Ashley Shea > Recent Status Updates

I fully forgot I put this on my currently reading shelf. I kinda wanted to forget about it. Because at this point in the story, everyone is in love and they don't know how it happened and guess what... neither do I!! Everything is telling. I'm baffled that Sara wrote this. I've never been so sad to have an ARC because I'm going to have to be honest and I bet she'll never give me an ARC again.

I fully forgot I put this on my currently reading shelf. I kinda wanted to forget about it. Because at this point in the story, everyone is in love and they don't know how it happened and guess what... neither do I!! Everything is telling. I'm baffled that Sara wrote this. I've never been so sad to have an ARC because I'm going to have to be honest and I bet she'll never give me an ARC again.

I fully forgot I put this on my currently reading shelf. I kinda wanted to forget about it. Because at this point in the story, everyone is in love and they don't know how it happened and guess what... neither do I!! Everything is telling. I'm baffled that Sara wrote this. I've never been so sad to have an ARC because I'm going to have to be honest and I bet she'll never give me an ARC again.

I dunno man! It's just a lot of telling!! I'm so shocked and surprised! Apparently, they all trust each other and feel they can be vulnerable with each other... This is what they keep telling me. I don't know how I want this one to go, but it's like not going at all right now. I definitely don't understand Julian and I barely get Archer. Freya I like just because she's an everywoman... Nothing else distinguishing...

Is this my first Sara Cate ARC??? I think it is!! (I don't feel like looking it up) I must say... So far, I'm disappointed in and really surprised at the amount of telling. The two MMCs are beating us over the faces (not consensually) with all their inner thoughts about themselves. They're overly self-aware and yet also very immature. And I'm not happy about how much emotional weight Freya is going to have to pull.

So the big question: is Lena's penpal, the young man with the bright bandana on his wrist, the same young man from the woods? But of course, the mystery is secondary. Is it relevant that we have 3 women constantly having such in-depth thoughts about their mothers??? Is it relevant that our thoughts about our mothers change depending on our current situation??? Is it just a story of 3 women??? What connects then???

I just noticed that the 3 MCs are completely different perspectives: 1st person present, epistolary (1st person past), and 3rd person present. Why?? And to finally get some insight into what happened to Valerie, I can't help but be frustrated with her, even as I want to murder the person that got her lost. Otherwise, you can clearly see the trajectory of the heart of the story, with the mother-daughter relationships.

The part that's currently thrilling is not the mystery of "could this be foul play" but just the nervousness of Lt. Bev trying to figure out where Valerie is. Sure there's all sorts of questions about her marriage or her hiking companions but through the letters, we're let in on Valerie's mental state and while she seems OK, you're like "is there some desperation here? to fall off the map?" It's too soon to know...

I can see where the author is trying to make it a thriller and I'm all for it, but when you start your book with a letter to a mom from a 42-yr-old female missing hiker who needed a break from being a nurse after COVID, and her search is being led by a near-retirement female park warden... This is not a thriller. This is a women story. I'm here for that too as a 42-yr-old who would like to disappear into the woods.

Well that more than surpassed the first one. It was written spectacularly and it pulled on all the heartstrings. I can't believe I have to wait till September to really be able to talk about it, I'm so glad these books exist! I'm so glad Thomas took their time making this so perfect. I cannot wait for this to be released to the world! Yes YA, but also totally mature and seriously thrilling and so much fun!

This has been insane!!! The level of spookiness!! The level of stress!!!! I am unwell! I was worried this second book would not live up to the first but so far it's surpassing it. The family bonds, the communication, the love and acceptance... But ALSO THE THRILLS!!!!! The STRESS!!! I don't know if my poor heart will survive this last 13%!

It's getting crazy again!!! I'm nervous!! My babies are running head first into danger again!! The conflicts are conflicting, I'm so sad Julian has static with his friends and brother. I'm glad Julian did the vigil for his dad, that was incredibly moving, love what Thomas is doing with grief, but I'm sad Julian is having trouble communicating with his brother. LOVE the communication between Julian and Yadriel though!

Forgot to update yesterday. What did I miss? Ummm, I'm pleasantly surprised our sweet, dumb teenagers are trusting some things to the adults who know much better. I'm also still wary of Angel because so much bad stuff started happening when Angel showed up BUT maybe all the bad stuff happened and Angel is there because they can help and this is their calling or something... I dunno. Also, I freaking LOVE Lita!

Thomas is diabolical for introducing this nonbinary character that seems like THE perfect package and making them just a little sketchy. Why is Julian so psyched so quickly and easily?! He's supposed to be the street-smart one. But of course! Angel also has a tough existence and is also an urchin. I don't know if it's because I know Angel is going to drive a wedge between Jules and Yads or if they're just suspicious.

I'm already very anxious for my boys!! I can tell Yadriel is going to make me a bit irritated because I get it, BB, you saved the world but you're still a BB brujo, stop being whiny, your boyfriend needs you to lock it up. And Julian, BB, you might need an adult, literally everyone cares about you. I'm really really nervous and I need this book to be amazing; my hopes are so so high!

... The other missing people, the fact that Julian's portaje was at the old church in the first place, the lore about Bahlam... I saw some reviews complaining about all the action happening in the last 15%. I mean, sure, but between developing the lore and developing the love story and being a coming of age for Yadriel as a trans brujo, the first 84% had to be sweet and quiet and angsty and kind of slice-of-life.

I'm not done for the night, because there's no way I could stop here, but I wanted to note the point at which all hell is going to break loose. Up till this point, our boys had a lovely lovely day together, and even shared a ghost kiss (EEEE!!!) but now all the little clues have led us here: the inability to cut Julian's tether, the weird attacks he's had, the missing blood sacrifice relic, the uncle with no power...

Rarely have I read such a comfortable, organic love story. Sure, Colin has a massive crush on Declan but they never define their relationship, they just fall into it. Perhaps if you're gay and in love with your roommate, it's actually infuriating if he's a free spirit who refuses to define his sexuality. I dunno, I like the romanticism of falling into something, especially given they were so young when it started.

When I first read this, some reviews said they didn't see chemistry between Yads and Jules. How?! Julian validates Yadriel, he's kind, he cares about finding Yadriel's cousin. They complement each other, they bring each other joy. Yeah, I suppose they could just be friends, except Yadriel at least is attracted to Julian. They're a good match. And come on, they're 16! It's not like I'd expect adult chemistry anyway.

I listened to this quickly the 1st time and probably missed stuff. The format and characters were enough to make me want to read again. Particularly, I love the format where Declan is narrating the present and Colin is narrating the past. I also really love this juxtaposition between a very animated Declan being life of the party in the past through Colin's eyes to the grumpy curmudgeon Declan portrays in the present

I was BLESSED with an ARC of book 2 so, twist my arm, I guess I'll have to reread book 1. When I never even knew we'd be blessed with a book 2! It's already charming as hell all over again. I'm so happy to have an excuse to read it again. Having been 5 years, I'm happy to report I already caught the red flags from the uncle w/o magic. Upon first read, being thrust into the mystery so immediately, it was easy to miss.

OK so when I was a little girl I got a book of African American folklore called Her Stories. One of the stories that scared me the most was the Boo Hag. That last chapter was insane and I haven't thought about that book of folklore in so long but... Beloved a Boo Hag! Sethe got a Boo Hag riding her! A living embodiment of shame and guilt sucking the life from her. I think I'll be finishing this tonight.

Gotta' take a break. This went down too smoothly today and I can tell we're gearing up for something either really good or really bad or really disappointing. Like, obviously the rom-com thing happened, obviously they are both head over heels, but what dumb thing is going to devastate them? and is it going to be cute and short and sweet? or is it going to be stupidly dramatic and heartbreaking?

I didn't plan on getting so far in so quickly but this is an incredibly easy read. It gets very intimate very quickly with ZERO complaints from me. The banter is ADORABLE and the MMC is a walking green flag and the concept is super fun. Fingers crossed it stays good.

So close I can taste it! And it tastes like indigestion! What kills me about books like this is that it's so important and it's so well written but you never "get into it" like I never start reading and then hours have gone by and I'm halfway done. I have to struggle for every page. Worth it but it's exhausting. I'm tired of reading about the men, starting part 3 now, finish line in sight!

slowly slowly. Had a few days and a long chapter and some beautiful but confusing poetry. I am sure there will always be some who will never excuse what Sethe did but we will never understand what she was trying to save her children from nor how absolutely devastating it would feel to do what Sethe did. I'm not sure I could do it, but I definitely don't feel the need to judge her.

After some Wikipedia research, I'm none the wiser on what I'm supposed to be getting out of this. Well, that's not fair, sorry, there's a cultural significance here that is not part of my heritage that I'm probably not appreciating. But that's political. As a character study, I'm not getting anything out of this and it's torture to listen to (not actual torture, the narrator has a LOVELY voice).

My favorite thing about this book so far is the judgment passed on Sethe by these men that have zero right to throw judgement on anybody. Men who have never had to make the decision. It's a whole other can of worms that they've never been afforded the right to the decision, but why oh why would Paul D and Stamp Paid think they knew literally shit about fuck?!?! Tell me my love is too thick. I'll show you thick!

And it's worse when you've read the foreword to discover that this is not fiction. THIS PART is based in fact. HISTORY. And then Toni gave her a body and a voice and a nice hat. And only someone who could write with such beauty and delicacy could take a story like this and make it possible to keep reading. It's still very hard though.

I didn't read any yesterday, I knew what was coming. I did not see the circumstances coming. I did not see the community turning against them. I had not understood the timeline. I thought Sethe had fled with her children and had to make a sacrifice on the road. To read that the children had arrived safe and she had arrived after and tasted freedom and happiness only to have to rip it away from herself because WHY???