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Book Review: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
If you have been following my blog for a longer while already, you know that books by Emily Henry are a real hit or miss for me. Whereas I really didn’t like Book Lovers, Happy Place was actually pretty decent. Her newest novel Great Big Beautiful Life piqued my interest from the start, but considering my earlier reading experiences, I was hesitant. I finally picked it up and now you’re reading my book review. As our main characters Alice and Hayden have to conduct interviews in order to complete their task at hand, I thought it would be a fun idea to do the exact same thing for my book review, so I interviewed myself. Did I enjoy this book in the end?
About the book
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Published by Berkley on April 22, 2025
Pages: 418
ISBN: 9780593441299
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, General fiction, Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.
Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.
When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.
One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.
Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication.
Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.
But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.
And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad… depending on who’s telling it.My review
Why did you decide to pick this book up in the end and what were your expectations before reading?
Well, let’s first start with my expectations. I had none, as I was very cautious this time. I have different experiences with books by this author. I read Beach Read long ago, before it was even popular. I enjoyed that one and it looked like Henry would become a new autobuy author for me. But then there was People We Meet on Vacation and that one took me forever to finish. It was still okay, but I already felt a bit let down. So, Book Lovers was a new chance. And that went wrong, so wrong. I therefore decided that Happy Place would be my final chance for this author. This book ended up being okay, but I didn’t dare picking up Funny Story as that one has both the forced proximity trope (not so bad) and the fake relationship trope (my least favourite trope). Great Big Beautiful Life was a doubtful case as well, but everyone seemed to love it. And it gives me a bit of a mystery vibe with lots of long buried secrets, so I was mostly sold. That’s why I read it eventually.
This book is told solely from Alice’ point of view. What did you think of her and the other characters in this book?
My biggest problem with Henry’s characters is that the characters are thirteen-in-a-dozen ones. It’s easy to grab one from each book and put them in another book. There’s little to know variety in them, their personalities are similar and so is their vibe. Furthermore, they aren’t written well. I still don’t have any clue about Alice and Hayden as they are just really mediocre to me. Too mediocre for a character driven story like this. It’s hard to relate or feel any emotional connection to them. I never felt any chemistry between them and for a romance this is such a bummer. This romance therefore feels pretty at surface level and unbelievable for this exact reason. Margaret however has more depth and potential to her, but she stays too much at surface level as well. I therefore didn’t have any favvourite character.
Do you think this novel reaches its full potential?
Not really unfortunately. It’s not bad, definitely not. I just think both the characters and plot stay too much at surface level and could have been elaborated more in depth. The mystery surrounding Margaret was the most intriguing part of this book, but it falls flat in the end. I was quite underwhelmed. However, I wanted to keep reading to find all the answers to my questions and to unravel said mystery. Besides, I believe a multiple POV narration would have given this novel more depth to it, especially to the characters. I would have loved to see more from Hayden, because there is more to tell here and the author just missed this chance. Either by accident or by choice.
What themes does this book address according to you and does the author want to give a message to the readers?
A message not per se. I think this book is meant for an audience who wants to read for a desperately needed escape. The mystery element is there to give the plot more body, otherwise this is paper thin. There are some themes though: trust, family, love, finding happiness. Important themes, but pretty generic ones for a romance.
Do you think this book fits its genre?
Oh absolutely! There is a romance – albeit with not too much chemistry – and the plot follows the romance formula. The writing is easy to follow and never gets complicated. Nor is the plot. This book is character driven, but let’s disregard their execution. Henry focuses more on the bond between Alice and Hayden, whilst Margaret and her story mostly serve as a side plot to keep the readers interested. I just missed character growth. I mean it’s there, but not in the way and amount I prefer to see in my romances.
Would you recommend this book to others?
I’m not sure about this one as I think everyone has to decide for themselves. Are you a hardcore romance reader? I would recommend it. If you value more emotional depth and character growth, this book is maybe not really suitable for you.
Are your expectations met, and did you enjoy reading this book in the end?
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry did meet my expectations for the simple fact I had none. It fits her bibliography, which is awesome for the fans, but I would like to see her try something new. The couples are always white and straight, which is fine don’t get me wrong, but diversity would be appreciated to see as well. The mystery was what kept me hooked to the pages. Apart from this, the plot is paper thin. I missed depth in both characters and plot. This includes character growth. Even though I would recommend this book to the romance lovers, I think it didn’t reach its full potential in the end which is such a pity.
Are you considering reading this book or is this not for you?
