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skyhazzard's reviews
994 reviews
Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.25
This was fun and it was interesting how it was told in a dual timeline perspective. You got to see how Natalya’s summer would have went had she stayed in New York with her dad and how it would have went had she went to live with her mother in California for the summer.
I do feel like both storylines for the most part traveled the same path with her working on the relationship with her mother, her getting a little more adventurous and doing things out of her comfort zone, and her heading in the path of thinking about graphic design but they each developed their own romantic relationship separate. I kept going back and forth wether I was feeling NY or Cali more and honestly I liked both her adventures and don’t know which I lean toward. At the end of the book you do get to choose which ending you want for her; whether she ends up with Ellie or Adam, I was listening to the audiobook so I got to hear both.
Our main character Natalya is a bisexual girlie and her friend groups in both places feature many LGBTQ+ characters. She’s also Jewish so we did get to explore some aspects of her Jewish life with both parents, they each do things differently. There was quite a few different background, I believe her best friend was Puerto Rican and one of her love interests had grown up in some type of religious cult.
This is my second read by this author and I’ve really enjoyed the works I’ve read so far.
I do feel like both storylines for the most part traveled the same path with her working on the relationship with her mother, her getting a little more adventurous and doing things out of her comfort zone, and her heading in the path of thinking about graphic design but they each developed their own romantic relationship separate. I kept going back and forth wether I was feeling NY or Cali more and honestly I liked both her adventures and don’t know which I lean toward. At the end of the book you do get to choose which ending you want for her; whether she ends up with Ellie or Adam, I was listening to the audiobook so I got to hear both.
Our main character Natalya is a bisexual girlie and her friend groups in both places feature many LGBTQ+ characters. She’s also Jewish so we did get to explore some aspects of her Jewish life with both parents, they each do things differently. There was quite a few different background, I believe her best friend was Puerto Rican and one of her love interests had grown up in some type of religious cult.
This is my second read by this author and I’ve really enjoyed the works I’ve read so far.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Self harm
Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It felt like it took a long while to get into the dream aspect of this book and it took awhile for Liv to realize these dreams weren’t dreams. At first I was like am I remembering the synopsis right cause it all just seemed normal. Her and her sister move somewhere new, her moms dating someone new and wants to merge the families, they’re starting a new school…I was like when is this dream thing going to kick in.
When we finally got it to it it felt a little confusing. Something to do with them conjuring up a demon?? Idk. The plot itself lost me but I liked Liv a lot, I thought she was fun and sarcastic and I really liked her and Henry’s relationship and how that developed.
So despite me initially saying I wasn’t going to continue on with this series I may possibly to see what’s goes on next. You know if a reading challenge comes up and it fits or I just feel like listening to an audiobook.
When we finally got it to it it felt a little confusing. Something to do with them conjuring up a demon?? Idk. The plot itself lost me but I liked Liv a lot, I thought she was fun and sarcastic and I really liked her and Henry’s relationship and how that developed.
So despite me initially saying I wasn’t going to continue on with this series I may possibly to see what’s goes on next. You know if a reading challenge comes up and it fits or I just feel like listening to an audiobook.
The Breakup Tour by Austin Siegemund-Broka, Emily Wibberley
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
When I read the synopsis of this book is was giving Taylor Swift and then I read the dedication and I was like well there we go.
This book follows a singer named Riley who after he recent divorce ended up writing an album inspired by her different breakups. Her ex husband is trying to claim that the most popular song off the album is about him but really it’s about her ex from her college years. She ends up getting in touch with him to see if he’d be okay with her saying the song is about him and from there they somehow end up going on tour together and performing this song.
You could tell they both still had feelings for each other. It was a relationship that ended kind of unresolved. I loved seeing them interact again and just wanted them to get back together. There was also a little side romance with her mother and the tour bus driver 😂 I was rooting for them.
This book follows a singer named Riley who after he recent divorce ended up writing an album inspired by her different breakups. Her ex husband is trying to claim that the most popular song off the album is about him but really it’s about her ex from her college years. She ends up getting in touch with him to see if he’d be okay with her saying the song is about him and from there they somehow end up going on tour together and performing this song.
