Beautiful Graves

Beautiful Graves 

Beautiful Graves is the latest novel to be checked off my to be read list. This is one that has been on my list for a while, and it was time to give it a read. I love the cover, which is what drew me into it in the first place. Has anyone else ever chosen to read a book just based on the cover? I’m looking at you, Butcher and Blackbird. 

This book has also been mentioned a lot on social media, and raved about. I’ll be the first to say that I should probably stop paying attention to social media when it comes to reading just because my to be read list grows like I am immortal. 

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I picked this book at this point specifically because it was available via Kindle Unlimited to both read and listen to for free. I have been sick this last week and unable to be in my office working. I needed an audiobook so that I could listen to something while I took the sick days and just played video games. This was a nice way to listen to a new book without using up all of my Audible credits. 

Have you read Beautiful Graves? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Beautiful Graves 

From USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen comes a passion- and angst-charged story about a woman caught between a secure relationship and a once-in-a-lifetime spark with her muse.

They say first loves are oftentimes the end of one’s innocence.

Those words couldn’t ring truer for Everlynne Lawson, whose first brush with romance came with a heartbreak…and the thing that seems to follow her everywhere she goes. Death.

After a great tragedy, Everlynne loses all she cares about—her dreams, her family, and her soulmate, Joe.

Guilt-ridden, Everlynne decides to isolate herself in Salem, Massachusetts. A shell of the woman she once was, she takes her days one at a time, careful not to allow herself the joy she believes others in her life were robbed of. But when the mysterious, handsome Dominic storms into her life, it becomes more difficult to stay in solitude. Dominic is different: adventurous, joyous, with lust for life and a passion to make her his.

Everlynne is on the cusp of reinventing herself once again when the old wounds of her past are resurrected, rawer than ever. There is nothing worse than being in love with two men.

Especially when one of them hates you. 

Beautiful Graves Playlist 

• “Save a Prayer” by Duran Duran
• “Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis
• “No More I Love You’s” by Annie Lennox
• “Stars” by Dubstar
• “The Air That I Breathe” by The Hollies
• “Put the Knife Away” by Goldfinger

Thoughts on Beautiful Graves 

“Be thankful for those who helped you when you were down, and be thankful to those who didn’t. The former are worth keeping, and the latter helped you realize it.” 

L.J. Shen, Beautiful Graves

In Beautiful Graves we meet Everlynne, who has experienced a bit of trauma in her life. Instead of facing it head on, she runs, she runs far and fast. She leaves her family, and moves to the east coast. She then cuts contact with her family, despite them asking and begging her to come back and maintain a relationship with them. 

She spent three hundred and seventy one of the three hundred seventy three pages being indecisive and unable to make up her mind and just running back and forth. It is literally in the last couple pages that she finally gets it together, and by then I’m just over it all. 

This book was bland, boring, and bordering on depressing. This wasn’t a romance novel, and definitely not a dark romance novel. I wanted so much more character development in Everlynne. So much more. She had the capability. Instead the author focused on Everlynne punishing herself to the point of being depressing. 

There was a point where I was thinking, it’s been seven years. You can only punish yourself and run for so long. Either get over it and start healing, or just shoot yourself and put an end to this for the readers. You can only be a victim and run for so long. You can’t run forever.

Which is a new thought for me as a reader. I’ve never thought this while reading a book in my life. But if Everlynne had died by suicide, somehow it would have made more sense. Because how long can someone live in a bubble without any kind of change or emotional growth? I needed her to have a breakthrough long before she did in the book. 

This is a book that had potential. But it wasn’t realized. I kept waiting for the magical turning point in the book that would make the boring parts totally worthwhile. But no, they never came. Had I known that, it would have been a do not finish for me. 

I wasn’t connecting with any of the characters. Which is the big part of what makes a story memorable for me. I needed to either love or hate them, and I felt nothing in this story. 

It is really hard for me to explain anything else about the book without spoiling the entire thing, and I don’t want to do that for my readers. I generally dislike spoiling books. But explaining anything further that has to do with the plot would definitely create spoilers.

I think the only saving grace for me is that Everlynne did reunite with her family and start rebuilding those relationships. It shouldn’t have taken seven years of destroying them, but at least she started to make the effort.

Final Thoughts on Beautiful Graves 

But see, forgiving people who hurt us is not about those people at all. It is about choosing to move on with our lives. Letting go of grudges. Healing without depending on someone else’s journey.” 

L.J. Shen, Beautiful Graves

I’m calling Beautiful Graves a three star read. Because by the time I’m done with this review and have moved on to another book, I will have already forgotten this one. Which is one of the reasons I’m grateful for my own blog. It reminds me of what I have read at times. 

There is nothing egregiously wrong with Beautiful Graves, which is why I’m not rating it any lower than three stars. I didn’t hate it and it didn’t make me angry as a reader. But I didn’t enjoy it and it wasn’t memorable, which is why I can’t rate it any higher than three stars. Three stars is basically my middle of the road rating, and it really isn’t fabulous enough to remember. 

This was my first book from author L.J. Shen, and it will not likely be my last. But it will be a while before I pick up another one of her books. I need something that is far faster paced and keeps me wanting to read at the moment. 

When I was done, I went to look up reviews for it to see if my thoughts were along the same lines as other readers, and the answer is no. I was bored and deemed it a very middle of the road book. While many others seemed to have polarizing opinions on it. They either loved or hated it, with very little in between. 

Discussion 

Have you read Beautiful Graves or any other writing from author L.J. Shen? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

L.J. Shen is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and number 1 Amazon bestselling author of contemporary and NA romance. Best known for her angsty, dark books and barely redeemable alpha heroes, she writes fairytales with teeth and claws. 

She lives on the east coast with her family, pets, inner demons, and enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and spending time with her grumpy cat. 

Purchasing Beautiful Graves 

• If you are interested in buying the paperback version of Beautiful Graves, click here.
• Click here for the Kindle version.
• Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

More from L.J. Shen 

Did you enjoy my review of Beautiful Graves? Need another great L.J. Shen book to read? Here are my favorites. 

Sinners of Saint Series

• Vicious
• Defy
• Ruckus
• Scandalous
• Bane

All Saints High Series

• Pretty Reckless
• Broken Knight
• Angry God

Boston Belles Series

• The Hunter
• The Villain
• The Monster
• The Rake

Cruel Castaways Series

• Ruthless Rivals

Standalone Novels

• Tyed
• Sparrow
• Blood to Dust
• Midnight Blue
• Dirty Headlines
• The Kiss Thief
• In the Unlikely Event
• Playing with Fire
• The Devil Wears Black
• Bad Cruz

Amazon Notice 

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