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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Look Forward To Releasing in the Second Half of 2025
July is around the corner and that means that the first half of 2025 is already gone. How?! Even though I didn’t read many of the books I was looking forward to for the first half of the year (I actually lost track of some), it’s time to find books I’m curious for in the second half of the year. I’ve stopped anticipating books long ago, because A) I end up not reading them until eons later and B) they often end up to be disappointing in the end. So, I rather call these books “Books I’m curious for” instead. For this list, I only looked at books from the “my authors” section on Goodreads, so all of these books are by authors whose work I’m familiar with. So, what books managed to grab my attention, and will I be on the lookout for from July to December?
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
- Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson (Expected July 22) – I didn’t even hear about this book till many people put it on last week’s Top Ten Tuesday post where we created our summer TBR. I have mixed experiences with Jackson’s books, but this seems to be an adult novel and this makes me curious. YA authors transitioning into books for an adult audience could go both ways: either successful or unsuccessful. We have seen enough examples for both in the past few years. So, let’s see if, and when, I’ll pick this one up!
- Fateless by Julie Kagawa (expected July 15) – Even though I’m still not fully caught up with Kagawa’s backlist, I’m still curious for this book. Yes, even though pirates are not really my thing. But when I was able to interview the author for a Dutch bookish platform back in 2018, she mentioned that she was about to write a book about pirates, so I believe this is the one she was talking about back then. Keep in mind that Shadow of the Fox was just released and this series had to be finished first. I’m not sure if I will read this book in Dutch or English, as I read most of this authors’ work in Dutch.
- The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk by Carissa Broadbent (expected August 5) – this one is a bit of a doubtful case on this list. I really enjoyed The Serpent & the Wings of Night after being in a reading slump for months, but the “Crowns of Nyaxia” series quickly went downhill from there. I strongly disliked The Songbird & the Heart of Stone, but I just can’t face the fact that this series has only 1 good book yet. So, I’ll keep an eye on it, but I don’t know if I will ever pick it up. And maybe I should do and read it in summer for once instead of winter when I always hit my annually returning reading slump.
- The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin (expected August 26) – Another book that has been brought to my attention due to last week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic. I read just one book by this author in 2023, but this new one makes me curious as it’s set in a different time period.
- The Primal of Blood and Bone by Jennifer L. Armentrout (expected September 23) – I already pre-ordered this final book in the “Blood and Ash” series and although the story is getting a bit dragging and repetitive at times, I still want to know how it all ends for Poppy and Casteel. This book was scheduled for June but got pushed back to September eventually.
- Every Step She Takes by Alison Cochrun (expected September 2) – A sapphic romance novel? Adding this one to this list is a no-brainer.
- Espíritu by Aiden Thomas (expected September 2) – I think Cemetery Boys was one of the most surprising YA books of the past few years and we finally have a follow-up! This is Julian’s story, which makes me really curious.
- Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber (expected October 7) – Another YA author transitioning into adult fiction, let’s see how this one works out.
- Dark Horizon by Nicole Arend (expected October 9) – Finally, the sequel to Fresh Blood! Even though this book is not the best out there and definitely not original, I ate it all up. I was addicted. However, this was early 2023 and we haven’t had a sequel in this “Vamps” series until October. I just can’t wait!
- Coldwire by Chloe Gong (expected November 4) – I want to end this list with a new book by Chloe Gong, which marks the start of a new dystopian series involving virtual reality. Her previous series were not so successful for me, apart from the Shanghai duet. But I still want to give this one a try.
I didn’t even look into December, because there apparently are more books I look forward to than I initially thought. Besides these, there are some Dutch editions for books that already have their English counterparts I look forward to. Oh boy, I don’t even know when I have the time to read all books on my TBR!
What books are you most looking forward to in the second half of 2025?
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Reasons Why and How Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill Fits into the Cozy Fantasy Genre
Cozy fantasy is a sub genre within the fantasy genre that is gaining more and more popularity. Books seem to pop up out of nowhere, everywhere. One of the newer additions to this landscape is Greenteeth by Molly O’Neil. How does it fit in the cozy fantasy sub genre?
About the book
Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill
Published by Orbit on February 25, 2025
Pages: 279
ISBN: 9780356522623
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐Narrated by a lake-dwelling monster, Greenteeth is an utterly charming tale of fae, folklore and found family, perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher.
Beneath the still surface of a lake lurks a monster with needle sharp teeth. Hungry and ready to pounce . . .
Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake by an angry mob, something makes Jenny decide she’s worth saving. Temperance doesn’t know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor. All she wants is to return to her husband and children, still trapped under his baleful influence.
Though they have nothing in common, these two unlikely companions must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Temperance’s family, Jenny’s lake, and possibly the very soul of Britain.
