brinnavirginia's reviews
210 reviews

Antiquity by Hanna Johansson

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reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Worry by Alexandra Tanner

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emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Genuinely hilarious. A true dramedy, full of current pop culture content which feels self-referential rather than dating but still anchoring the book in the just-right time for the story to work exactly as it does, all while telling a timeless story of woman- and sisterhood. What a treat!!

“Having a sister is looking in a cheap mirror: what’s there is you, but unfamiliar and ugly for it.”
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Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan

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dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

This book is fine. It did not move me, but for what it’s worth it also didn’t bore me. The description of the book makes it sound like it will revolve primarily around the character of Carmel and her life in the wake of the violent crime allegedly committed by her young daughter, and this is a WILD misrepresentation. We see Carmel the least of all of the main characters. And it’s soooo male-centric I kinda can’t believe a man didn’t write it.
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The Body in Question by Jill Ciment

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The juiciest thing I've read in a long time, and it's not close. Gripping, wrenching, tragic. Smart, too. I had to keep covering the rest of the page with my hand so my eyes wouldn't skip ahead (and I cried twice).
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Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book had me on the edge of my seat and at the same time reflecting upon my whole 30 years of being a girl. The way Bullwinkel zooms in so close and so far back out over and over without ever losing the plot or dizzying the reader is a feat. I LOVED this book and can’t wait for the spring when I can put it in the hands of everyone I know.
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Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
challenging slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Just so unbelievably tedious on a sentence structure level that I can’t possibly care if the content is good (it’s not really). And I usually love maundering nonsense. To hell with this book what a disappointment bye ✌️
Brutes by Dizz Tate

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Alice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

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emotional funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The long last chapter was an epilogue I didn’t need, want, or particularly enjoy (in random first person for some reason with a clunky switch back to third), but as a whole the book was fun… Frustrating on purpose but fun.
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Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket: Stories by Hilma Wolitzer

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

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