twistykris's reviews
148 reviews

Liar by Tate James

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dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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

5.0


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Hate by Tate James

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.75


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Next of Kin by Hannah Bonam-Young

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Started months ago, had a hard time getting into it. Finally decided to just "officially" DNF; will try again at another time!
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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? No

4.75


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The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A cute, cozy, slice-of-life story about two women who give up their roles to open up a bookstore/ teashop/ bakery. I enjoyed the witty banter between Reyna and Kianthe, and I really liked many of the other characters. 

However, I found myself sort of dragging through it. At first I thought I was just in a reading slump, but part of the way through, I realized it was because I was looking for a little more excitement. The stakes didn't quite feel high enough for me. This is VERY slice-of-life and the main conflicts aren't truly much more than 15% of the plot. Some may find this to be a similar read to Legends & Lattes, but L&L just had *more* to it. L&L was cozy but it also had some darker, climactic moments.
The entire coffee shop in L&L gets burned to the ground by someone and part of the resolution is the group coming back together to build it from scratch. There was a true sense of comradery, friendship, and community in that sense.
The "climax" of this book didn't truly happen until the last 10% and while it wasn't "resolved" it felt kind of pushed under the rug until a later time.

I also struggled with understanding the characters at times; Kianthe is described as being shy and reserved, but comes across as hotheaded, bold, and bubbly multiple times. And Reyna is described as being charming and extroverted but seems to be more quiet and stiff in multiple instances. And while the romance was sweet (and I appreciated reading about a WLW romance), sometimes it felt shallow. I would have loved more backstory, more relationship- and world-building.

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Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? No

5.0

HIGHLY recommend the audiobook, it's an actual masterpiece. I was captivated by this story and the characters (ROCKYYY) and I don't think I would have been as interested if I read the physical book. 

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Royally Not Ready by Meghan Quinn

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
I just can't get past Lilly's attempts at being quirky and cute that just came across as cringey to me. I'm sorry, but I literally cannot get past it, I don't care how spicy this gets 😭

Actual quote from this book that is clearly supposed to make me laugh. Keep in mind she met this man the night before:
"Blast the heat," I say as I shiver in the corner.
Keller joins me, takes a seat, and then turns toward me while I feel around the shared bench seat.
"What are you doing?" he asks, irritated.
"My nipples. I think they fell off. Do you see them?"