Kara's Book Cravings: Lying in the Deep

 

Back in February, I took a cruise, and I had grand plans of reading while laying in the sun. Well, I did lay in the sun, but sadly, I didn't get much reading done. But that's okay. The trip was a blast! 

Anyway, I'd bought LYING IN THE DEEP by Diana Urban to take with me on my vacation. Why? Because it's a teen thriller / murder mystery set on a cruise ship, and I thought it would be cool to read that while on an actual cruise ship.

I'm sorry it took me so long to finally read this! It was so good. Definitely had lots of teen drama and complicated relationships. The lies and deceit were incredibly well written. The pacing is really fast, but the book itself and the characters are so deep and well-rounded. 

The mystery of the whodunit was complex and difficult to figure out as you were reading, but once you read the end you have that moment where you're like, "Oh yeah, it all makes sense now!" I love books that do this. 

I loved all the twists and turns, too. The reveal at the end made my jaw drop. Part of me was happy with it, but another part of me was a little bummed. I'd wanted something a little darker, I guess. I'm not sure. Either way, the book was fantastic, and I'll definitely be reading more by this author. 

YELLOWFACE by R.F. Kuang: Worth the Hype?

Thanks for checking out my new blog feature, Worth the Hype? I'm hoping to have a new post every Wednesday where I'll discuss and sorta review books I'm reading. Up first...

YELLOWFACE 

by 

R.F. Kuang

This is very far out of my normal reading realm. I'm a hardcore YA reader, mostly paranormal, dystopian, and thrillers. On the adult spectrum, I tend to read a lot of horror and romantic suspense. So, for anyone who knows anything about YELLOWFACE, you know this doesn't tick any of those genre boxes. LOL. 

But, I've heard so much about this book on Twitter. Authors I love were tweeting about how amazing this book was and how, if you're in the publishing sphere, you must read this book. In fact, a thread by author Diana Urban, which can be found HERE is what ultimately made me go buy this book. 

When I tell you I was hooked from page one... this book takes you on one hell of a rollercoaster ride through publishing, social media, "cancel culture," representation, author jealousy, and the loneliness that is writing. So many times while reading, I was simultaneously nodding along and cringing. I laughed and gasped and for each new "thing" the protagonist faced, I was easily reminded of an actual Twitter dust-ups that've happened. The reality in this fictional tale is mind-blowing. 

So, is this book worth the hype?

I did feel like the pacing near the middle sagged a bit, but that didn't really alter my enjoyment of this book. I was too invested by that point, and I had to know what would happen. And I really did NOT see that ending coming! I'm left with quite a few questions, which usually bugs me in fiction, but I'm oddly okay with that this time. I know this is a book that will stay with me, and I'll think about for several days. I really hope there might be a sequel. *fingers crossed*  I'm going to be recommending this book to everyone I know, too. 

Have you read YELLOWFACE? If so, what did you think of it? If not, do you plan to? Share your thoughts in the comments :)