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¡No mames!

Reviewed: 06-09-24

I've all but given up on debut writers and a lot of the new stuff being published these days. Pero, this book! I'm so glad I didn't skip this one. Malas is beautifully written, a story that wraps you in its clutches from beginning to end. If you enjoy good storytelling, you'll enjoy Malas. The story is the most important thing, yes, there are themes to unpack and great fodder for discussions on family, how far we've come as a country of immigrants, the struggles of being an immigrant, generational trauma, family, music, friendships, but the story remains the most important part of the novel throughout, not any one type of message. Great book for any adult reader.

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This is the cozy mystery you've been waiting for

Reviewed: 04-22-24

Smart, engaging, warm, intriguing and well-written, How to Solve Your Own Murder was everything I hoped it would be. A perfect spring read with realistic characters you could route for and an interesting storyline. I highly recommend!

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DF's narration is the only thing good about this

Reviewed: 03-28-24

The story wasn't anything new, it also championed the cheating wife and vilified the husband for having a hobby and I guess not being happy enough. The big twist came fast and out of left field and I hated how the older sister was portrayed at the end.

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Finally!

Reviewed: 03-13-24

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Finally!!

It's been so long since I've read a mystery published in the last couple of years that was this good.

I was hooked after the first few pages. Not because it started off with a unique story (it did) or with a likable character (it did that too), but because the writing was that good. "Show, don't tell" is back, baby!

The writing was chef kiss, the characters were mostly multi-layered (though a tad over the top at times, I mean, thank goodness this is a pretend town because these peeople are awful). The story was original (despite it involving a podcast), and I didn't mind that I figured out the twist (I wouldn't say it's predictable, but if you write mysteries or read a lot of them, you may figure it out.).

I listened to the audiobook, which is fantastic (I mean, it IS January LaVoy...and the guy was good too).

After reading soooo many dull books with flat or unrealistic characters with telling narratives and boring plots and pages upon pages of condescending lecturing, this was a breath of fresh air.

It would've been a 5-star for me if not for one thing. It could be a spoiler, so I won't get specific, but I really hate when all the guys or girls are in love with (or hate because of jealousy) one single character. Huge pet peeve of mine.

I suppose if you dig deep enough, there are some other flaws (like the message about relationships and men in general), but if you don't take it too seriously and just enjoy it, it's a lot of fun.

Highly recommend!

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Unique and well-written

Reviewed: 01-03-24

I thought the story was captivating and despite having complicated themes, was easy to follow. The twist caught me by surprise, but made a lot of sense. Dialogue could've been a little better and I rolled my eyes a couple times at Jason's preoccupation (obsession) with who Daniella was sleeping with, but overall, a great way to start 2024.

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Another hit from Candice Fox

Reviewed: 09-17-23

The characters Candice Fox creates feel so real, with so many layers and different struggles. She describes the off-the-path small Australian town, so it comes to life right off the page. With raw prose, she spins a unique mystery while showing us more of Ted's case. Some parts were hard to read, and it was uncomfortable spending time in the mind of a fictional predator. I'm looking forward to checking out her other books.

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¿La Llorona? ¿Dónde?

Reviewed: 07-29-23

I DNF'd this book with exactly 18 minutes and 53 seconds left. I couldn't take it anymore.

The story of La Llorona has held a special place in my heart since my Nana told me the tale when I was five years old and wouldn't go to sleep. I was super excited to hear this was a retelling of said story, but having read a book from the same author before, I tried to keep my expectations low.

The Haunting of Alejandra takes on the interesting challenge of morphing generational trauma and post partum depression into a curse/demon that haunts this specific line of women. For me, this book missed the mark. There are so many repetitive sentences, so much of the same narrative generation after generation, and my pet peeve, women making horrible decisions and blaming "toxic masculinity" instead of themselves.

The writing is bland, and even worse, some of the older stories on the timeline are told through a modern societal lens. On top of which, the actual story of La Llorona is completely twisted and misinterpreted. Granted, there are loads of renditions and the author definitely has a right to make it her own...but the interpretation is wrecked from what I know it as and so I think this book and I got off on the wrong foot anyway.

The main character is whiny and the commentary doesn't flow smoothly, there's a lot of interpretation of the character's thoughts within her own head, which feels like the author didn't trust the reader to put things together themselves and so needs the mc to spell it out for us.

And don't get me started on the husband! What a caricature of a man...he will say all the things that make it obvious you're supposed to hate him, it's comical and unrealistic. He's a monster because he works to support his family and his wife, who agreed to the traditional life he proposed, is now bored with having to do the laundry? Because he picks out Gucci shoes for her and other designer outfits that just "aren't her"? Guess he should've invested in a crystal ball so he could read her thoughts since she pretended to be someone she wasn't so she could escape the life she had. He is almost as whiny as Alejandra with his cardboard-cutout repertoire.