Reasons why and how this book fits in the cozy fantasy genre
- The characters – Most books within this genre have humanoid and non humanoid characters, this is no different for Greenteeth. We follow Jenny, a water monster who is able to disguise herself as a human if necessary. She’s neither a mermaid, nor a siren, but just… a Jenny. This is explained more in detail in the book, but this Jenny Greenteeth is a fairy creature which appears in many fae folklore. However, I never encountered a Jenny before. This was quite confusing though, because Jenny is a Jenny, named Jenny. Okay do you get it? Furthermore, the cast of characters contains a human witch, Temperance, and a goblin, Marsh if I spell it right. I consumed most of this in audio so I’m not too sure.
- The quest – Many cozy fantasies rely on a quest to evolve their plot round. Again, no different here. Temperance is in danger for being a witch and seeks shelter at Jenny’s lake, but then something terribly dangerous enters the lake Jenny calls home. Together they have to embark on an unusual magical quest to conquer this dangerous influence and save both the lake, the village and maybe even the whole world.
- The low stakes – Okay, hear me out. A quest has some high stakes of course, because they have to complete it successfully in order to save literally everything. But one of the trademarks of cozy fantasy is the low stakes. There are no epic battles to be fought, there’s just the “simple” quest with magic and travelling.
- The magic – Oh did I say magic already? Sorry. Yes, this is also one of the key elements in cozy fantasy. Nearly all characters in Greentheeth possess magic, one more than the other. And it’s coming in handy a lot.
- The fights – It all seems so cozy out there, but there are definitely some fights. No epic battles, but more like fights within the inner circle of this novel. And this is connected to my next point.
- The character growth – Yes, I could have placed this straight under the first reason on this list, but it’s more connected to the one above. Several of the characters are involved in a quarrel at some point which provides them some much needed time for reflection. This reflection and inner monologue. This reflection leads to character growth which this is pretty important for the continuation of the story.
- The predictability off the plot – I already mentioned the fact that the plot in cozy fantasy is predictable most of the time (hello quest and low stakes) and that’s no different here. Even though it’s intriguing, there is a structure to be followed which makes this book – and many other cozy fantasies – feel pretty formulaic.
- The easy-to-follow and straight forward writing – O’Neills writing is pretty straight forward and easy to follow. The language is not difficult, and this makes this novel perfect for an easy read.
- The ending – Yes, we all know how cozy fantasies end, cozy. This is no different here.
Final thoughts
Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill was a book I didn’t really want to pick up at first. However, this changed when I saw that this was super cheap on Kindle. Cozy fantasy is not really my cup of tea, but I always want to give it a fair chance. I enjoyed my time reading this novel because it was such an easy read, but I find the plot pretty predictable and formulaic. The characters show some growth, even though the stakes are low. For me, this book was just fine and a nice and quick in-betweener. Unfortunately, quite forgettable though.
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Book Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
One of my 2025 reading goals is to read more older books that have been on my TBR for ages. One of these is Renée Ahdieh’s The Wrath and the Dawn. I’m actually cheating a bit, because I tried to start this book twice but failed miserably. I kept falling asleep. I still wanted to give this book a fair chance as I strongly believed this would be up my alley. However, my expectations were a bit diminished because of both my previous experiences with this book as well as with another book by this author. This was The Beautiful and I ended up not liking it at all. Did Ahdieh succeed in convincing me this time? Spoiler alert: no.
About the book
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #1
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers on May 12, 2015
Pages: 404
ISBN: 9780399171611
Genres: Fantasy, Young adult
Rating: ⭐⭐A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights
Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.
She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.My review
In this book we follow Sharzad who is grieving the loss of her best friend. To avenge her death, she decides to marry Khalid, the kalif of Korazan. She knows that she most likely wouldn’t see another sunrise, as he is notorious for killing his brides before dawn. But Sharzad is determined to become the exception to the rule.
I wish I could say that I was fully intrigued by every aspect of the book: characters, writing and plot. Unfortunately, I wasn’t. In truth, I can’t remember anything about Sharzad anymore. I know she decides to avenge the death of her best friend and that she loves to tell stories, but that’s it. She knows how to wield a weapon and wouldn’t back down for a fight. However, I didn’t like her persona. This was actually lacking and not showing any growth at all. It has been several weeks after reading this book and although I was already confused whilst reading, I still can’t recall anything Sharzad did or did not do.
On the other hand, we have Khalid. It takes a while before he gets his own POV. Even though he gets one, it’s hard to get to know him as well. He has an interesting backstory, but I wasn’t too intrigued by it. Even though it explains a lot of his actions. This was probably due to the fact Sharzad was really uninteresting as well and that I zoned out a lot. I still find it really unbelievable how these characters could turn around 180 degrees in a matter of chapters.
