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ali1311's reviews
191 reviews
A Merry Little Meet Cute by Sierra Simone, Julie Murphy
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book was pretty good but nothing special. It was sweet and steamy and a fun lil holiday read!
Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book was cute but nothing really notable. I liked the premise but it all fell a bit flat for me, maybe because it felt like it leaned too heavily on trope. Tessa Bailey is good at creating an overly protective male protagonist--sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I think in this case it didn't and just felt over the top and honestly a bit annoying at times. I think this book maybe could've done better as not a romance actually. Overall, sweet but almost trying too hard to be a romance novel to me.
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
I'd heard a lot about this book, which was why it was such a bummer to find it so disappointing! At first, I thought it was just me and my love of romance/an emotionally driven character or sci-fi not being my preferred genre that made me feel like the story fell flat, but upon reading some other reviews, it seems it's not just me. Which is a relief because I thought I was being a real hater for no reason. Alas, there is reason. The book was interesting but the writing reads as somewhat robotic and I wouldn't say we know any of the characters well. In fact, I think there were too many characters and we didn't get to really attach ourselves to a specific character as our protagonist for much of the book. I also don't have enough of a STEM brain for this book. The science didn't interest me much, and with no interesting characters to supplement the complex science, I spent a lot of the book feeling lost and a bit bored. Overall, I see what the author was trying to do and I can see why someone would enjoy this book, but I thought it was a bit bland.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide, Violence, and War
Minor: Murder
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book was entertaining for the first third and then it got painful. no character development and I can't say I cared about the main characters much at all. The romance wasn't romancing and an unnatural number of times it felt like reading a DEI pamphlet written by someone without actual DEI training. (This is not ideal to encounter in a supposed romance novel.) Overall this book wasn't the worst at the start and the idea is interesting enough, but the execution was so disappointing and they got the marketing all wrong. Also! This is a pandemic book? I would never read a pandemic book on purpose. I still don't believe we need pandemic art yet. Try again in 2033 and maybe I'll be more willing to give it a shot, but right now I'd love to not think about it ever again.
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
To cover so many topics and do so in such an expert way is a real feat!! I’m not a big fantasy/dark academia person typically, but this book was awesome. It tackled so many big ideas (sexism, trauma, legacy) and did all of that with poetic prose. I read this book sort of on a whim, and I’m so glad I did. On paper, this book seems like it would be very mediocre and boring. But I found myself interested all the time, even at the supposed mundanity of the protagonists’ initial goals. The whole thing was just really grungy and lovely all at once, and I think that’s very impressive and makes for a super compelling story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love heartstopper!!!! As always, Alice Oseman deals with complex and heavy topics with such care and diligence. There's something so lovely about reading a book for teens and being able to see how it will benefit teens. Lots of different plots coming together and starting to get their resolutions in this and I loved it. I'm an Oseman cinematic universe fan what can I say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I used to not like Titan's Curse too much, but I am happy to admit that kid me was wrong! This is the best book so far. It feels much more adult than the previous two and takes on some really heavy topics in a thoughtful way.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This was a super interesting book about a super topical concept culturally. People are very interested in cults which I think is fair. This book did a good job of explaining the big bullet points. I honestly would've been fine if it were longer. There's a lot to cover here! And this felt like a book to broadly discuss it, which to be fair seems to be the vibe Amanda Montell is going for with her books. I appreciate the accessibility of her writing and her engaging writing style. So yeah I'm taking a star off because I wanted the book to be longer--sue me!!!
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a cute book, and I know it's a sort of 'classic' romance novel at this point, and I think that makes sense. The characters are cute and quirky, and I thought the enemies to lovers was beautifully done. They really did hate each other! It was great. I love when we have a smitten lil guy and Josh was that. I think this whole book is worthwhile because of how quirky the characters are (love the Smurf thing). It was pretty solid as far as romances go, but didn't really knock my socks off. But I did listen to it pretty much in one day, so it certainly has that engaging quality to it.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Ouch! This book was a really difficult but rewarding read. It’d been on my list for awhile now, and I’m glad I waited a bit to read it honestly. A really brutal read for any daughter. It manages to feel relatable even in the moments where Zauner is talking about a culture you aren’t intimately familiar with or don’t share. An honest portrayal of such a complicated grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent