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Chloe (778 KP) rated Just My Luck in Books

Sep 4, 2021  
Just My Luck
Just My Luck
Adele Parks | 2020 | Romance, Thriller
6
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Twists and turns (0 more)
Stupid characters (1 more)
Boring
Good premise. Poorly executed
Having now read this I am quite confused why it has such rave reviews on the back cover. I was quite excited for this, considering at easy read between a series I'm reading. The premise seemed promising and there was certainly some interesting characters including Toma.

The plot twist towards the end could have been much better in my opinion, Parks really missed a trick.

Lexi has absolutely no backbone and just rolls with whatever Jake feels like doing. I just found the winning couple to be so stupid, especially Jake.

I think a lot of the story was obvious once you know the premise. Overall, not as great as I anticipated.

Would I recommend it? Probably as a quick and easy read when you haven't got the brain cells for anything too difficult.
  
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Dean (6927 KP) rated Jolt (2021) in Movies

Sep 4, 2021  
Jolt (2021)
Jolt (2021)
2021 | Action, Comedy
5
5.6 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Kate Beckinsale (1 more)
Amusing
Middle of road genre (0 more)
Low voltage fun
Feeling like a low powered Crank with a female twist. Never quite sure whether to go full out violent or go for comedy value. So it ends up some where in the middle and with a weak revenge story it's not going to jolt your memory long after.
Kate Beckinsale with her sarcastic blunt quips does make it fairly enjoyable and the supporting cast is pretty decent. OK for a watch but not one to go out of your way to catch.
Why try to Americanise the location as well? European cars, English street signs and scenes shot on the Southbank and quite a few using the Tate Modern location for the villians pad. A couple of fire hydrants, yellow taxis and a school bus to make it look set in New York seem pointless.
  
The Dangers of Loving a Rogue
The Dangers of Loving a Rogue
Jeri Black | 2022 | Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
very much a HIT for me!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this! I found it a lot of fun, spattered with some drama, some bloodshed and some smexy times, and I want to read more of this author.

I loved that Celia was not going to be a proper lady of her time and was going to do what she wanted. Even if she really wanted her bethrothed AND Jackson!

I loved that jackson was, for a pirate, a proper gentleman with Celia, at least til he had a taste.

I loved Jackson's support network and I absolutely did NOT see the twist of who Celia's bethrothed was to Jackson!

Historical romances and pirate romances have been a bit hit and miss for me, but this is most definately a HIT!

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
The Black Phone (2022)
The Black Phone (2022)
2022 | Horror, Thriller
8
7.8 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Retro feel (1 more)
Cinematography
Don't hang up!
Good to see this after a long delay for it's release, think I saw a trailer late summer last year. Wasn't sure what to expect, looked a lil low budget more of an indie thriller.
Well it definitely exceeded expectations. Set in 1978 the whole look and feel of the film is great. It visually looks like it was made around that time with a strong retro vibe to it. Story wise it felt like a Stephen King adaptation. There is a strong element to the likes of Stand by me or even Stranger Things in terms of growing up and friendship while over coming a difficult time. Along with a supernatural twist and ideas from the genre, it has a great combination which together make it a really enjoyable watch. Check it out if you are a Stephen King fan especially.
  
Home Before Dark
Home Before Dark
Riley Sager | 2020 | Mystery, Thriller
7
7.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
I've read all of Riley Sager's books so far, so when I saw that he had released Home Before Dark, I knew I had to read that book too. While it wasn't Sager's best work, I still enjoyed reading it.

After Maggie's father dies, she inherits Baneberry Hall, a place Maggie and her family escaped many years ago when she was 5 years old. Maggie's father has written a best seller about their stay in Baneberry Hall, but Maggie doesn't believe it. However, when she returns to Baneberry Hall, strange things start happening...things that Maggie's father wrote about in the book. Could it be ghosts or is Maggie just imagining things?

The plot of Home Before Dark is certainly intriguing. However, the first three quarters of the book were a bit too slow of a pace for my liking. I only kept reading because I was hoping the book would get better. My patience was rewarded in the last quarter of Home Before Dark when the pacing sped up, and I couldn't put this book down. I kept trying to figure out if Maggie was experiencing a haunting and who the ghosts could be. Home Before Dark has a great plot twist (that I didn't see coming). Even its plot twist had a plot twist which was exciting! I also thought it was pretty cool how Home Before Dark reads as two books since we get to read the book Maggie's father wrote as well as what is happening to Maggie in the here and now. Both stories flow together smoothly. At the end of the book, my jaw was left on the floor after what all had happened. All loose ends are tied up nicely, and there are no cliffhangers.

I enjoyed the characters in Home Before Dark. Each character was fleshed out well and had enough backstory where it was easy to picture each individual one. I enjoyed reading about Maggie. Her skepticism was a nice touch, and her thought process was interesting. I could totally relate with her wanting to know if her father's book was actually true and wanting to find out the mystery of why her family actually left Banebury Hall when she was 5 without taking any belongings. I also loved reading about Maggie's father and her mother Jess through Maggie's father's book. (I felt like their story was a bit more interesting than Maggie's.) I get why they did what they did many years ago even if I didn't agree with what they did.

Trigger warnings for Home Before Dark include violence, death, murder, talks of suicide, attempted murder, some profanity, and the occult.

Although Home Before Dark starts out slow, it definitely makes up for it towards the end. With an intriguing plot and well written characters, Home Before Dark is a book worth reading. I would recommend Home Before Dark by Riley Sager to those aged 16+ who are after a creepy thrilling read.