Ahdieh’s writing is flowery. Maybe a bit too flowery, because it couldn’t suck me into the story at all. It was a continuous battle for me to understand what was happening. Besides this, there was not too much action at all. The plot was pretty predictable and therefore absolutely not intriguing. I was lost all the time, and I didn’t wonder why I fell asleep on this book twice. In fact, the plot is pretty forgettable.
The only positive element of this book for me was the setting. Oh, the setting! It was really descriptive and therefore I was able to imagine myself in an Arabic setting. The food, the soukh’s, it’s all there. This book is loosely inspired by the 1001 Nights fairytale and that shows.
Unfortunately, I have to conclude that Renée Ahdieh’s books and I aren’t a match. I already could have known this after finishing The Beautiful years ago, but I still wanted to give The Wrath and the Dawn a try. It’s all so boring and so forgettable. It has been weeks since I finished this story, and I can’t remember a thing except for the setting. This was therefore the most positive element of the book for me. I also remember wanting to finish this book ASAP and move on. I own The Rose and the Dagger, but needless to say that I won’t be reading it. Luckily both books were just €0.99 each.
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Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Summer 2025 TBR
It’s Tuesday and before getting to today’s post, I have an annoying announcement to make. When transferring my blog to my current host – and this process didn’t run smoothly at all – I had some troubles with Jetpack. It saw this site as a duplicate from my site hosted on WordPress’ business plan. Even though I copied all settings (I had that option), it didn’t copy everything. Besides all the likes I lost on my posts, I also lost all my subscribers. So, were you subscribed to this blog before and you still enjoy my ramblings? Please hit the subscribe button again! Now, on to business. Summer is fast approaching. In fact, solstice is just days away. Let’s hope for sunny days where we get lots of reading done! But what books am I hoping to read this summer?
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
- One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune – This is on my June TBR, and I think I’ll be able to knock it off.
- Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez – I already have been planning to read this book for a long while now, so this summer it must be time, right?
- Out On a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young – This was actually one of my more anticipated releases for last winter. But guess what? I bought the book and it’s still on the TBR. Time for change!
- The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong – Another book I anticipated a lot, but it only got published last month. I didn’t have time to pick it up then, so I really want to pick it up this summer.
- Crossroads by Devney Perry – I’ve heard of this author before, but didn’t pick up one of their books. Now that this one is translated in Dutch and available for a very discounted price, I couldn’t resist and add another cowboy romance to my list. But why oh why is this yet another series?!
- Consider Me by Becka Mack – Another romance because summer is the romance season.
- Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa – I have been meaning to read this book earlier, but I didn’t get to it. It tells the story of Palestinian refugees in Jenin, a refugee camp in Palestina. This book is actually over a decade old, but still as relevant. I’m not sure if I want to read this in English or if I will snatch up a Dutch copy as it looks like poetry plays a major role in this novel. This might make it harder for me to fully understand the story if I don’t read it in my native language, which is important for the topic this book addresses.
- The Wind Weaver by Julie Johnson – This book will be available in Dutch pretty soon and I like to mix both English and Dutch in my reading. So, I decided to stick with Dutch for this one.
- Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab – I don’t know what it is with Schwab’s books and me, because I’m always intrigued by the premise, but disappointed by the execution. This book however, sounds right up my alley. Vampires? LGBTQIA+? Count me in! This author’s writing is phenomenal, but somehow the plot and characters don’t intrigue me that much. I’m still super curious, so naturally I’ll pick up this one! I’ll read the Dutch edition for now to get into the story and fully understand it, but I’ve seen glowing reviews for the audiobook narration as well. Maybe if I have a spare credit left…
- The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith – Another book that has been on my list for a while, but I haven’t hauled before this month. This is such a hype which makes me a little cautious once again.
- Powerless by Elsie Silver – This is coming over from my spring TBR, because I simply didn’t get to it.
So, these are the books I hope to read this summer. What about you? What’s on your TBR for summer 2025?
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Book Review: Go As A River by Shelley Read
Sometimes you come across a book and when you pick it up, you notice that this is not the right timing for this particular book. I had this issue with Go as a River by Shelley Read. I noticed back in 2023 that I kept falling asleep and that’s never a good sign. Moreover, it’s marketed as “for fans of There Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens” and that book is tremendously overhyped in my opinion. I therefore knew I wouldn’t be in the right headspace for this book at that moment as I saw the movie adaptation for that other book recently and yeah that’s pretty soon after one another. Fast forward four years and this book kept popping up in my recommendations on many, many platforms. I took the bait and read it this time around. Was it for me or was it to similar to that tremendously overhyped book?
