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blewballoon's reviews
598 reviews
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed Part of Your World, which is why I picked this one up from Book of the Month. Wow! This was great! I absolutely loved the chemistry between Justin and Emma, their conversations do such a good job of showing how compatible they are as people. It was so fun to see the connections and Easter eggs from Part of Your World, I'm sure I missed some from Yours Truly and I'll have to read that one as well. There are definitely some darker topics covered in this story, so I recommend checking the content warnings, but if you're a contemporary romance reader I think you'd probably enjoy this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Vomit, and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
John Eyre by Mimi Matthews
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love the way Mimi Matthews writes, and this was such a cool blend of Jane Eyre and Dracula! I really enjoyed the epistolary segments from the letters and journals that told the Dracula side of the story. I also enjoyed John's slower paced days bonding with the young boys that were underpinned with a layer of foreboding. I think my trouble is that, while I wanted to, I never really warmed up to Mrs. Rochester and felt like John's attachment to her was a little forced. Honestly, that matches up with my feelings with the original Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester, so it's fitting for an adaptation. Overall I had a great time reading this!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I've always loved the film adaptation of this book by Don Bluth, but I wanted to see how close the movie was to the book and see if maybe there were some extra tidbits that would help flesh the movie out for me. There are definitely stylistic and character changes for the film, but it kept a lot of the bones of the book. The pace of the book is a bit erratic, with some tense action sequences that Mrs. Frisby has to get through and other slow retellings of past events or daily life. I think I like the movie version of Mrs. Frisby a little better than the book version, but I liked her reflections on her children here. The tone of the book reads like a classic children's tale, almost like a Beatrix Potter story, but then is darkened by some sci-fi like elements. I listened on audiobook and I probably would have preferred to read it on the page myself. Justice for Justin! I hope he's okay, he was a real one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexism and Medical content
Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa
emotional
hopeful
tense
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? No
4.5
I really hoped this would be good, and it absolutely was! Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books, and I loved this take on the story. It's a significant change for the Elizabeth role to be filled by Oliver, and I think the author did a good job of showing how that change would impact the rest of the narrative. This is definitely written in a more modern cadence, it doesn't read like it's trying to imitate Jane Austen's style, and I think that also suits the story changes and the different character perspectives. I really liked getting to see Darcy and Oliver communicate openly with each other without the limitations of the more historical restricted conversations between sexes, it helped make the romance feel more natural. I do wish the story hadn't ended somewhat abruptly, I would have liked the epilogue to cover more after Oliver comes out to his family. We don't get to see the sister's reactions, and I would have liked a little more time with his mother treating him as her son. I also wonder how Charlotte would be impacted by her husband's schemes and loss of inheritance and how that would impact her friendship with Oliver. I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, and Outing
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Classism
First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I liked this entry more than Because of Miss Bridgerton, the first book in this series. I really like it when Julia Quinn tries something different with her leads, in this case having her male lead be a virgin along with his wife. I thought this dynamic was done well and very refreshing for the genre. The spicy scenes had a fun element of discovery and sensual silliness that I found a lot more enjoyable than Quinn's more often used setup of a girl who barely knows she has any anatomy under her dress and a man who draws her a map using references from the 100s of women he's slept with.
Other than that, the book didn't have much going on. Very slow paced, lots of traveling from here to there, a couple minor events that are resolved quickly, and some dry but interesting medical discussion. The leads are both interested in health care, but of course only the husband can actually become a doctor in this time period.
It was a nice little treat seeing Violet and Edmund being happily married in the background of a couple scenes, and seeing the baby Bridgerton boys briefly.
Other than that, the book didn't have much going on. Very slow paced, lots of traveling from here to there, a couple minor events that are resolved quickly, and some dry but interesting medical discussion. The leads are both interested in health care, but of course only the husband can actually become a doctor in this time period.
It was a nice little treat seeing Violet and Edmund being happily married in the background of a couple scenes, and seeing the baby Bridgerton boys briefly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
On paper, I feel like I should have really liked this? This historical fantasy type setting usually works for me, heist plots are interesting, and I am a sucker for found family. I do think this book spent more time on the (lackluster) romances than it should have, but I could see myself not minding as much if I was in a different mood.
I think my problem is that more than anything I'm a character driven reader and I need to like the characters. Apart from Jin, I didn't really care for anyone, and so it was hard to care what was going on with them. Jin deserved better friends, honestly. He spent a lot of time having information kept from him and having to work around Arthie's love interests.
I wanted to DNF a few times, and I knew I was going to come away from this book displeased when I remembered it was the first in a series and seemed like the kind of book that was going to end on a big cliffhanger. That assumption was correct.
I think that if you're the type of reader who connects with the type of character that Arthie is, and you don't feel like the romance elements get in the way of the rest of the story, you may enjoy this. The audiobook narrator was okay, but it seemed like she was kind of whispering the whole time.
I think my problem is that more than anything I'm a character driven reader and I need to like the characters. Apart from Jin, I didn't really care for anyone, and so it was hard to care what was going on with them. Jin deserved better friends, honestly. He spent a lot of time having information kept from him and having to work around Arthie's love interests.
I wanted to DNF a few times, and I knew I was going to come away from this book displeased when I remembered it was the first in a series and seemed like the kind of book that was going to end on a big cliffhanger. That assumption was correct.
I think that if you're the type of reader who connects with the type of character that Arthie is, and you don't feel like the romance elements get in the way of the rest of the story, you may enjoy this. The audiobook narrator was okay, but it seemed like she was kind of whispering the whole time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Minor: Racism, Trafficking, and Stalking
In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation by Alexandra Vasti
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.5
For such a short page count I got pretty invested in these characters! I did feel a bit like I got dumped into the middle of a story, but the context came through and I found myself enjoying the ride. I actually started this book on my phone while waiting in line for a ride at Six Flags. This is quite a spicy book. I normally get a little annoyed at characters who are too horny to function, but it was done well here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Ghost Roast by Shawnelle Gibbs, Shawneé Gibbs
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I thought this would be cute and fun, and it managed to be even better than I expected. I thought the level of detail in the artwork was perfect for the style of story, and I loved how colorful the illustrations were. I would be so down for a whole series of this story, it would be fantastic animated as well. Highly recommend if you liked Danny Phantom, but wanted there to be more realism and rounded characters for the ghosts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Slavery
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
Salt & Broom by Sharon Lynn Fisher
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Every time I picked up this book I was immediately immersed in it. The writing style was clear and expressive, the setting felt tangible, and I really enjoyed Jane and Rochester's portrayal as well as the many other side characters. I love a retelling that takes the parts of a classic that haven't aged well and fixes them to focus on the better parts of the story, while adding some new elements that make the story feel fresh.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Supper Club by Jackie Morrow
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A slice of life graphic novel about 3 friends going through their senior year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Terminal illness, Medical content, Abandonment, and Alcohol