sydboll's reviews
661 reviews

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • 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
I love the way this story is told. Reid effortlessly gives voice to both Evelyn and Monique. This has been on my list for a while because I love reading and watching things about Old Hollywood, so I'm glad I picked it up.
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved this! It's super cozy and fun. I wish I could live in the world of this book!

I definitely appreciated the diversity of this book and the relationships built between the characters. Definitely recommend for anyone looking for a good graphic novel for a cozy night in.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is absolutely brilliant. Murata makes us seriously consider what we consider success in a capitalist society and how we perceive the success and "normalcy" of other people. 
Goldilocks by L.R. Lam

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I had such a hard time with this one. I wanted to like it SO MUCH, but it seems to do so much postulating and not a lot of actual character or plot development. This book is so hard to enjoy because the "plot" mostly revolves around these philosophical thought experimets... and it gets dry after a while. I appreciated that the author wanted to write a feminist book with feminist themes, but I feel like this book was more #girlboss and lacked substance. 
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

Truly enjoyed this one. Casey McQuiston writes romance novels, but really she just writes novels about the intricacies of queer relationships and queer spaces. 
Heavy Vinyl: Riot on the Radio, Vol. 1 by Nina Vakueva, Carly Usdin

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
Super fun comic series. I hope there are many more for these for me (and others to enjoy). Highly recommend if you are looking for something fun and sapphic. 
Real Murders: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery by Charlaine Harris

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This book could have been a parody if Charlaine Harris had leaned more into the absurd. Aurora Teagarden is hard to like and I found myself laughing at her more than I was laughing with her. Definitely some summer easy reading fodder, though I can't say if I found it enjoyable. 
Ever After by Olivia Vieweg

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
This book was...difficult. I absolutely adored the artwork, but had trouble following the story at all. There were multiple points in the anarrative where I had no idea what was going on nor how we got to that point. I think this story really needed some more narration to help guide us. 

That said, if you're interestsed in post-apocalyptic fiction or zombies, you may find this interesting.
Persephone by Edward Gauvin, Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky

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adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Super fascinating retelling of the Persephone myth. Perhaps I should say this is actually a reimagining, because it's very different than what I'm used too when it comes to Greek myth retellings. I really Also, the artwork for this book is stunning!