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andthensarahread's reviews
105 reviews
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Plot: 5
Engagement: 5
Characters: 5
Style: 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.88/5
Review: Well I just got done sobbing my eyes out, but also what a brilliant story! A small cafe has the ability to send customers back in time. There are rules, however, that generally tend to discourage people from trying, even if they actually believe it's possible. One of the big rules is that you only have until just before the coffee they pour you gets cold before you have to return to the present. This is a multi-perspective story that largely takes place over the course of a fairly short period of time, but you learn a lot about the characters quickly. The characters are either the cafe employees or a few customers (some wanting to travel and others you'll have to read to get to know). This story really hit me in the feels and I loved it. Highly recommend!
Engagement: 5
Characters: 5
Style: 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.88/5
Review: Well I just got done sobbing my eyes out, but also what a brilliant story! A small cafe has the ability to send customers back in time. There are rules, however, that generally tend to discourage people from trying, even if they actually believe it's possible. One of the big rules is that you only have until just before the coffee they pour you gets cold before you have to return to the present. This is a multi-perspective story that largely takes place over the course of a fairly short period of time, but you learn a lot about the characters quickly. The characters are either the cafe employees or a few customers (some wanting to travel and others you'll have to read to get to know). This story really hit me in the feels and I loved it. Highly recommend!
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Plot: 5
Engagement: 5
Characters: 4.75
Style: 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.81/5
Review: Well I absolutely loved To All The Boys, so I had a feeling I'd enjoy this too. I was correct. I never got to go to a beach house every summer growing up haha, but the book does a wonderful job of evoking the nostalgia of youth. I could definitely relate to the unrequited first love story.
The side stories of the parents, their marriages, and the mothers' relationship with each other was very heartfelt and relatable as well. I love that Beck has this close relationship with Belly, but also tries to show her that her mother loves her deeply, just shows it differently.
Conrad and Jeremiah are multifaceted characters that I ended up having a real soft spot for. Glad this is a series. Looking forward to the next book and watching the show afterwards as well.
Great summer read!
Engagement: 5
Characters: 4.75
Style: 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.81/5
Review: Well I absolutely loved To All The Boys, so I had a feeling I'd enjoy this too. I was correct. I never got to go to a beach house every summer growing up haha, but the book does a wonderful job of evoking the nostalgia of youth. I could definitely relate to the unrequited first love story.
The side stories of the parents, their marriages, and the mothers' relationship with each other was very heartfelt and relatable as well. I love that Beck has this close relationship with Belly, but also tries to show her that her mother loves her deeply, just shows it differently.
Conrad and Jeremiah are multifaceted characters that I ended up having a real soft spot for. Glad this is a series. Looking forward to the next book and watching the show afterwards as well.
Great summer read!
Neverscape: Bewilderness Book Three by Kevin Cox
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.75
Plot: 4.5
Engagement: 4.75
Characters: 4.75
Style: 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.63/5
Review: Third book in the Bewilderness series takes you on a wild ride. I've said it before, the author is an imaginative writer and the descriptions are extremely detailed. This is not light reading, but if you like great world building, you'll love this series.
At the start of this one, we're firmly in The Hollow and it definitely had a different feel than the first two books.
I loved learning more about The Hollow and the end game as well as seeing more of fighting back against the Nulthereals. I was on the edge of my seat at a couple of the battles.
It's hard to give too much detail in a review without ruining some of the surprises, but I will say I loved to see some characters show up again in book three. I can't wait to see what book four has in store. Hoping for some more reunions!!
Engagement: 4.75
Characters: 4.75
Style: 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.63/5
Review: Third book in the Bewilderness series takes you on a wild ride. I've said it before, the author is an imaginative writer and the descriptions are extremely detailed. This is not light reading, but if you like great world building, you'll love this series.
At the start of this one, we're firmly in The Hollow and it definitely had a different feel than the first two books.
I loved learning more about The Hollow and the end game as well as seeing more of fighting back against the Nulthereals. I was on the edge of my seat at a couple of the battles.