You could tell they both still had feelings for each other. It was a relationship that ended kind of unresolved. I loved seeing them interact again and just wanted them to get back together. There was also a little side romance with her mother and the tour bus driver 😂 I was rooting for them.
Of Mist and Murder by Chanda Hahn
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
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? Yes
4.25
I really enjoyed Maeve although she felt a little less Maeve like in this book but she was taken and forced to become an acolyte so I’ll cut her some slack. She just was a lot of talk not much action this book.
I also liked the enemies to lovers plot in this book. I was just like are we really going to try to get Maeve with Aspen but I liked how it was done. You could see that Aspen was struggling with his decision to follow Allemar but he felt defeated in being able to break free of him. He did his best to help Maeve but couldn’t find a way out of it for her. I did want more training because it felt like we didn’t see much and Allemar was all “Aspen train Maeve for me”.
That was the other surprising thing, we didn’t overly see Allemar. He was always off doing stuff and leaving his lackeys behind.And do we believe he’s actually dead? Like what are the rest of the books going to be about?
We got to see a fair bit of Rosalie this book. I loved her daughter Violet, the little wolf pup. Her and Maeve’s relationship was sweet.
I also liked the enemies to lovers plot in this book. I was just like are we really going to try to get Maeve with Aspen but I liked how it was done. You could see that Aspen was struggling with his decision to follow Allemar but he felt defeated in being able to break free of him. He did his best to help Maeve but couldn’t find a way out of it for her. I did want more training because it felt like we didn’t see much and Allemar was all “Aspen train Maeve for me”.
That was the other surprising thing, we didn’t overly see Allemar. He was always off doing stuff and leaving his lackeys behind.
We got to see a fair bit of Rosalie this book. I loved her daughter Violet, the little wolf pup. Her and Maeve’s relationship was sweet.
Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I did end up liking the narrator of this one so Princess Diaries gets to live for another book. This one is actually my highest rated of the series. Mia is still super annoying but I don’t know if she’s rubbing off on me of what. I really enjoyed when her and her grandmother would go head to head, there was a lot of that this book cause Mia was adamant that she hated Michael. And Michael was so sweet this book, he was the reason I’ve kept on cause I wanted to see him and Mia together.
My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was okay. Jackie annoyed me at times, some choice Walter’s annoyed me. I watched the show before reading the book and I liked seeing the scenes they pulled (or pulled inspiration) from. Probably won’t read the sequel though, I’ll just stick to the show.
Reason to Believe by Rebecca Yarros
emotional
funny
sad
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
4.0
This was really cute and my first experience with firefighters which I liked that we actually got to see them on the job. We had brothers best friend and marriage of convenience going on. They end up getting married to have a better shot at keeping their foster boys together and it actually takes quite a bit of time of them being married before anything happens. I really loved the foster parents part of the book and watching Harper and Knox (mainly Knox who didn’t know the kids prior) fall in love with them and seeing the older kid open up to them. It was just really sweet. I was kind of sad that they didn’t get to keep the kids cause they discussed adopting them and then their dad showed back up. But I am glad that he was really trying to make an effort and genuinely wanted them. It was also hilarious that they told the people they were close to that they were fake married but her mother insisted on planning their real wedding, she was like uhhuh whatever you say what time are you available for cake tastings.
Time of Our Lives by Austin Siegemund-Broka, Emily Wibberley
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This was okay, nothing really special that stood out. I feel like I didn’t overly connect to the characters and didn’t feel the chemistry between them. I liked them as friends but the romance bit felt a little out of place. Out of the two characters I liked Fitz I guess more, I felt more for him with his family problems and how he was dealing with them compared to Juniper.
XOXO by Axie Oh
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
I wish I had read this when I was going through XO, Kitty withdrawals cause that’s exactly what it made me think of but with Kpop idols.
Jenny meets Jaewoo in a chance encounter at her uncles karaoke shop where she kicks him out for loitering in the room but then later that night happens to run into him again on the bus which leads them to have a very sweet night together. Then it turns out her mother needs to move back to Korea for a bit to take care of her mother and Jenny is like maybe I can just tag along, get to know the grandmother she never met and perhaps run into Jaewoo again. Little does she know he’s part of a rising Kpop group called XOXO.
