Book Review: Plants are My Favorite People by Alessia Resta

By Melissa Barbuzzi

When I heard about Plants Are My Favorite People, I knew I had to get my hands on it. A book about plants with cute illustrations? Count me in! In this book, author (and plant-stagrammer) Alessia Resta (a.k.a. Apartment Botanist) covers everything you need to know to start and grow your plant collection. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned plant parent, this book has something for you!

My favourite part about this book? The plant parent quiz and all the amazing illustrations. The way everything was laid out and written made the book feel warm and made me feel like my best friend was giving me all the best plant tips. I’ve been a plant parent for a little while now and have had my struggles when it comes to certain plants *cough* my fiddleleaf fig *cough* not wanting to behave. Thankfully, I was able to pick up some super handy tips that I hope help me out going forward!

I first started getting into plants because of my mom. Growing up we always had plants around the house and when the weather started getting warmer, you’d always find her outside in the garden. She gifted me my first plant, and I’ve always cherished any plant that is given to me, so this quote from the book made me particularly happy: “Some of my favourite plants are the ones I’ve received from friends because they are associated with that person and that day, and it always brings a smile to my face when I look at those particular plants.”

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It’s a fun and informative read filled with beautiful illustrations. Whether you have one plant or twenty plants, I think there is something in this book for everyone!

Thank you to Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

By Melissa Barbuzzi

The Roughest Draft follows literary stars Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen, who on the heels of their greatest success, ended their partnership on bad terms. They haven’t spoken in years—until their agent (who is also Katrina’s fiancé) forces the duo to reunite to write the final book on their contract. The Roughest Draft was marketed as a romance/rom-com, but I would categorize it under the contemporary fiction genre.

The coolest part about this book? It’s a book co-written by two authors (Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, who are married in real life!) about two authors co-writing a book. I thought this was super cool, and while reading, I always found myself wondering who wrote what. 

I’ll start by saying that I enjoyed the general premise of this book: two authors working together, a potential friends to lovers romance, and a new bestselling book on the horizon. However, it ended up being not at all what I expected it to be. I really expected to love this book, thinking it would give me Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation vibes, but sadly it fell short for me. The cover makes it seem like a light and fun rom-com, which is what originally caught my eye, but the book itself is the complete opposite. If I hadn’t gone in with the expectation of something light and fun, I may have enjoyed it more, but unfortunately, I didn’t, so here we are!

Where this book fell short for me was the relationships and chemistry (or lack of). What I expected to be a fun romance turned out to be a book filled with cheating, infidelity, and multiple relationships where I felt no chemistry at all. I think each character cheats on their significant other at least once throughout the book, and at one point, Kat’s fiancé even gives her permission to cheat (what!!). The physical and emotional cheating are really what set this book back for me.

Overall, there was so much potential here, and I was really disappointed to not have loved it as much as I thought I would. Two authors with a flirty past, reunited alone in a house to write their next book together, it’s the perfect rom-com set-up! I generally recommend going into books blind and with no expectations, but in this case, I recommend going into the book with certain expectations. I think if I didn’t go into the book expecting a fast and fun rom-com, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I think this book finally taught me the lesson of “don’t judge a book by its cover” because that’s exactly what I did here!

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

By Melissa Barbuzzi

In The Lost Apothecary, Caroline finds herself alone in London on her tenth wedding anniversary after discovering her husband's infidelity. As an aspiring historian, she decides to explore the city and finds an old apothecary vial that she can't resist investigating. As she deepens her investigation, Caroline’s world begins to collide with the history behind the vial.

I love, love, love the concept of this book, and the narration was great on audio! An apothecary that’s trying to right the wrongs of the world? Sign me up. Any type of historical fiction? I’m in!

The Lost Apothecary is historical fiction (based around the 1790s) that bounces back and forth with present-day POVs. I loved the multiple POV/split time period aspect as seeing the apothecary from the past and present perspectives added a different element to the story that I loved. I do wish that we got more of the past story and the history of the apothecary. I think Nella’s story deserved so much more attention and depth—it definitely left me wanting more. I did enjoy the present-day perspective, but I did think it took away from the whole apothecary piece. To me, it felt like a bit from a different story that was kind of just plopped into this book.

