Reviewin’, Reviewin’

Whatcha been reading lately, friends?

–Marissa

Going Zero by Anthony McCarten had such a fun, technothriller premise – ten people have two hours to go completely off the grid after getting a call from a national security agency as a test. It was fun to see how everyone tried to evade being tagged, the most formidable being a librarian (woot!) who gets further than anyone anticipated… and is close to the $3M prize. I was into this for the first half, three-quarters, but it seemed to lose steam for me as it got closer to the end. Still an intriguing premise, though!

Community Board by Tara Conklin was an audiobook listen, and was just… cozy. Darcy, 30, has moved home to her parents house in Massachusetts, but circumstances within and outside have made Darcy decide to just stay in… permanently, communicating only via the community message board, grocery delivery, and so forth. But, of course, things slowly shift and change. This was charming and funny and just… a nice listen.🙂

Advika and the Hollywood Wives by Kirthana Ramisetti sounded like a promising audiobook full of dishy Hollywood behind the scenes, sweeping romances, controlling men, and so forth. And it was that, and yet… it felt sort of flat, despite trying to amp up some thriller-ness in parts of it. Great (though wildly unrealistic) premise but the characters were just sort of eh. Stick to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.…

We Love to Entertain by Sarah Strohmeyer was a one-car-trip audiobook listen, and even my husband enjoyed it! Combine an HGTV-esque contest, a newly engaged couple, greedy people, interior/exterior design, and MURDER, and you get this frothy, fun, suspenseful-sorta story that entertains. We both enjoyed it, and didn’t figure out the killer until the final reveal.🙂

Happy Place by Emily Henry was a must-read because… it’s Emily Henry! A group of college besties reconvene for one last hang at their friend’s cabin (which they’ve been doing for a decade)… except that Harriet and Wyn, the group’s solid couple, broke up months ago and must now masquerade as a loving couple while struggling to figure themselves out as a not-couple. Romantic and sexy and fun, just like all her books, though I confess, this was not my favorite of her canon (still Book Lovers!).