About the book
Go as a River by Shelley Read
Published by Spiegel & Grau on March 7, 2023
Pages: 302
ISBN: 9781954118232
Genres: Adult, General fiction, Historical fiction, Literary fiction
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐A riveting and deeply moving debut–a love story in the spirit of Where the Crawdads Sing–that is both a stunning exploration of the natural world and an unforgettable coming-of-age novel.
Victoria Nash is just a teenager in the 1940s, but she runs the household on her family’s peach farm in the ranch town of Iola, Colorado–the sole surviving female in a family of troubled men. Wilson Moon is a young drifter with a mysterious past, displaced from his tribal land in the Four Corners region, who wants to believe one place is just like another. When Victoria encounters Wil on a street corner, their unexpected connection ignites as much passion as danger and as many revelations as secrets. Victoria flees into the beautiful but harsh wilderness of the nearby mountains when tragedy strikes. Living in a small shack, she struggles to survive with no clear notion of what her future will be. What happens afterward is her quest to regain all that she has lost, even as the Gunnison River rises to submerge her homeland and the only life she has ever known. Go as a River is a story of love and loss but also of finding home, family, resilience–and love–where least expected.
My review
Pro: the growth of the main character
Main character Tori lives in a small farmers town in 1948 USA. She lives in the south and the town and its people are pretty conservative. Tori however is not someone to let herself be dictated what to do and what not, which makes her an outsider in the community. Throughout this novel, she has to make some tough choices that will affect her life and maybe haunt her forever. She was the good girl who took care of the household and her family and never complained. One encounter with a stranger awoke a fire in her she never knew she had. As the story progresses, Tori grows into a woman who stands up for herself and is determined to get what she wants and desires. She definitely is coming of age rapidly, but her past will always be a part of her.
Con: the pacing
For me, the pacing is a bit of a con in this novel. It fits both the story and title Go as a River, because this plot is meandering a bit and never really hits the rapids. This makes this book perfect for a slow, hot day, but if you’re looking for more action, it’s not for you. There is a lot happening, but the author only touches lightly on several of these events. Such a pity.
Pro: the themes
Even though this book is pretty slow, it still addresses many important themes. Tori has to make several decisions that will leave a permanent mark on her future life. She has to make them all alone, because she doesn’t have a steady support system. Even though her family loves her, they are pretty conservative and never show their love and affection till much later in the story. Some of them are real jerks to be honest. This all influences the themes, because finding your true identity, showing strength and resilience, racism are the pillars of this novel alongside love, trust, friendship and family ties and legacies. Despite the book being not that long, all these themes are explored.
Con: the themes
Yes, it’s also a pro, because many of these themes Read addresses in the story fit the time frame and are written well, but it’s also a con. The book is not too long and there therefore is not too much space to explore all themes in depth. Some are touched upon more briefly than others that also deserve a deeper exploration. The most important event leaves room for questions, especially for a curious mind like mine. I didn’t get the answers and wished for an epilogue. I still was intrigued though, and the pro outweighs the con on this part.
Pro: the setting
This book is perfect for lovers of nature. Throughout the novel, our main character needs to spend some time in the mountains. However, nature plays a very important role in her entire live as her family literally owns a peach orchard which provides a living for them. When the government wants to implement impactful changes to the environment – and especially will affect the river – Tori has to take yet another decision which again involves nature. Thanks to the vivid descriptions Read provides, it’s possible, and even easy, to picture the setting of this novel. The changes to the landscape are also vividly described, which truly showcases Torri’s despair and longing for past times.
Final thoughts
Beforehand, I was really sceptical picking up Go as a River by Shelley Read. I’m not one for slow meandering plots. I often need more action. However, the explored themes and the growth of the main character really surprised and intrigued me. The vivid descriptions of the setting make it really easy to picture nature and its importance for main character Tori. The writing was fine, it doesn’t stand out. And yes, I see why this novel is compared to There Where the Crawdads Sing as it has kind of a similar vibe. I still prefer Read’s novel as it has more deeper layers. Still, this is not my favourite book but ended up being a nice surprise. The pros definitely outweigh the cons!
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Summer 2024 reflection
A year ago, I started seasonal reflections alongside the seasonal TBR’s. The first season I reflected o was summer 2023. I can’t believe this has been a year ago and that it’s already time to look back on summer 2024. When writing this post, it’s approximately 30 degrees (Celsius) outside, so summer is showing itself early. Since my balcony is facing South, this means that it’s way too hot to sit outside and read, because the sun is shining brightly from noon till sunset. However, summer 2024 was filled with romance, the entire year was apparently. But did I read the seasonal TBR I set for myself and my bookhauls from July, August and September 2024? Links will direct you to reviews if existent.