I loved the school setting. Jenny clashes with her roommate Sori from the get go but they end up becoming friends and it’s the cutest thing. I loved their little friend group. And I loved two of the other members of XOXO, especially Nathaniel, I thought his relationship with Jenny was endearing. I see the next book is a second chance romance between Sori and Nathaniel and I can’t wait to read it.
Jenny and Jaewoo were so cute, I really wanted them to get together. Jaewoo is always taking care of everyone so it was nice to see him thinking about himself for once. I loved his family. And speaking of family I liked seeing Jenny’s relationship with the grandmother she’d never met. She was so proud of her and was ready to boast about her talented granddaughter every chance she got.
Jenny meets Jaewoo in a chance encounter at her uncles karaoke shop where she kicks him out for loitering in the room but then later that night happens to run into him again on the bus which leads them to have a very sweet night together. Then it turns out her mother needs to move back to Korea for a bit to take care of her mother and Jenny is like maybe I can just tag along, get to know the grandmother she never met and perhaps run into Jaewoo again. Little does she know he’s part of a rising Kpop group called XOXO.
I loved the school setting. Jenny clashes with her roommate Sori from the get go but they end up becoming friends and it’s the cutest thing. I loved their little friend group. And I loved two of the other members of XOXO, especially Nathaniel, I thought his relationship with Jenny was endearing. I see the next book is a second chance romance between Sori and Nathaniel and I can’t wait to read it.
Jenny and Jaewoo were so cute, I really wanted them to get together. Jaewoo is always taking care of everyone so it was nice to see him thinking about himself for once. I loved his family. And speaking of family I liked seeing Jenny’s relationship with the grandmother she’d never met. She was so proud of her and was ready to boast about her talented granddaughter every chance she got.
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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? Yes
4.0
This was another fun read, I really enjoy this series (and I’ve read them in an absolutely ridiculous order 😂).
This one is about Evie and she comes off kind of quiet, a bit demure but she really goes for what she wants. She wants to be able to go take care of her father who’s dying but her uncles that she lives with won’t let her, they’re abusive and controlling. So she hatches a plan to ask notorious rake Sebastian to marry her so she can be free to do as she pleases. I honestly feel like he was just bored and curious so he agrees. They had an interesting relationship. She gained a bit more boldness and with her he finally found things to care about (slowly falling in love with her but also managing her father’s club). Lol this man, she asked him if he’d ever thought about getting a job and he was like why the devil would I do that and then proceeded to inspect every inch of her fathers club when he walked in the door and suddenly he had ideas and things.
For the most part I did enjoy his progression. He started out not caring about anything or anyone but developed feelings throughout the book and realized feelings are okay. He did do a couple questionable things at the start like trying to initiate sex while she was sleeping just after they were married (really Sebastian) to which she did end up reciprocating but she was asleep, just cause you’re married doesn’t mean you can take liberties especially when this is a marriage of convenience and then he called her a bitch when she wouldn’t sleep with him again and I was just like well that was rude and uncalled for. But like I said throughout the book he got better.
This one is about Evie and she comes off kind of quiet, a bit demure but she really goes for what she wants. She wants to be able to go take care of her father who’s dying but her uncles that she lives with won’t let her, they’re abusive and controlling. So she hatches a plan to ask notorious rake Sebastian to marry her so she can be free to do as she pleases. I honestly feel like he was just bored and curious so he agrees. They had an interesting relationship. She gained a bit more boldness and with her he finally found things to care about (slowly falling in love with her but also managing her father’s club). Lol this man, she asked him if he’d ever thought about getting a job and he was like why the devil would I do that and then proceeded to inspect every inch of her fathers club when he walked in the door and suddenly he had ideas and things.
For the most part I did enjoy his progression. He started out not caring about anything or anyone but developed feelings throughout the book and realized feelings are okay. He did do a couple questionable things at the start like trying to initiate sex while she was sleeping just after they were married (really Sebastian) to which she did end up reciprocating but she was asleep, just cause you’re married doesn’t mean you can take liberties especially when this is a marriage of convenience and then he called her a bitch when she wouldn’t sleep with him again and I was just like well that was rude and uncalled for. But like I said throughout the book he got better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail