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indieandajean's reviews
408 reviews
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
5.0
Help, I've been impaled.
It's always been easy for me to relate to Ali's characters, but our heroine Elsie is just a little too relatable for comfort. This one is for all the people pleasers in the world, it's got a message for us all and we need to hear it.
Loved all the attention to academic politics and the way it shows the very real problems with the adjunct system. Also I always love a good star wars & Reylo homage, which are always sprinkled in here and there (I can only assume Millicent is one of these and obviously there's a straight up Kylo and Rey call out too).
Overall, another amazing piece of steminist fiction!
It's always been easy for me to relate to Ali's characters, but our heroine Elsie is just a little too relatable for comfort. This one is for all the people pleasers in the world, it's got a message for us all and we need to hear it.
Loved all the attention to academic politics and the way it shows the very real problems with the adjunct system. Also I always love a good star wars & Reylo homage, which are always sprinkled in here and there (I can only assume Millicent is one of these and obviously there's a straight up Kylo and Rey call out too).
Overall, another amazing piece of steminist fiction!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
Minor: Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Classism
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I'm a massive fan of Caitlin Doughty and the work she is doing through the Order of the Good Death to change the American perspective of death and mourning from our modern moment of hiding and sanitizing death towards a more traditional mourning ritual of home funerals and natural primarily non-embalmed means of body disposal. I'd read her other two books, but had yet to read this one because I was concerned that as her debut publication, it wouldn't contain her strong narrative voice and nonchalance about the details of death.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was untrue and that this book was not only extremely well written, but was the key to understanding why Caitlin's death fascination began and how she used her experiences to start the order. This book is a fantastic piece of memoir, and it is also a great place for the uninitiated to start when learning more about the good death and the ways in which we can begin to challenge the funeral industry as it exists today.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was untrue and that this book was not only extremely well written, but was the key to understanding why Caitlin's death fascination began and how she used her experiences to start the order. This book is a fantastic piece of memoir, and it is also a great place for the uninitiated to start when learning more about the good death and the ways in which we can begin to challenge the funeral industry as it exists today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Violence, and Death of parent
Goosebumps Graphix #1: Creepy Creatures by R.L. Stine
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It was fun to revisit these stories from my childhood in comic book form! Like any 90's/00's child I was a huge goosebumps fan as a kid and I loved The Werewolf of Fever Swamp in both the book and television form, so reading it in a graphic novel was a fun blast to the past. The adaptations are well done, the illustrations are beautiful and easy to follow and do a great job conveying the plot visually. I wish some of the plot points weren't so condensed, but otherwise I have no complaints!
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
That Time I Got Drunk And Yeeted A Love Potion At A Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Monster content at its finest! I really enjoyed this one, even if the tentacles in the werewolf romance threw me off for a moment there.
All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm a bit torn on how I felt about this one. I spent most of the book wanting to punt our hero off a bridge, hoping that our heroine would be the one to do it (and frankly I cheered for her pushing him into a pond, even if it wasn't her intention) but I also found myself cheering for them.
There were several places in which I thought Aurelia forgave Max a bit too readily and while I understand that she couldn't stay mad at him for the whole book, I do think that this story may have been better off with less little moments of conflict that are quickly resolved and more of an overall simmer of the larger conflicts at play.
That said, it was a fun read at times and I can forgive a little contrived conflict for all the excellent friends to enemies to lovers content it provides.
There were several places in which I thought Aurelia forgave Max a bit too readily and while I understand that she couldn't stay mad at him for the whole book, I do think that this story may have been better off with less little moments of conflict that are quickly resolved and more of an overall simmer of the larger conflicts at play.
That said, it was a fun read at times and I can forgive a little contrived conflict for all the excellent friends to enemies to lovers content it provides.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Bullying, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
- 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? Yes
5.0
I tried very hard (veh-ry veh-ry hard) to find something I didn't like about this one, and honestly folks, I came up empty. "The cover art wasn't my favorite" was about the best I had because otherwise this is just all the tropes wrapped up with a neat little (tartan) bow.
If you like any of the following, this one is for you:
- Misunderstandings
-Marriage of convenience
-My heart can't take rejection so I am going to pretend I'm not in love even though I totally am.
-Kilts.
-Accents.
-Tragic backstories
-Lovable side characters
-Possessiveness
-Supporting each other's dreams
Need I say more?
I really think this might be one of my favorite books Dare has ever written, and I highly recommend reading it.
If you like any of the following, this one is for you:
- Misunderstandings
-Marriage of convenience
-My heart can't take rejection so I am going to pretend I'm not in love even though I totally am.
-Kilts.
-Accents.
-Tragic backstories
-Lovable side characters
-Possessiveness
-Supporting each other's dreams
Need I say more?
I really think this might be one of my favorite books Dare has ever written, and I highly recommend reading it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Normally an infidelity plot is a no go for me. I have DNF'd enough books in the past when that plot gets introduced to avoid the mere suggestion, but here somehow it just didn't put me off and I found myself cheering for Cleo and Rafe. I think it worked because there was no real relationship between Piers and Cleo to make it feel like infidelity at all, and for that I have to give it some points because somehow this book made me enjoy my least favorite trope.
That said, there were some misses in this one that normally I don't find in Dare's books.
First off, the dog. I am usually so here for a dog, especially an old crusty one, but there was just a little too much of this guy mentioned. Particularly I think it was just a little too many mentions of the dog taking care of business, so to speak. Normally I'm not wholly opposed to a little bathroom humor in books, I read too many children's books for it to bother me, but it's just not something I want to see in a romance novel.
Secondly I did not care for the sort of slipshod way Cleo's sisters were included. I don't think the book would have suffered any for her being an only child, and their involvement didn't particularly strike me as important to the plot in any way. The bits where she's worried about how her sisters will react about her breaking her engagement with Piers simply weren't weighty enough to make them seem like a serious complication. I did like Phoebe though, I would like to see Dare write a book exploring her because there's really not enough period romance with neurodiverse characters in the leading lady role.
All in all, not my favorite of Dare's books, but also an overall enjoyable read.
That said, there were some misses in this one that normally I don't find in Dare's books.
First off, the dog. I am usually so here for a dog, especially an old crusty one, but there was just a little too much of this guy mentioned. Particularly I think it was just a little too many mentions of the dog taking care of business, so to speak. Normally I'm not wholly opposed to a little bathroom humor in books, I read too many children's books for it to bother me, but it's just not something I want to see in a romance novel.
Secondly I did not care for the sort of slipshod way Cleo's sisters were included. I don't think the book would have suffered any for her being an only child, and their involvement didn't particularly strike me as important to the plot in any way. The bits where she's worried about how her sisters will react about her breaking her engagement with Piers simply weren't weighty enough to make them seem like a serious complication. I did like Phoebe though, I would like to see Dare write a book exploring her because there's really not enough period romance with neurodiverse characters in the leading lady role.
All in all, not my favorite of Dare's books, but also an overall enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Violence
The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
I've heard this book called a modern children's classic and I can understand why! The mixture of supernatural scares with childhood anxieties makes the book both exciting and relatable. The story is paced well and contains just the right amount of main characters to be easily kept track of without feeling sparse.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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? Yes
3.75
Here we are folks, another great bodice ripper (literally in this one, in case you need that for some sort of reading challenge bingo board). I love Tessa Dare's ability to add just enough of an interesting plot to keep my attention and this book certainly has very similar vibes to much of her other work. It reminded me very much of The Duchess deal, but I found the characters here more likeable. The plot was fun, the spice level was more than adequate, and overall I found it to be a fun light read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism