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_reedmylife_'s reviews
798 reviews
Ark by Veronica Roth
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
I have been meaning to read a few of these Amazon Originals Novellas for a while as I have loved the ones I have read. Sadly, even though I am a huge fan of Veronica Roth this one was a bit lackluster and lacked a bit of storyline for me. I understand what Roth was trying to go for with reminding us that life is about the little things and the moments that stick with us forever even when we are facing death head on but it just didn't find its footing with me.
I think if this novella was made into a novel I might have enjoyed it better but I just wasn't a huge fan of how everything played out and I often felt myself drifting away from the story while reading it. I am not sure if Sci-Fi novellas are for me as the only novellas I have truly enjoyed have been literary fiction or fantasy.
I think if this novella was made into a novel I might have enjoyed it better but I just wasn't a huge fan of how everything played out and I often felt myself drifting away from the story while reading it. I am not sure if Sci-Fi novellas are for me as the only novellas I have truly enjoyed have been literary fiction or fantasy.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I never thought I would rate an Abby Jimenez book this low, but Just for the Summer was just not it.
The combination of Emma repeatedly not dealing with her emotions and just running from all of the problems that could be easily solved if she just faced them, and Justin's entire storyline felt like Jimenez was just trying to put everything and the kitchen sink into one novel.
Bringing Amber and Neil into this book was also a huge mistake because it just really swayed the storyline to be overwhelming and makes you even more unattached to Emma and Justin than before. It is really hard to grasp onto any of the characters as actual people. They seemed to all overreact or underreact to the things happening in their lives and around them so it just feels like you are watching an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
I really wanted to love Just for the Summer and thought that if I stuck it out that I would eventually come to love Emma and Justin, but sadly, they are bland characters that need to figure out their shit instead of uprooting their lives for each other. The fact that Emma chose to move to Missouri simply because she had something in common with this dude and he was hot, is absolutely wild to me. Jimenez is usually so good at keeping things realistic but Just for the Summer is anything but.
The combination of Emma repeatedly not dealing with her emotions and just running from all of the problems that could be easily solved if she just faced them, and Justin's entire storyline felt like Jimenez was just trying to put everything and the kitchen sink into one novel.
Bringing Amber and Neil into this book was also a huge mistake because it just really swayed the storyline to be overwhelming and makes you even more unattached to Emma and Justin than before. It is really hard to grasp onto any of the characters as actual people. They seemed to all overreact or underreact to the things happening in their lives and around them so it just feels like you are watching an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
I really wanted to love Just for the Summer and thought that if I stuck it out that I would eventually come to love Emma and Justin, but sadly, they are bland characters that need to figure out their shit instead of uprooting their lives for each other. The fact that Emma chose to move to Missouri simply because she had something in common with this dude and he was hot, is absolutely wild to me. Jimenez is usually so good at keeping things realistic but Just for the Summer is anything but.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Child abuse
Roaming by Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I recently read Cold by Mariko Tamaki and really enjoyed it so I decided to pick up a graphic novel from them and sadly this one was just not for me.
Fiona is an absolute nightmare of a person and readers never really get the insight into why she might be like this. She is so mean to Zoe and completely alienates her from her friend Dani. I thought the art in Roaming was beautiful but the overall story felt mean spirited with little to no actual story except that these kids are queer college students who are visiting New York.
Fiona is an absolute nightmare of a person and readers never really get the insight into why she might be like this. She is so mean to Zoe and completely alienates her from her friend Dani. I thought the art in Roaming was beautiful but the overall story felt mean spirited with little to no actual story except that these kids are queer college students who are visiting New York.
The Cat Who Taught Zen by James Norbury
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is the exact book I needed right now!
I have been feeling a bit lost as to where my life is going. Whether it be my career or the things I want to feel fulfilled in life. When I began feeling like that I went to the one place that I always find peace, the library.
As I was browsing, I found The Cat Who Taught Zen and thought I would give it a try as it sounded like the perfect book for me in this stage of my life and it absolutely was! The Cat Who Taught Zen offers a beautiful look into the small things and finding your own path while also taking time to smell the roses and connect with those you meet along the way.
If you are looking for a book that doesn't feel like a self-help book but will remind you that we are all on our own separate journeys but that doesn't mean we don't need connections along the way, The Cat Who Taught Zen is the perfect read for you.
