Loriel Boemer

Intriguing

Revisado: 04-30-25

Would you want to know who your perfect match is? Would you want to know if your current partner/spouse is your perfect DNA match? What if your perfect match is outside your sexuality, or decades older or younger? Or lives on the other side of the world?
This novel explores the idea that every person out there has a biological perfect match and follows the lives of 5 people who submitted their DNA for matching.
The results are surprising for our protagonists, and raises many questions of choice vs fate.

My main complaint is that people who are matched in this book act like they’re ‘bonded’ a la werewolf romantasy. Like they really don’t have a choice in whether they stay with their existing relationship or family, or go with their match?

I found something interesting in all five couples/storylines, and truly couldn’t put this book down.

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Beautiful and moving

Revisado: 04-27-25

Two love stories in one, as our MFC and MMC are given the opportunity to interview a reclusive celebrity from the golden age of Hollywood for a memoir. They’re each given a month to get to know Margaret before she decides which of them will write the book. Margaret’s life is full of paparazzi, scandal, and ultimately the Big Love that ends in tragedy.
Our MFC is perpetually chipper, MMC’s a grump.
The memoir subject is holding back, but thanks to each of them signing an NDA they cannot compare notes.
They fall In love in a smooth and easy way, with a rather surprising conflict that separates them.
Ms. Henry’s writing style is always a delight to read, like sipping a cup of tea, wrapped in a warm blanket.
I can’t say it was perfect, but 4.5 stars well earned!

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Epic adventure and beautiful prose!

Revisado: 04-25-25

This story was like waves lapping the shore on a warm mellow day. Soothing, a hug in written form.
A beautifully written epic adventure.

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Beautifully performed

Revisado: 04-18-25

I’m glad I stuck with this one. The early descriptions of the dates system and journals was confusing, but this story cannot live without it.
I found this to be reminiscent of Flowers for Algernon, with the POV of an innocent who eventually understands his reality is not everyone else’s.
Sad and beautiful writing, brought to vibrant life by the performance of Chiwetel Ejiofir.

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My first Abby miss

Revisado: 04-07-25

I have been a fan of Abby from early days. Her sensitivity when tackling difficult health topics has been outstanding since day one, and this was book no different.
However, I found this book to be too heavy for my taste. There wasn’t as much humor as you normally find in an Abby book, but then again, how do you interject humor into a book with so many personal challenges?
Yes, there was a happy ever after, but honestly this felt more like a tragedy than a romance/love story. The hits just kept coming!
And for the very first time, I found a MMC that didn’t resonate for me. Xavier needs some therapy to deal with his childhood trauma, abandonment issues, and to learn how to set healthy boundaries.

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It could have been so much more!

Revisado: 04-06-25

I wanted to like it. I liked parts of it. Maybe it’s best to break it down to pros and cons?
Pros:
I liked Aina’s character development. Meek fisherwoman to Goddess? Hell yeah I’m on board.
I liked Tuonela, the story of it, and all the characters in it.
I liked Tuoni and feel like he was done dirty. I also feel like Aina seriously screwed him over.

Cons:
I found pretty much everything in the land of the living, including Siiri’s journey to find the Shaman, to be extremely dull compared to the world building and vibrancy of Tuonela.
I really dislike how Aina signed up to tie her life to Tuoni in order to free him and bring order back to Tuonela, but within days of them getting married, she is begging to be let go and is plotting an escape. Not cool, lady.
I just couldn’t get into the relationship of Aina and Siiri. Maybe because they just didn’t have that much dialog? Aina and Tuoni had heat!
I also thought this book should have either been edited down a bit, or expanded to explain more of the Finnish lore. I honestly can’t tell which I would prefer? I just know where the book landed in final print didn’t hit right for me.

As for the performance? The narrator for Siiri started out rough, with odd timing and clunky cadence. She smoothed out, but it was distracting.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Eh?

Revisado: 03-30-25

Slow moving plot, confusing world building. Excellent narration, though!
Unsure if I’ll continue with the series?

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Oh Haymitch…

Revisado: 03-21-25

This was so much better than Songbirds and Snakes. Heartbreaking and beautiful.
We knew from the Hunger Games that Haymitch Abernathy had seen some shit, but the story of his games and the aftermath was a whole ‘nother level.
Then 24 years of watching kids die as their mentor?
Yes, the drinking is understandable.

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Heart breaking

Revisado: 03-12-25

Do you believe in second chances, third? I usually don’t.
This book was nearly a DNF, twice. I just couldn’t get into it and walked away twice.
I read the reviews saying stick with it. I read other books. Eventually I picked it back up and finally finished it and it shattered my heart.
The strength and resilience of two women living in Nazi-occupied France, each finding their own method of resistance. The family bonds, tested but never lost.
The brutality of war and concentration camps and the spirit that cannot be broken, even if the body can.

I understand why some say that the author relies on emotional manipulation, as the hits came hard and fast at the end and I finished the book with a pile of tissues and the hiccups.
I couldn’t read Kristin Hannah books back to back if they’re all like this, but when I need a good cleansing cry I know what to pick up in the future.

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Waiting for the spark

Revisado: 03-09-25

I’m a fan of Morbid so I’ll keep coming back, but I’m still waiting for the “ooooh, that’s good” moment.

I didn’t really care for the Butcher and the Wren, but being how it was a debut novel I thought Alaina would improve with time.
This book did feel more structured but I’m still missing the spark of connection with the characters.
****spoilers ahead ****



I also didn’t really buy the sequence of events at the end of the book. Jeremy planned this picture perfect escape at the end of the first book, just to get caught hiding in a closet????

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