I was browsing through my blog posts and this tag caught my eye. It was featured on The Bibliophile Thoughts and after reading her answers, I decided “Why not.”
I have been using Goodreads to track my books since 2011 (Ok, its been 10 freaking years?!?!?). I do have accounts on other sites (The StoryGraph, Bookhype, and Readerly with The StoryGraph coming in at #2) but Goodreads is my go to.
This tag is originally created by GabsAboutBooks, so make sure to check it out and without further ado let’s get into the tag!
1. WHAT IS THE HIGHEST RATED BOOK THAT YOU GAVE A LOW RATING? (SORT YOUR BOOKS IN GOODREADS BASED ON AVERAGE RATINGS AND FIND THE HIGHEST RATED BOOK YOU GAVE A LOW RATING)
Moon Blood (Book 2) by Carol McKibben
2. WHAT IS THE LOWEST RATED BOOK THAT YOU GAVE A HIGH RATING? (SORT YOUR BOOKS IN GOODREADS BASED ON AVERAGE RATINGS, IN REVERSE ORDER, AND FIND THE LOWEST RATED BOOK YOU GAVE A HIGH RATING)
Thunder Valley by Thomas Kelly
3. WHAT IS THE MOST POPULAR BOOK YOU DISAGREE WITH THE AVERAGE RATING? (SORT YOUR BOOKS IN GOODREADS BASED ON NUMBER OF RATINGS, AND FIND THE FIRST BOOK YOU DISAGREE WITH THE AVERAGE RATING)
The Viscount and the Witch by Michael J. Sullivan
4. WHAT IS THE LEAST POPULAR BOOK YOU DISAGREE WITH THE AVERAGE RATING? (SORT YOUR BOOKS IN GOODREADS BASED ON NUMBER OF RATINGS, IN REVERSE ORDER, AND FIND THE FIRST BOOK YOU DISAGREE WITH THE AVERAGE RATING)
Beautiful Broken Girls by Kim Savage
5. CHOOSE TWO BOOKS THAT HAVE AN AVERAGE RATING OF 3/5 STARS BUT YOU GAVE A HIGHER RATING?
The Swarm by Rob Heinze
Get Some by Daniel Birch
6. CHOOSE TWO BOOKS THAT HAVE AN AVERAGE RATING OF 3/5 STARS BUT YOU GAVE A LOWER RATING
Freak City by Tom Lichtenberg
More than a Slave by Anaelle Gadeyne
7 CHOOSE TWO BOOKS THAT HAVE AN AVERAGE RATING OF 4/5 STARS BUT YOU GAVE A LOWER RATING?
When Angels Fall by H.A. Corby
Darkin: The Prophecy of the Key by Joseph A. Turkot
So, that’s it. If you click on the covers, you can see the star ratings I gave to each book (I am kinda crunched for time right now).
I am supposed to tag people but I am leaving it open. If you want to do this tag, go for it!!
Sixteen-year-old con artist Jo Chastain is about to take on the biggest heist of her life: impersonating a missing girl. Life on the streets of Boston these past few years hasn’t been easy, and Jo is hoping to cash in on a little safety, a little security. She finds her opportunity in the Lovecrafts, a wealthy family with ties to the unsolved disappearance of Vivienne Weir, who vanished when she was nine.
When Jo takes on Vivi’s identity and stages the girl’s miraculous return, the Lovecrafts welcome her back with open arms. They give her everything she could want: love, money, and proximity to their intoxicating and unpredictable daughter, Temple. But nothing is as it seems in the Lovecraft household—and some secrets refuse to stay buried. As hidden crimes come to the surface, and lines of deception begin to blur, Jo must choose to either hold onto an illusion of safety or escape the danger around her before it’s too late.
Mira and Francesca Cillo—beautiful, overprotective, odd—seemed untouchable. But Ben touched seven parts of Mira: her palm, hair, chest, cheek, lips, throat, and heart. After the sisters drown themselves in the quarry lake, a post-mortem letter from Mira sends Ben on a quest to find notes in the seven places where they touched. Note by note, Ben discovers the mystical secret at the heart of Mira and Francesca’s world, and that some things are better left untouched.
My review:
Beautiful Broken Girls is a gripping novel about one boy’s quest to find out exactly why his ex-girlfriend killed herself. Told in 3rd person and between Ben and Mira, Beautiful Broken Girls takes the reader on a heart wrenching and mystical journey as Ben uncovers clues about why Mira and Francesca committed suicide.
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I went into reading this book not knowing how deep or how mystical this book was going to be. I certainly wasn’t ready to read, from Mira’s perspective, the events that lead up to her and Francesca’s suicide. I also wasn’t ready to read about what happened to Ben when he was 9. Talk about being blindsided by that (want to know what, read the book). I also wasn’t ready for the reason behind Connie’s death. That was definitely something that took me by surprise.
Honestly, I felt awful for Ben. What a shock it must have been to get a letter from Mira after she died and then to go on that quest to the 7 places where they touched (palm, hair, chest, cheek, lips, throat, and heart) would have done a number on me too. And the way those notes were written!!! If the author hadn’t of included Mira’s side of the story, I would have jumped to the same conclusion as Ben did.
I did feel bad for Mira. She did seem like all she wanted to be was a normal girl but she had Francesca to take care of. Francesca who spoke in tongues, who had fits and who developed an unhealthy crush on their church’s youth advisor. Mira was the one who took care of her and I could see it draining her. Which kinda explains why she committed suicide. The real reason was heartbreaking once it was revealed (again, read the book if you want to find out). I will say that I did think it was kinda mean to send Ben on that quest to find the notes. But at the same time, she wanted someone to know the truth. I think she chose Ben because a) she was in love with him (or in love with him as she allowed her to be) and b) she knew that he would go the distance to get the notes.
The end of the book was very surreal and left me with more questions than answers. I wish that there was an epilogue or something to show what happened to Ben after he got the notes and did what he did. But at the same time, I am glad that there isn’t one and I get to use my imagination about what happened to him.
How many stars will I give Beautiful Broken Girls: 4
Why: This book was heart-wrenching to read. It outlines the events leading up to a double suicide while also telling about Ben’s quest to find Mira’s notes and to find out the reason the girls committed suicide. This is definitely a book to read with a tissue and an open mind.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Older teen
Why: Mild Violence, language, and the suicide theme
