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phoenix2's reviews
1177 reviews
I Love Romcoms and I Am a Feminist: A Manifesto in 100 Romcoms by Corrina Antrobus
informative
fast-paced
3.5
Big Thank You to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an advanced copy
'I Love Romcoms and I Am a Feminist: A Manifesto in 100 Romcoms' is a book full of movies that give the free-of-guilt card to all of us who are feminists but feel like hiding a dirty little secret by enjoying rom-coms.
Written by a film reviewer (who provided the text with that delightful and poignant tone that the movie reviewers take up) who knows how to make the connection between fun rom-coms and women's rights.
Full of colorful and fun drawings of the movies, the book provides a lot of movies for one to check out if they haven't already, but it's also nice to read about the all time favs as well.
I would have loved however if at the movie info, the main actors and actresses were provided as a list. (the author does provide some names in the main text though).
'I Love Romcoms and I Am a Feminist: A Manifesto in 100 Romcoms' is a book full of movies that give the free-of-guilt card to all of us who are feminists but feel like hiding a dirty little secret by enjoying rom-coms.
Written by a film reviewer (who provided the text with that delightful and poignant tone that the movie reviewers take up) who knows how to make the connection between fun rom-coms and women's rights.
Full of colorful and fun drawings of the movies, the book provides a lot of movies for one to check out if they haven't already, but it's also nice to read about the all time favs as well.
I would have loved however if at the movie info, the main actors and actresses were provided as a list. (the author does provide some names in the main text though).
The Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina Bivald
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Big Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of the book!
'The Murders in Great Diddling' is a cozy mystery book that includes lots and lots of books and many book lovers.
The mystery was nicely handled, with many twists, and a nice setting that worked to the story's advantage. The interesting set of characters also aided the plot a lot, as it wasn't easy to pinpoint who was the culprit.
However, I do have to point out that I would have wanted more involvement of the main character, the prestigious author was set out to solve the mystery. She was an entertaining character and she had a strong presence in the first part of the book and the ending chapters, but she kind of vanished in the middle part.
Still, the switching of POVs was smooth and one of the best that I've read so far.
'The Murders in Great Diddling' is a cozy mystery book that includes lots and lots of books and many book lovers.
The mystery was nicely handled, with many twists, and a nice setting that worked to the story's advantage. The interesting set of characters also aided the plot a lot, as it wasn't easy to pinpoint who was the culprit.
However, I do have to point out that I would have wanted more involvement of the main character, the prestigious author was set out to solve the mystery. She was an entertaining character and she had a strong presence in the first part of the book and the ending chapters, but she kind of vanished in the middle part.
Still, the switching of POVs was smooth and one of the best that I've read so far.
The Anime Café: 50 Iconic Treats, Snacks, and Drinks from Your Favorite Anime by Nadine Estero
informative
4.0
Big Thank You to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an advanced copy
'' The Anime Cafe: 50 Iconic Treats, Snacks, and Drinks from Your Favorite Anime '' is a colorful, utterly cute cookbook.
This book truly checked all my boxes: simple instructions, easy (ish) to find ingredients, colorful pages, nice intros that help me connect with the recipe, and photos ("") for each dish. Also, if you love A) food, B) anime, and C) pictures of anime food, this one is for you!
'' The Anime Cafe: 50 Iconic Treats, Snacks, and Drinks from Your Favorite Anime '' is a colorful, utterly cute cookbook.
This book truly checked all my boxes: simple instructions, easy (ish) to find ingredients, colorful pages, nice intros that help me connect with the recipe, and photos ("") for each dish. Also, if you love A) food, B) anime, and C) pictures of anime food, this one is for you!
Knee High by the Fourth of July by Jessica Lourey, J.H. Lourey, Jess Lourey
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
1.5
'Knee High by the Fourth of July' is the July month of the series.
Having been accustomed to the locals this time, the book feels cozy and familiar, though, this time around, the romance was more interesting than the mystery, which was just so so. And, on that note, the romance didn't have much development either.
Having been accustomed to the locals this time, the book feels cozy and familiar, though, this time around, the romance was more interesting than the mystery, which was just so so. And, on that note, the romance didn't have much development either.
Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
challenging
emotional
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
'Margo's Got Money Troubles' is a story about a young single mother who is trying to get by and find a way to gain money to raise her child.
The book, for me at least, wasn't funny. It was emotional, it was sad at times and kind of intense when it came to the custody battle, but I didn't laugh at all. Not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, it was pretty interesting and kind of feel good in the end, but it wasn't funny...
Also, the change of POVs, especially with the audiobook, was annoying and anticlimactic. I get why the author chose to do it, but it didn't feel smooth.
