the entire time. The side characters popped, and I even found the villain to be riveting in her slow-burn, sadistic kind of way. While I think this was on the slower side for a thriller (I would call it more of a mystery) the reveals were perfectly paced to keep my attention fully in the world and made me look forward to my commute.

And despite the darkness of this novel (definitely check the content warnings), I loved the hopeful ending that was just incredibly satisfying. Definitely recommended for anyone looking for a solid character-driven mystery!

⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Thumb’s up for this nice NetGalley surprise!

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Heartstopper (1-5)

Since I flew through this series, I combined the reviews for five books currently out into one post.

Book One

So… I saw the Netflix show when it first came out and loved it. Finally got around to reading the graphic novel, and my god, how is it EVEN BETTER THAN THE SHOW?! (I mean, really, I should’ve expected this, the book is almost always better than the show/movie, but the show set such a high bar!)

Sweet, YA romance perfection I would recommend to literally everyone. My only warning is there’s totally a cliffhanger (thank goodness I have seen the show for that reason,) and I cannot WAIT to read the rest of the series. (5 stars)

Book Two

Just as adorable as book one and I’m honestly blown away by how faithful an adaption the Netflix show is! Onward to book 3! (5 stars)

Book Three

Cutest series ever continues to be the cutest series ever. I can’t believe I didn’t read these sooner! (5 stars)

Book Four

Another cute installment of the Heartstopper series! I really appreciate how they took on mental health issues in this one, and there were some really sweet moments, but I felt like the majority of this volume was told through journal entries in a narrative flashback style instead of experiencing the events in the moment with the characters. I’m not a huge flashback fan, so I didn’t love this one quite as much as the first three. Overall though, definitely recommend for fans of the series, and I’m definitely excited to read vol 5! (4 stars)

Book Five

Another cute installment of the Heartstopper series that tackles hurdles (in per the usual, an amazingly sweet and tactful manner) like applying to college, long distance, and physical intimacy. I read this in one sitting and definitely recommend for all Heartstopper fans. Can’t wait to see what volume six brings, and hoping for more seasons of the show as well!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh my gosh, after that INTENSE reading slump, these books were such a relieving breath of fresh air. My only complaint is that I want more!

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Library Witch Mysteries

Since these audiobook books were bundled together (along with book 3), I’ve combined the reviews into one post.

Book One’s Review:

This was a cozy mystery with all your usual flavors of paranormal in a magical library.

What I liked:
– The premise. I mean, who wouldn’t love to find out you’re a witch and go live in a magical library?
– Easy read, very short, and super chill vibes.

What I didn’t like:
– The tension and character depth just weren’t there for me. Though they’re dealing with a murder, everyone seems to take it rather in stride, and I didn’t feel like we really cracked the surface of most of the characters.

So no quite for me, however, if you like your mysteries with MAXIMUM cozy, this might be for you!

Book Two’s Review:

I read this one because the first three audiobooks were bundled together. I could probably copy and paste my review for the first book for this one. Super cozy mystery. Quick easy read. But not quite enough tension or character development for me. However, book 1 and book 2 are so consistent in formula and tone, I definitely think if you enjoyed the first book, you would enjoy the second. As for me, I think I’m going to stop myself here since these aren’t super up my alley.

⭐⭐⭐¼

Me trying to figure out what genre is going to get me out of this reading slump.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Duke and I

I have big mixed feelings on this one. Regency romance isn’t really my thing generally, but I found a “most popular series” list and I’d tried nearly all of them, so my completionist self is now exploring the last few I missed.

I really liked the comedic sense of the gossip papers and the light-hearted writing style. But honestly there’s two big plot points (see spoilers below) that were (and I don’t use this word lightly) problematic and definitely not romantic.

Highlight to See Spoiler


I mean the brothers forcing Simon to marry Daphne at gunpoint, and Daphne herself manipulating him just felt so… ugh. And then… Daphne makes it her mission to *change* Simon even after he’s very explicit with her about what he does and does not want. When he doesn’t bend, she forces herself on him while he’s drunk and asleep. O_O


If not for those things, I think I could’ve enjoyed this or might read the sequels one day, but those two big elements just left my skin crawling. So… yeah. Not for me. But if you’re a regency romance fan or a fan of the Netflix seris, it could be for you!

⭐⭐⭐

I mean, at this point, the slump is really my fault for choosing books based on a “most popular” list. But I want to be informed!

