Easy 5 stars. Barbara Truelove has done it again. Seriously. She knocked this one completely out of the park.

She’s a Doll might actually end up being my favorite book of the year, and it’s only because I’m trying to show restraint that I’m saying might. And honestly… I did not expect to have this many feelings about a possessed, revenge-filled doll. Yet here we are. Somehow the author managed to take a premise that sounds wild on paper and turn it into something emotional, funny, and weirdly heartfelt. And some of the parts were so relatable that I had to have a talk with myself in the mirror.

Big thumbs up from me and an easy recommendation.

Okay Barbara… what are you writing next? Because I’ll be first in line. 👀

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery for the amazing eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving 4 stars because clearly I’m only seeing a pinprick of the epic scope this trilogy is building toward. The book hints at layers of worldbuilding that I've barely started to understand. Reading this as a buddy read with my husband made the experience even better. Half the fun has been stopping to compare theories and realizing we’re probably both wildly wrong. Excited to see where the rest of the trilogy goes.

I ended up at a solid 3 stars for Strange Lights. The beginning felt like a 5-star read for me. I loved the found family dynamic, queer relationships, and sharp banter which immediately caught my eye. The characters all had endearing quirks and qualities. Where the book lost momentum for me was the middle. The flashbacks slowed the pacing quite a bit and made the story drag in places. By the time the plot picked up again, the ending felt rushed and wrapped up faster than I expected. That said, I really appreciated the mix of sci-fi and paranormal elements. It’s a blend you don’t see as often right now, and it added a cool layer to the story. Even with the pacing issues, there were parts of this that I genuinely enjoyed.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Bindery for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Prose: ✅ Roger Clark Narration: ✅ 15-year-old farm boy in the 1930’s with bizarrely thoughtful and philosophical internal dialogue: ❌

This ended up being the first James Wade novel that I couldn’t fully get behind. The writing is still strong, but the character voice and some of the plot choices kept me from really buying into the story.

I think Taylor Jenkins Reid is an extremely talented author and I see why people love Daisy Jones and the Six. The book has a super unique storytelling style with the interview format and it tackles some pretty heavy themes. Minor characters stand out. That said, the rock band dynamic didn’t really land fully for me. I also think I would have liked this more if I’d read it earlier in my reading journey. I always feel like I have to end my reviews with something positive, so overall I liked it! And I’m jumping to get at more from TJR’s catalogue.