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leonalikesliterature's reviews
350 reviews
A Sign of Affection, Volume 1 by suu Morishita
4.5
Itsuomi literally has me blushing and kicking my feet! A manga to remind myself never to settle for a man that isn’t entirely made of green flags.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
This book BLEW ME AWAYYY!!!
From the romance, to the characters, to the world building, to the writing, to the tension and the pacing, everything was perfection! I was so invested that I could hardly wait to finish reading it. I fell in love with both Katniss and Peeta and can’t wait to keep reading their story.
I never read The Hunger Games as a teenager and honestly, I’m glad I waited. I feel that I could truly appreciate this book as an adult. Especially while watching what is happening in places like Gaza or the Congo, where horrifying violence and genocide is being recorded and shared first hand, a dystopian story like The Hunger Games feels more relevant and applicable to our reality than ever.
From the romance, to the characters, to the world building, to the writing, to the tension and the pacing, everything was perfection! I was so invested that I could hardly wait to finish reading it. I fell in love with both Katniss and Peeta and can’t wait to keep reading their story.
I never read The Hunger Games as a teenager and honestly, I’m glad I waited. I feel that I could truly appreciate this book as an adult. Especially while watching what is happening in places like Gaza or the Congo, where horrifying violence and genocide is being recorded and shared first hand, a dystopian story like The Hunger Games feels more relevant and applicable to our reality than ever.
Animal by Lisa Taddeo
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Deeply enjoyable read.
I found Joan’s perspective so complicated and though I loathed her sometimes, I also resonated with her. She was complicated and ridiculously flawed but relatable and endearing. I found every side character compelling too and truly believed every relationship depicted.
In a seemingly contradictory way, the story was so outlandish sometimes it felt satirical or dreamlike but it was also always strangely believable.
I never knew what was going to happen despite how simple the overall story was. This book was a surprisingly delightful mystery and engrossing thriller!
Ended up disappointed that there wasn’t more man-killing, not gonna lie, but I genuinely loved this book.
I found Joan’s perspective so complicated and though I loathed her sometimes, I also resonated with her. She was complicated and ridiculously flawed but relatable and endearing. I found every side character compelling too and truly believed every relationship depicted.
In a seemingly contradictory way, the story was so outlandish sometimes it felt satirical or dreamlike but it was also always strangely believable.
I never knew what was going to happen despite how simple the overall story was. This book was a surprisingly delightful mystery and engrossing thriller!
Ended up disappointed that there wasn’t more man-killing, not gonna lie, but I genuinely loved this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Though nothing much happened, the social drama and storytelling was very compelling. It was beautiful and real. Left me feeling both a sense of love and sadness.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Suicide attempt
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
A beautiful memoir about of gender identity and exploration.
Sociopath by Patric Gagne
slow-paced
2.0
This memoir had such a strong start, but unfortunately it was a huge let down.
Although the first section about the author’s childhood was incredibly compelling, the narrative was lost as it continued. The personal stories became very repetitive towards the end and even felt self-indulgent. I love reading memoirs for their honesty, but this memoir just felt disingenuous and was oftentimes hard to believe.
Most of the novel disappointingly focused on the author’s relationship with her husband David, which was written in the most cliche way and even made me physically cringe while I was listening. Their romance lacked realism and felt like it was written like a bad romance novel. Their relationship teetered from hopelessly in love to incredibly toxic and it was frustrating to listen to. (Not to mention, I was disturbed that they began dating when he was 18 and done with high school and she was 14 and finishing middle school.)
I was also confused by the author’s lack of explanations of her mental state and feelings or lack thereof. The author effortlessly falls in love with her husband and doesn’t explain how that’s possible and it’s rather confusing as a reader. It more just seems like the trope where a psychopath or sociopath’s lack of feeling is cured by love. She began to lose her credibility to me when she repeated the same talking points continuously throughout the book and refused to provide any new information, research or reflection on her own mental health issues.
I was hoping for a book that was a mixture of research, science and a personal account, but it was lacking in all science and too heavy on the personal.
Although the first section about the author’s childhood was incredibly compelling, the narrative was lost as it continued. The personal stories became very repetitive towards the end and even felt self-indulgent. I love reading memoirs for their honesty, but this memoir just felt disingenuous and was oftentimes hard to believe.
Most of the novel disappointingly focused on the author’s relationship with her husband David, which was written in the most cliche way and even made me physically cringe while I was listening. Their romance lacked realism and felt like it was written like a bad romance novel. Their relationship teetered from hopelessly in love to incredibly toxic and it was frustrating to listen to. (Not to mention, I was disturbed that they began dating when he was 18 and done with high school and she was 14 and finishing middle school.)
I was also confused by the author’s lack of explanations of her mental state and feelings or lack thereof. The author effortlessly falls in love with her husband and doesn’t explain how that’s possible and it’s rather confusing as a reader. It more just seems like the trope where a psychopath or sociopath’s lack of feeling is cured by love. She began to lose her credibility to me when she repeated the same talking points continuously throughout the book and refused to provide any new information, research or reflection on her own mental health issues.
I was hoping for a book that was a mixture of research, science and a personal account, but it was lacking in all science and too heavy on the personal.