The Cresswell Plot by Eliza Wass *Review*

3 stars out of 5.  I don’t have many words for this book other than strange and different.  It becomes clear right away that this book is about a very strict, cult like, religious family.  I was immediately intrigued because I sometimes hear about strict religious people who really have gone too far in what they are practicing, but I haven’t read many books where that topic is the main focus.  I was appalled and slightly disturbed at the things that happened with this family and what they practiced.  However, it did make you understand that this was a situation to get out of and it was believable that this probably does happen to others in real life.  I enjoyed the growth of the main character as she navigated what was real and what had been taught to her by her father, but I lacked a connection or any vast amount of emotions to any of the characters .  I also found the ending abrupt and a little disappointing.  There were still many questions left unanswered which is slightly annoying since this is a standalone book.  I wouldn’t consider this a mystery or thriller at all, but it has its moments where I was left wondering just how will the characters make it out of their fathers religious life, and will they even want too?  Finding out what happens to them ultimately is what kept me going, but I do wish there had been more answers and more emotional connections to the characters.

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid *Review*

How do you write a review of a book so perfect that you feel your review won’t do it justice?  I’ve come to terms with the fact that my review won’t do this book the justice it deserves, but I’ll write it anyways because this book needs to be shared to the world.  Taylor Jenkins Reid tore my heart apart and then with the expertise of an experienced tailor she sewed my heart back up.  Her book is a beautiful piece of work and my heart isn’t quite the same as it was before I started.  I do not envy the female lead in this book, who has the hardest choice to make, choosing who her forever is.  But I can honestly say I felt everything the main character felt and am left still feeling and thinking about everything after its all said and done.  My heart is happy and content, but it’s also still a bit sad.  A very real bittersweet feeling.  After I put this book down I grabbed myself a glass of wine.  I found myself needing to reach for comfort.  Even though this story ends in the best way, my heart still hurts and smiles at the same time and I needed something to calm my feelings down.  And after I write this review I’ll probably bake some muffins for even more comfort.  Amazing that a book can do this to a person, but like I said, how do you review a book so gosh darn perfect?

“It breaks my heart to be loved like this, to be loved so purely that I’m capable of breaking a heart.”

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover *Review*

5/5 stars!

You know those books that you start and they seem totally fine, good story fun characters etc and so forth.  You just never see any possible plot twist coming cause why would you, it’s a romance and there may be little drama here or there, there’s no reason to expect anything crazy.  But then BAM, shit gets real.  This book went from simple, to mysterious, to very serious and completely heartbreaking in 5 seconds.  How Colleen Hoover manages to talk about such deep and very real issues in our world that people face and make it so honest and not romanticize these issues is beyond me.  Although this was a romance, I felt this story was so much more than that.  It was a story of learning about your past, confronting it, and moving forward.  Acknowledging that humanity is awful but also beautiful.  There just happened to be an amazing relationship formed in the mist of it all.  All the stars to this moving and heart breaking story, and I’m officially adding Dean Holder to my book boyfriends list!

“I want to tell you exactly how I feel but there isn’t a single goddamned word in the entire dictionary that can describe this point between liking you and loving you, but I need that word.  I need it because I need you to hear me say it.”