Rating: ⭐⭐/5
Spice Level: 🌶️/5

First and foremost, it's important to acknowledge that opinions on books can vary widely, and what didn't resonate with me might find an eager audience elsewhere. "Colburn" is one such book that left me with mixed feelings, and my thoughts are my own.

"Colburn" invites readers into a complex narrative where the protagonist, Colburn, navigates a multitude of challenging situations, including her relationship with her father and various love interests. The storytelling incorporates frequent flashbacks, which, while potentially enriching the plot, also creates a disorienting timeline.

The concept behind "Colburn" is undeniably intriguing. However, the execution left me feeling like I had emotional whiplash due to the frequent shifts in the narrative. It almost felt as though the story would have been better suited as a series of interconnected short stories rather than one continuous, albeit disjointed, narrative.

Despite my personal reservations about the book, I want to emphasize that reading experiences are highly subjective. What didn't quite click for me may resonate with others who appreciate complex, non-linear narratives and are drawn to stories that challenge conventional structures.

In conclusion, "Colburn" offers an ambitious concept that, while interesting, struggled to find cohesion in its execution. If you're a reader who enjoys stories with intricate timelines and is open to exploring unique narrative structures, it might still be worth giving "Colburn" a chance.

Given this review, I will not be posting my review publicly until folks get a chance to give this book a try themselves.

Colburn - Quinn Hadley
2.5/5STARS 3/5 SPICE

I received a review copy for free through NetGalley, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Before I begin! I did rate this fairly low( 2.5/5 STARS) I want to say, don’t let this stop you from reading this. Simply put, this is not my type of book and if I had known more about it I wouldn’t have picked it up.

I don’t regret reading this. It’s a quick read, right under 300 pages, the main character is COMPLEX! She is an extremely untrustworthy MC which makes this book so fun to read! The start with the birthday party! I was gasping! I mean there is NOOOO way anyone would do something like that. But you better believe Colburn would. Colburn made this book what it was! She is such an interesting person, so naive yet strong. And the whole time she is having a huge mental struggle but we don’t really know why. We got a fun “twist” at the end which was a little bit predictable I have to say.

The writing style was very unique. I don’t often read books from the third-person perceptive. But on top of that it time jumps lots. There are points where we follow Colburn and you don’t know where you are yet and if it is present time, a daydream or a flashback. This book felt like I should have been studying it to figure out Colburn's inner workings.

I wouldn’t rate this higher because I found the book to be lacking a plot. I don’t know how to put this, it has a plot but more for me I didn’t enjoy the loose structure and constant bouncing around. I expected this to be a mystery or thriller with a hint of romance and it felt like a coming-of-age movie. I strongly dislike full-circle moments at the end of books, especially with marriage and kids. As I said it’s simply not my style but if it's yours this book would be sooooo good.

*SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT*

Some things that got under my skin, she was constantly luring men in one way or another and making THE WORST possible choices. It was infuriating. I hated Stan. His character is nothing but in love with Colburn and that annoyed me. Also, why does she keep running into everyone like 20 times? Somehow bar guy shows up again, then the ex-lover, then her whole family, then Ned, then the CHERRY ON TOP! JOSH AT THE SUPERMARKET…no. There were many elements I found to be unrealistic but this is fiction and I’m cool with that for the most part. Don’t even get me started on that fake letter from her Dad. The description of this book is literally about her getting this letter for 200k and then we find out it’s fake so there is no mystery or anything at all. Just her Dad she hates is dying.

This was a compelling tale of a young lady that is thrust back into her past by an unexpected inheritance. The story touches on the complexities of family, secrets and the power of personal growth.

Colburn is living her life when all of sudden a letter disrupts everything. She is very reluctant and scared to answer the letter and go back to her "old" life.

The narrative is driven by the mystery that is surrounding her secrets, which are revealed in a painstakingly slow manner. Her journey is one that is full of emotion, healing and self-discovery. The author tried to build the tension, but it just felt like things moved too slowly for me.

The supporting characters added some depth to the story and their relationship with the FMC provided some insight into her past and the secrets she carries.

The biggest drawback for me was the pacing. The characters were phenomenal but the pacing just felt sluggish and at times I contemplated not finishing.

I honestly had a hard time with the flow of the story. I am not sure if it was the way I was reading the book or if it was the writing style itself. I did not feel satisfied reading this book, I apologize for the rating as I was hoping that I would love this book. The premises of the story had me feeling elated to be an ARC reader, but by the time I made it to the last page, I realized I personally did not enjoy the book.


I will not post this review on any of the locations I normally do (Goodreads, Amazon, or Barnes and Nobel) as I would love for others to enjoy the book even if I didn’t.

Colburn is a young, twenty-something woman who left her family home at age 17 after a series traumatic events and never looked back until she received a letter stating that her wealthy aunt had passed away leaving her $200,000 - she just has to go back to California to claim her inheritance. Her response: "Nope, I'm fine. Thank you."

The story is woven through Colburn's real-time events, memories, nightmares, and wishes. Faced with relationship issues in her current town in West Virginia Colburn struggles with what she should do next: Move to a new town/state? Ignore the letter regarding her inheritance? Does she have the strength to face "that man" if she returns to California? Can she just sneak into the lawyer's office, get her inheritance check, and run?

As a debut author, Quinn Handley writes an easy to read romance with well defined characters and just enough twists to keep you turning the pages.

Thank you NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this book.

This book, unfortunately, was not for me. I decided to DNF it at 30% as it is just long and what was announced in the blurb is only starting now.

I am not really into the story but it could be my fault not the book’s.