I have been feeling a bit lost as to where my life is going. Whether it be my career or the things I want to feel fulfilled in life. When I began feeling like that I went to the one place that I always find peace, the library.
As I was browsing, I found The Cat Who Taught Zen and thought I would give it a try as it sounded like the perfect book for me in this stage of my life and it absolutely was! The Cat Who Taught Zen offers a beautiful look into the small things and finding your own path while also taking time to smell the roses and connect with those you meet along the way.
If you are looking for a book that doesn't feel like a self-help book but will remind you that we are all on our own separate journeys but that doesn't mean we don't need connections along the way, The Cat Who Taught Zen is the perfect read for you.
Cold by Mariko Tamaki
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
Cold is an intriguing middle grade novel that draws you in from the very first line.
Although Cold has a wonderful synopsis, I have not had a great track record with enjoying middle grade novels. I often find that I just don't gel with the writing style but this one was different. Cold offers a phenomenal story about a boy who has died but cannot move on from the physical world. He is somewhat aware of what happened to him so he just ends up following these detectives around as they search for the truth. It is quite a nice journey as we get insight into Todd's world as well as learn about the world around him, including how other boys at his school treated him because he was queer.
Another intriguing factor of this novel is the dual perspectives. We are following Todd as he helps search for the truth of what happened to him, but we also get to follow Georgia. She is a queer girl just trying to make it in high school who just happens to be connected to Todd without realizing it. This story was told so beautifully and was some of the best middle grade writing I have ever read.
Overall, if you are looking for a book that might help you understand your sexuality as a young person or if you are just looking for a quick read with a very intriguing story, I highly recommend you pick up Cold by Mariko Tamaki.
Although Cold has a wonderful synopsis, I have not had a great track record with enjoying middle grade novels. I often find that I just don't gel with the writing style but this one was different. Cold offers a phenomenal story about a boy who has died but cannot move on from the physical world. He is somewhat aware of what happened to him so he just ends up following these detectives around as they search for the truth. It is quite a nice journey as we get insight into Todd's world as well as learn about the world around him, including how other boys at his school treated him because he was queer.
Another intriguing factor of this novel is the dual perspectives. We are following Todd as he helps search for the truth of what happened to him, but we also get to follow Georgia. She is a queer girl just trying to make it in high school who just happens to be connected to Todd without realizing it. This story was told so beautifully and was some of the best middle grade writing I have ever read.
Overall, if you are looking for a book that might help you understand your sexuality as a young person or if you are just looking for a quick read with a very intriguing story, I highly recommend you pick up Cold by Mariko Tamaki.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Homophobia
This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances by Eric LaRocca
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Eric LaRocca is a master of gruesome horror but for some reason this one just did not completely land for me.
I was a huge fan of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes and enjoyed They Were Here Before Us, but for some reason this one felt very tame compared to those. This Skin was Once Mine and Seedling were the best of this collection as I felt like they were a bit more of LaRocca's normal style of writing and had a lot to say about how intertwined families are and just how little we know about our parents.
Overall, I think if you like LaRocca's writing you will still enjoy this collection, I just personally did not feel like this was the best collection he has put out but I will continue reading anything he puts out into the world. If you have not been transported to the devastatingly gory world of LaRocca, you are missing out.
I was a huge fan of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes and enjoyed They Were Here Before Us, but for some reason this one felt very tame compared to those. This Skin was Once Mine and Seedling were the best of this collection as I felt like they were a bit more of LaRocca's normal style of writing and had a lot to say about how intertwined families are and just how little we know about our parents.
Overall, I think if you like LaRocca's writing you will still enjoy this collection, I just personally did not feel like this was the best collection he has put out but I will continue reading anything he puts out into the world. If you have not been transported to the devastatingly gory world of LaRocca, you are missing out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Child abuse
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Abby Jimenez has a chokehold on me.
This woman could write anything and I would fall head over heels for it. As someone who is not usually a fan of the fake dating trope or medical settings, I was a bit fearful that this would be the one that did not land for me. Luckily, I was very wrong.
At first I could not quite get into this novel as I felt it lacked some of the chemistry that I found so easy with Jimenez's other characters. I wasn't enjoying the medical setting and I was pretty sure this was just going to be a romance that had way too much miscommunication for my enjoyment. Yours Truly does have a lot of the miscommunication scenarios but it is so much more than that. The romance between Briana and Jacob is beautiful and the way they grow with each other is one of the many reasons why I love reading Jimenez's work. The romance is always the main plotline but real life shit is always surrounding them.