Regardless of the past and present aspects, I still really loved this book. It was filled with strong female characters who were always chasing their dreams. I absolutely loved the witchy apothecary/spells piece, I thought that was really interesting, and I would love to learn more about apothecaries now.

This book was recommended to me for ages, but I always pushed it off as I was unsure about it. I’m so happy I finally decided to read it, because it is definitely worth the hype, in my opinion.

Overall, I rated The Lost Apothecary a 4 out of 5 stars. There was so much that I loved like the history aspect, the apothecary, and the binge-worthiness. This was a super fast-paced and exciting book, and I haven't read anything similar to it in the past. If you love historical fiction or apothecaries, this book is right up your alley. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if you’re going to pick it up, it was amazing on audio! 

Book Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

By Melissa Barbuzzi

Think you know who you’re married to? Think again. In Rock Paper Scissors, Adam and Amelia’s marriage has been struggling for a long time. Adam is a workaholic screenwriter who also struggles with face blindness. He can’t recognize friends, family, or even his own wife Amelia. When the couple wins a weekend getaway in Scotland, they’re hoping it’s exactly what they need to fix their marriage. But little do they know their weekend getaway is more than it seems. Will all their problems be solved, or will 10 years of secrets come back to haunt them?

Rock Paper Scissors was the first book I’ve read by Alice Feeney, and I am now a big fan. I listened to this as an audiobook and absolutely loved every minute of it. Sometimes a book is even better in audio, and I think this was definitely the case here! The narration felt spot on, and I truly was envisioning every piece of the plot.

I loved the uniqueness of this thriller. Adam’s face blindness added a completely different element to the book and allowed for so much to happen—which definitely did! The story was told with multiple character POVs, as well as multiple timelines. Normally, this can get a bit confusing, but the way it was done was perfect. The character building and worldbuilding was very realistic, which is always really important to me in a book.

This was a stellar thriller that held my interest the entire time. There were so many twists throughout the book and so many little details that ended up coming full circle. My jaw genuinely dropped multiple times, and there were many “OMG” moments. At first I was worried that the book was going to be a bit too scary for me, but it ended up being the perfect amount of spooky!

By the end of the book my mind was blown and every theory I had was completely wrong. There were a few loose ends and not all of my questions were answered, but for the most part the ending gave me everything I needed.

Overall, Rock Paper Scissors has become one of my all-time favourite thrillers and I highly recommend it. I am so impressed with how unique it felt from other thrillers that I’ve read, and I cannot wait to read more Alice Feeney! I’ve already purchased a few of her old books and they’re currently sitting on my shelf ready to be read.

Book Review: The Singles Table by Sara Desai

By Melissa Barbuzzi

Celebrity obsessed lawyer, Zara Patel, has put finding love on the back burner this wedding season. Instead, she plans to focus on her career and matchmaking her friends to help them find romance. She's never come across anyone who she can't find a match for—that is until she meets high profile security specialist Jay.

The pair make a deal: she will find him a match if he introduces her to some of his celebrity clients. Will the perfect match be found, or will the deal come crashing down?

This was a great and well-rounded rom-com that was quick and lighthearted. It’s an enemies-to-lovers trope, and who doesn’t love that! Zara and Jay are your regular sunshine and grump couple who perfectly contrast each other. Their compatibility was everything, and their chemistry made them feel like such real individuals. 

Zara was an absolute girl boss with the most vibrant energy, which I absolutely loved (and may have been my favourite part of the book!). She was fully self-sufficient and didn’t rely on finding love, which made it so much more exciting when it found her! I also admired how much she loved her family and how it seemed so important that she spent time with them. 

The few issues I had with the book were small but did slightly impact my thoughts on the book. The constant push and pull between Zara and Jay did really bother me. It felt like they had so much conflict that anything romantic between them would inevitably be toxic. One minute they were all in and fully enjoying each other, and the next minute, it seemed like they genuinely hated each other.

