Format: eARC

Together We Rot by Skyla Ardnt

Posted 06/08/2026 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ve been trying to get through my enormous backlog on NetGalley and the “bottom of the pile” (when looked at without sorting) was Together We Rot – a book I remember being hugely excited for when I was approved for it, then promptly failed to read. As with many of the books I fail to read immediately, I regret not having read it sooner. Or rather, I regret not finishing it sooner, as I did attempt to read it a couple of times. The same as many of the other books I’ve tried to read recently, I ended up listening to this on audiobook to actually finish it. I feel like the town in which the book is set doesn’t lend much to the story, and I think that is by design. The only parts that truly make a difference are Earl’s Diner for a short period, the public library for a […]

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam C..

Posted 06/03/2026 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ve been trying to read Clown in a Cornfield since it first came out. I tried to get an ARC but failed, I tried to get it from the library but failed. Then I finally got it from the library, but couldn’t get into it. I was just about to give up when I was able to request it from NetGalley. I still couldn’t get into it – until I managed to snag the audiobook through the Libby app via my public library. Then… it clicked. Normally, I’d do the CAWPIRE review, but I think I’m going to just keep it low key today. I loved Quinn, Cole, and Rust. I liked Quinn’s dad. Wasn’t overly fond of the rest of the characters – although Janet was pretty cool. The rest of the cast was more or less window-dressing to me and I found myself more interested in Quinn and Cole than […]

Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph

Posted 12/15/2025 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Again, we all know I love horror and I love YA novels, so a combination of the two is a dream come true. Trust me when I say, Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph is no exception. Characters The characters in Dead Fake are relatable, even if you aren’t a teenager. I think we all know what it is like to have people treat us differently because of something we’ve been through, which is what Ava experiences as the niece of the most recent murderer in Bleak Haven. I’m sure we can all recall the pain of an unrequited love as well, which again, Ava experiences. Not to mention having a very small friend group, as Ava, Mason, and Willow have with each other. The characters are well written, and the ones who need backstory have it. There was a teacher whose backstory I’d love to read about so maybe one of the series could […]

Don’t Let the Forest In ..

Posted 08/06/2025 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

I’m amazed that I’ve managed to read multiple books in the past few days, but it happened. This time, I finally got off my butt and read Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews. I’ve been following CG Drews on Instagram for quite a while and when they announced that their debut YA Horror novel was on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to request it. But then, after getting approved, my brain said “nope, no reading for you” and it sat in my Kindle app… until last night when I finally got off my butt and started reading. I’m glad I did. Characters The main characters, Andrew and Thomas, are quite interesting. Andrew is anxious about literally everything, while Thomas is tough and seen as a bad kid for the most part. At least that’s how everyone seems to view him. I liked both characters quite a bit. Dove was […]

His Name is Grace by H. G. Dav..

Posted 07/03/2025 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Sometimes you just need a quick read to get yourself back into the spirit of reading, and His Name is Grace by H. G. Davis was a perfect quick read to do that for me. At just 152 pages (1,795 locations on Kindle), I was able to read this book in just about 3 hours. It was fast paced, easy to read, and difficult to put down. The formatting of this story is interesting. You’d think it’d focus on the actual mystery, but for the most part, it doesn’t. It focuses more on the secrets that the family of the deceased are keeping. Which isn’t to say it is a bad story, because it absolutely isn’t. I’m just not sure I would have categorized it as a mystery/thriller when it doesn’t really focus too much on that aspect, unless you consider all the secrets to be mystery/thriller material. However, the […]