Did I read my summer 2024 TBR?
- Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean – I finally read it, after taking this with me onto several TBR’s since summer 2022 (or 2023?). I read it last February, so it was way overdue!
- Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez – No, I haven’t read it still. In my defence, I didn’t realize it was a third book in a series of companion novels, so I have to read the first two before I can actually dive into this one. And I still need to do so.
- Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan – I read this pretty soon after acquiring the book and it was exactly the emotional rollercoaster I expected it to be. I read this book in Dutch, but I’m afraid the rest of the “Skyland” series won’t be translated as I’m still waiting for the second book.
- The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab – No, I haven’t read this one yet and with good reason. I want to reread the original “Shades of Magic” series to refresh my memory and that just didn’t happen. I reread A Darker Shade of Magic last year and never continued this project.
- The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater – This book gives off so many fall vibes that I decided to move it to the fall TBR, and I indeed read it in that particular season.
- Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor – I had planned on rereading this book as it was a book club pick last summer, but I didn’t get to it and I still haven’t gotten to it one year later.
- Did I Mention I Need You? by Estelle Maskame – No, I haven’t read it yet. Maybe this summer? But there are so many new shiny releases to choose from!
- One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I read this, and this was my least favourite TJR so far. I finished it in one sitting on holidays and unfortunately, I wasn’t emersed into the entire story and romance. It was not bad, but not too good either.
- The Chase by Elle Kennedy – December counts as summer, right? Just kidding. I didn’t get to it in summer, but I did so in winter, and I noticed some outgrowing on my part. I still have the other books in this “Briar U” series which I will read eventually, but I’m pretty cautious now with books by this author.
- Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas – 2024 Was the year I was rereading the entire “Throne of Glass” series in English. Or at least, that was the plan. This fifth book took me over a month to finish and I never continued. So yes, I’ve read it, but my personal project hasn’t been finished.
Did I read my summer 2024 bookhauls?
- It All Comes Back to You by Melissa Wiesner – Yes, I read this one during my summer getaway and I really enjoyed it. So much so, that another book by this author will be in my June bookhaul.
- Let The Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura – I read this during the Olympics and even though it really fits the setting and addresses important themes, I wasn’t a fan of the story overall. The characters didn’t work for me, nor did the romance and chemistry.
- Frambozenzomer by Lucas Versteeg – I read this in the same summer break and I reviewed it on my Dutch blog as it’s a Dutch book.
- Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent – No, I haven’t read this one yet, but I haven’t read thrillers all year.
- Reckless by Lauren Roberts – I read this one and in contradiction to other readers I really enjoyed this book as it highlights the characters and their growth.
- Where Time Stands Still by N.S. Perkins – Another book I’ve read and really enjoyed.
- Burning Crowns by Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber – I also read this one after much hesitation, but only just recently. Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed by it.
- Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan – I haven’t picked this one up yet and I see mixed reviews everywhere, so I’m a bit reluctant to do so.
- The Right Move by Liz Tomforde – Of course I read this and the entire series is such a surprise to me.
- Body Check by Elle Kennedy – No, I haven’t read this and when looking at the synopsis, I’m wondering why I hauled it in the first place. What was I thinking at the time…
- One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig – This was not a good summer read, it made more sense to me in winter. To give it a fair chance, I reread it in December or so.
- Savour It by Tarah DeWitt – I was curious for the hype surrounding this author as many fellow bloggers talked about her books. But this one ended up to not be for me.
- The Rule Book by Sarah Adams – I forgot I hauled this! Oops!
- The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater – Yes, see above.
- The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde – This book was on my fall TBR actually, but didn’t get to it. I hope to pick it up soon.
- Tijd droogt alle tranen by Emma Anna – Did I even haul this? Okay? I forgot!
- Kleine gelukjes by Audrey Adelin – Yes, I read this book on an exceptionally summery day in fall.
- Alleen thuis by Carlie van Tongeren – Even though this book addresses an important topic, I wasn’t too intrigued. Maybe it’s because it’s YA, but I had the feeling it stays at surface level too much. It’s a Dutch book, so no review here.
- Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout – Well, this was so slow and so disappointing, it took me a long time before I finished it.
- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao – Another book I read on an exceptionally hot fall day, and this was a nice surprise. The sequel however is a different story and ended on the DNF pile.
- Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh – No, this is a big one and I wasn’t in the mood.
- Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune – Yeah, I read this and although this sequel was good, the first book is better.
- House of Secrets and Vows by Genna Ashwood – Another book I forgot about, whoops.
