dennasus's reviews
748 reviews

Close Knit by Jenny Colgan

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

Sequel to the previously read one and as much as I like stories set in Scotland, the plot and characters were not my cup of tea. So unrealistic and then also too simple and without depth and... I skimmed the last few chapters. Not a book for me at the moment it seems. (19 May 2025)

[I've stopped rating books]

The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan

lighthearted relaxing medium-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? No

I was in a bit of a reading stumped and thought a very easy to read romance might help me get over it. In a way it did, the plot was easy to follow, the characters nice enough, all a tiny bit of the top bit entertaining enough. (15 May 2025)
 
[I've stopped rating books]

Hope and Glory by Jendella Benson

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

That was a interesting read about a young British-Nigerian woman who moves back to London from LA after her father died. Her family is a bit of a shambles and there is one big mystery  / discovery running through the plot. I always enjoy getting glimpses of lives and cultures who are so different from my own. In the end we're all human though and in that we are and act and react pretty much the same. I could relate to some aspects of Glory anway and not always the good ones, I have to admit. She is only human after all. (3rd May 2025)

[I've stopped rating books]

Saving Time by Jodi Taylor

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

Another enjoyable adventure with Team Weird of the Time Police. Some personal growth among the main characters, some unexpected romance, some unexpected twist (The real villian is WHO?) and all in all just a nice distraction. (1 May 2025) 

[I've stopped rating books]

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

I don't know if it was the wrong book for me at this time or if my taste changed a bit over the years. I have enjoyed most of Emily Henry's previous books, but this one left me a bit underwhelmed to be honest. I just couldn't bring myself to care about Margaret Ives and her mysterious life story. The way that story was told dragged on and on and I never really felt anything for any of the family members. The big revelation in the end felt like a cheap trick. I'm sad to say that this might be my least favourite of Henry's books so far. (19 April 2025)

[I've stopped rating books]

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

emotional 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? It's complicated

The last Hazelwood novel I had read, I liked fine, but wasn't in a hurry to read another one for a while. The time had come last week when I was looking for an easy entertaining (romance) read and I have to say I enjoyed this much more than I thought. Usually I'm not all that much into kinky sexy stuff in my romance novels. I never ever read or watched "Fifty Shades of Grey", which is alluded to in a joking way by the main characters in this one. But I was fine with it here, probably because it as kinky as it might have been, a lot of the plot also was about consent and trust and how a kinky sex life only works if it's consensual and build on trust. I really appreciated this aspect of the story as well as the background into why some people might be attracted to it in the first place.

The story wasn't just about kinks though :-) It's also about the ups and downs of two college athletes and what that entails, with a few quirky interesting side characters. The cameo appearance of the couple from Ali Hazelwood's first academy romance makes me want to re-read that at some point. (13 April 2025)

[I've stopped rating books]

What You Wish for by Katherine Center

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

Not much to say about this to be honest. I liked the plot idea, but the characters all felt a bit one dimensional and the plot all in all too full of clichés. (12 April 2025)

[I've stopped rating books]

Swept Away by Beth O'Leary

slow-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? N/A

At the moment I seem to not be in the right headspace for proper reviews. I liked this alright and could relate to both main characters for different reasons. The big reveal in the end was a bit of a surprise, but maybe shouldn't have been. I admit I did not expected most of the plot to play out on the boat for some reason. It felt a bit boring after a while. All in all it was a nice enough read. (8 April 2025)



[I've stopped rating books]

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

emotional inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

This was such a poignant story, especially with all going on in the USA at the moment. It had beautiful prose and so much emotion. I was afraid it would end in (more) heartbreak and in a way it did, but also ends quite hopeful ,I thought. (6 April 2025)

[I've stopped rating books]

To Have and To Heist by Sara Desai

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

I feel rather meh about this story. The idea was interesting enough, but the execution fell flat for me. To me it seemed like the writer tried to incorporate too many different ideas and sub plots. The variety of characters in the crew was a bit over the top and I didn't really care much about either of them. I skimmed the last few chapters, because I just wanted to get it over with (13 March 2025).

[I've stopped rating books]