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Serpent and Dove

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So this a dark, witchy tale with a dual-POV romance where sides are unclear in a mix of gray. I feel like this should’ve been straight up my alley, but for some reason, it really just didn’t grab me, and the religious hypocrisy and misogyny themes were a little thick for my taste. Around the 60% mark, I started rooting for the characters, and there some nice reveals between 60%-80%, but overall I think the pacing was a little slow for me and I thought the relationship and plot just didn’t quite develop as naturally as I would’ve liked. The narration on the audiobook is great though, and this one’s extremely popular so if you’re looking for a dark fantasy with marriage of convenience / forced proximity / enemies to lovers tropes, this might be for you!

⭐⭐⭐¼

At this point, I was literally starting to worry my book radar was broken. The ready slump growsss. 😭

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – One of Us is Back

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So I loved book 1 of this series, I thought book 2 was okay, and I think I feel about the same about book 3. Though I really like the quick-flowing writing style, over the course of the series, I feel like we just kept adding characters to the Scooby Doo crew and in this one they all kind of blended together. The only one that popped for me is Nate, and while I enjoyed getting more of his story, I felt like the climax felt a just little flat. However if you enjoyed book 2, I’d definitely recommend giving this a try!

⭐⭐⭐½

The reading slump is growing… someone save me!

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Ruthless Vows

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I knew it would be hard to follow up the first book after I loved it so much, but this wasn’t the sequel I hoped for.

I felt like in so many ways, we were re-treading the ground covered in book one, and I didn’t see as much magical world-building as in the first book. While the writing was wonderful and I still loved the characters, I feel like we didn’t dive deep enough into them in this book. I think all of those elements combined really slowed the pace down. And yet the ending felt weirdly rushed?

Overall, this left me with mixed feelings about this duology, but of course, if you loved the first one, I’d still recommend picking this one up and seeing what you think. (And the audiobook narration is fantastic!)

⭐⭐⭐¾

Sequels are hard, man! (Did I mention I was in a reading slump? x_X)

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Better than the Movies

What I liked:
Wes. I totally wished this had been a dual POV! Wes is so obviously head over heels with Liz from the beginning, but he does what he can to help her get what she wants. And he had so many clutch saves when she was in a bind.

What I didn’t like:
Liz. The clueless heroine is one of my least favorite tropes and I got pretty impatient with her. She goes through a big lying phase, treats her best friend poorly, does the whole “makeover for a guy” thing, gives the “it’s complicated” excuse for not communicating, and doesn’t treat Wes very well.

Neutral:
This book was chock FULL of pop culture, movie, and song references. I don’t really have any strong feelings about them, but I know some do so I’m throwing it in here.

I don’t think this one was really for me, but if you’re interested in a classic-feeling YA romance, it might be for you!

⭐⭐⭐¼

At 3 “not-for-me” books in a row, I think I can’t deny that I’ve entered into the dreaded reading slump.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The September House

Okay, this was fabulous. Fresh tongue-in-cheek horror at its finest. I loved rooting for Margaret, as bizarre as she was with her love for her house and her acceptance of its… quirks. Loved the deeper parallels of the cycle of abuse and strength. Even the journey of Catherine’s (audiobook listener, so I’m not sure how she spells it) understanding and acceptance of her mother. Loved how it didn’t pull punches with the graphic horror, but Margaret’s reaction to it had me smiling every time. And then that ending was just *chef’s kiss.*

Excellent audiobook narration and I already recommended it to a friend within seconds of finishing. Such a satisfying read, and highly recommend for anyone looking for a paranormal horror with a likable main character and a straight-up cathartic conclusion.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Chef’s kiss and definitely in the running for a favorite read of the year.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Under the Whispering Door

What I liked about this book:

  • The thought of a whimsical halfway tea house on your way to the afterlife
  • Lovely writing
  • Most of the supportive characters were engaging and likable
  • The audiobook narration was good

What I disliked:

  • The main character, Wallace. At the beginning he is awful, and I thought his redemption and personality shift was way too quick. Honestly, I think the ending he got was completely undeserved, and the speed in which he changed everything about himself made his relationships with the other characters seem shallow.
  • The pacing. For me, this book progressed very slowly, with the characters 0ften waxing poetic on life and death.

So overall, I didn’t really think this one was for me, but if you’re looking for a philosophical, whimsical paranormal that takes its time, this could be for you!

⭐⭐⭐½

Another recommendation from my coworker. I love the idea of a magical tea house for obvious reasons, but I can’t even with Wallace.

Thanks for reading!