My Book Reviews

My favorite genres are contemporary romance, women's fiction, suspense, and psychological thrillers. I mostly read books on my kindle, and I listen to audio books every morning when I go for my run.

I do NOT love star ratings for novels. For each book review, I give background, my thoughts, and if I would recommend it. Full disclosure: if I'm not into a book, I don't finish it. Since I review books I finish, most of them will be positive.

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears is the Exact Same Story as The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Laurel Osterkamp · January 26, 2024

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears is the exact same story as "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Okay. Maybe they're not EXACTLY the same. But we can't ignore the similarities. Britney Spears recently released her memoir, "The Woman in Me" and I listened to it on audio (Michelle Williams does an excellent job narrating). It’s all about Spears’s personal journey and struggle for autonomy and freedom. Similarly, Charlotte Perkins …

Book Review: Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

Laurel Osterkamp · January 11, 2024

I started going on extra-long walks just so I could listen to this one more. It was funny, having just released my latest novel, to listen to Yellowface, which is partly a satire about the publishing industry. I could definitely connect with the commentary about the hypocrisy in publishing and the narrator's frustrations. But if I'd only focused on that element of the novel, I'd be missing the point. R. F. Kuang's writing is a slow burn, and that's …

The Five Best Ways to End Your Novel

Laurel Osterkamp · October 13, 2023

Do you have trouble writing the end of your novel? Help is here: Find out the five best ways to end your novel. Endings should be emotional. They should surprise the reader, yet also seem inevitable. I believe that finding the “right” ending to your novel is innate, something you must feel, rather than think too hard about–and perhaps that isn’t something that can be taught. That said, there are some strategies you can use. Effective endings might feature closure, finality, a twist, irony, or …

The Summer I Turned Pretty: How to Craft A Perfect Love Triangle

Laurel Osterkamp · October 6, 2023

Not long ago, my thirteen-year-old daughter went to a slumber party where they spent the entire night streaming The Summer I Turned Pretty. When she got home, she immediately used the last of a birthday Amazon gift card to order the first novel. Since then (because I’ll always encourage reading) I’ve bought her the other two novels. She’s also been re-watching the series, telling me I should watch with her. She doesn’t have to twist my arm. I’m into it. Both the books and the show …

Book Review: The Co-Worker by Freida McFadden

Laurel Osterkamp · September 1, 2023

The Co-Worker, Freida Mc-Fadden's newly released psychological thriller, is as twisty as they come! McFadden tells a lot of the story through emails; the correspondence is mainly between Dawn, a socially awkward accountant who writes long narratives to her only friend, Mia, who doesn't always reply. When she does, the replies …