Another issue I had with the book was the cringy name-calling. I’m normally not a big fan of any books that have heavy name-calling/cringey couple names. Thankfully, this book didn’t contain too much of it, but there was a portion of it. 

So, would I recommend this book? Yes, absolutely! It was the perfect lighthearted and cute read that had multiple laughs out loud moments which I loved. You should definitely add this to your TBR for 2022.

Thank you, Penguin Random House, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

By Melissa Barbuzzi

Apples Never Fall is all about the Delany family, the parents, Stan and Joy, and their four children. After fifty years of marriage and all of their children leaving the nest, Stan and Joy decide to sell their tennis academy and start the golden years of their life. But things take a turn for the worse, and what Stan and Joy thought would be the best years of their life, quickly become the most miserable.

After an unexpected visitor shows up at their door, things seem to be turning back around. But suddenly Joy goes missing and the Delaney siblings face a hard dilemma: do they tell the police even though their father is the most obvious suspect?

I really enjoyed this book, but I’ll start by saying it was more of a mystery/family drama than a thriller. The plot was very fun to read and kept me engaged and questioning what was going to happen throughout. The mix of family drama and mystery was super entertaining which resulted in me not being able to put the book down!

The characters were all great. They were all described in such detail that they felt real, which helped tie everything together for me. The siblings also had a very raw dynamic that felt realistic, and I really enjoyed. I will say, though, that I did have a tough time remembering who each sibling was. They were all so different but also had so many similarities that it got confusing keeping track of all their details.

On to things I didn’t love about the book. I do think the ending was dragged out. The big “finale” happened and then there were still multiple chapters that didn’t add anything to the plot. There was also a chapter that unexpectedly was all about COVID, which felt completely out of place and like it was just thrown in at the last minute.

As mentioned earlier, I did go into this thinking it was going to be more of a thriller, which it was not at all. I’m not sure if this is a regular Liane Moriarty thing, or if Apples Never Fall just came off differently than expected. Nevertheless, I still really enjoyed the family drama/mystery and wasn’t overly upset that it was less thrilling than expected.

I haven’t read any of Liane Moriarty’s other books, but Apples Never Fall has motivated me to read more by her! There is such a huge buzz around her books and the TV adaptations of her books, so I will definitely be reading more by her soon. If you haven’t read Apples Never Fall yet, I recommend it!

Book Review: In My Dreams I Hold A Knife by Ashley Winstead

By Melissa Barbuzzi

Six friends. One college reunion. One unsolved murder. Who killed Heather? What dark secrets will come to light 10 years after graduation?

The plot and characters of Ashley Winstead’s In My Dreams I Hold a Knife were all incredible, and I absolutely devoured this book. I was super hesitant going into it because I thought it would be like just another thriller, but it was not!

The plot felt so realistic, and the college setting is one of my favourites. Right from the beginning, I was transported back to my university days and friendships. The nostalgia that it made me feel quickly turned this into a super entertaining and fast page-turner for me.

I absolutely loved all of the characters in this book. They all have their flaws and unsavory characteristics, but their realness was spot on. The character development throughout was honestly outstanding; it was so deep and made me root for every character regardless of what secrets they may have been hiding. The friendships and the dynamics within the friend group were so raw and realistic, which I think was definitely the reason this didn’t feel like a cliché thriller.

I normally don’t love a dual timeline, but the past and present flashbacks were done really well in this. There was even the occasional change of POV, which you would think would be confusing, but it wasn’t at all! Both of these devices added to the plot and provided the reader with another layer of detail.

The only element that I didn’t love about this book was the number of characters because I could not keep track of them. All of the boys meshed in my mind and there were a few times I had to step back and think, “Okay, who is this again?” but it wasn’t enough to alter how I felt about the book!

Ashley Winstead absolutely knocked it out of the park with this, and the fact that this is a debut is so impressive. I was fully immersed in this book and loved the realness of the plot and characters. This was also the first thriller in a while where the ending actually made sense to me and didn’t feel like it came way out of left field. If you’re looking for a thriller to add to your TBR, this is definitely it! 

