Tag: Book Review

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 2: Frendo..

Posted 06/04/2026 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

As I said in my review for Clown in a Cornfield, I found it much easier to listen to this book than I did to read it. So when I went to start Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives, I went straight for the audiobook. Fortunately, my local public library carries this series, so I was able to snag this one as an audiobook as well. First, I want to shout out to Jesse Vilinsky. She does an amazing job of narrating this series. I mean, AMAZING. The voices she’s created for each of the characters is now ubiquitous with those characters in my mind. I cannot imagine one of them speaking in any other voice. When I first started Frendo Lives, I hadn’t imagined that we’d be combining PTSD with Internet Conspiracy Theories, but here we are, and it is amazing. I should have known that this would be part of […]

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 […]