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kellylayne's reviews
466 reviews
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Lovely story with an interesting structure.
Body of Lies by Sarah Bailey
Did not finish book. Stopped at 90%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 90%.
I dont mind flawed characters, but holy moly, the immaturity and lack of self awareness among the largely middle-aged cast of characters was irritating to read. I couldnt figure out whether the author was doing it intentionally or not.
One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall
Did not finish book. Stopped at 90%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 90%.
I thought the premise and first half of this book was interesting - exploring the mindset of "nice guys" who arent outright violent but still manipulative, but holy sht, the politics of the back half of this book sucked. The author was clearly trying to do a bothsides (or all sides) thing - reflecting how different groups might respond to borderline cases and the disappearance of girls. At first I thought this was interesting, but for some reason she neglected to include the voice of women and/or feminists who care about violence against women but are capable of distinguishing between assault, consensual roleplay and pornography. It was just such a condescending and gross depiction of women and feminists. We either hate all other women, only care about women in the context of true crime, or we think consensual role play and porn are equivalent to violence. The majority of women I know are capable of more nuance -yet the author neglects to represent this voice in her "all-sides" storytelling. At a certain point, it just felt like she was playing right into the stereotypes of women put forth by MRAs and incels and couldnt take it anymore.
Red River Road by Anna Downes
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
If it wasnt for the ending, this book would be a solid 3.5 for me - but man, f**k the tired tropes about anti-depressants. I truly cant believe that in the year of our lord 2024, an author is out suggesting SSRIs can cause extreme violence. Its so so harmful to spread these kind of false messages about anti-depressants cause it keeps people from trying something that could really help them out. For a book where some of the science is quite good, it sucks that the author went this direction.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I listened to the audiobook of this rather than reading with my eyes, and I think that colored my opinion of this book. The books narrative structure felt overly complicated - with 5-10ish POV characters over several timelines, many having sections in multple timelines, going by a multiple names, and some even have flashbacks to other timelines while existing in another. The audio narrator used the same voice for all of them. For me, it was extremely difficult to follow and the complications didnt seem to add to the story. I also felt that despite the many narrators, there was not alot of insight into the character who struck me as the most intersting and complex TJ. The book also didnt provide wrapups for several of POV characters which left it feeling unifinished to me.
Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
4.75
Cicadas: A Totally Ordinary Epic Love Story by Avery Cockburn
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.5
Really enjoyed this read. A few parts were a bit farfetched, if that matters to you, but it all came together so beautifully that I didnt care