Josh > Recent Status Updates

Not saying that these books are bad because they’re not, but I’m TIRED lol, and I’m going to need a break after this series. But completing it is my biggest flex.

While I understand that I'm far from the target audience for this, it was still rather enjoyable.

I’m shocked. I loved this so much. Read it in one sitting at work. The way he’s able to connect with an audience is incredible. This is something you can relate to at any age (until you get to the social media and COVID parts). It felt like I was hearing all of this from a friend for the first time. It was quite comforting, to be honest. I applaud this guy. Let’s be anxious friends together, Matt, lol!

Okay, the last part about social media and COVID wasn’t that interesting to me, but it was still a good read. We’re still here.

“'If you like her so much, then why don’t you date her?' That’s when Nick shouted back, 'I can’t because I’m gay!' I sat back down. Time froze. I was immediately in tears, and so was he. I couldn’t help but instantly think about how difficult this must have been for him."

I know this isn’t supposed to be a memoir where you cry, but that, as a gay man, messed me up. Bless him for thinking of his brother that way.

“What's the First Thing You’d Grab?” — Coming from someone who also experienced a house fire and lost (almost) everything, this specific chapter really healed me in a way.

This guy may be 23 and I’m 33, but at the end of the day, we’re all human, and I can relate so hard to this guy. I’m actually shook by how much I’m enjoying this book. I was proven very wrong. Truly can't put it down.

“On the pills, I’d completely dissociate, almost as if I fell asleep while standing up with my eyes open in broad daylight. My thoughts were consumed by medication.”

…to be completely honest, this perfectly describes why I’ve been afraid to take medication from the jump.

The entirety of “Seven and a Half Hours?!” made me completely tear up. I’m relating to this guy so hard; it’s truly not even funny.

I'm sorry! Is this a document from a therapy/counseling office?! Mother of...

"To me, the I in IEP may as well have stood for idiot."

HARD RELATE! As someone who had an IEP from elementary school through high school. The embarrassment you feel when you have one, thinking that everyone knows you have one and getting separated into different classes, makes everything 10x more challenging.

The entire “Does Everyone Have Anxiety?” part was so beautifully written, and the way it ended with, “I never thought, ‘Well, it could be worse. I could be having a panic attack like I did that day!’ Instead, I thought, ‘It’s going to happen to me again soon. I just know it.’” was the most accurate thing I’ve ever read following someone with anxiety.

“My warm face becomes cold, drained of all color. Every negative thought I could think of went through my head: I’m going crazy, I’m sick, I’m probably dying…Everything was going great, but then all of a sudden, it became horrible.”

Oh, good Lord. That was described beautifully.

23 and already making a memoir. I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about this. We’re in for a real ride here.

Let's start by saying that I have no idea who this guy is. I was just given this book by one of my coworkers and told to read it since I love books. So, here we go!

Just because this book was tolerable doesn’t mean much. This entire series has been a colossal waste of my time. I can’t believe I spent an entire week on it. Between the repetitiveness, the “you’ve read one, you’ve read them all” feeling, and the annoying pet nicknames, I think I’m done with Catherine Cowles’s books. Six was enough to last me a lifetime. I got played, and now I want these books out of my house.

Brb. Going to jump in a toaster bath real quick. After the last book in this series, I’m never going to read (or trust) a Catherine Cowles book again. I feel like I’ve been played for a fool. Absolutely not. No ma’am.

Honestly, I skimmed part of this because I couldn’t bring myself to keep reading. Change a few select things, swap out some names, save the template, and bada-bing, you’ve got yourself a new book. Who are you fooling? Seriously, this book actually pissed me off. Even skimming it, I felt like I had completely wasted my time.

I feel like I've read this before, and it's starting to make me really mad at how repetitive it is. But it's like cake, we gotta make sure the whole thing sucks before making a final decision.

I feel like I’m being punked, like Ashton Kutcher is going to come out, give me a clown nose, and laugh at me for actually reading this book.

Fucking hell. I rarely read thrillers or horror, and when I do, I'm often disappointed. But this was amazing.

Getting back into literary fiction has been one of the biggest joys I've had recently. Don't get me wrong I still love my smutty romance books, but there's something about literary fiction that's been such a great brain exercise. These books have really had me thinking about my views on life. I'm honestly so happy.

Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. That said, it wasn't bad.

This isn't so much a memoir as it is a "this is why I am the way I am" type of book. He's extremely honest about his trauma and personal struggles, with a little comedic relief sprinkled throughout. I still really enjoyed it.

I can't believe this series is over. It was, hands down, one of the best series I've ever read. Everything was so well written, and I cried numerous times while reading it. Truly can't wait to read more of her books and see if I'll love them just as much.

I've never read anything like this before, and we devoured it in a single day. The book may look intimidating, but it's literally written with one sentence per line. Allison and Andrew have a very spicy romance, but they both struggle with control. The entire book is filled with trauma. And then there's that cliffhanger at the end. Goodness. Is there going to be a book two?! Please? I loved this.

A hunt for hidden treasure and forbidden love. The FMC is a nautical archaeologist who finds herself in a small village investigating mysterious shipwrecks. She's on a secret quest to locate priceless gemstones, and unfortunately for her, the treasure might be cursed. Everything that could go wrong does. This was a really good book. Highly recommend it.

My first mistake was probably watching the movie first. The portrayal of Aza and her mental health disorder (OCD) was one of the most accurate I’ve ever seen. I was hoping the movie had left some things out, so I turned to the book for more depth and elaboration. While the book was good, it was still a bit of a letdown after watching the movie. But still recommend the read.

I'm ready for something to start happening now.

"My name is Alice, but I go by Mistress of Bloodshed, Lady of Carnage, that evil bitch, and please stop peeling my skin from my face," and she flashes her fangs again.

I don't usually read books like this, let alone books this long in this particular genre. I'm already starting to see why.

What's most disappointing is that I was genuinely excited to read this, only to find it painfully boring and completely lacking any emotional weight. The constant obsession with indie and old-school music is treated as if it's some unique personality trait, when it really isn't. Girl, bye. Really wishing I DNF'd this.