The It Girl by Ruth Ware (★★★★☆)
Audiobook • Hoopla • Thriller • 2022
Short synopsis: Ten years after her college roommate April was murdered, Hannah discovers new evidence that forces her to question whether the killer—and her friends—were ever who she thought they were.
I’ve read a few Ruth Ware thrillers and enjoyed most of them. I picked this one up when it was recommended by a guest on Sarah’s Bookshelves Live, and overall, I like this book a lot! The only thing I didn’t love about this book was the length. At 400+ pages, it needed a good editor to come in and trim some of the unnecessary chapters. It made the first half feel slow and meandering, which is not what you want from a thriller! I also wasn’t a huge fan of Hannah. She was kinda bland and not that interesting to root for. However, I was able to overlook those flaws because of the ending! It was so good, such a surprise, and wrapped up the book in a satisfying way. (And Hannah definitely got a bit more interesting in the second half when all of the action started to happen.) All in all, a solid thriller that leans a bit more literary.
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (★★★★☆ 1/2)
Print • Owned (Barnes & Noble) • Fantasy • 2021
Short synopsis: After dying and meeting a reaper at his own funeral, Wallace is given one week at a magical tea shop to discover what it truly means to live before he must cross over.
Here’s what I know about TJ Klune’s books: They always take me a bit to get into, and I usually spend the first 50-75 pages wondering if I should abandon them. But if I keep going, I will be rewarded with a beautiful reading experience. This happened with The House in the Cerulean Sea, and happened again with this book. At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of Under the Whispering Door. I didn’t like Wallace at all and didn’t quite understand this magical tea shop and what it meant for Wallace’s journey. But as I kept reading and getting to know these characters, they burrowed under my skin and I found myself rooting for them so hard! There’s also a scene in this book that had me nearly crying from laughter, which is not something I ever do while reading. It was hysterical, though, and I want to see it in visual form more than anything! This is a book about death and grief and what it means to live a good life. It’s about being a good human and caring for the people around you. It’s about how brutal life can be, how it can take people from your life before you’re ready, and that’s something I worry about on a daily basis. But there was something healing about this book. Death doesn’t have to be scary. It can actually be a beautiful crossing over from one life to the next.
Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams (★★★★☆)
E-book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2025
Short synopsis: When Emily’s longtime rival Jack moves back to town as both her colleague and neighbor, their petty, prank-filled rivalry reignites—until their clashes start to blur the line between annoyance and attraction.
Sarah Adams is such a hit-or-miss author for me! I adored the first book in this series, hated the second, and really liked the third (which is the one I’m reviewing today). The writing in the second book was so bad, but she really brought everything together in the third book. Enemies-to-lovers is a great trope, although I could have done without all of the pranking (I feel like authors think this is a great plot point, but it always reads as super immature and unrealistic to me). I thought Emily was being pretty unfair to Jack with her pranks, especially trying to get the other people in her town to be unfriendly to him. And then she went way too far when Jack’s contractor had a sudden emergency and couldn’t complete the remodel for his fixer-upper (that was barely livable, hence the need for a contractor). It just didn’t make me that sympathetic to Emily.
However, she definitely turned things around and I could wholly relate to her vulnerabilities and fears. She’s been the glue holding her family together, but now they don’t really need her, and she feels like everyone is moving on and leaving her behind. It’s how I feel when a formerly single friend gets into a serious relationship or a friend announces a pregnancy—there’s always that fear that you’re going to be left behind because you’re now in totally different phases of life. I wanted to give Emily a great big hug for all she’s dealing with!
And once Jack and Emily got over their prank wars, I found their love story to be so fun and sweet. They were the perfect partners for each other, and I loved seeing the way they both broke down their walls and started caring for each other in deeply vulnerable ways. It was a wonderful romance, and I’m glad I gave it a chance!
What are you reading?
I am reading Not My Type, which is E. Jean Carroll’s book about her trial against the current president in 2023. He raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1996, and it is a really fascinating – and not at all depressing – read. (spoiler alert: she won the trial, he was convicted of rape). Anyway, it’s all the court transcripts and her feelings about the trial, which sounds boring but definitely is not!
I actually have “Beg, Borrow, or Steal,” downloaded on my Kindle because I’ve been wanting to check out Sarah Adams but I didn’t know if I should read book #1 in the series first. I’ve only read one Ruth Ware book, this one seems fun.
Right now I’m reading “Homeseeking,” which is fantastic so far, but I just started yesterday.
I think you can read Sarah Adams’ series out of order. Unless you’re a stickler for reading everything in order – there’s not much that is spoiled!
“When Breath Becomes Air” by Dr. Paul Kalanithi is what I’m reading right now.
I assume that you cannot anticipate whether a book that’s written by Ms. Sarah Adams is going to be a hit or a miss before you read it, Stephany.
OK, I think it is about time to pick up a TJ Klune book. How come I never have. It sounds like an author for me.
I envied your 4* books this week. What a hit.
I read House in the Cerulean Sea and liked it- this one sounds interesting. I also think I might like the Ruth Ware book. I actually don’t like super fast moving thrillers, they make me anxious.
I will definitely skip the romance, BUT, I do have a romance coming up this month! It’s a Christmas-y one and we’ll see if I like it. It was recommended by Meredith, but as we’ve discussed, she can be hit or miss.
I also loved Under the Whispering Door! Not all of his books are hits for me but that one was!
I am reading ‘A Marriage at Sea’ right now which is a short biography about a couple whose boat capsizes in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It’s a crazy read!
Under the Whispering Door sounds interesting! I need to pick if up when I am in the right mood. I was not a huge fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea.
I was curious what your Beg, Borrow, or Steal review was gonna be since you did not like book 2! I had forgotten how Emily was holding it all together for the family. I just reread my review of this book and I forgot a lot, LOL!