Dodson Productions

I’m so happy other people are enjoying this as much as I am!! I love sharing my thoughts and experiences with books, so thank you for following along and giving me the space to do so!

• Shock Mount by Kelly Kay – Did Not Finish (4/5/26-4/6/26)

I really wanted to like this book. I got to meet the author accidentally last summer and she was the absolute sweetest human being ever. But sadly, this book just didn’t do it for me. The female main character was fine, though she seemed a bit dry at times. The writing felt as though there were things we should know that we didn’t and it made the book hard to follow through with. The male main character, Ian, will probably go down as one of my most hated male main characters of all time. She has made it very clear she doesn’t want anything romantic and yet all you can talk about is how your penis is responding to her? It was just weird and unnecessary. Maybe I’ll try a different book of hers at a later date.

• The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton – Did Not Finish (4/1/26-4/7/26)

This is another instance of me trying to read something that isn’t made for me. The writing was good and the story seemed to be interesting, but I just wasn’t into it. The language being so traditionally classic did make it difficult for me to get invested in the story. But I know that is entirely my fault. For someone who likes this kind of thing, I’m sure it would be a five star read.

• Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake – 4 Stars (4/5/26-4/16/26)

Ashley Herring Blake never ceases to amaze me. With every book she writes, I know I’m gonna be so intensely attached to the characters, setting, and plot that I won’t be able to put it down. She writes traditional romance tropes and third act break ups in a way that feel new and refreshing, no matter how many other books I’ve read them in. You feel as if you know these characters personally and that you are going through the story with them, not just watching things happen around you. She absolutely has a long time fan in me!

• The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young – 3 Stars (4/8/26-4/28/26)

I wanted to give this book five stars, but a couple things kept me from doing so. The first thing would be pacing. While the ending was exactly what I wanted from this book and the pace of the beginning was excellent, the middle really dragged for me and made this difficult to get through. The second thing was re-readability. Do I see myself going back to read this again in the future? Probably not. There are so many books that peak my interest more than this one and now that I know the storyline, I don’t see myself picking this back up. I loved the plot, the characters, the setting. But sometimes that sadly just isn’t enough.

• The Guest List by Lucy Foley – Did Not Finish (4/5/26-4/28/26)

I only DNF’ed it because the story felt a bit slow for what I need from a thriller right now. I hope to come back to this story at a later date.

• Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi – 4 Stars (4/17/26-4/29/26)

This book was a wild ride. For me, the first story was a little slow, but the ending had a beautiful payoff. The other three stories started to slowly build until my heart was completely shattered. It was one of those books that hurts to read, but in such a good way. I do not know how people come up with such beautiful stories. This book will continue to amaze me until I read the next one, and then that one will probably amaze me, too. I will definitely be recommending this book to other soft souls like me.

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – 4 Stars (4/14/26-4/30/26)

This book is a lot more detailed about its topic than I expected a young adult novel to be. Everything that is discussed in these chapters is still going on and is only getting worse, not better. We as a society need to do better about making sure police brutality isn’t so easily brushed off and that those who create a violent situation are held accountable. As far as the book itself goes, I do feel as though the end felt a little too “tie a pretty little bow on it” than the book and its contents deserved. I do like that she held those around her accountable and didn’t take bs apologies from people that didn’t mean them. My other issue was just the narrator of my specific audiobook. I didn’t feel that her voice really fit the character. But the story itself and what it stands for is incredibly moving. Higly recommend.