It was a slow month for me book-wise, probably because it was a busy month life-wise! But I did manage to read two ARCs that I’ve been meaning to get to!
As always, all my reviews can be seen on Goodreads.com, and fun #bookstagram pictures can be found via instagram on @weekendbookworm. Let’s be friends!
Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I initially gave this book three stars, as I thought, while a good story, it was lacking in deep character development and had way too big a predictable ending.
But weeks later, I am still thinking about Cassie and her plight, the family dynamics of forgiveness, and the book as a whole. So I am giving it 3 ½ (rounded to four) stars.
It probably didn’t help that this was the book I read after Recursion, with its mind-boggling unique storylines…any book I read after that was not going to impress me, especially a quick breezy romance read like this one. And while I will say the plot dragged a little for me, and I felt like characters were only surface level, I still enjoyed it.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!
Three and a half (rounded to four) Goodreads Stars
Liked:
The overall storyline and family dynamics
Breezy read
Loathed:
Surface-level characters
Forced romance
Predictable Ending
The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am a sucker for small town stories. I’ve always wanted to live in a small town, where everyone knows everyone’s business, everyone greets you by name at the one-of-two diners on the main street, and life is relatively slow. This book transported me to Dove Pond, and I am sold.
It’s your basic fish out of water story of a big time city girl moving back to the small town she grew up in to find what she didn’t even know she needed. There’s no uniqueness in the plotline, but it’s the town that you will fall in love with. That small town charm of wanting to help vs. minding your own business, and in this day in age where competition runs rapid and everyone is trying to outdo everyone, this was a nice change of pace to know that maybe towns like Dove Pond do exist out there, towns where knowing your neighbor’s name is more important than your bank account. And I’m a sucker for those stories.
The funny thing to me was the title. I was expecting way more magic in this book, based on the title of “book charmer”. I assumed books would be dancing in the air while the librarian picked out what book goes with what townsperson. And while there was a couple instances of that, this book is so much more about character development, the townspeoples’ charming quirks, and the town itself.
Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC!
Four (and a half) Goodreads Stars
Liked:
The town of Dove Pond and all its quirky inhabitants
The character development
Loathed:
Some storylines were predictable
Slower pace/unraveling of characters
Not really about a Book Charmer!
View all my reviews