Book Review: The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

By Melissa Barbuzzi

Content warning: murder, sexual assault

The Disappearing Act follows British star Mia Eliot, who seems to have it all: an incredible lead role and a boyfriend whose celebrity status is quickly growing. When all of that comes crashing down, she decides to travel to Hollywood in order to reset and try to take her career to the next level. Mia arrives eager and excited for the potential new opportunities coming her way. She is doing back-to-back auditions, waiting for her big break to come. While waiting outside for her last audition, she meets a fellow actress named Emily. Emily seems to be in distress, so Mia offers to help her out by doing her a small favour. That small favour quickly starts snowballing, and all of Mia’s fun Hollywood plans start to take a turn for the worse.

I really enjoyed The Disappearing Act and all of the twisty-turny mystery that came with it. It was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so I was very excited when it ended up being a page-turner that I could not put down! Throughout the entirety of the book I was constantly guessing who was trustworthy, and what was going to happen next. 

I went in to this book completely blind which I think played a role in my enjoyment of it—if I had known more about the plot and premise I don’t think it would have been as much of a hit for me. Steadman’s experience as an actress added some authenticity to the writing and made it feel like I was actually getting an inside look at Hollywood. As a huge fan of all things Hollywood, this was a really neat piece and definitely brought the book to the next level for me. 

Although the plot was fun, it felt incredibly implausible, and the main character Mia was very naïve time and time again. After the first few naïve decisions I decided to give her a pass. She was in a new city, a new environment, and we all make some questionable decisions sometimes. But after multiple decisions that made me think “what the heck is she doing?”, enough was enough.

The ending was my biggest gripe with this book. There was so much build up and anticipation for an ending that just felt “meh.” It left me feeling super unsatisfied and it was a let-down compared to all of the excitement throughout the beginning of the book.

If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced mystery, I would definitely recommend The Disappearing Act. As I mentioned, there were some pieces that I did not love, but it was a fun plot that kept me engaged throughout.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review: Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda

by Melissa Barbuzzi

Content warning: Murder

Such a Quiet Place takes place in Hollows Edge, a neighbourhood that was once filled with neighbours who gathered and looked out for one another—until the murder of residents Brandon and Fiona Truett. A year and a half later, one of Hollows Edge’s residents who was accused of their murder returns home while the other residents feel stuck and suffocated, confronted every day by the Truett house and their testimonies. Will their murders be solved? Will the neighbourhood once again get back to how it once was?

Such a Quiet Place is a compelling mystery filled with secrets and paranoia. After the murders of Brandon and Fiona, everyone keeps to themselves, but eyes are always watching. The story started off as a slow burn, which worried me at first, but it quickly turned into a page-turner that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end! The major plot twist was definitely gasp-worthy and seriously took me by surprise.

I felt fully immersed in the plot and the neighbourhood’s secrets. The characters had endless layers, and the author did a great job at slowly pulling each layer back to reveal more about the neighbours of Hollows Edge. The two main characters, Harper and Ruby, felt so incredibly real and deep to me. Normally, in thrillers, I find that the decisions made by the characters are so unrealistic but in this book I felt most decisions were realistic and true to the characters.

The murder and case were so interesting that I do wish we were given more details about what exactly went on in the weeks surrounding the murder. I was left with so many questions that I wanted answered, but I think that was mainly because I’m a true crime junkie who wanted all the details! 

I also wish that we got more details about all the neighbours and maybe more of an inside look at their lives. Everyone in the neighbourhood was always watching from afar, but we never truly learned about all of their deep dark secrets.

Overall, if you’re looking for a thriller to add to your TBR pile, I highly recommend Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda. The twists and turns were so entertaining, and kept me on the edge of my seat! This was my first read by Megan Miranda, but I’ve already ordered two of her other books because I loved this one so much!

Book Review: The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

By Melissa Barbuzzi

Content warning: Self-harm, adult/minor relationship

The Maidens follows Mariana Andros, a brilliant but troubled group therapist who learns that her niece Zoe's closest friend Tara has been murdered on the campus of Cambridge University. Mariana becomes fixated on the murder and finds herself back at Cambridge (her alma mater), surrounded by questions. Will Mariana find the answers to those questions before it's too late?

