anamazingday's reviews
147 reviews

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

4.5

This was a fun middle grade fantasy book! The characters were great, and the magical creatures were part of the plot, which I appreciated. The hard parts of plot weren’t shied away from, which made it entertaining for me as an adult. 

The Vanderbeekers Ever After by Karina Yan Glaser

challenging emotional funny hopeful sad 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

5.0

Omg what a great last installment of this delightful series. I will miss the Vanderbeekers so much. This book addressed so many hard issues. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it brought me hope. My kids and I absolutely loved it. 

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed listening to this one! However the chapters were SO long and that drives me nuts. 

Overall I enjoyed the character growth. Juice was maybe my favorite character in the whole thing. I much prefer a wrap all the things up with a nice bow ending. But the ending here worked for this book. 

The Charlie Method by Elle Kennedy

adventurous emotional funny sad 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

3.75

Overall I was a bit disappointed in this book. I felt like Elle recycled a lot of her previous hockey book plots into this one. Which, obviously romance books follow the same trope lines, but I thought this one didn’t have a lot of original ideas. While I appreciate the growth Charlotte had throughout the book, the ending felt rushed. Especially when she decides to tell her family what she does near the end and then it turns into a ripple effect. I really enjoy Beckett and Will and would rather they had the love story than the three of them. Was it spicy? Yes. Did I believe they were all soulmates? Not really. 

James by Percival Everett

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0

Wow. This book was a lot. I went in not knowing a lot about it and I was glad I did. I didn’t need to know the plot of Huck Fin to know what was happening here. James is such a captivating story that tackles questions that are unfortunately still relevant today. 

The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

I really liked this one. The reflective nature of one’s life was a nice central theme. I liked how the plot was all tied up nicely at the end. There were a LOT of pop culture references, which annoys me after a while and will definitely date this book as time goes on. But overall it was a great read. 

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

adventurous emotional funny 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

4.0

This was a great conclusion to the sisters trilogy. Eve was such a fun person and I loved her journey of self discovery. I enjoyed watching her and Jacob discover each other. The only thing I didn’t like was the breakup moment, assumptions and miscommunication annoy the heck out of me. 

A Risk Worth Taking by Jessica Joyce

adventurous emotional 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

5.0

This was an adorable “novelette”. I absolutely loved the story line and the chemistry between Claire and Connor. I would absolutely read another book about the two of them. 

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book. The audio was great and I loved that the snippets in between chapters were a full cast. 

The drama! The Olympics! The skating! The drama! It was SO captivating. 

The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez

dark emotional hopeful 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

Another cute story by Abby. I love the missing stairs hang out on the patio for a few days storyline. There is a lot of tension regarding a stalker, so check trigger warnings.