abbyluvsfrogs444's reviews
267 reviews

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

Everything Alice Oseman touches turns to gold. She has done it again in Heartstopper Vol. 5. I'm absolutely in love with all these characters. They are so vivid and bright people and they inspire me to be myself. There is room for all different kinds of people. This series has taught me that. There is room for all of us. I love you, Nick and Charlie and all the other characters in the Oseman-verse. I wish you were as real as you are in my head.  

The Good Ones are Taken by Taj McCoy
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.

so boring and the format of the ebook was so hard to read 

Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.

so boring. the hatred these two characters have for each other is way too forced. i found myself cringing so bad and i wasn't even 100 pages in.

Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 3 by Natsuki Takaya

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love this series so much. I love all these characters. I'm obsessed.

"...just like that you melt the ugly emotions inside me and the muddled anxiety bit by bit. Why would somebody like you be with me? Why would you cry for me? How could I even ask for that? I sure as hell don't have the right. Even you being with me is a mistake and yet this time I find myself thinking I wanna take care of you and that I don't wanna leave you. I'm wishing for it" (pg 287-289).

I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

I'm conflicted with this book honestly. I liked a lot of it and some parts were... questionable. Nora Ephron is funny, witty, and talented, no doubt about it. But homegirl really needed help but refused to get it. But she constantly poked fun at therapy and any kind of mental health disorder, which rubbed me the wrong way. I get it though, it's the generation she grew up in, but it still is strange.

Other than that, I did like this essay collection quite a bit. I don't relate to a lot of it as I am literally 21 not 65, but I loved "On Rapture," "What I Wish I'd Known," and "Considering the Alternative." All were funny and heartfelt. 

Overall, I liked it a lot and recommended to anyone feeling lost, adrift, or in need of a good laugh. 

Wild About You by Kaitlyn Hill

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

Thank you to Delacorte Romance for the ARC! 

I really loved this book. I had so much fun reading it. I was skeptical at first because of the setting and how the whole book would be taking place outdoors. (I am not an outdoorsy girl at all.) But I quickly got over that and enjoyed it a lot. 

First of all, the characters had me hooked. I really liked Natalie and was able to relate to her. Her anxiety issues reminded me of my own and I felt very seen through her. The author clearly has an anxiety disorder because the way she writes about it is so real I felt like she read my mind. I also really understood Finn and his grumpy disposition. I feel grumpy a lot too and I just got him. All of the side characters were well done too. They all felt very human. Being able to write good characters that people care about is the mark of a talented writer. Kaitlyn Hill has that down. 

The romance. Oh my. I was obsessed. I loved the way it started. I loved all the middle bits, I loved how sweet Finn was to Natalie, how understanding and supportive he was. It is genuinely so cute and melted my heart. 

The only qualm I have with this book was the whole third act argument/miscommunication. I was upset with Natalie for not listening at all to what Finn had to say, not believing at all that he loved her. She created all this drama when Finn did nothing wrong and it was frustrating to read. The only thing it did was make the book longer and annoy me. 

Overall, I liked it a lot! I had so much fun reading this. It comes out May 21st, so go pick it up!!!

Takeout Sushi by Christopher Green
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.

Was so bored and did not love it. 

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

5.0

Before even picking up an Emily Henry book, I know I will absolutely love it. I know that I will find humor, wit, heart, and characters so real they almost feel human. Emily Henry has mastered the art of drawing you into the world she has created and keeping you hooked long after you've finished the book. Funny Story was no different than the others. I absolutely adored this one. I fell in love with these characters from our leading lady Daphne and our leading man, Miles, to Julia and Ashleigh, even to Daphne's dad and Starfire. All of these characters were so lovable and unique and so completely fun to read about. I felt as if I were part of the friend group. And I'm mourning the loss since I've finished this book.

Miles Nowak, the man that you are. This man had me blushing and kicking my feet throughout the whole damn book. I fell in love with him right alongside Daphne. 

Daphne Vincent, the woman that you are. I love her. She has the biggest heart and the kindest soul. I cheered for her when she learned to love her elf again and when she learned to love and fully trust another, too. I saw a lot of myself in Daphne. I see a lot of myself in all of Emily's heroines. And this is why I love her books; because I feel seen. I feel less alone, knowing that the things that I struggle with aren't an experience unique to me. I feel less crazy, less annoying and instead I feel more sane and more lovable. When these characters find love, it gives me hope that I will too. That the kind of love you read about in books isn't all fantasy, it's real. Because of the way I love, because of the way Emily writes about love, I know that fairytale love does exist and I can have it too. 

Emily, you mad genius, I adore you. Never stop writing. I would read your grocery lists. 

Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Lyla Sage does it again!!! I am absolutely in love with this book and with these characters. Ada. Wow. What a fantasticly complex character. Wes. *Swoon* I'm in love with him. Me and Ada are the same cause we are both in love with this man. I loved the discussions about mental health. It really struck a chord with me. I love all the side characters too, wow. All of them are just wonderful people. Lyla, please never stop writing. You have touched my heart and made me believe that I will get my happily ever after one day. 

Betting On You by Lynn Painter

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the YA version of When Harry Met Sally. This was such a fun read. I was so hooked from page one. I adored the best friends to lovers in this book. It was done so well. I tried so hard to love these characters but it was so hard for me. They were both stupid teenagers that did stupid things. Both Bailey and Charlie are clearly traumatized and aren't doing anything healthy to help themselves. Instead, they resort to trying to sabotage their parents' relationships and making bets on their friends. It's clear that I am an adult because some of these characters actions were incredibly juvenile but then I remember that they are literally juveniles. So, I loved the romance in this, I loved how much it reminded me of one of my favorite rom-coms, but I will not read this again, as I will not be able to handle the childness a second time.