aliangco's reviews
168 reviews

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

challenging reflective tense slow-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

3.5

Octavia Butler was able to build a world that hit too close to home. I found that the book was a bit too slow at first. I wasn't sure where she was taking me. But more than halfway there, I started to understand what Butler was trying to do.

She wanted me to pause and think. To think about where I'm heading, where my peers are heading to, and where this society is heading to. The realities she created in the book aren't easy to swallow when they hit so close to the real 2021.

I wasn't able to give it a full 4 stars because I needed more to happen. 

Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong

funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

4.0

Ali Wong's comedy is raunchy - and that is an understatement. She somehow managed to take her vulgarly hilarious comedy and turn it into a heartfelt series of letters to her daughters. 

If you enjoy her comedy, you'd like this too (especially as an audiobook.)

She covers marriage, motherhood, highs and lows of an Asian American. Her husband even adds a beautiful afterword in the end. Truly Ali And Justin are endgame. They're basically a match made in heaven.

Raceless: In Search of Family, Identity, and the Truth about Where I Belong by Georgina Lawton

hopeful informative reflective

3.75

Lawton's storytelling is beautiful. And she disclosed an experience that is uniquely hers. I just found that there were points where it got a bit repetitive.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

adventurous mysterious 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

4.5

I love suspense novels and I appreciated how this one didn't involve the typical plot suspects like abuse and infidelity. I found each chapter connected nicely and kept my attention the entire time.

I couldn't give it a full 5 stars as there were some points where I wasn't fully convinced in the plot. But I finished it in one day! That's how much I loved it.

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

funny 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? Yes

3.75

Hilarious dialogue. I can perfectly imagine it as a rom com movie.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

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

3.75

The Switch by Beth O'Leary

funny lighthearted 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? Yes

3.0

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

2.75

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

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

4.0

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I found the writing and character development flat. The intention was good and I enjoyed the addition of magic to it, but it got a bit cheesy after a while.