andintothetrees's reviews
548 reviews

You Are Here by David Nicholls

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

4.0

Plot/compellingness 3/5 I enjoyed reading this book but gripping it was not, though the writing style was so enjoyable I didn't mind the predictableness of the plot

Themes 3/5

Characters 4/5 (I didn't particularly like them, but they were well written and well rounded. I agree with another review that they don't really feel like millenials/(albeit elder millenials/Xenillials?) . Maybe it's because we're all in denial about becoming middle aged but they felt more like characters in their 50s than people around 40)

Emotional resonance 5/5

Writing style 5/5

The Sentence by Christina Dalcher

informative tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This isn't a dystopian novel really, more of a legal thriller. It definitely explores the issue of the death penalty from many angles (though it seemed a bit far-fetched at times that the characters had *so* many connections to murders and working within the law). I don't think I'll forget this book quickly but I didn't *love* it either.

Plot/compellingness 3/5
Themes 2/5 - it had one theme really
Characters 2/5
Emotional resonance 2/5
Writing style 4/5

Sugar, Baby by Celine Saintclare

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

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

3.5

Plot/compellingness 3/5
Themes 4/5
Characters 3/5
Emotional resonance 3/5
Writing style 4/5

Neon Roses by Rachel Dawson

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.25

Tories will hate this book 😁

It was a 5 star for the first half and then a 3 star for the second half - it got a bit meandering and ended SO abruptly.

Loved the characters though - Eluned and June felt so real. 

Plot/compellingness 2/5 (it went downhill in this regard) 
Themes 5/5
Characters 5/5
Emotional resonance 5/5
Writing style 5/5

Joe Nuthin's Guide to Life by Helen Fisher

hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

2.5

I didn't hate the experience of reading this book, but it just didn't really work for me. A big part of that was the distant 3rd person perspective it's written from - I found that disappointing from the start. It's also a strange mix of small town British life and cosy everyday details with some pretty gritty scenes/themes (and a fair bit of swearing). But it doesn't ever feel close to the events or the characters. I liked the supporting characters, they were well-drawn and multi-dimensional (my favourites were Angus and Chloe). As for the main character, Joe-Nathan (annoying name choice tbh) - I would like to know how much research the author did on neurodiversity and if she is close to any neurodivergent people... because he felt like an extremely stereotypical and outdated portrayal - it wouldn't have surprised me to read about a character like him 10+ years ago, but I thought we'd moved beyond such stereotyping now. 

Plot/compellingness 3/5

Themes 3/5

Characters 3/5

Emotional resonance 2/5

Writing style 2/5

Tell Me the Truth About Love: 13 Tales from the Therapist's Couch by Susanna Abse

informative inspiring reflective

3.0

Come & Get It by Kiley Reid

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

Plot/compellingness 4/5
Themes 5/5
Characters 4/5
Emotional resonance 4/5
Writing style 5/5

Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

challenging emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

4.5 stars. Tbh I just really enjoyed reading this book.

Plot/compellingness 5/5

Themes 3/5

Characters 4/5

Emotional resonance 5/5

Writing style 5/5

(There were a few inconsistencies with characters' ages - Arthur would have been born c. 1978 & didn't move to Australia until he had finished uni, yet he's referred to as "coming of age in Australia in the early 2000s. And I'd have liked more of Hera's backstory especially her relationship with her mum. But overall I couldn't put this book down, so I have to call it a win.)

The New Life by Tom Crewe

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Plot/compellingness 2/5 
Themes 4/5
Characters 4/5
Emotional resonance 4/5
Writing style 2/5

I have mixed feelings on this book. The themes were interesting, and the characters well-developed (especially the main two, who I changed my opinion of as I went along). I also liked how the author wrote it as though it just happened to be late Victorian London, rather than cramming lots of historical references in. But the pace was very slow and whilst I can see how some would find the writing beautiful it just wasn't a style that worked for me (too descriptive).

The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

2.5 stars

Plot/compellingness 3/5 (varied a lot through the book)
Themes 2/5 (tried to make some deeper points but didn't really manage it)
Characters 2/5
Emotional resonance 2/5
Writing style 3/5 

Potential spoiler, though this happens in the first 10% of the book:

One of the major plot devices is that Molly has gone viral for appearing in a video of her giving a man oral sex on the street whilst very drunk. Apparently this video does the rounds on Twitter and by the next day everyone Molly knows has seen the video and recognises her in it. I don't buy that this would happen at all. Of course moderation isn't perfect, but this kind of video would be reported and taken down; and even if it wasn't, most people - if they are even on Twitter, which a lot aren't- wouldn't be interested in seeing or sharing such a video.

Kind of spoilery but I'll keep it vague

I wasn't at all surprised by how the mystery was solved. It was all very predictable and I kept hoping something/someone would come out of the leftfield towards the end and change it all, but no

Also, minor complaint, but

the ages of characters didn't add up. There are people described as being in their mid-40s yet also as having met at uni 16 or 17 years ago - what, when they were almost 30? Mature students definitely are a thing but it wasn't implied that they all happened to be there at the same age at the same time.