The only character who felt real and interesting was Cathy. All of the other stories felt inauthentic, and sometimes I wasn't sure what the author was trying to say about some of the issues she highlighted. There was room for the story to be fleshed out more, and I wish the time was taken to do so.

But the real kicker is this is supposed to be horror?? It's not scary at all. It has some gory demon monologues peppered throughout, but this book drags and is like a stream of consciousness for chapters upon chapters of how depressed and powerless the character feels. Loads of contradictions, and I just couldn't take anymore.

Maybe one day I'll finish that last chapter and epilogue, but life is short, and my TBR list is long. If I hadn't been on a road trip in the middle of nowhere, I would've DNF'd much sooner.

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1 person found this helpful

A (mostly) Fun Read

Reviewed: 07-13-23

This book is perfect for a quick summer read. It was fast-paced with mostly likeable characters.

We get two POVs in this story, and honestly could've done with less from the assassin's pov and more Julia. Some of the story is predictable, but it doesn't take away from enjoying the book.

The author's writing is a breath of fresh air among other recent publications where writers are telling instead of showing and, in some cases, lecturing instead of writing a good story.

I recommend if you like a quick, fun mystery with twists and a character you can root for.

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A fun read

Reviewed: 07-12-23

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I feel like the author took a bunch of popular titles from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, put them in a hat, and drew three: Groundhog Day, The Village, and Lost...and then wrote a book connecting those storylines. And surprisingly, it works! I think the execution could've been better, but it was a fun read. I'm not certain what it was trying to say about grief, faith, and community, but it WAS trying to say something and a bit more fleshing out could've made it stronger.

Overall, a good read for Summerween!

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Biggest Book Disappointment of 2023

Reviewed: 06-21-23

I love Julia Heaberlin's books--Paper Ghosts and We're All the Same in the Dark were 5-star reads for me. And the premise? A psychic, who sees ghosts teams up with police to find a missing child? 100% I'm in.

But I very closely hated this.

First, there are real murder cases referenced in these pages, some by victim name. It's not to bring awareness of those real-life cases, but to show the reader how hip the characters are when it comes to famous true crime cases. I'm fine when a book mentions a case to bring more awareness to it, but calling a fictional character the "Texas JonBenet" is not okay in my book. Expoliting real families and victims feels gross and that's what we have here.

Second, the main character. I liked her, at first...but then she likes to think and talk about how smart she is, only second to her sister, who is the smartest in the world. Vivi is also a scientist and hates when people call her a psychic. Okay, that's fair. She's so smart, that she can judge everyone, from moms she doesn't know to single mothers of kids with special needs to public figures to people who listen to these figures. She's not part of any of these groups she likes to judge, but is still happy to do so because....science?

Third, the prose. If the first two reasons don't make you nauseous, the purple prose might. Gems like, "I started fading from the public eye like a pastel dream" left me thinking wtaf? The book is FILLED with these. Does the author not know what a pastel dream is? Who knows? All I know is if I had a dollar for every time a star was compared to a diamond, I'd have enough to recoup the credit I spent for this book.

If you're still here, you should know the book is also predictable. I'm fine with a predictable story if the writing is strong and the characters interesting. Spoiler alert: They're not. Another gripe, there's a ton of Texas and conservative bashing here. If that'll upset or bore you, this book isn't for you. Also, if you hate token diverse throw aways, passion this one. I want to read diverse characters in my books, token characters are easy to identify and forget.

Furthermore, this book hasn't aged well. It pokes fun of conspiracies that are in real life, unfolding to actually having some truth...and it references the Queen of England like she's still alive. It's been almost a year, they couldn't update that??

**SPOILERS**


THE WORST thing about Vivi is that she's in love with her sister's husband. The relationship she has with her sister is sooo unbelievable (I say this as a sister and understanding every relationship is different). I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling or cringing as Vivi's sister told her how special and wonderful she is and she should just sleep with her husband. Vivi wants to...even starts making out until she gets caught by a colleague. So gross.

But it gets worse.

Throughout the book we're told (literally told, no showing here...lots of telling) how dark and possibly evil one character is. Vivi thinks he might be a murderer. A MURDERER. So of course she jumps into bed with him when he answers the door in a towel because he's just so...hot? After he leaves his house, she starts to look for evidence that he's a serial killer and thinks she finds it and oh no, not after "making the most perfect love to him." Whaaaat?

It gets even worse after that, but if you're still reading this, I'll let you find out, or decide now to save your time and money and skip this one.

Just all around gross.

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