Real Bad Things
[{'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-2 review-rating', 'review_body': "This month you ostensibly get to pick 1 free book – but I was able to choose 2 books. There are 7 choices, which is an unusually small number – but there does appear to be something for everyone! Note that you can access more books if you use the “share” feature in the Family Library. All but one of the books (“Big Chicas Don't Cry”) has a “look inside” feature as I write, which makes choosing a suitable selection far easier; I always recommend taking a peek at the book in advance to see if you care for the author's writing style.\n\nMy personal recommendation is either “No One Crosses the Wolf” or “Broken Summer” based on your personal preferences. Both are outstanding. These are the two books I chose.\n\nThis month's categories are:\n\nlegal thriller\nwomen's fiction\nsuspense\nhistorical fiction\nadventure sci-fi\nmemoir\nliterary thriller\nchildren's picture book\n\nLet's look at each in turn.\n\nRICH BLOOD by Robert Bailey (legal thriller) 5 stars\nEstablished author alert! Robert Bailey has written seven other books in this genre. All have been well received; he has thousands of ratings on each book averaging around 4.5 stars. It is always a treat to find a First Reads book by an established writer. If legal thrillers are your thing, you can not go wrong with this book. Writing style is exactly as expected. Tale is told from numerous vantage points. Language will offend some readers.\n\nBIG CHICAS DON'T CRY by Annette Chavez Macias (women's fiction) 4 stars\nThis is the author's debut novel. Because this book currently has no “look inside” feature, I took one for the team and picked it. The book has 66 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters alternate between these four titles: Gracie, Erica, Selena, Mari. The epilogue is titled Gracie. The writing style is what I think of as “beach read”; there will be no English words in this book to challenge you. That said, the writing clearly assumes at least some knowledge of Spanish, and I did not recognize the words I encountered. That's always annoying. I shouldn't have to consult a foreign language dictionary to understand what's going on in a novel. The story revolves around four female cousins. Language will offend some readers.\n\nREAL BAD THINGS by Kelly J. Ford (suspense) 2 stars\nThis is the author's second book. Her first book has 130 ratings averaging around 4 stars. I started reading using the “look inside” feature. With every sentence, the book seemed to be getting worse. I had to give up.\n\nA HARVEST OF SECRETS by Roland Merullo (historical fiction) 3 stars\nEstablished author alert! Roland Merullo's author page announces that he has written 24 fiction and non-fiction books; many of the fiction books seem to revolve around a religious character. His books have been well received, averaging around 4.5 stars, but only 2 of them have broken the 1,000-ratings barrier. This is the obligatory historical fiction offering; no First Reads month would be complete without a WWII novel. (I'm totally over these, although I do love historical fiction.) This one takes place in Italy. Despite my aversion to the sub-genre, I gamely started reading using the “look inside” feature. The writing is average, not at all compelling. I didn't get into it.\n\nEXILES by Ashley and Leslie Saunders (adventure sci-fi) 4 stars\nThis is the twin authors' fourth book; their previous 3 books comprised “The Rule of One” series. These books were well received by a limited audience. A coming of age novel which I assume is meant to be targeting a YA audience, this book is gripping from the start. It's fast-paced fun, and I hope it finds its audience. Set in a post-earthquake LA ruled by an Elon Musk-type character.\n\nNO ONE CROSSES THE WOLF by Lisa Nikolidakis (memoir) very strong 5 stars\nThis memoir is the author's only book. It is utterly compelling and absolutely riveting. Extraordinarily well written. It is the memoir of a woman whose father was one of those you read about in the news: man kills family and himself. Language will offend some readers. One of the two books I selected.\n\nBROKEN SUMMER by J.M. Lee (literary thriller) very strong 5 stars\nEstablished author alert! The author has sold millions in Korea; best I can figure, this is his first book which has been translated into English. Fine work. Extremely well written. The quality you would expect from a literary novel. One of the two books I selected.\n\nANNIE DREAMS OF BIRYANI by Namita Moolani Mehra (children's picture book) 5 stars\nThis is the author's third book and second children's book; her focus is clearly on cooking! I read this adorable multicultural picture book using the Family Library share feature. The story is simple. A young girl is determined to discover the secret to cooking Biryani. She is so enthusiastic, that eventually the local chef she admires hands her everything her heart desires. It's a good story. My one reservation is that it's quite a limited topic and perhaps will be a bit dull for children... except for a child who likes to cook! The the writing and illustrations are lovely."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-4 review-rating', 'review_body': 'I’ve never read the author before – this was my first read from her, but definitely not my last!