Verdict:
- I read 6 books from my summer 2024 TBR, with no DNF’s
- I read 15 books from my summer 2024 bookhauls, with no DNF’s either
Summer 2024 was a good season in the end as I read most of both my TBR and bokhaul. For the ones I haven’t read yet, I’m sure I’ll pick up pretty soon.
Have you dared to look back on your 2024 summer yet? Are you curious for how you did on both your TBR and bookhaul after an entire year? Or don’t you really mind?
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Book Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu
Nearly five years ago, I finally read Legend by Marie Lu. The series was already quite old at the time, but I’m still so behind on YA novels so hadn’t read it yet. The timing couldn’t be more ironic as it was at the high of the Covid-19 pandemic and we were about to enter yet another lockdown. However, despite its flaws, I still enjoyed this first book in the trilogy. It only took me until now to pick up Prodigy and continue this series. Did it still live up to my earlier reading experience and my expectations? Be aware for spoilers for the previous book in this review.
About the book
Prodigy by Marie Lu
Series: Legend #2
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers on January 29, 2013
Pages: 371
ISBN: 9780399256769
Genres: Dystopian, Young adult
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐The highly anticipated second book in Marie Lu’s New York Times bestseller, LEGEND–perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT
June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request–June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.
It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.
But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood–what if the Patriots are wrong?My review
Expectations
It has been a fairly long time since I read Legend and whereas I really wanted to read Prodigy, I just never picked it up. I wasn’t prioritizing it and therefore I didn’t have many expectations. I just wanted to finally knock it off my TBR. I however did expect to find an easier read in terms of writing style and such after some books that were quite a challenge and disappointment to me. My expectations were mostly met.
Characters
Legend was told alternately from both our main characters’ POV and this was likewise for this next book. We follow both June and Day which is quite necessary for the story. They have to go their separate ways at some point, but I can’t say too much about this because of spoilers. Maybe it’s my reading experience or maybe this is indeed lacking, but in my opinion both characters aren’t elaborated too well. We get to know them, and Lu also provides insight in their feelings, but it all feels like it’s staying quite at surface level. This is not strange for a plot driven book, but somehow, I miss it. I was unable to feel any connection to both June and Day and admittedly, I already forgot them. They both have so many inner struggles and their loyalties get tested a lot, but I just didn’t feel it. There was no urgency for me in terms of their growth and this was a real pity.
Writing
Lu has a writing style which is indulging and easy to follow. Even though it has bene years since I read the previous book in the series, it was easy for me to remember what happened and therefore I could fly through the book. This story is heavy on POV switching, but all for good reason. It is clear when such a switch occurs as this is done by a set structure. Compared to other books, this writing style is quite generic though, but it fits the target audience which is the young adult reader. Mind that this book has been over a decade old, so that there were different standards and readers were easily satisfied. Nowadays, this is a different story it seems.
Setting
The setting of the book is a bit scary. Could we ever have imagined a decade ago how the current political climate in the USA would be? Between then and now, we had Covid, and the world is on fire in general. This dystopian setting the author crafted partially became reality and somehow that hits a bit different. Even though it’s in an attenuated form. Upon publication, it was unimaginable that a world like this could ever exist, but now it’s totally different. I could easily picture the world June and Day are living in and I hope this won’t become reality one day. This might be the biggest trigger for readers to avoid this series altogether, but I find this setting and atmosphere oppressive and elaborated well.
Plot
Unfortunately, the plot was, together with the characters, the weakest element of this book for me. It moves slowly and I wasn’t too excited overall. Despite the setting being so oppressive, the plot wasn’t too intriguing. It’s quite fast-paced, somthing that speaks to the target audience, even back then. It’s action-packed, combined with some inner monologue. However, since this is a trilogy, this boo definitely feels like a second book that’s squeezed in between a series starter and something that could only be an explosive finale. I wasn’t fully intrigued by it, but I understand the importance of this second book as this is the kickstarter for certain events that hopefully will be explored more in depth in Champion, the third book in the series.
Final thoughts
Even though Prodigy has some less strong elements compared to Legend, I still enjoyed my time spent on this book. Accordingly other trilogies, this book really suffers from second book syndrome. Although the plot is fast-paced and quite action-packed, it’s not too intriguing as it moves forward slowly in terms of development. I understand the importance of certain events as they might be the kickstarter for the third book. Moreover, the characters are lacking growth as well. The strongest point for me was the setting, this dystopian setting has been written really well and feels quite scary when looking at the current state of the world. This series definitely stands the test of time, but it feels less intriguing to me compared to some of its peers.
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Top Ten Tuesday: Did I Read My Spring 2025 TBR?
