It was a big reading month for me, and somehow I still didn’t reach my reading goal for Q3. Here is what I read in September, my reviews, and my Goodreads scores:
Beautiful Ugly By Alice Feeney
Super duper slow burn psychological thriller. For most of the book, the pacing crawls, but the last 40 pages were an absolute whirlwind. In fact, the final five pages alone pack in more shock value than some thrillers manage in an entire novel.
4 outta 5
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I read this book in 3 days. The storytelling layers are incredible, yet the writing manages to stay clean, organized, and so easy to read. Taylor Jenkins Reid has a way of weaving multiple narratives together seamlessly. Each character adds depth, but it’s never confusing.
For those who have read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this is a treat. It takes place in the same universe so a few familiar characters pop up and there is even a few unexpected crossovers.
5 outta 5
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
This book was very interesting. This one was unique, rooted deeply in Japanese mythology, which gave it a fresh perspective. While I loved the cultural depth and imaginative world-building, the pacing felt uneven to me. It didn’t fully sweep me away the way I hoped.
3 outta 5
Beartooth by Callan Winks
I went in expecting a straight-up heist novel (love a heist), and the opening delivered. But halfway through, the book shifted into something more introspective—less about the mechanics of crime, more about life, choices, and identity. It wasn’t what I anticipated, but I ended up appreciating the blend of action and reflection.
4 outta 5.
Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson
Now this one was a ride. A podcast-based psychological thriller with a killer premise and excellent buildup. If I had one complaint, it’s that the ending felt a little anticlimactic compared to the gripping setup. Still, the concept and execution made it a standout read.
4 outta 5.
I generally like the Goodreads platform. Is the UI a little dated? Hell yeah. But it definitely gets the job done and it has probably the most people on it for an app in its sector.
The issue I have is that the rating system is not robust enough. Whole number 0 through 5 for rating a book. I hate that. A lot of books I’ve read fall in between numbers. Why not make it out of 10? Or add fractions?
Tell Me What You Did was really like a 4.5 out of 5 but I can’t input that into Goodreads so it gets downgraded.
Watermoon (for me) was probably like a 2.5 but that felt mean so I ended up giving it a 3.
When will the tracking inaccuracy end?