\n\nThe author knows how to build characters. I felt like I knew each and every one of them. They aren’t sweet and pretty, but they have depth and manage to live and breathe on the page. She also has a deft hand with setting. I’ve never been to Arkansas and I’ll admit that my knowledge of the state is woefully sparse. I loved learning a little more about it and having some of my prior impressions turned upside down!\n\nOur mystery itself surprised me. At first, I thought it was a rather simple one. Nope. There are some wonderfully dark and unexpected things about this one!\n\nI did find myself wishing our main character had made a very different decision in the end. It’s probably a good sign that I was so disappointed in her – it meant that I was feeling her so much and wanted her to end up right.\n\nA good, sharp and modern thriller!\n\n*ARC via Publisher'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'I loved this book! It’s like Ozarks meets Bridgerton meets Big Little Lies. Notice that the comps are all series? It’s because REAL BAD THINGS is incredibly cinematic. You can see it all playing out because Ford really knows how to tell a story. The characters were so well drawn and the confusion and mystery earned. I miss Jane and Georgia Lee already and hope to see them on a small screen real soon. Such a sassy, edgy read and way to stick the landing, Kelly J. Ford.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-2 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Making a lot of grammar mistakes and incomplete thoughts may seem poetic to some, but I just find them tedious and silly. Are those the same? Must be caused by the brain fart I just had trying to read this one.\n\nNotice I mistakenly "purchased" this thing.\n\nBe aware of reviewers who review all 5 books and tell you how "wonderful\' they are within minutes of their release.. Some people brag in online forums about getting 400 votes in a few hours.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': "This story was slow paced and seemed to drag. I just couldn't make myself finish it. I was not intrigued enough to muddle through it. I had high hopes for this book as the reviews sounded good."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'REAL BAD THINGS is outstanding! This absolutely gripping and gorgeously written Southern noir grabs hold and does not let go until the very last page. Ford’s darkly atmospheric writing transports you right to the underbelly of Maud Bottoms—where the water teems with dead bodies, hidden secrets, forbidden love, and past betrayals—and pulls you inescapably into its ominous current, then shocks you with its final twist. REAL BAD THINGS is Southern gothic perfection.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Once upon a time, real bad things happened in Arkansas, and now 25 years later not much has changed. Families are toxic as ever and murder confessions are bouncing off every wall. This impressive thriller from Kelly J Ford features a number of well-crafted and complicated characters that crawl into your protective arms as you witness the prolonged trauma caused by shouldering secrets and internalized shame. Throw in a hateful small town, police that don’t protect, a rising missing persons count, and just wait for it … yeah, real bad things. Five stars!'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Its day 5. At 65% normally I would have finished this book on day one...but that would mean the book was well written and interesting. This is not. Its a hot mess I\'ll say that...the protagonist is pathetic and likely Lesbian to make imclusivity points....she doesn\'t come across well...I\'m glad they didn\'t chose "flaming gay" stereotypes but... Yesh. And before someone yells I\'m anti lgbtq+ I\'m not, there are many books with those characters and I find them great. This...sucks. Zero use of police procedure reality even if out of touch with reality...it barely pulls ofF red neck or trailer trash very well so I get the struggle with getting the LGBTQ+ characters right. So far...none are likeable and at 30% I thought it a shame they all didn\'t end up at the bottom of the dam, dead. Maybe the authors other book is better...but recheck murder mystery thrillers with LGBTQ+ ain\'t her forte. Glad it was free on kindle first reads or I\'d demand money back.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': "The author has no understanding of forensics or police procedures and that lack of understanding makes the story implausible from the start to the end. All the characters need a good swift kick in the butt for being so cavalier about the situation and the main character is pathetic, not sympathetic. The ending is no more believable then the beginning and again, it's the author's lack of forensic knowledge and police procedures that sinks the whole book."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-2 review-rating', 'review_body': 'I chose Real Bad Things as my first read for August.\n\nI am going to the odd person out on this one - I found it to be tedious and extraordinarily dull. I skim read a great deal just to get to the end of the novel and find out "who-dun-it" as there were several options. Good character development but I think this story could have been told in fewer pages.'}]