Jimenez writes characters that are real and truthful to every day people. These books can feel like a getaway at times, but it also feels so real. Briana's story arc is stunning and I felt so connected to her story. I was in a tumultuous six-year relationship and had a miscarriage like Briana and being able to trust and believe in love again was a difficult process. Briana's thoughts were my thoughts and I completely understood all of her fears. I also really enjoyed Jacob's arc as he represented the anxiety that the world brings upon us and not wanting to hurt those around us. I related to him a lot too and could see pieces of my partner within him.
Not only are the characters and scenarios that Jacob and Briana are put through relatable, Yours Truly makes you believe in love again and reminds us that life is a struggle. People are not always who they say they are, you lose a baby, you fall ill at a young age, you are fearful of the world, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. There will always be someone who will promise to be harmless to you even when it seems the rest of the world has scarred you.
This woman could write anything and I would fall head over heels for it. As someone who is not usually a fan of the fake dating trope or medical settings, I was a bit fearful that this would be the one that did not land for me. Luckily, I was very wrong.
At first I could not quite get into this novel as I felt it lacked some of the chemistry that I found so easy with Jimenez's other characters. I wasn't enjoying the medical setting and I was pretty sure this was just going to be a romance that had way too much miscommunication for my enjoyment. Yours Truly does have a lot of the miscommunication scenarios but it is so much more than that. The romance between Briana and Jacob is beautiful and the way they grow with each other is one of the many reasons why I love reading Jimenez's work. The romance is always the main plotline but real life shit is always surrounding them.
Jimenez writes characters that are real and truthful to every day people. These books can feel like a getaway at times, but it also feels so real. Briana's story arc is stunning and I felt so connected to her story. I was in a tumultuous six-year relationship and had a miscarriage like Briana and being able to trust and believe in love again was a difficult process. Briana's thoughts were my thoughts and I completely understood all of her fears. I also really enjoyed Jacob's arc as he represented the anxiety that the world brings upon us and not wanting to hurt those around us. I related to him a lot too and could see pieces of my partner within him.
Not only are the characters and scenarios that Jacob and Briana are put through relatable, Yours Truly makes you believe in love again and reminds us that life is a struggle. People are not always who they say they are, you lose a baby, you fall ill at a young age, you are fearful of the world, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. There will always be someone who will promise to be harmless to you even when it seems the rest of the world has scarred you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Miscarriage and Abandonment
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The Glass Hotel was such a let down. After reading and loving Sea of Tranquility earlier this year I wanted to really delve into more of Emily St. John Mandel's work. While doing some research I found that The Glass Hotel intrigued me the most because not only do you find out more information on a few of the characters featured in Sea of Tranquility but it is also about the business industry. I find that I am intrigued by the world of the rich but this one fell really flat.
The characters are lackluster and the storyline feels a little all over the place. Emily St. John Mandel is not one to create a linear story but this just felt off, it wasn't entrancing like in Sea of Tranquility. It was sad to not feel connected to the characters that I so easily fell in love with in their previous book. I know this was written before Sea of Tranquility so it does give me hope that their future works will sweep me off my feet just as much as Sea of Tranquility.
Overall, I felt that this was so dry and just gave a play by play of a business investment gone wrong with a few hallucinations along the way.
The characters are lackluster and the storyline feels a little all over the place. Emily St. John Mandel is not one to create a linear story but this just felt off, it wasn't entrancing like in Sea of Tranquility. It was sad to not feel connected to the characters that I so easily fell in love with in their previous book. I know this was written before Sea of Tranquility so it does give me hope that their future works will sweep me off my feet just as much as Sea of Tranquility.
Overall, I felt that this was so dry and just gave a play by play of a business investment gone wrong with a few hallucinations along the way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
The Wishing Game is one of the most boring and misleading books I have ever read.
When I first heard about this book, I was expecting something extravagant, something that was straight out of the Willy Wonka world but for books. Sadly, all readers will find in this book is an odd romance, sad characters that it is hard to feel bad for, and weird trauma issues that are only used as devices to move along the storyline.
