BookBrowse: Your Guide to Exceptional Books

Reviews by Suzi S. (The Villages, FL)

Too Old for This
by Samantha Downing

Serial fun (4/11/2025)

Lottie is very likeable and entertaining, despite her admission early on that she is a retired serial killer. Her personality and wit are so engaging that I forgot I was supposed to find her repulsive. Well done! I did grow a bit weary of her by the end, but overall this was an enjoyable light read.

Songs of Summer
by Jane L. Rosen

Good Beach Read (1/7/2025)

The character Maggie was born interesting and frustrating; she runs a record store and has lots of knowledge about music that's woven into the story. But she's about 16 emotionally, so going through her potential relationships and reunion with her birth mother was a bit of a roller coaster. I was entertained but never surprised; when each new character appeared it was obvious how their story would evolve. This is a good read I've you just want to escape into others' lives for a bit but not a book I'll remember or discuss.

Serial Killer Games
by Kate Posey

Quirky, fun read (12/31/2024)

The two main characters here may have been the oddest I've come across in a while. But that was what made this a really fun read. I just had no idea what these two were going to do next! From strange workplace encounters to unusual outings to a trip to Vegas, they continually surprised me and each other. After all of the excitement, the latter
part of the story was heartwarming and sweet. Maybe a tad predictable, but by then I wanted a happy ending for these two characters that I'd been rooting for.

One Death at a Time
by Abbi Waxman

An engaging mystery (12/18/2024)

This was a fun read that went from a Los Angeles AA meeting to the Hollywood Hills and the characters that inhabit them. Mason starts off as a tough cookie who is determined to get actress Julia on the path to sobriety. But before she can start her mission, Mason finds herself working as Julia's assistant and yep, Julia is accused of murder!

The relationship between the two, along with a cast of unique characters, made this a book I couldn't put down. Their crazy antics, their unlikely friendship, and the glimpses into Hollywood life combined to make this book a winner.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World
by Colleen Oakley

A quick, fun read (11/23/2024)

The title made me think this was going to be some kind of apocalyptic story, and in a sense it is. But it's not the end of THE world, just possibly the end of Jane's world. The author definitely created a character in Jane that I immediately knew and understood. It made sense to me that she'd decide to ask for a divorce during her anniversary dinner at a fancy restaurant. The ensuing drama was a little over the top at times, and I never for a moment doubted how the story would wrap up. Still the story was unusual and amusing, making for a fun read.

Beast of the North Woods: Monster Hunter Mysteries #3
by Annelise Ryan

Just didn't grab me (10/28/2024)

I liked the main character, but there seemed to be a lot of minor characters dropping in and out, some of whom didn't serve a purpose. The story was intriguing but the execution just dragged on with a lot of people lurking and threatening and chasing the main character for reasons that were sometimes never revealed. I wanted to know the secret, and it was definitely a surprise. But the events leading up to the big reveal just didn't hold my interest. It was a pleasant enough read but not a book I would recommend.

Other People's Houses
by Abbi Waxman

Very engaging (12/22/2017)

I found myself immediately drawn into the lives of the characters and ended up reading it in two days! She did a wonderful job creating characters and situations that rang true but were not ordinary. I did think the ending was very slightly predictable, but as a friend pointed out recently, when you read a lot, that is just often the case.

Young Jane Young
by Gabrielle Zevin

Thoughtful yet fun (8/2/2017)

This book engaged me immediately, partly because of the style and partly because the subject matter struck home. Each of these characters was genuine and each viewpoint was thought-provoking without being a serious read. I have already passed my copy of this book along to friends and recommended it to my book club.

The Gypsy Moth Summer
by Julia Fierro

Loved it and hated it (4/28/2017)

I loved the characters and found myself rooting for them--sometimes in spite of their best efforts to make me not do so. I have to say that I felt as if I knew these people, and that's a good thing. All of that said, the writing was too complicated at times, sometimes to the point where I had to re-read passages to make sure I knew what was going on. I think she could have managed the multiple voices with a bit more clarity.

The Half Wives
by Stacia Pelletier

I wanted to love it (1/28/2017)

I especially enjoy historical fiction, so I was all set to love this book. For me there was just not enough detail about life in San Francisco during the era to create that sense of traveling in time that I so enjoy. Part of my issue may have been the multiple narrative voices. I just had a hard time with the use of present tense and with the narrator addressing the reader as "you," with the identity of the "you" constantly shifting. The story was compelling and well-crafted, but I just didn't feel that I had a stake in the outcome.