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readingmaria's reviews
539 reviews
Happy Place by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Starting May off on the perfect foot - this book is definitely my favourite Emily Henry one. The friendship, the cast of characters. Ahhhh! Perfect. The right book at the right time for me!
Brown Boy: A Memoir by Omer Aziz
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Such a wonderful memoir rich with Omer’s very personal experiences and life. Definitely the type of memoir I was looking to read!
The Light of Eternal Spring by Angel Di Zhang
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
A quietly beautiful and brilliant debut novel from a must-watch voice of CanLit. This book was so touching, and every time I opened it I felt like I was just falling into it, much like Aimee falls into photos. If you’re looking for something that tugs at your heartstrings, this is it!
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Relatable, beautiful, and just what I needed right now 💜
Streams that Lead Somewhere by Fareh Malik
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
This book has so many fantastic poems in it. The collection itself is easily accessible and understandable. Themes of Islamaphobia, mental health, and belonging are clear throughout the entire collection. The writing is also really lyrical, I truly loved it.
Letters in a Bruised Cosmos by Liz Howard
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
3.5! I liked the writing and the structure of the poems was really artistic at times. I just wasn’t too sure what was going on a lot of the time, but that’s a me problem!
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Talk about dry, mediocre, and boring. I think the most interesting part of the book was the ending, and getting to slowly know the ghost of Amanda and the honest/ shady world of Max. Other than that, Pippa and Gabe sucked, no depth to them whatsoever, and childish. Boo.
Pistachios in my Pocket by Sareh Farmand, Sareh Farmand
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Such a beautiful collection of poems that perfectly capture the plight of this family. I love these types of poetry memoirs because there’s so much heart and soul that’s in them, and are always so creative. Highly recommend!
Mad Honey by Katie Welch
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Such an enjoyable book that packs mystery, suspense, intrigue, literary fiction, and romance all into one book. The ending was a slow start, but once it got going it got GOING! I really enjoyed the character arcs, and the story never got boring, especially with the multiple POVs going on. Katie Welch is definitely a Canadian author to watch!
Tauhou by Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
It’s just a DNF for now - the book was completely unreadable on a Kobo because the publisher uploaded an InDesign file instead of a normal PDF. Will have to revisit this in the future, because the story was intriguing, I just choose not to go blind when reading a book on my ereader with two pages crammed onto the screen, and the inability to change font sizes