Nevertheless, it was a nice book and I enjoyed the story and the characters.
The book, for me at least, wasn't funny. It was emotional, it was sad at times and kind of intense when it came to the custody battle, but I didn't laugh at all. Not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, it was pretty interesting and kind of feel good in the end, but it wasn't funny...
Also, the change of POVs, especially with the audiobook, was annoying and anticlimactic. I get why the author chose to do it, but it didn't feel smooth.
Nevertheless, it was a nice book and I enjoyed the story and the characters.
Fix-It and Forget-It Budget Meals: Quick, Easy & Inexpensive Slow Cooker & Instant Pot Recipes by Hope Comerford
informative
2.0
Big Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an advanced copy.
'Fix-it and Forget-it Budget Meals: Quick, Easy & Inexpensive Slow Cooker & Instant Pot Recipes' is a book with loads of recipes about favorite meals cooked with a slow cooker or instant pot.
I loved that the author gave an in depth explanation of how instant pots and slow cookers at the start of the book and that they had added some notes for each recipe as to how to serve or what are the alternatives for cheaper options. However, I have to say that most of those notes were pretty much the same for most of the recipes. Also, it would have been nice if there were more pictures so we could see how the dish supposedly would look like.
But, it was a well-organized book and the recipes were simple.
'Fix-it and Forget-it Budget Meals: Quick, Easy & Inexpensive Slow Cooker & Instant Pot Recipes' is a book with loads of recipes about favorite meals cooked with a slow cooker or instant pot.
I loved that the author gave an in depth explanation of how instant pots and slow cookers at the start of the book and that they had added some notes for each recipe as to how to serve or what are the alternatives for cheaper options. However, I have to say that most of those notes were pretty much the same for most of the recipes. Also, it would have been nice if there were more pictures so we could see how the dish supposedly would look like.
But, it was a well-organized book and the recipes were simple.
Insanely Good Ramen Meals: The Ramen King Ivan Cookbook by Ivan McCombs
informative
2.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy.
'Insanely Good Ramen Meals: The Ramen King Ivan Cookbook' is a cookbook filled with recipes that all include ramen, or instant ramen to be exact. There are some crazy ones, I'll have to admit, but they all were very imaginative.
The book is also full of vivid photos for each recipe and the author provided a little story for each one, which I've found impressive and helped me connect with him.
However, as I wasn't familiar with this chef, I was expecting more recipes with no instant noodles as the main ingredient.
But, it's a fun book!
'Insanely Good Ramen Meals: The Ramen King Ivan Cookbook' is a cookbook filled with recipes that all include ramen, or instant ramen to be exact. There are some crazy ones, I'll have to admit, but they all were very imaginative.
The book is also full of vivid photos for each recipe and the author provided a little story for each one, which I've found impressive and helped me connect with him.
However, as I wasn't familiar with this chef, I was expecting more recipes with no instant noodles as the main ingredient.
But, it's a fun book!
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Big thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review
'The Dead Cat Tail Assassins' is a fantasy thriller with many many many fantastical creatures.
The story is quite imaginative, with lots of characters appearing in the story, and a main plot that was nicely handled.
Also, the main characters were quite interesting and, somehow, lovable.
The narrator of the audiobook did, in addition, a good job and provided many voices and accents for the characters.
I have to say though that the story would have benefited a lot with the addition of more chapters, so as to have a smoother worldbuilt. But, hopefully, the author will revisit the world.
'The Dead Cat Tail Assassins' is a fantasy thriller with many many many fantastical creatures.
The story is quite imaginative, with lots of characters appearing in the story, and a main plot that was nicely handled.
Also, the main characters were quite interesting and, somehow, lovable.
The narrator of the audiobook did, in addition, a good job and provided many voices and accents for the characters.
I have to say though that the story would have benefited a lot with the addition of more chapters, so as to have a smoother worldbuilt. But, hopefully, the author will revisit the world.
May Day by Jess Lourey
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
'May Day' is the first book of the cozy mystery series that involves some romance and a lot of comedy.
The mystery was okay, though the story focused more on the main character and her life journey rather than the mystery case, but that didn't deprive the book of being enjoyable.
The mystery was okay, though the story focused more on the main character and her life journey rather than the mystery case, but that didn't deprive the book of being enjoyable.
June Bug by Jessica Lourey, J.H. Lourey, Jess Lourey
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The second book of the 'Murder by Month Romcom Mystery', 'June Bug' is yet another mystery, with our main girl finding herself in the middle of everything.
This time around, just like the main character, the story settles in the small town and gains those cozy mystery small town vibes.
The mystery was action packed as well.
This time around, just like the main character, the story settles in the small town and gains those cozy mystery small town vibes.
The mystery was action packed as well.