I Listened to Last Year Was Weird vol. 3 by Tkay Maidza

 

At long last, Last Year Was Weird vol. 3 is finally here. This was another one of my most anticipated music releases of 2021, and Tkay Maidza’s third foray into the Last Year Was Weird mixtape series didn’t disappoint.

Besides the singles (Syrup, Cashmere, and Kim featuring Yung Baby Tate), some of top favorites from the mixtape were also Eden, So Cold, High Beams, and Breathe. The only two features (with Yung Baby Tate and UMI) here, were great, and their sections of the songs (Kim and Onto Me respectively) flowed well with Tkay Maidza’s voice.

When I look at the three releases all together, Last Year Was Weird vol. 3 was another strong release with the same high quality as the first two installments. The sound composition and Maidza’s overall delivery of the lyrics on the eight tracks, speaks to a clear artistic vision that blended a host of genres to create some truly memorable tracks.

Footnote: The Guardian actually has a great write up about Last Year Was Weird (HERE), which explained how the idea came about. I highly recommend giving that a read.

ARC Review: You Can Never Tell by Sarah Warburton

Title: You Can Never Tell
Series: n/a
Author: Sarah Warburton
Source/Format: Netgalley; eARC
More Details: Fiction; Mystery; Thriller
Publisher/Publication Date: Crooked Lane Books; August 10, 2021

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Joshilyn Jackson, Sarah Warburton's chilling thriller, inspired by the Moors Murders, explores the twisted side of suburbia. 

Framed for embezzlement by her best friend Aimee, museum curator Kacy Tremain and her husband Michael move from New Jersey to a charming Texas suburb to escape their past. Kacy quickly makes new friends--preppy, inscrutable Elizabeth, chatty yet evasive Rahmia, and red-headed, unapologetic Lena. But good friends aren't always what they seem. As she navigates the unexpectedly cutthroat social scene of her new town, Kacy begins to receive taunting postcards--and worse, discovers cameras hidden in the wall of her home. Lena and her husband, Brady, reassure her that the cameras are just relics of the paranoid previous homeowner . Once the cameras are removed and Kacy's fears are quelled, Kacy and Michael make the happy discovery that they are going to be new parents. Months after the birth of their daughter, Michael accidentally makes a shocking discovery about Brady's past. And when Lena suddenly goes missing, Kacy and Michael begin to uncover the truth about their neighbors--and it's more terrible than anyone could have imagined. Interlaced with transcripts of a chilling true crime podcast that follow the tangled threads of the drama, You Can Never Tell is a taut and complex psychological thriller that never lets up until its breathless conclusion.

You Can Never Tell is the first book I’ve picked up by Sarah Warburton. The summary says a lot about the story, but overall the novel delivered on everything it promised it would be. You Can Never Tell is the kind of domestic, suburban thriller that’s right up my alley. 

In the beginning, Kacy still yearned for the life she’d had while working at the museum and living in New Jersey, and that could have been an interesting story in itself. Yet the focus of this book is on what happened afterwards. As the story went along, her priorities changed, and she stopped wondering about the “what ifs” and started living the life she had managed to build. Therapy was a part of her story. I also liked the roles of the supporting characters, as well as Kacy’s relationship with her husband, Michael.

A highlight of You Can Never Tell was the crime podcast transcripts included between chapters. The commentary of the hosts provided a different perspective on the events of the story outside of Kacy’s narration.

The story, in general, was a good one. And, even though you know who the killers are—because it’s very clear early on—it’s not a secret nor is it the sole driving force that kept me turning the pages of You Can Never Tell. Instead, what drives the story are the questions of “how did we get here,” “why,” and “how will it end.” That was the mystery and the suspense all at once, and Warburton did an excellent job on building a sense of dread and foreboding surrounding the events that happened to Kacy and her family—both before and during the present time in the story. It all spiraled into a satisfying conclusion.

About the author....

Sarah D. Warburton lives in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. For ten years she was the lead writer for the monthly magazine UpClose. She has studied writing with Pam Houston at the Taos Writers Workshop and with Justin Cronin in Houston. Her work has appeared in the Southern Arts Journal, Women on Writing, Embark Literary Magazine, and Oyster River Pages. You can find her on Instagram as @sarahwarbutonauthor. She is represented by Melissa Jeglinski of the Knight Literary Agency. Her first novel, ONCE TWO SISTERS, was a Publishers Weekly pick of the week, a Crimereads recommended debut, and a PopSugar featured title. Her second novel, YOU CAN NEVER TELL, will be published August 2021 by Crooked Lane Books.

