⭐ A Stage Set for Villains – 3/5

This book had so much potential, but the pieces just didn't come together for me. The first 20% was intriguing, and I kept going despite wanting to DNF it several times in the middle because so many people said the final 30% was where everything came together. Unfortunately, I ended up disappointed.

The idea of magic tied to theatre and a playhouse that appears at different times is incredibly unique in theory. However, no matter how much the magic system and worldbuilding were explained, it never fully made sense to me. Because of that, the plot became difficult to follow. There were so many plans and schemes that the FMC put into motion, only for them to unravel or make very little progress before another idea was introduced.

The characters also felt flat and, at times, irritating. Jude, in particular, never felt consistent to me. That may have been an intentional result of the fourth-wall-breaking elements, but it still didn't quite work for me. Ultimately, most of the characters felt... boring. The only one I found genuinely interesting was Jean Hunt because she had such a haunting presence throughout the story, but I also felt that nothing particularly significant was done with her storyline as the plot progressed.

The pacing was probably my biggest issue. This book is simply too long. I was especially looking forward to reading about a play itself and seeing a full performance come to life on the page, but the focus remained almost entirely on the pull to stay in character and the hazy loss of self that came with being on stage.

Overall, I was excited for the theatrical setting and dark whimsy, but I spent most of this book feeling either confused or indifferent. The three stars are for the ambition of the concept and the author's writing style.

⭐ Tuesdays with Morrie – 3.75/5

This one is hard to review because it's autobiographical. I really enjoyed Mitch Albom's writing style, and it's almost impossible not to fall in love with Morrie. However, the book's message didn't leave quite as much of an impact on me as I had hoped.

I think this may be one of those books that was incredibly important for an earlier generation, but many of its lessons have already been discussed and emphasized for my generation, so some of its insights felt a little too familiar or obvious to me.

That said, I appreciated how accurately Morrie's experience with ALS was portrayed, and I was inspired by how determined he was to keep living and sharing his story despite his illness. At its heart, this is a beautiful testament to friendship, mentorship, and the lasting impact one person can have on another.

Definitely a friendship for a lifetime.

⭐ The Correspondent by Virginia Evans – 4.5/5

I definitely went into this book worried that it had been overhyped, but I'm happy to say it completely lived up to the praise. I was also a little skeptical about the epistolary format, but it genuinely tells the story so beautifully and makes you feel connected to each of the characters.

This is a really difficult book to pull off. It touches on so many subjects—immigration, infertility, parent-child relationships, grief over a lost child, and the challenges women face in positions of power, to name a few. Yet it never dives deeply into any one topic. Normally, I would find that kind of surface-level treatment half-baked, but it works remarkably well here.

At its heart, this book is about the relationships we make, maintain, change, and lose over the course of a lifetime. By making these topics parts of the characters' individual struggles rather than allowing them to define either the characters or the novel itself, the story feels incredibly authentic.

I know some readers didn't love Sybil, but I adored every part of her. She felt so real in all of her imperfections, and I appreciated her attempts to grow and become more open-minded. I also think she's a beautiful portrayal of how grief changes you in ways that aren't always visible to others, and how you never truly "get over" certain losses, no matter how much people imply that you should.

I have so much love for this book, and I don't think I'll forget it anytime soon. It isn't earth-shattering in its concept or devastating in its content—it simply connects, and sometimes that's even more special.

⚡️ Kill the Beast by Serra Swift - 3.75/5

For a debut novel, it was a solid attempt, but overall I felt somewhat underwhelmed.

The characterizations were fairly strong. I especially appreciated how the book didn’t conform strictly to traditional gender roles, and I found Lysa’s interactions with the different people in her life—her ex-girlfriend, the male protagonist, and her coworkers—interesting and varied. Lysa herself was also a consistent and well-realized character. The “angry young woman” archetype really fit her; it showed in how she spoke, how she related to others, and how she often defaulted to violence as a way of avoiding or suppressing her emotions. Her guilt also made sense as a central motivator and helped ground her actions.

However, in terms of plot, I found it slowed down significantly in the middle. A lot of it revolved around collecting items, which made it difficult to stay engaged. Even though I liked the development of the relationship between Lysa and the male protagonist, it still felt like it lacked depth in execution. Overall, a lot of the story felt slightly half-baked, even though individual elements were done well.

The reveals also weren’t particularly surprising, which contributed to the lack of narrative momentum and made it harder for the story to feel gripping.

That said, I did enjoy the inclusion of the found family trope. I also appreciated the ending being open-ended. It leaves ambiguity around the relationship dynamics between the main characters, but I almost liked that choice—they felt more natural as close friends than anything romantic, and that subtlety worked in its favor.

Overall, a promising debut with strong character foundations, but uneven pacing and underdeveloped plot execution.

⭐ The Nickel Boys – 4.25/5

Such an important story. From the moment Elwood's journey takes a turn for the worse until the very end, you can't help but root for a better future for him and his friends, which makes the ending all the more devastating.

I loved how each character's trauma and experiences were different, yet the impact of being at the academy ultimately led them all to the same place. Colson Whitehead's ability to avoid lingering on the most horrific events and instead let their implications fester in the reader's mind was incredibly effective. It allows you to fully grasp the horror of what's happening without ever feeling exploitative.

The ending was also perfect in so many ways. I had a few questions throughout the last half of the novel, and then came that lightbulb moment with the reveal—the realization that, of course, something hadn't been adding up all along.

My only slight criticism is that I occasionally struggled with the shifts between the characters' backstories and the timeline, which made parts of the narrative feel a little disorienting at times.