Ran > Recent Status Updates

And this is the part where I say, “I saw it from a mile away.”

I would rate this 1 star right now just because that’s how much I hate the narrator, but I want to believe that this is the emotion the writer wants me to feel. 🙃 Dear god, please give me the patience to finish this book.

What the actual F is the only thing I can say about this part.

The unlikable “screw the patriarchy” protagonist and her seemingly well-meaning but quite insensitive sketchy husband are having a row.

I don’t even care about you guys anymore, I just want to see the mystery get solved.

Tho I will say, I understand why Freya doesn’t want to take what he’s saying. I just wish she wasn’t so… self-righteous? Not sure if that’s the right word for it.

I’ve got an idea about who Emily’s “fancy man” might be, but I’m still not sure.

Unreliable and unlikable protagonist outside, this is really quite a page-turner.

At this point I won’t be surprised if it turns out she’s being gaslighted this entire time. That said, I hope it won’t be that cliché.

Our narrator is as unlikable as ever. Why does everything have to be about gender, Freya? This is the only book I’ve read so far where the narrator mentions gender-related things every few pages. Plus, she’s very unreliable. Can’t blame his (admittedly also sketchy) husband if he thinks twice about her observations.

I’m about an hour into the book. It’s a page-turner alright, but the characters aren’t very likable, especially the main character. I don’t know, I really don’t like her. She thinks she’s being a concerned neighbor, but she just feels very nosy to me. Also, she’s an insecure individual who’s very unfair to her fiancé just because she can’t accept she’s a “traditional” SAHM now. Huh.

I’ve been slogging through this book the past few days. 🥺 It’s really not for me, I think, but I would still like to finish it simply because I want to know how it will end.

I can tell for sure right now that this is a book that doesn’t know what it wants to be. It’s such a shame too since the premise is really interesting.

So far… it’s okay, I guess. I’m super tempted to DNF this though. I do have some problems with the writing, but that’s not the reason why.

I guess I’m just not that into it. I mean, I already knew that within like the first 100 pages, but… oh well. Let’s see how far I can go!

Started out pretty good. It reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984 and The Twilight Zone’s The Obsolete Man.

That said, I do have some issues with the writing and, to some extent, the plot.

Anyway, I just decided to pause here after the book mentioned “Pontius Pilot.” As a Catholic myself, I’m pretty sure it’s “Pontius Pilate.” 😅

New book from NetGalley! The premise seems interesting enough.

I’m 10% away from the ending and I’m still holding my breath. I fell asleep from exhaustion (I’d been awake for 20 hrs) around the 75% mark, but if not for that, I’m sure I would’ve finished this is one sitting. Great, great thriller.

One hour later and I’m almost halfway through the book. It’s so fast-paced and exciting. This is my first book from NetGalley and I simply love it. I just hope the second half doesn’t disappoint.

“And without a filter, a man is just chaos walking.”

I was wondering about that series title. Ha, that was pretty clever.

1st chapter done—still a long way to go. This came highly recommended by my assistant and good friend, J. A far cry from my usual crime thriller books, but I think I’m going to have a lot of fun.

I’m like 4% away and the story still feels incomplete. That said, Lapena’s books tend to have really sucky (sorry) endings, so I’m just hoping this one doesn’t suck.

Not as gripping as I would’ve hoped. Still intriguing, but not really as much as a page-turner as Lapena’s other books.

Also… Brigid is a freakin B.

“Neither Karen nor Tom can sleep, but each pretends for the other.”

I feel like I read this exact line in Lapena’s other book, “The Couple Next Door.” 😂

Anyway, so far, so good, I guess. Not a total page-turner like TCND, but the mystery is just as exciting.

My 5th Shari Lapena book. It’s a bit different from the other Lapena books I’ve read, I’ll be honest. Plus, I’m not yet too sure about the plot, but I’m curious to see how it goes!

Looks like I’m starting another Shari Lapena book! Reading one Lapena book only makes me want to read another. My other books must be so jealous. 🥲

It’s getting good! We’re unearthing some important backstories and secrets. I hope the second half, especially the ending, doesn’t disappoint. 😭

The first hundred pages flew by fast, that’s for sure! I’m also sorry that I have to put this down. Can’t wait to pick it up again later!

My questions so far…
1. Why is it called ‘the couple next door’?
2. Did Anne and/or Marco have anything to do with it?

This is like my 4th Shari Lapena book so I’m kinda excited. I don’t always feel satisfied at her books’ endings, but at least I know I’m in for a good ride!

As a lover of horror, this is definitely the perfect light read.

Didn't hook me as much as the first three books (which I found very hard to put down) but I think it started out pretty decent. Only had 15 minutes to spare but I'll definitely read more tonight!

Starting a new book today! I've heard lots of good things about Liane Moriarty so I'm very excited. Judging from the way she compared marriages to housework on page 2, I think this will be great.

I'm halfway in and it's actually pretty good so far. I started this hoping to just get to maybe 10%, but it's been 2 hrs and a half now and I've been unable to look away. I'll leave it here for now but I'm looking forward to continue it this evening!

I've been reading this since yesterday and I have to say, it's really hard to put this down. That said, I've finally gotten to a twist so ridiculous that I can't believe the author decided to go with it. Seriously, what in the world? I kinda want to put it down now, but since there's only 25% remaining, I guess I'll finish this anyway.

Didn't waste any time making us wait for the gory stuff, huh. But as a fan of all things horror and macabre, I'm all for it.