I had quite the time with reading this last week! I was on a mission to get some Goodreads Challenges done before the September 14th deadline and boy did I!

Up first: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Rating: all 8 tentacles

What started as a book that I wasn’t sure I was going to finish, became a book that made me cry over it. Wow. What a story, about grief, about loss, about aging, about finding family. Just stunning. Marcellus was by far the best part of that story. His brief narrations were amazing. Tova’s story was so sad but she was a superstar. And Cameron, once I stopped being annoyed by him, really was just a guy who had a bunch of crap luck. The town and the area of Puget Sound seemed like just the perfect setting and I longed to be there so many times. This was just such a genuine and heartfelt book. I loved listening to it, the audio narrators were amazing. I chuckled, I gasped and I cried.

I really do want to watch this now, knowing that Sally Field is playing Tova.

Then: Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juilano

Rating: 5 out of 5 VCR’s

Now THIS is the creepy horror I was looking for this past weekend. Whew. I might be dreaming about dead things for a while. Willow and her grief…honestly, I’m not sure I wouldn’t be acting the same if it were me. My kiddo is my life. Clifford Island is a super creepy place. To be stuck in 1994 is a…choice. It kind of reminded me of the Wayward Pines trilogy, except you can come and go as you please on the island. The real creepy factor is the psychological aspect of it all. Of something evil preying on your grief and misery. Of never being able to escape it or move on from it. Lily was a firecracker of a character. I enjoyed her time with Willow. I loved the way the book was written, almost epistolary, which is my favorite way to read a book. Truly a great horror novel.

Finally: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Rating: 3 out of 5 pierogies

Well dang it all. This was an emotional gut punch the whole way through. I really enjoyed reading this as flashbacks and present time, with the present being at an age I could at least somewhat relate to, as I’m in my 30’s. A story about growing up and young love, and making mistakes and owning up to them, this had it all. I actually really appreciated seeing the growth that our FMC (Percy) had. I also appreciated seeing apologies happen and that they were meant, not just said to say them to be absolved. Percy and Sam really went through it and absolutely had some devastating things happen to them. I wish we had seen a little more of Delilah and Chantal, especially Chantal, because I think Percy really needed to have people on her side. Either way, this was such a beautiful story, some amazing lines that I HAD to highlight/tab, which I only really do on some books, but this one had some doozies. I think this was the author’s debut work and she really hit it out of the park.

*I ended up editing this review on Goodreads and I want to add that edit here*

editing my review once I’ve had some time with this…I realized that while I liked it, I liked it precisely because it was very similar to another book and I kept thinking “I know romances tend to be similar but this is another thing entirely, why does it seem familiar?” and BOOM – because it’s just like Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, which I LOVED (I still think about it occasionally too). I also have to agree with others that the twist was kinda…there in plain sight, though I disagree with readers that it’s SOLEY on Percy…Charlie had a hand in that too. But the end was definitely rushed, and I feel like, even though Sam forgave a long time ago, there should have been just a little more in the present, since Percy didn’t know. The makeup was just…to swift, I think. So rating moved to 3 stars from 5. Also, I’m noticing that for the show, I feel like the actors they chose look SO YOUNG, and I thought they were supposed to be in their 30’s?? And why does the guy who plays Sam look…nothing like the description in the book??? Same with Charlie? Am I missing something?? (edited review ends here).

I did not realize that this was a series on Amazon Prime and now I am intrigued and want to watch it…

Now, I am currently listening to I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, and it’s…whew. That’s going to need it’s own review when I’m done. Everyone let this poor woman down. I’m surprised she is still standing.