The first in Holland's ocean-focused young adult fantasy series leaves much of the story for later books, and I was left wanting more. I was intrigued by the curse, the ocean quest, and the explorations of moral quandaries around the use of the ocean's resources, but I was less interested in the extensive swooning over a likely enemy. The people of Kirkrell have always hunted magical whales--it's the only way to protect themselves from the finfolk, water fae who threaten thei

I feel Grinch-like panning this widely beloved story, but for me the sweetness was cloying; the tale slowed to a snail's pace as Allen explored every thought, possibility, and detail; and the twist felt jarring and was revealed too late to carry emotional weight. Theo, an elderly stranger, appears in the small town of Golden, Georgia, recognizing and appreciating locals' gifts and making them feel seen, sometimes for the first time. He admires the various portraits of locals

I've loved the other three books I've read by Lily King, but I didn't connect with the Heart the Lover characters and didn't believe in...

I liked the unlikely modern-day friendship and depth of connection, and I love a best-friend story, but the past timeline and immense,...

I love the way Fortune builds a summer tableau, but the reasoning for this forbidden love didn't hold up for me, and I was frustrated by...

The glamorous setting of Capri is the star of Saltwater . I struggled to care about the characters' sense of life-and-death stakes...

Mayer's memoir focuses on straddling two cultures without feeling fully integrated into either; the various frustrations, injustices, and...

I loved the premise of Creation Lake , and I was captivated by the mocking, ruthless, fickle freelance spy "Sadie." But the story and...

I was hooked on the story of a team of young women fighting for admittance to a guild, their bonds, and their adventures. But the...

The fantasy-science-fiction novel Moonbound spans time and splits into several stories, for me never quite gelling into a coherent tale I...

Wilson overcame tough childhood circumstances before setting her sights on becoming a performer, and her memoir celebrates her...

Barbara Brown Taylor is one of my favorite authors, but this slim, early book of hers didn't offer the candid, thought-provoking, wise...

Only If You're Lucky centers around a group of South Carolina college students who don't truly know each other--and the unpleasant...

I loved Enid's complicated, loving mother-daughter relationship as well as her best-friendship. But I was distracted by what felt like...

I didn't feel drawn into this novel of the horrifying serial killing of children of color in a small Virginia community and the...

Although the first section felt manic and uneven as Green hurtled through time, the second point of view offered lovely perspective on...

I was taken with the first half of this book--a rural cult, a teen mother, a strong female protagonist in an impossible situation,...

The premise and setting of The Secret Book of Flora Lea are captivating. I was distracted by what felt like overly dramatic dialogue and...

Mary Otis's debut novel explores the complicated mother-daughter relationship between alcoholic, erratic Charlotte and rigid,...

I love a book about books, but I was confused as to why the characters would seek out and spend prolonged time with the verbally abusive,...