This was the first Alex Michaelides book that I've read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I’ve been really into thrillers recently and was recommended The Maidens a couple of times, so I knew I needed to get my hands on it. It’s a twisty and creepy thriller with some Greek mythology mixed in throughout. 

I really appreciated Alex Michaelides' writing style throughout the book. It was very immersive and had many layers to it, making the book feel so much deeper than your average thriller—and it had short chapters, which I’m a sucker for! I loved how there was a bit of Greek mythology mixed in, and the fact that the book was based at Cambridge University made everything feel more elegant. It was a slow burn that was still suspenseful with a twist you won't expect! 

While I liked this book, my main gripe with it was the number of characters that felt like they were randomly plopped in solely to throw you off track. Multiple characters that were introduced seemed to have a main role, but then just disappeared from the plot a few pages later. I suspected most characters at least once (which is definitely what the author’s goal was), but I felt like there was just way too much going on. 

The main character, Mariana, seemed all over the place to me. She definitely had a lot going on in her personal life but being a psychiatrist specializing in group therapy, you would think she would go to therapy herself. The trauma she had been through was apparent, and it seemed like she had not begun working through that trauma yet.

When it eventually got to the main twist, I actually did not expect it, but I think the reason was because it was just so out of left field. I felt like the main twist just didn’t add up with the rest of the book I had just read and all of the characters I had just been introduced to.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Maidens and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for their next thriller. I have seen many people recommend Alex Michaelides’ other book, The Silent Patient, over this one, so I am really looking forward to adding it to my upcoming TBR!

Book Review: People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

By Melissa Barbuzzi

People We Meet On Vacation follows two unlikely best friends, Poppy, a travel blogger, and Alex, a high school teacher, on their annual best friend “summer trips.” They met in university and quickly bonded during a drive home one summer (very When Harry Met Sally style). After years of memories and travelling together, an argument put a pause to their fun travels, and the pair hasn’t had any contact in two years. Until one day, Poppy contemplates what truly makes her happy in life. Is it her job? Living in New York City? She quickly realizes that Alex was the key to her happiness and decides to reach out to him. The pair ultimately end up on another trip together, in the hopes that their friendship can be rebuilt. But has too much happened between the two of them for that to be possible?

This was not your average friends-to-lovers trope. Emily Henry put her own spin on it which made the story feel fresh, exciting, and not like your regular rom-com. The travel aspect of the book also made me super nostalgic and want to travel, as the pair visited some really exciting places that have been on my bucket list for years.

The relationship between Poppy and Alex is a unique one. They have incredible banter, yet they are complete opposites. Poppy is an outgoing travel blogger who always wanted to get away, and Alex, a quiet high school teacher who wanted to settle down and grow roots. I think the pair always had more than just a friendship connection, but both were always too afraid that their differences would result in a failed romantic relationship.

I had two main gripes with People We Meet on Vacation, the first being that the plot was entirely predictable. From the beginning, the main question the reader has is, “what was the argument that caused Poppy and Alex to stop being friends?” As you continue reading, it quickly becomes obvious what that reason was. Generally, rom-coms are pretty predictable but I thought Emily Henry could have thrown a couple of curveballs in there.

The second gripe was Poppy’s indecisiveness and unpredictability. Poppy herself had said that having Alex in her life was what made her happy, but I felt that she was all over the place when it actually came down to it. She said she would sacrifice anything to be with him, but then followed it up with “I won’t move out of New York City.” She didn’t give off the vibe that she wanted to settle down, and that is entirely what Alex wanted. She also seemed to fully live in the past and continually brought up how much she disliked Alex’s ex-girlfriend.

Overall, I think Emily Henry did a great job with People We Meet On Vacation. I enjoyed it more than her previous book Beach Read (which most people may not agree with me on!) and thought the storyline flowed well. It was a light, fun read that made me want to book a trip immediately, and I would definitely recommend it to any rom-com lover!