Welp, It’s unfortunate that I DNF books, but I refuse to finish books I’m not enjoying. I’m not going to include the star rating because, well, I didn’t complete so they are one-star reads. I know people have STRONG opinions about DNF reviews so if you’re not a fan I suggest you stop reading because I’m about to spill some tea (not a lot though… I’m nice!).
Goodreads Summary: Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn’t normally do. But there’s something about Drew Nichols that’s too hard to resist. On the eve of his ex’s wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend… After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she’s the mayor’s chief of staff. Too bad they can’t stop thinking about the other… They’re just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century–or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want…
The Review: While the beginning had a lot of promise. The middle is what hindered my overall reading experience. Nothing was wrong with the story, but it was just a complete snooze-fest! I think the romance developed WAY to quickly and perhaps if the author made the relationship more slow burn, I would have stayed interested. The whole plot occurred less than half in the book but then after it was a whole lot of romance cliches and miscommunication. They were each other’s date I love reading about interracial relationships, and I appreciated some of the discussions, but unfortunately, it didn’t leave me engrossed in the story. This story is forgettable (I didn’t use any character names because I forgot them all), I’m disappointed… NEXT.
Goodreads Summary: DI Amy Winter is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her highly respected police officer father. But when a letter arrives from the prison cell of Lillian Grimes, one half of a notorious husband-and-wife serial-killer team, it contains a revelation that will tear her life apart. Responsible for a string of heinous killings decades ago, Lillian is pure evil. A psychopathic murderer. And Amy’s biological mother. Now, she is ready to reveal the location of three of her victims—but only if Amy plays along with her twisted game. While her fellow detectives frantically search for a young girl taken from her mother’s doorstep, Amy must confront her own dark past. Haunted by blurred memories of a sister who sacrificed herself to save her, Amy faces a race against time to uncover the missing bodies. But what if, from behind bars, Grimes has been pulling the strings even tighter than Amy thought? And can she overcome her demons to prevent another murder?
The Review: I was excited to read a book that features a main character that has parents who are notorious serial killers. This also gave me a criminal minds vibe since the show had a similar subplot. reading about 30% (100+ pages), I was disappointed. NOTHING was happening. Yes, we see the relationship between our main character Amy and her villainous mother, but I don’t care?!? I feel disconnected from the story, and it’s become a burden for me to pick up again. There’s also a sort of side plot that I’m sure is going to intertwine the parent plot, but I honestly don’t care to know how.
Amy is also a 2D character. The story is set up in a series of flashbacks, and I assume the author did this so that we would care about Amy and her past. I’m not a fan of this type of storytelling because it seems like the book is trying way too hard. There’s also a series of side characters that for some reason, they all have the same voice (aside from Amy’s biological mother) so it’s difficult for me to keep up with the flow of the story. The only redeeming quality (apparently not enough for me to keep going) is Amy’s mother (already forgot her name). She is a compelling flawed and unlikable character, and her story arc is fascinating. I have an idea where her story is going to go, so I’m not that compelled to finish the story just for her sake. I can see why others may enjoy this because of the police and problem-solving aspect but this probably just wasn’t for me. I want to give this author a try in the future because she has some compelling stories. Also, this is lowkey the chosen one trope and nope I’m good.
Did you read any of these books? Let me know!
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