This story was stunning. The writing was exquisite. It was both relatable to every woman and eye-opening.

This book was equal parts encouraging and maddening due to the subject matter. I was quick to connect to the characters, and their trials enraged me, just as I also cheered them on as if their successes were personal victories. The ending was heartwarming and full circle.

This was her best book of the three. This tale provided escapism to Positano, magic, romance, friendship, historical fiction, and intrigue peppered with karma. What is not to love? The research was evident, and the characters are interesting and alluring.

I read this because my bookclub chose it. Despite the over-use of expressions and bothersome and repeated description of the characters, their struggles, and stakes, I was engrossed. But I am not at all satisfied with the ending with so many loose ends.

This was a two for one love story with some intrigue. I truly enjoyed it and all the characters. While I enjoyed the end, I wish it was not the shortest chapter. I didn't want it to end. I am invested.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. I liked the unusual family dynamics and so was willing to suspend my belief in all these relationships remaining in tact. I liked the characters and their personal motivations/ journeys. I'm happy to hear it will get adapted, and for bonus content, I discovered a new artist, Noah Kahan, from her acknowledgments.

As a mood reader craving something dark, this delivers in spades. I like retellings, even when I am not familiar with the original fairy tale. I enjoyed the writing and was surprised by the underlying narcissistic abuse, gaslighting, and resulting behaviour of those being abused. I felt it on all on a personal level and wondered if I was imagining it. The blending of the retelling, themes, and plot were quite genius, and there was humour.

I devoured this book in two sittings only because it was midnight on a work night when I hit 200 pages. Many emotions circled through as I read this story as it completely pulled me under. The power women took back despite the little power they had was a testament to their strength.

I had this on my tbr for a while and needed exactly this kind of story, and I wasn't disappointed. I even stopped on the side of the road to grab a coffee and get back to the book. The ending was exactly as it needed to be instead of tied up with a pink bow. I will be reading more from this author.

The setting, the premise, and the lyrical prose were all there for me, but somehow, this story never grabbed me and pulled me in. I strangely can't even pinpoint why or where it failed me personally since it is good storytelling.

I felt like this one went on too long. I can't get too much into what I did or didn't enjoy without spoilers, and I don't want to do those either. The ending is what earns the 3 stars from me. I liked the premise but didn't love this as much as her others.

The time and setting were done perfectly. The writing was truly outstanding in getting us in the protagonisist pov. In her under-developed mind, that naturally makes a short-sighted sense of things, you still root for her and her quest. You understand the feelings of each character even when you don't agree with them.

This was the softer story I needed following The Hunger Games. It was a heartfelt story that had me running to it every time I was forced to do other things. Even if my suspicions were confirmed, the journey to get there was well worth the trip.

Another brutal visit to Panem. These books always have me blowing through them. This one explains why Haymitch is the way he is when we first meet him. I pictured a young Woody Harrelson (from Cheers) until I couldn‘t anymore as I got further in the story, and in my mind, he aged instantly.

I loved this story and the themes that weaved through. Even as I guessed a few of the links and the stories possibilities, her wonderful writing kept this story vivid and drawing me back to my kobo each time I had to do something other than than reading. This one will have me gushing for a while.

The writing was so precise it put you in place the entire time. Discomfort, anxiousness, overwhelm, all of it felt alongside the protagonist. The concept was very intriguing, but so damn scary if you allow yourself to think about it a bit further. Like the moment of denial at the cusp of a catastrophe. You need to be in high spirits not to be too affected by the story. That speaks to the writing.

While I read this in two shirt sittings from the edge of my seat, the ending was not a satisfying one. There are many points of view all in one chapter, and somehow, you aren't ever lost as to whose part it is you are reading.

At the end of every story, I asked "and?", "so?" They were character driven and mostly mundane. The writing kept me plowing through but there were a few stories I read diagonally.

Marie Benedict is an auto-buy author for me. This one wasn't my favorite of hers, but I think it would hit it out of the park for readers of mysteries like Agatha Christie, who is one of the characters in this book. I like how it is based on a real cold case. The feminist angles appeal to me as much as the treatment of women as disposable angers me.

The second book of the duology keeps you on the edge of the seat the first book set you upon. Both books had me audibly gasping in public. It was so tense my Fitbit asked me how I was feeling more than once. I will read anything from this author.

This was a love story for the middle agers. I loved it because I understood the characters on the deepest level even if our life troubles weren't the same at all. I went through every emotion and felt I was there with these new Palm Springs found family. The story was able to compete with this view and win my attention. The last line of the book made it to my commonplace book.

I am bailing on this, at least for now. Stories told in the second person need to satisfy a very specific mood for me. I can see what the author is trying to do and how epic a love story it could be, but it isn't hitting the spot. Plus, the "Alice" pov suggests a direction I don't care to go when trying to settle into a love story.

This eye-opening, devastating book is incredibly well written. It would be unbearable otherwise. It leaves you with a hole you must fill with a love story or something silly. The dark underbelly of paradise is never a comfortable place to be. I disliked the main characters and understood the complexity in their ideals, paths, and choices. The ending is predictable only in that heartbreaking way it has to turn out.

Well, that was an aptly titled whirlwind. I liked it but I didn't love it. The protagonist irritated me at times, especially in the choices she made, which made for very transparent avenues the author used to get to the next point.

I was really excited to read this, but, like the reviews have indicated, not so much witchcraft vibes. I am putting this book aside for now as well. I am officially in a book slump after all my anticipated new year releases have been 3 stars at best and quite a few I can't get into. Sad.

I haven't been able to muster much enthusiasm or interest in the main character, so even if the premise lured me in, I am not pulled in enough to continue this journey. At least not at the moment. I started this book a week ago, and then frantically started another. I may be in a reading slump. This is a dnf, at least for now.

This is a very light pick for me. It had all the promise, and the humanity of the characters was second to none, but it isn't a 5 star for me.

Usually an Alice Feeney novel grabs me from page 1. This one took me at least 60 pages to get into it. But when I did, I was in. It was a mind meld for sure and I there were a lot of moving parts that were still a puzzle to solve at the end.

This story was immersive. The characters are so loveable, the setting rich. It is very light on the magical realism, and it ties in so well with pharmacology. I enjoyed the themes of the book and especially how lightly they came across.

This review is a conflicted one. I hate to admit I didn't love this one. The plot was good, but I wasn't picking up what was being laid down for me as a reader. I hear the audiobook may have filled in that gap, which makes complete sense because I think this book would be fantastic on screen. It is still a pick vs so-so.

This was an interesting cross genre book. Historical fantasy is new to me. The writing makes me want to read her series. It is a pick, but I'm still not 100% certain I loved the ending.

I don't know how a climate dystopian can be achingly beautiful in symbolism, but this one is. I loved the short story about trees and the idea that they would tell their own story while the humans destroy the world.

I think the best way to sum up my impression is to say I admire the themes and morals the author was trying to convey, but I don't love how she conveyed them.

What an entertaining story with likable characters! It was an easy read that had me chuckling out loud quite a few times. Though it felt formulaic and pushy with character motivations, leaving me no room to imagine my way through it.

This is a relatable and quiet pick. The exact kind of raw introspect I craved at the end of the year. I picked it up without having remembered the setting in my hometown of Ottawa for some of it, so that provided extra fondness. It is a short read with much to learn about maple syrup and the human condition.

What a wild ride that was! And exactly what I needed when I needed it most. The writing was poignant and snicker or pause to take in the beauty. I loved the characters and will read more from this author. It was as magical as it promised.

With so many twisted turns, some seemed quickly patched holes because they weren't fleshed out and others were unsatisfying. It took a while to pull me in, but it kept me entertained while it constantly misdirected me. I have mixed feelings about the ending, but I would still describe it as a good 3.5 star read.

I savored this one. I enjoyed the peripheral story lines and how the characters intersected independently with the royal family. The will they/won't they stressed me out throughout. I am too impatient for that kind of thing, so I tend to power through so I can get to the best part.

This one is hard to explain. All of it was well written, made sense, and was highly relatable. But there were some chapters that dragged on. I loved the last few chapters and would have loved more exploration of those topics.

This was a book I had started and put away during a reading a reading slump. I picked this up yesterday and read it in one sitting. I liked the underlying soulmate themes being like puzzle pieces that nobody else can quite fit. I like how the author jumps in time from winter to winter without losing readers.

I read this one before Garden Spells simply due to my mood, the weather, and the fact that it was on sale. This family was loveable, and their story was so comforting. It is truly a light, feel-good read.

While I didn't cry, my heart ached the entire time I read this, which wasn't longer than 2 days because I was quickly immersed.The passage of time is swift but never confusing. The setting is rich, and the characters are vast, but the ones that are most vibrant are Joe and Norma. What a story!

This was another fantastic story by Heather Marshall. I can't wait till her next one. The pain felt endless, I felt like i read this with shoulders hunched over. There was a thread that didn't seem looped, and it is driving me crazy.

This story sucks you in quickly and spits you out at the end of the wild ride. The characters are distinctly different, and their backstories are well defined. I guessed a few things and thought I figured out more but was turned around a few times and surprised till the very end.

I took more than a week to read this and not because of its length. It just didn't pull me in or call to me to while away my free hours. Besides the pacing being off, I saw what the author was trying to do but didn't feel anything through it for any of the characters. I liked them and saw their connections but personally didn't feel connected to them.

It took me a while to get into this story, but I am happy I stuck with it. I had a hard time placing myself in the scenes that seemed like one event placed after another. It was the historical timeline and characters that hooked me and got me to care about the present-day ones. This is still a pick.

I don't usually read standalone books from the same author back to back, but sticking on theme for October, I did it. Her magical systems are tied to nature here as well but in a different way. It was atmospheric and enchanting. Iris had a similar stubbornness as Clara truthfully, but the love interests from book to book were very different.

I love the allegory of seasonal magic in this book! The way she linked specific magic to human qualities was awe-inspiring. It can make a reader release their sorrowful, desperate hold on every seasonal change. It was such a transformative story, and I can't wait to read her other books.

I picked this back up, and at first, it was slow going. I read it with a friend, which got me through. Once the action started, I went full steam ahead and finished it that day. I like the themes and the oddly matched cast of characters.

This book's magic system wasn't completely explained until the protagonist was in battle towards the end, and the pacing felt uneven. It gets a pick for the enchanting characters and cottage core vibe plus it cured me of my reading slump.