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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Wife Who Knew Too Much in Books

Sep 17, 2020  
The Wife Who Knew Too Much
The Wife Who Knew Too Much
Michele Campbell | 2020 | Thriller
7
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wild thriller that keeps you on your toes!
Tabby Girard hasn't seen Connor Ford for thirteen years, since he broke her heart as a teen. Back then he was the handsome rich kid whom she fell in love with while working at his country club. But she wasn't good enough for the Ford family, especially Connor's grandmother. Tabby quickly learns Connor is richer than ever now. He's married to Nina Levitt, a wealthy and famous woman twenty years his senior. He married for money, not love, he tells Tabby, and he's miserable. He portrays Nina as a controlling and jealous wife. But if he cheats on Nina and leaves her, their prenup dictates that Connor receives nothing. Then Nina is found dead in the pool at Windswept, her Southampton mansion, where she had just thrown her annual fourth of July party. It seems like Tabby and Connor can finally be together. But Tabby quickly grows suspicious. Was Nina's death really a suicide? And if not, does that mean she's in love with a murderer?

"I'm writing this to raise an alarm in the event of my untimely death. This is hard to admit, even to myself, let alone to the world. My husband is planning to kill me. For obvious reasons. He's in love with someone else. And he wants my money."

It's funny, the writing in this book felt simple and stilted at times. However, I cannot deny that this is a thrilling read. It's fast-paced, and I flew through the pages. Campbell kept me guessing--something that isn't always easy to do--and offered some excellent twists. Kudos to her there. Alternating perspectives between Connor and Tabby works well, as does throwing in some flashbacks from Nina. It all adds up to a very suspenseful, slightly crazy, and quite enjoyable thriller.

Best written book? No. Wild and crazy ride with lots of surprises? Yes. (And also, make better life choices, Tabby.) 3.75 stars.
  
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Debbiereadsbook (1849 KP) rated A Job Well Done in Books

Dec 22, 2025  
A Job Well Done
A Job Well Done
Rose Maefair | 2025 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
a relatively easy read.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Alex is a hit man, sent to eliminate a witness for a crime lord. But meeting Bryce makes Alex question everything. Then the pair of them have a target on their backs, and neither man will walk away unscathed.

I liked this, I liked this A LOT.

It's a little bit steamy, a little bit emotional, full of drama, and intrigue, danger and some funny moments too.

I liked that Bryce didn't really question his attraction to Alex, only the timing. Bryce had not come out as bi, and had not done anything with another man either, and his attraction and growing feelings for Alex were solid and he wasn't questioning them too closely. The situation isn't ideal, though!

I liked the way the story flowed, and I loved that both men had a voice.

I liked how this author tells her tales. I can only see one other, a much older book, than this, so I'm not sure how many books this author has written. It's clear she has skill and I would like to read something else. I would LOVE to read books about Alex' brothers, Michael, Luke and Abe and Bryce's brother, Clay. They all play a part here, even minor, but Abe and Clay piqued my interest!

However.

I did find that there were quite a few points that names were not used in the correct manner. For example, at one point, Bryce is speaking, and he says "Look, Bryce, about that . . " and another point, Alex looks into the water, but can see no sign of Alex. Minor points, but enough to make them stand out and for me to notice them, and make the comment about them.

I did enjoy it, though, apart from this point. It was a relatively easy read, that hit quite a few positive buttons.

4 very good stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated American Panda in Books

Jan 23, 2020  
American Panda
American Panda
Gloria Chao | 2018 | Young Adult (YA)
8
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
<h2><em><strong>American Panda</strong></em><strong> is one of the books I needed my entire life.</strong></h2>
Gloria Chao's debut novel is about Mei, a Chinese-American teen who has no desire to be the doctor her parents want and a crush on a boy who wouldn't get a parental stamp of approval. Her older brother, Xing, is disowned by the family for falling in love with the wrong person, and a few meetups with him to reconnect makes her question the traditions she grew up with.

<h3><strong>I related to Mei so, so much.</strong></h3>
95% of the time growing up and now I feel like I'm alone in my experiences - <em><strong>American Panda</strong></em><strong> reminded me that I'm not alone. At all.</strong> There are other people like me who go through relatively similar experiences! &#x1f62d;&#x1f62d;&#x1f62d; (Honestly, I want to cry happy tears the entire time reading.)

And while my experiences aren't the same as Mei, it hit close to my heart with her struggles to choose between fulfilling her parents' dreams and what her heart wants. This is something I continue to struggle with, along with balancing two different cultures.

<h3><strong>Cute, adorable, hilarious.</strong></h3>
On top of relating to virtually every page, paragraph and line in the novel, there's a cute and adorable romance! I loved reading the moments between Darren and Mei.

But while <em>American Panda</em> is all three of those traits, it can also be really heavy and emotional later on as Mei is having an internal struggle with herself, and eventually external with her family members. <strong>If you are expecting a fluffy contemporary read when going into this novel, you will find yourself a little disappointed.</strong>

<h3><strong>But sometimes it wasn't funny.</strong></h3>
There were a few moments in the book where I felt the novel was not funny - most of that occurred near the end. While I understand the approach was meant to be comedic, I felt like it played into the Asian stereotypes a little too much. It also felt like Chao was trying too hard (and maybe that was intentional?) with some of those scenes. At the same time though, most of the stereotypes I feel were handled well by Chao. Again, I'm only one Chinese-American - my experiences compared to another will be different.

<h2><strong>Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed <em>American Panda</em> and how it deals with the struggles of Chinese-American teens growing up.</strong></h2>
While this specifically deals with one Chinese-American experience (and as noted by the author, Mei's experience is taken from many backgrounds and fictionalized), I think a lot of teens will relate to the book in other ways.

<a href="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/american-panda-by-gloria-chao/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>