imskylow's reviews
262 reviews

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

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emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

3.75

It’s a wild ride but I wish the characters had more interactions sooner or at least got a longer ending than the ‘and they lived happily ever after’. I was waiting so long for waiting for the first tense meeting only to have it happen like 40 pages from the end. I needed more than just awkward pining. I was honestly really worried this was going to turn out to be a “and then they realized the only love they needed was the love they could give to themselves’ sort of book. Thank goodness it wasn’t just that. 
The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner

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challenging emotional inspiring 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? Yes

3.75

I love all of the experiences Abby has had as a plus sized woman. I understand and relate to her fears and trauma on a spiritual level as I am plus size myself. All of her experiences not only with strangers and doctors but her own mother was so relatable and heartbreaking. It was great to watch her character power through the negativity. This books would have gotten 5 stars if the ending was more satisfying.
With all the talk of going for what she wanted and doing things her way, it was frustrating to watch Abby not reach out to Sebastian even though she desperately wanted to. It was annoying to watch her make assumptions about what he wanted and needed. And it was crazy making that while, it ended happily, it was just a short reconnecting scene. I would have liked to see them thriving together for a bit and maybe even a love scene. But nooooo. They meet up and the book ends. Sighhh.
I know authors don’t want to overdo and ending but underdoing it is terrible if not worse.
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Fangirl, Vol. 1: The Manga by Sam Maggs, Rainbow Rowell

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

Some of the best jokes or dialogue of the original book have been taken out and altered for literally no reason at all. It also feels a bit choppy story wise because they’re trying to condense such a complex book into four manga volumes. I’m not sure I’d enjoy it as much if I hadn’t read the original novel. Otherwise, it’s really fun to see these characters illustrated. 
Remain Nameless by HeyJude19

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense slow-paced

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A Season for Setting Fires by mightbewriting

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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Hooked by Emily McIntire

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
You lost me with the most generic romance novel set up. 1) introduce FMC doing something horribly mundane 2) FMC’s friends hassle her into going to an event she doesn’t want to go to 3) cue meeting handsome man. 

I lose almost all my respect when this happens. It’s so common and does not lend itself well to actually getting to know the FMC. Additionally, the friends the FMC has usually have no purpose besides getting her to the meet cute. It’s like One Direction Wattpad fanfics all over again with a bookish girl that wants to stay home and read instead of go to a concert. 
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The Rebel King by Kennedy Ryan

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.
Bruh, you cannot cover up the fact she has serious PSTD with horribly cringy dirty talk and sex. Like have some restraint, Maxim. Actually say no and actually make sure she’s alright. Railing someone isn’t going to take away the trauma. I just feel like this book really reduced their relationship down to their base urges rather than show them loving each other in lots of different ways. Because of that, the smut just wasn’t good. It felt like I was the only one that had a modicum of concern for the situation and as a reader that was frustrating. Lennix is willfully ignorant of danger and her own trauma. Maxim is too revenge hungry and wants to manage everything. And both of them avoid communicating seriously by banging relentlessly. 
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Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-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

5.0

I read this book aloud to my cousin. It was such a fun ride. So much laughter, so much emotion and frustration, so many squeals of delight. When I tell you I started crying as soon as I started reading the last chapter aloud, believe me. (I’ve never cried over a book before, so that was a first.) I wasn’t and probably will never be ready to let these characters go. Rainbow Rowell breathed such life into each of them. They felt like real people with real flaws and quirks— real friends I wanted to be with (especially Reagan. She was a riot). It was such a relatable story of intense anxiety but wild creativity. As an artist and aspiring author myself, I related with Cath and her journey so much. Closing this book hurt my heart so much that I convinced my sister to let me read it to her so that I could stay with Cath, Levi, Reagan, and Wren for just a little bit longer. A+++ this is going down as one of my soul books. Rainbow, I have no notes except that I wish the ending was a bit longer and that there was a sequel. 
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A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
Big character dump in the beginning and generic dialogue with the main character’s friends. It feels like the start of thousands of other smutty romance books. You really get no sense of FMC personality before she’s thrown into the guy. Rather than  actually experiencing charming and funny conversations with her friend or acquaintances, we’re met with time lapse phrases. It’s clear that the romance is the only important part, which does not make a good story. Lack of good prose and rhythm. 

It’s all just 1) you meet FMC doing something dreadfully mundane, 2) FMCs best friend convinces her into going to an event she isn’t interested in, 3) boom, cue mysterious man. 

If it sounds like a 2014 One Direction Wattpad novel, that’s because it follows the same script. 
Before the Devil Knows You're Here by Autumn Krause

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

2.75

After having her father poison by cider and her brother kidnapped by The Man of Sap, teenage Catalina takes to the woods to both rescue her brother and defeat this mysterious tree man named Johnny. Along the way she comes across many supernatural beings and creatures, even the devil himself. Teaming up with a handsome, young Paul Bunyan, Catalina is determined to succeed or die trying. 

I was really intrigued by the title of this book along with the promise of American folklore. You really don’t get a lot of fiction revolving around Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed. I had high hopes when I applied for this ARC on NetGalley and to be completely honest, I was pretty let down by this story. 

I think Autumn Krause has beautiful prose and rhythm but the overall plot itself was lacking and many points of it felt unnecessary. I didn’t connect at all with Johnny and felt bogged down by his flashbacks. However, reading about Paul and Catalina running through the woods and meeting various cryptids wasn’t much better. This book is labeled as YA and horror. It’s feels like a slightly spooky mid level book. There really wasn’t a sense of suspense. Additionally, the pace in which the MC figured things was much slower than me, the reader. She has no idea of her familial connections to the situation.  
You’re telling me a teenager doesn’t know her father’s or grandmother’s first name? But does know her mom’s? There was also nothing really showing her connection to her brother. It was said many times but I didn’t feel at all emotionally attached to her finding him. The way the problems were solved in this book also felt much too easy and convenient. Maybe this would be interesting to a preteen but this held no value to me.