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Disclaimer: This copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Crooked Lane Books) via Netgalley for this review, thank you!

Music Monday (167): Tinashe and Gallant & Brandy

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I really like this song by Tinashe. It's called Pasadena featuring Buddy, from Tinashe's latest album 333.

Andrea: This week I'm listening to Dynamite by Gallant & Brandy.

 

What are you listening to this week?

ARC Review: Mine by Delilah S. Dawson

Title: Mine
Series: n/a
Author: Delilah S. Dawson
Source/Format: Netgalley; eARC
More Details: Paranormal; Middle Grade
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte; August 10, 2021

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

A twisty, terrifying ghost story about twelve-year-old Lily, her creepy new home in Florida, and the territorial ghost of the young girl who lived there before her. Lily's new house is a real nightmare. . . . 

Lily Horne is a drama queen. It's helped her rise to stardom in the school play, but it's also landed her in trouble. Her parents warn her that Florida has to be different. It's a fresh start. No theatrics. But this time, the drama is coming for her. The Hornes' new house is awful. The pool is full of slime, the dock is rotten, and the swamp creeps closer every day. But worst of all, the house isn't empty . . . it's packed full of trash, memories, and, Lily begins to fear, the ghost of the girl who lived there before her. And whatever is waiting in the shadows wants to come out to play.

The trend of middle grade ghost stories is still going strong. The latest one I’ve read is Delilah S. Dawson’s Mine. I had high expectations for this one, because I’ve been hearing praise for Dawson’s novels for a couple of years now. And, you guys, this book was delightfully atmospheric and spooky with a heartwarming but somewhat bittersweet ending.

Mine ticked all the boxes when it comes to middle grade ghost stories. The setting was in Florida, and Dawson really captured the humid heat and dampness of the location, which added to the overall atmosphere and tone of the story. The house itself seemed like a character in its own right, with plenty of secrets hidden in its old walls. Both of the families who lived in the house, Lily’s and the previous owner’s, had their own stories to tell. And when those stories collided, it turned into a thrilling and also somewhat nightmarish tale with plenty of outright creepy moments.

Lily Horne is into acting. I liked that portion of her character, though in the beginning, it was a source of tension between her and her parents despite the fact that it brought her so much joy. The parents were portrayed as doing their best with their situation, but it seemed, at times, that their frustration could have been handled a bit better. I guess that was the point of the story, the lesson in it. Mine was, in the grand scheme of things, a story about a ghost, accepting oneself, and learning and growing from past mistake, no matter how little or big they were.

Overall, Mine was great. I’d recommend it to readers who have enjoyed the Small Spaces series by Katherine Arden, The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown, and What Lives In The Woods by Lindsay Curry (which will be released next month on the 15th).

About the author....

Delilah S. Dawson is the New York Times-bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma, Black Spire: Galaxy's Edge, and The Perfect Weapon. With Kevin Hearne, she writes the Tales of Pell. As Lila Bowen, she writes the Shadow series, beginning with Wake of Vultures. Her other books include the Blud series, the Hit series, and Servants of the Storm. She's written comics in the worlds of Marvel Action: Spider-Man, Lore's Wellington, Star Wars Adventures, Star Wars Forces of Destiny, The X-Files Case Files, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, and her creator-owned comics include Star Pig, Ladycastle, and Sparrowhawk. Find out more at www.whimsydark.com.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Delacorte) via NetGalley for this review, thank you!

I Listened to Pink Noise by Laura Mvula

It’s been five years since Laura Mvula released The Dreaming Room (2016). And out of all the music I’m waiting for this year, Mvula’s next project has been one of my most anticipated. For months now, I have been excited by all the hints and singles we got for Pink Noise. And after such a long wait, my hopes were very high leading up to Pink Noise’s July 2, 2021 release date. The album is finally here, and all I can say is that the wait was worth it.

Pink Noise was actually everything I was hoping it would be. From the early singles—Safe Passage, Church Girl, Got Me and What Matters featuring Simon Neil—Pink Noise promised to be a romp through pop inspired by the 80s. The early visuals and singles clearly went in that direction, and the rest of the album’s substance—ten total tracks—delivered a spectacular and cohesive body of work that was defined by a clear theme.

I can only describe Laura Mvula’s third studio album as great and stylish. And, if you know anything about 80s pop, you’ll find many familiar sounds here with everything from synth, drums, and guitar riffs just to name a few. These hallmarks of 80s music were on full display, and they were mixed in a way that felt like a fresh spin on something that was already tried and true.