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[plot-forgetter]

Legends & Lattes (audiobook) - Travis Baldree (read by author)

Personal rating: 5/5✨️

Since I Iistened to this story instead of reading it, my rating and review covers both the story itself, and the narration.

Perfect for any fan of cozy, low-stakes, slice-of-life fantasy (my 3 favorite things in fantasy, personally), this book is about Viv, freshly retired from a life of adventuring and looking to start a coffee shop.

What I liked:

The overall plot. I love a plot that gets resolved without much action or grief or drama. This story felt like a comforting hug.

The found family trope. I'm always a sucker for it, and this book does it so well.

Thimble, my precious cinnamon roll (who makes excellent cinnamon rolls)

Cal, who is just happy to be here and happy to help

The atmosphere was amazing. The vibes were ✨️immaculate✨️.

Just the right amount of conflict and angst to keep things interesting without getting heavy handed

The voice acting and narration was top notch. I usually don't like when authors narrate their own audiobooks, but this one killed it.

What I didn't like:

Honestly, I think I liked everything about this book. Maybe a few points docked for Unnecessary Romance Subplot, but even that was pretty cute and unobtrusive.

I don't know what this book would have felt like had I just read it, but if you are into audiobooks and cozy stories, I 100% recommend this one.

[plot-forgetter]

The Last House on Needless Street - Catriona Ward

Personal rating: 4.5/5✨️

Well, I definitely DID NOT see that coming. I thought this book was great. Kept me on the edge of my seat. I had to force myself to slow down so as to make the reading experience last longer.

What I liked:

The cat!

The overall feeling of dread and confusion you feel throughout. Parts of it made me feel almost claustrophobic at times.

The writing itself, I thought, was quite beautiful

What I didn't like:

The way the plot kept me guessing (wrongly)

The thing that happened to Dee was both upsetting (in a good way) and satisfying

A little too much confusion, imo. I feel like there are aspects of the story, especially the big reveal, that I completely missed because there was just so much going on and new characters were suddenly being introduced so late into the plot.

Overall, a solid read. I feel that it was well-researched and well-intentioned. The author's discussion at the end was also very helpful.

[plot-forgetter]

The Lost Bookshop - Evie Woods

Personal rating: 3/5✨️

The premise was, as in most books, quite promising. It was another one of the many "books about books/stories/bookshops/libraries" that I seem to be drawn to. Basically, it centers around 3 people: Martha and Henry (present day), and Opaline (past). All three are in desperate need of a change in their lives, all looking to carve their own path away from the circumstances that led them to where they are. As you may predict, they all become tied to a mysterious lost bookstore, etc. etc.

I honestly thought the book was a solid 4/5 for about three-quarters of the story. Then the last quarter brought it down to a 3/5. The plot just became too forced and predictable, the writing too cheesy, and the dialogue too unnatural. I found myself basically skimming the pages towards the end, just to get the story over with.

What I liked:

The premise, as mentioned earlier

The strength of the characters, Martha and Opaline (and yeah, maybe even Henry)

Madame Bowden!!!

The magical realism

The generally fast-paced flow of the plot

What I disliked:

The forced romance storyline

The fact that Opaline's story felt like a fanfic writer writing a multi-chapter whump-and-angst-fest for their fave character

Two full-grown adults who are shit at communicating

A romance storyline that did not need to be there

Cartoonishly villanous characters

A backstory randomly slotted in completely out of nowhere to connect the two timelines

Have I mentioned the forced romance yet?

Very whiny man

Overall, it was pretty meh. At least it briefly made me feel something (anger at the two characters experiencing a sitcom-level misunderstanding of feelings because they can't just fucking TALK to each other with some level of emotional honestly).