I enjoyed the last two thirds of this book enough to make up for the difficulty in getting through the first third. There was a bit too much about the financial logistics of inheriting a large house, with actual facts and figures, which some folks might enjoy but it made my eyes glaze over a bit. I wanted more descriptions of the actual house because it felt like it should be more of a character on its own. The most enjoyable part of the book was the little pieces of "Fairy Tales for Little Feminists" that introduced each chapter, and I liked some of the ways the entire story played with that theme. I wanted more of that and less about estate law. I also wanted to get to know some of the secondary characters more (Saskia's childhood friend Lexi, her adult friend Gina, etc) instead of being in Saskia's head at all times. I was surprised and slightly challenged by the way Saskia realized something important about her past. I wanted to reject the way she made the realization, but I think it's important to understand that the experience is different for everyone and when I viewed it through that lens it made the book come together for me in a more interesting way. As a pianist myself, I would have gobbled up more about that aspect of the book, but it (rightly) took a supporting role in the main theme.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! At first I wasn’t sure where the story was going to take me but towards the middle, it became more clear and then I couldn’t wait to see how it was going to end. I appreciated the remix of the fairy tales and how those themes were woven throughout the book and paralleled Saskia’s journey to growth and her new identity. I also loved Saskia’s relationship with her father. The structure of each chapter was well written beginning with the last and ending with the present each time and the epilogue was one of my favorites that I have ever read!

I was provided a free ARC of The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dave by St Martin's Press via NetGalley in return for my honest review of this book. Any opinions stated in this review are mine completely and are not influenced by outside sources.

Unfortunately this book didn’t grab me like I thought it would, and overall it was kind of hard to follow for me. I think I enjoyed the premise of this book more than I enjoyed the book itself which is unfortunate because I was very excited to get early access to this book. I think the most interesting thing about this whole book was the snippets at the beginning of the chapters with the feminist fairy tales.

The book has a very spooky, ethereal feel that I enjoyed, and the prose was delightful. It didn’t grab me how I hoped, however, but I think that’s more my mood than the book itself.

I can not recommend this book enough! Was absolutely one of the best books I’ve read this year. I plan to purchase this book for friends and family. Thank you to publisher and author for this wonderful read.

Super dark book but I did enjoy it. While it’s not my preferred genre, I thought it was well written with an interesting cast of characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the copy.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, St. Martin’s Press and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

It was okay it just didn’t grab me.

I loved The Ballerinas and was excited to read the arc provided by NetGalley. This is my honest review.

The description saying this was a cross between My Dark Vanessa and The Queen’s Gambit was spot on. The novel is dark and the subject matter is heavy. The writing and pacing of the story were superb. The princess stories were wonderful. My favorite was the princess from Beauty and the Beast. Along with complicated family dynamics, a prodigy and a “me too” story, there is so much here to discuss. This would be an excellent book club pick. The ending alone will spark some heated discussions! Yes, I know exactly what I did there!

I liked the feminist fairy tales and the ending. The Elf House felt gothic and magical. At times though it seemed to drag on, maybe because of the way it would jump back and forth in time.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my gosh I loved this one! I fell in love with both the characters and the storyline, and I look forward to adding a physical copy to my library very soon!

This was alright, but didn’t especially click for me. I actually enjoyed the quick Fairy Tale for Feminist snippets more than anything.

Rarely when a book jumps back and forth to past and back to the present, do I enjoy the method of story telling. Unfortunately that was my biggest hang up on Saskia’s story.

There’s been an influx of stories and novels investigating issues of consent and power dynamics within relationships. This novel does both. An inheritance gives the main character an opportunity to re-examine a relationship that was problematic. I really enjoyed the story despite it being a very serious topic. Sadly I think a lot of women have stories like this.