Recent Reads Part 10

December 10, 2022

Recent Reads Part 10 | 2022

Dracula by Bram Stoker

☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠

I have to say I fell down a vampire book rabbit hole this fall and I'm not mad about it. It actually is a favorite category of mine. It only made sense to finally read Dracula for the first time. I read about a quarter into this book. While I figured it might turn out to be a little slow with the writing style being older - I quite enjoyed it and the older writing style made it more of a creepy yet gothic vibe that I was here for. I did ultimately switch to the audiobook to try it out and then finished with the audiobook because it was so good! The cast did a phenomenal job with this telling of the book. I loved all the vampire characteristics we learn about but also reading the viewpoint of the vampire hunters. What I loved most was how much of the story was told via journals and letters. Such a good read!

Love On The Brain by Ali Hazelwood

☠ ☠ ☠ ☠

I went back and forth with this review/rating. I've heard such mixed feelings about Ali Hazelwood's work but this was my first read of hers and her newest book. Some of the complaints I saw involved the factors that it was super similar to past books. I wouldn't know about that with this being my first. But I have read that she writes about romance in STEM and I find that to be such a unique and cool aspect of her writing. While I loved that aspect of this book I also found it hard to believe two incredibly smart people in STEM could be so blind to the love miscommunications throughout this book. It is mentioned in this book a lot - the "since you hate me," "since we're enemies," "since you would never love me," etc. That usually gets old for me fast. While it was confusing with how smart these characters were supposed to be and how obvious their feelings were I found it hard to get past but not as annoying as the trope can be in past books I've read. I feel like she played with a lot of tropes in this book that I'm usually not into but somehow I enjoyed it. The writing style is not for everyone but I found myself enjoying it too much and turned these pages so fast. This "enemies to lovers" that are forced to work together on a work project kept me entertained and intrigued to pick up another from Ali Hazelwood.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠

Another hyped author I tried for the first time this year is Colleen Hoover. I think by picking this book I made the right choice too because I couldn't put it down. It is such a heartbreaking story while being a new favorite. I actually ask myself how I could've liked this book so much and I think it comes down to Lily Bloom. The main character has won my heart. She is such a fun and strong character. I also love the additional characters in this book. Her best friend and her best friend's husband are literally the same dynamics as Lily and Marshall from 'How I Met Your Mother' and I loved it so much. The core of this story deals with a lot of traumatic childhood memories that now become a part of Lily's adult life. I felt so many emotions reading about Lily's fall for both Atlas and Ryle. I found it so crazy how Colleen got me hating Ryles's character to loving him to just then hating him again. But is it possible I still like him? She did an amazing job on bring domestic violence to light to stop those questions of "why doesn't she just leave?" I was always one who questioned it and said I would never stay in that type of relationship but you see how easy it is to fall back into it. The strength Lily shows I hope encourage more woman to leave. It was such a heartbreaking book that ruined me but I love it so much. My only criticism (since I'm now starting 'It Starts With Us') is I really wish future Atlas was heavy in this book because I found myself not drawn to him in the first book at all in the future. For some reason, his character from the past that I loved didn't align with how future/present Atlas was presented. Maybe I should read it again.

The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

☠ ☠ ☠ ☠

A classic I had never read. Although this is a book right up my alley I found myself drawn to it and curious after watching the Netflix series 'The Haunting Of Hill House.' While there are some similarities they're quite different. This old tale of a haunted manor with house guests to explore and write about their experience was such a journey that was suspenseful and creepy at times. But I do wish the horror aspect was a little heavier much like the show. I also had a hard time liking the characters as much and realized how much I enjoyed the family dynamic in the show versus the young adults meeting for the first time together at the house. It was written in such a way that is modest and old age that takes away from the characters and maybe makes the females less fierce and the men more misogynistic? While the show is a favorite of mine I do give props to this classic for bringing the eerie haunted house vibes.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠

How I hadn't read or watched this is beyond me but it has only made my FOMO that much worse because I have been missing out. The ultimate witch story. Sure, I love a good creepy hocus pocus story of witches but there is something so magical about witches that I think is overlooked for the dramatics of creepy and horror. I love both but love how witches are highlighted in this book as a family lineage that is looked at differently and kept to afar unless one is in need of their spells. It shows consequences due to spells which I think is such a good way of also looking at wishing for what you don't have or being ungrateful for what you do. It shows the highs and lows of life and what really matters - the ones that pick you back up and get you through it. While I did shortly after watch the movie and love it as well there is something so much more magical about the book that covers more of the generations. It is an elaborate and maybe over-the-top story that continues to flow in directions you don't see coming but it is entertaining and has the right amount of magic to it to make it such a cozy read as well. I loved it.

Without Merit by Colleen Hoover

☠ ☠ ☠

This book was odd but had a loaded story of traumas younger generations experience. I felt like it was over the top in ways that there was so much going on for one family to tackle but I also look at it as Colleen covering so many hard topics at once for YA audiences. Since I went into this story not knowing it was YA I quickly found out it was. Although it touches on tough conversations and some adult materials I found it to be something I would've read and even liked as a teenager versus an adult. The characters are just as unique as their names (Merit, Honor, Luck, Sagan, etc.) in this story. We follow Merit who struggles with finding herself, anxiety, and depression. There are quite a few triggers in this story to look into before reading if you need to. Merit is a twin with her sister Honor who she views as perfect while also having an older brother who comes across as an overachiever which in turn makes Merit feel less than. The rest of the family dynamic is strange and not typical since they live in a building that once was a church but they all seem to have different views on religion so it ties in. You have a not-very-present father figure, a nagging stepmom who seems to have it out for them, and a mother who still lives in the house basement and is agoraphobic. Throw in the mix Sagan - another teenage character that accidentally mistakes Merit for Honor and kisses her making the book have even more awkward/miscommunication problems that are addressed. It's a loaded book with a lot of questions but entertaining in a YA sense.

Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison

☠ ☠ ☠ ☠

I read too many twin dynamics lately but we follow twin sisters in the book. One who got away from her hometown to make a living and one who stayed. Years later the one home is pregnant and finds herself alone as the father of the baby leaves the equation. This means she calls in her sister to come to stay with her and help for a short time period. While back our twin main character that we follow, Rory is driving home late and hits an animal that in turns attacks her when inspecting further. Could it have been a bear or was a really a werewolf? The latter comes into play as we learn about Rory's own transformation into a werewolf and what happens on a full moon. It was an intriguing enough story with okay characters but I found there to be holes in the plot as far as certain side characters' stories. They wouldn't have mattered if it weren't for the fact they come into play too much in the book. We also have strange past relationships that make no sense for too long -in my opinion - in this book then they are supposed to be relevant to the story. The romance added wasn't something I felt the story needed either. It wasn't a bad book but I feel like I could only give it the rating I have due to the werewolf plot, transitioning into one story line, and overall horror aspects we lightly got in this read.