I wasn't a huge fan of the setup of The Wishing Game from the beginning, I found it lackluster but I was willing to give it a shot. Lucy is pretty annoying and I was never really able to enjoy her as a character. I also was unaware just how much this adoption storyline was going to be a part of the entire book. It was done pretty poor and I felt like it dragged the story down. I understand what Shaffer was trying to do with building awareness for foster kids, as well as trying to bring in the Clock Island book theme that "kids should never be sad or feel alone," but it really made the story drag on because it is all Lucy could talk about.
Speaking of all Lucy can talk about, her relationship with Hugo is weird to me. I am fine with an age gap but the fact that he met her when she was 13 and he was 21 weirds me out a bit. I also just don't see the chemistry between them. I truly believe Lucy is only attracted to him because he was good with Christopher and he is the illustrator for the Clock Island books.
I don't mean to fully shit on this novel, and I will say the one thing I liked about this book was that it showed all the ways our parents fail us oftentimes without knowing it. Maybe if I was a parent, I would have liked this book better but with someone who has childhood trauma, I thought I would at least be able to connect with some of these characters. Sadly, it caused me more trauma to read this painstakingly slow book.
I think if I knew what I was getting myself into when starting The Wishing Game I could have possibly enjoyed it more. For me, there was too much child and parent content for my liking as I hate reading about kids and parents if it is the center of the story. I also wish there were trigger warnings for some of the more serious topics within the book as it came as a complete surprise to me when they were just randomly added to make these characters have any sort of depth.
TRIGGER WARNING: Miscarriage, Addiction, Overdose, Child Neglect, Molestation, Abandonment
When I first heard about this book, I was expecting something extravagant, something that was straight out of the Willy Wonka world but for books. Sadly, all readers will find in this book is an odd romance, sad characters that it is hard to feel bad for, and weird trauma issues that are only used as devices to move along the storyline.
I wasn't a huge fan of the setup of The Wishing Game from the beginning, I found it lackluster but I was willing to give it a shot. Lucy is pretty annoying and I was never really able to enjoy her as a character. I also was unaware just how much this adoption storyline was going to be a part of the entire book. It was done pretty poor and I felt like it dragged the story down. I understand what Shaffer was trying to do with building awareness for foster kids, as well as trying to bring in the Clock Island book theme that "kids should never be sad or feel alone," but it really made the story drag on because it is all Lucy could talk about.
Speaking of all Lucy can talk about, her relationship with Hugo is weird to me. I am fine with an age gap but the fact that he met her when she was 13 and he was 21 weirds me out a bit. I also just don't see the chemistry between them. I truly believe Lucy is only attracted to him because he was good with Christopher and he is the illustrator for the Clock Island books.
I don't mean to fully shit on this novel, and I will say the one thing I liked about this book was that it showed all the ways our parents fail us oftentimes without knowing it. Maybe if I was a parent, I would have liked this book better but with someone who has childhood trauma, I thought I would at least be able to connect with some of these characters. Sadly, it caused me more trauma to read this painstakingly slow book.
I think if I knew what I was getting myself into when starting The Wishing Game I could have possibly enjoyed it more. For me, there was too much child and parent content for my liking as I hate reading about kids and parents if it is the center of the story. I also wish there were trigger warnings for some of the more serious topics within the book as it came as a complete surprise to me when they were just randomly added to make these characters have any sort of depth.
TRIGGER WARNING: Miscarriage, Addiction, Overdose, Child Neglect, Molestation, Abandonment
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Sexual assault
Moderate: Cancer, Miscarriage, and Addiction
Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
There is something about Hercule Poirot and Hastings that just rub me the wrong way.
I don't really enjoy reading the Poirot books that Hastings is involved with because I find him naive and pompous. I feel like he makes the mysteries about him more often than not and I just don't care to have the story revolve around him.
As for these short stories, they were alright but nothing special. I do tend to love Agatha Christie's novels better than her short story collections because I feel like the intrigue of her novels is the journey you go on to figure out the mystery, without it, you are just left with a crime and an explanation within 10 to 15 pages.
I don't really enjoy reading the Poirot books that Hastings is involved with because I find him naive and pompous. I feel like he makes the mysteries about him more often than not and I just don't care to have the story revolve around him.
As for these short stories, they were alright but nothing special. I do tend to love Agatha Christie's novels better than her short story collections because I feel like the intrigue of her novels is the journey you go on to figure out the mystery, without it, you are just left with a crime and an explanation within 10 to 15 pages.