L-L-L-Little Reviews #59: February 2024

Here are the books I read this past month that were not part of scheduled reviews.

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
Narrator: Patti Murin, Jon Root
Published by Penguin Audio on May 17, 2022
Genres: Adult Contemporary Romance
Length: 09:27
Source: Purchased
Format: Audiobook
My Rating:
Goodreads
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9 hours
The “reigning romance queens” (PopSugar) and New York Times bestselling authors of The Soulmate Equation and The Unhoneymooners present a charming and laugh-out-loud funny novel filled with adventure, treasure, and, of course, love.
Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession…or much money in the bank. But Lily is nothing if not resourceful, and now uses Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn’t leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back the beloved ranch her father sold years ago, and definitely not enough to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Frankly, Lily would like to take him out into the wilderness—and leave him there.
Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.
But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the adventure of a lifetime.
From the author of the “heartfelt and funny” (Publishers Weekly) sensation The Unhoneymooners, this page-turning adventure full of second chances, complicated relationships, and the breathtaking beauty of the American Southwest will take fans on one wild ride.

My Review:

I got this audiobook back in 2022 and just got around to listening to it this year. I guess I could probably count it for my Beat the Backlist if I can figure out which of the prompts it fits? I’ll do that later. I ended up really enjoying it by the end. The Christina Lauren writing duo is one of my favorite “authors” and this book is one of those reasons! I kind of went into listening this not remembering the exact story line, lol. But it still grabbed me right away. It started out with some melancholy bits on the part of one character that totally fit the kind of mood I was in so that was good to keep me listening. A lot of the comments I made in my reading status updates on Goodreads were about how I had a feeling about a certain person that later was proven correct or that I was guessing what might happen. But I like that it wasn’t spelled out ahead of time and so even when it was revealed, it was done in a way that still didn’t feel like I already knew for sure. Another great book by Christina Lauren!

The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published by Jennifer L. Armentrout on April 25, 2017
Genres: YA Horror, YA Thriller
Pages: 328
Source: the author
Format: Paperback
My Rating:
Goodreads
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It's Ella's senior year of high school and she and her best friend Linds plan to make it the best year ever. At Brock Cochran's end of summer pool party, the girls vow to have as much fun as possible before they head off to different colleges next fall. But when Ella is mysteriously attacked on her way home from the party, everything changes. Ella's carefree senior year plans disintegrate as she finds herself at the center of an attempted murder investigation.
Ella tries to move on, but her attacker isn't done yet. He shows himself in the form of horrifying signs and symbols: a clown mask strewn on her bed, a dead bird in her backpack, a shadow moving past her window in the night. And as the weeks pass, it turns out that Ella isn't the only one being tormented.
With the help of an old flame, Jensen Carver, and her friends and family, Ella tries to attain some sense of normalcy, but she can't seem to shake the feeling that there's a dark pattern hidden in the killer's every move. Suddenly, even those in her innermost circle seem suspicious. In her seemingly safe West Virginia town, Ella starts to wonder who she can trust.

My Review:

I’m not completely positive, but I think I got this book as part of a swag bag when I went to Apollycon in 2017? Yeah, I can’t believe I’m just now getting to it! I do love all things that JLA writes. And sometimes when I put them off, I can’t understand why in the world I waited once I pick them up. This one was written just like a horror movie would play out, and I mean that in a good way! It kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out exactly who was going to be behind it all. One person I kind of wondered about, but then just couldn’t figure out why in the world they’d be behind what was going on. But the way it wrapped up made sense and kind of helped with my wondering about how or why that person would do it. This was also on my TBR Challenge for this year, so another book crossed off!