It’s Tuesday again and I’m finally back! I thought I was already settled, but along the way I found some more problems that occurred with moving. I lost all “likes” on my posts (comments are transferred), most post dates were wrong and Jetpack isn’t supporting both the “Related posts” and the Goodreads widget anymore. This is such a bummer! Anyway, I’m back with another Top Ten Tuesday post and I decided to go rogue yet again. The actual topic for today is “Bookish wishes” but I never participate in this one. Next week it’s time to create our summer TBR, so this is actually a good time to reflect on my Spring 2025 one. How did I do on it this year?
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
- Phantasma by Kaylie Smith – I thought I would like it, but it turns out I didn’t. I struggled through 67% but decided to abandon it nonetheless. This was quite early on in the season though.
- Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher – Another book I read quite early in the season and whereas I still enjoyed it, it wasn’t as magical and intriguing as the first book in this series.
- This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang – I didn’t get to this one yet, this was published quite late in the season (I waited for the Dutch edition), so I simply had no time.
- Fearless by Lauren Roberts – Another book I didn’t read, I don’t even own it. I found the ebook price too ridiculous for an ebook, so I’ll be waiting a bit longer until the price is more reasonable for just a license.
- Powerless by Elsie Silver – I thought I was doing SO well on this spring TBR, but here we have another one I haven’t read yet.
- Caught Up by Liz Tomforde – Finally another book I’ve read! I did so last month and although this couple wasn’t my favourite, I really enjoyed this.
- James by Percival Everett – I nearly picked this up, but as I explained in my June TBR post I didn’t. It’s on the TBR for this month though.
- The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi – Oh gosh no, another book I haven’t read!
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach – I finished this the other day and in contradiction to many others I really did not enjoy this. Most characters were insufferable, and the writing was… I don’t know, annoying? The dialogue made me cringe a lot. My eyes got tired from rolling to be honest. Note to self: books marketed as hilarious mostly are not.
- Sunrise On the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – Easily the best book of this season. I even went back and changed my rating from 4 to 5 stars. First 5-star read of 2025.
I thought I was doing really great on this TBR for spring 2025, but I ended up reading 5 books of which 1 was a DNF.
Have you checked on your spring TBR yet? Are you taking any books from this one to your summer TBR?
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Monthly TBR | June 2025
Even though the first week of June has already passed, I still want to post my monthly TBR as I didn’t start tackling it. I again will look at my The Storygraph’s “up Next” queue. Additionally, I will list three books that are this month’s possibilities, to keep the mood reader in me at bay. I often read more book sin summer than in winter, so let’s see how this will work out!
In the queue
James by Percival Everett has seen multiple TBRs by now and I really was about to pick it up in May. However, it was a tie between this and Lucinda Riley’s The Midnight Rose, another book on that monthly TBR. I ended up choosing the latter one and therefore this novel has been taken the backburner once again. I hope to finish it before I create my summer TBR though!
Emily Henry is really a hit or miss for me. Some books have been a hit, but more often they have been a miss though. However, Great Big Beautiful Life sounds really different from all the other books this author has published in recent years, so I might as well check it out. Of course I’m generally curious too.
In general, slower books don’t tend to work for me that well. However, the chance is slightly bigger they might do so in summer. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt has been on my TBR for months and I believe I should be in the right headspace for a book with such a slow plot. Let’s try to knock it off in June.
Since 2022, we can find a newly published book by Carley Fortune in summer. This year it’s One Golden Summer, a companion to Every Summer After. Although I haven’t rated any book by this author higher than 3 stars and I can see through the formula, these books are still enjoyable and relaxing for blazing hot summer days.
Each year, we get a whole lot of new romances thrown at our TBRs in summer. Katelyn Doyle’s Just Some Stupid Love Story is a leftover from last summer. I haven’t read it because somehow it doesn’t speak too much to me anymore after thinking about it. Reviews aren’t that great either unfortunately, many people seem to have issues with it that are relatable to me. I have the ebook though, so I will either knock it off, or end up DNF’ing it.
Possibilities
I realized that there aren’t any pride books on my TBR and that’s not how it should be. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender is one of my priority reads though and I hope to finally pick it up after five years.
I have never read any book by Ann Liang, but I have 2 of them in my collection now. One of them is A Song to Drown Rivers. Depending on my mood, I’ll either pick up this one or This Time It’s Real. We will find out in July, won’t we?
Last but not least, I hope to read What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon. This book gets a lot of attention here at the moment. Not that strange when considering it’s set in Amsterdam. I wasn’t too sure whether I wanted to read this at all, because I wasn’t fully convinced by other books I read by this author. I wonder how foreign people look at Amsterdam and the Dutch way of living though, so let’s try and find out this month.
What book do you hope to see a review for by me in June?
