dhatislandbookworm's reviews
225 reviews

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 68%.

I got almost 70% into this book and:

There is barely any chemistry between the characters. Am I supposed to root for them? Because I’m not.

The reasoning for fake dating is sooooo???? I would be willing to overlook it if the book got better but 😐

The author over describes things A LOT. I do not mind descriptions, but the author describes things that actually have no point to the scene like I expect them to.

The MC is very unlikeable

How You Get The Girl by Anita Kelly

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

This was the definition of an aggressively average romance 🤷🏾‍♀️

Julie was an average protagonist. And while her journey with her sexuality was well written, I didn’t find her to be super compelling. You can honestly put her in any story and she’d blend in.

Elle was also just an average secondary character/love interest for me. As someone with depression, I did appreciate the way Kelly characterized Elle’s experience, as it mirrored my own. However, despite Elle’s interesting backstory and subplots, her character never quite reached her full potential.

I wanted more substance from this book.

We could’ve done without the “dating lessons” plot line and focus more on Elle building a relationship with her cousin/foster child, Vanessa. We could’ve gotten more of them co-coaching the basketball team, who IMMEDIATELY disappeared after the 50% mark. We could’ve explored more of Elle and Vanessa’s familial relationships.

I do want to give Anita Kelly another chance, as I heard Something Wild and Wonderful is great, but this book was trying to tackle too many topics and it was to the story’s detriment.

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Malicia by Steven Dos Santos

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 55%.

DNF’d @ 55%

Sadly, the pacing was off for me. The story was moving a bit too slowly and didn’t capture my attention the way I had hoped.

However, Dos Santos does know how to immerse you into the scene, as the atmosphere was great! Although this book didn’t do it for me, I would definitely read from him again.

Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

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dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.25

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I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

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dark emotional tense 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

4.0

Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

3.5

This was an enjoyable YA coming-of-age/romance!

Jadon had so much character growth throughout the story. From being a bratty, lost “spare” to becoming an outspoken, emotionally intelligent young adult. Jadon’s relationships with Reiss, his sister, and his friends were also sweet.

I think where this book lost me is that there was *too* much going on at once and the story does a lot of telling instead of showing.

There were too many side characters and I wish we instead got more fleshing out of a select few, like Morgan and Nate.

The book also covers a lot of important topics, but didn’t go in depth enough because there are so many. I really wanted to learn more about Reiss’ experience with classism within the school and Jadon’s activism.

There were also scenes I wish we saw instead of were told about, like Jadon making friends with the theater kids, Jadon and Karan’s reconciliation, and more.

Overall, it was a heartfelt read and I would definitely read Julian Winters again because I really enjoyed his writing!

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A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen

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emotional lighthearted reflective 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? No

4.0

This was such a sweet and surprisingly reflective sapphic read!

Though A Bánh Mì for Two is a romance, and yes, Lan and Vivi’s relationship is adorable, the standouts are the story’s themes and personal character arcs.

Nguyen does an amazing job of exploring Lan’s grief and pressure of supporting her family, Vivi’s complex feelings about her identity, different mother-daughter dynamics, Lan’s feelings about the country’s tourism industry/commercialization, and the economic aftermath of the Vietnam War.

Nguyen also did a phenomenal job immersing me with her prose. Everything felt so vivid! The story is so rich with Vietnamese culture and I loved learning about the food and customs. You can tell that this book is a love letter to Vietnam.

Although the last 15-20% felt rushed and I would have loved more on Vivi’s mom and grandmother’s relationship, I liked how it ended!

The narrators also did an amazing job and this was a joy to listen to on audio.

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