Book Snails Book Group discussion

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  2 0 2 5   BOOK REVIEWS
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A discussion thread to share your book reviews this year!

Please share reviews of books you finish reading in 2025 here, or feel free to review one you haven't shared with the group before.

You can type a short review right here, and/or provide a link to a review you already posted on Goodreads, your blog, etc.

Finished The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton. For my first book of the year (yes, I'm very behind, lol), I enjoyed Cleeton's latest work about the power of books and the impact that reading can have on our lives. I rated this 4 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson. This is Wilkerson's sophomore effort, her follow up to Black Cake, and it is just as excellent! I rated this one 4 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished Three Days in June by Anne Tyler. I enjoyed Tyler's latest book filled with her signature wisdom and wit. I rated it 4 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished Homeseeking by Karissa Chen. This sweeping epic absolutely blew me away. Loved it and rated it 5 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley because it was my real-life book group's pick. Two stars from me. Here's why: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished My Friends by Fredrik Backman. Loved this book! Backman's stories are always 5 star reads for me and this one was no exception. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson. Stories with zany plots are usually outside of my wheelhouse, but Kevin Wilson is most definitely the exception, as I always end up enjoying his quirky, emotionally nuanced novels. I rated this one 4 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

As the halfway point of year 2025 approaches, here's a reminder that you can view your 2025 'Year in Books' so far with this link:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_i...

(your page may not include your most recent books yet; it lags behind a bit).

Finished 2 books since I last posted: The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry and The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei. I rated them 4 stars and 3.5 stars respectively. Here are my reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Finished Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport. This was an okay book. There were aspects of it I liked and aspects I didn't. I rated it 3.5 stars overall. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King. I enjoyed this unique genre mashup of a novel that was nothing like what I expected, but in a good way. I rated it 4 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

If you are in the throes of magic/magic school novel withdrawal, this one might ease the shakes a bit:

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang


Average GR rating ~ 4.4 stars. (Mine, slightly lower, but fantasy isn't my favorite genre).

NOT the official blurb: Every 10 years, Yon Big Fancy Magic Establishment lets ONE female take the High Mage exams, for funsies. They never pass... so what could possibly go wrong by letting bookish, 20-something Sciona take the test?

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished Stephen King's 2011 masterpiece 11/22/63 and absolutely loved it! I gave it a well-deserved 5 stars! Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Finished The Road to Tender Hearts, the latest novel by Annie Hartnett. I enjoyed this quite a bit -- the light humor was just what I needed right now. Rated it 4 stars. Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished What We Left Unsaid by Winnie M. Li. This was a book that resonated with me on so many levels...I definitely enjoyed it. Rated it 4 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. This is a gorgeously-written epistolary novel that I pretty much devoured in one sitting. Well deserved 5 stars! Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben. This was an entertaining read overall, though nothing like what I expected. I rated it 3.5 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

FinishedHeart the Lover by Lily King. King's previous novel Writers & Lovers was a 5 star read for me and one of my favorites, so I was delighted to find out that her newest work is connected to that book in a huge way. Loved this one just as much! I rated it 5 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...