It's hard to give too much detail in a review without ruining some of the surprises, but I will say I loved to see some characters show up again in book three. I can't wait to see what book four has in store. Hoping for some more reunions!!
The Threat Below by J.S. Latshaw
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Plot: 4.5
Engagement: 4.75
Characters: 4.75
Style: 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.63/5
Review: I was finally able to read this book that's been in my TBR for a bit, and WOW that was an exciting, unique, & emotional story!! I'm so excited to see that the next book is on KU, because it really left me wanting to know what happens next!
At first, I wasn't sure where the story was going to go and the mystery of the ThreatBelows was very vague, but once the journey Down Below got going, I couldn't wait to learn more. The backstory is wild! The author has beautiful world building abilities and the descriptions really painted a picture in my mind. I'll say there are a few things that I'm really interested to see if they're revisited in book 2.
Faves: Icelyn's growth, Istoch and his relationship with Marjan, the backstory of Amperous & Omathis and their relationship, and just TORRAIN (wha?? Yes I was shocked, prob my favorite character in the end).
Really enjoyed this one!
Engagement: 4.75
Characters: 4.75
Style: 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.63/5
Review: I was finally able to read this book that's been in my TBR for a bit, and WOW that was an exciting, unique, & emotional story!! I'm so excited to see that the next book is on KU, because it really left me wanting to know what happens next!
At first, I wasn't sure where the story was going to go and the mystery of the ThreatBelows was very vague, but once the journey Down Below got going, I couldn't wait to learn more. The backstory is wild! The author has beautiful world building abilities and the descriptions really painted a picture in my mind. I'll say there are a few things that I'm really interested to see if they're revisited in book 2.
Faves: Icelyn's growth, Istoch and his relationship with Marjan, the backstory of Amperous & Omathis and their relationship, and just TORRAIN (wha?? Yes I was shocked, prob my favorite character in the end).
Really enjoyed this one!
For You, Mr. Jones by Holly Whitworth
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Plot: 4.25
Engagement: 4.25
Characters: 4.5
Style: 4.25
Overall Rating: 4.31/5
Review: I received an advanced review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a cute and sweet (with some open door spice) holiday romance with something for everyone. This book kind of made me want it to be snowing outside while I read in front of my fireplace! There was baking, sports, office romance, steamy scenes, fun side characters, and Christmas! Annie and Decker are a cute couple. I also really liked the support for Decker and his mental health, not just from Annie, but also from his macho male friends. It was refreshing to read supportive male friendships.
Faves: pizza obsession, found family, macho men being sweet, "let's make our own traditions".
My only downside was that it was easy to put together where this book was headed and I kind of wish there was a little more conflict, maybe? It seemed a little *too* easy and like everything just fell into place nicely. But maybe that's my trauma talking haha!
Overall, I enjoyed it and it will be a great read for the holiday season!!
Engagement: 4.25
Characters: 4.5
Style: 4.25
Overall Rating: 4.31/5
Review: I received an advanced review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a cute and sweet (with some open door spice) holiday romance with something for everyone. This book kind of made me want it to be snowing outside while I read in front of my fireplace! There was baking, sports, office romance, steamy scenes, fun side characters, and Christmas! Annie and Decker are a cute couple. I also really liked the support for Decker and his mental health, not just from Annie, but also from his macho male friends. It was refreshing to read supportive male friendships.
Faves: pizza obsession, found family, macho men being sweet, "let's make our own traditions".
My only downside was that it was easy to put together where this book was headed and I kind of wish there was a little more conflict, maybe? It seemed a little *too* easy and like everything just fell into place nicely. But maybe that's my trauma talking haha!
Overall, I enjoyed it and it will be a great read for the holiday season!!
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.75
Plot: 5
Engagement: 5
Characters: 5
Style: 4
Overall Rating: 4.75/5
Review: I read this one almost solely because of recommendations from others. Frankly, I'm not really into gaming and on first glance, I assumed it wouldn't be interesting to me. I was way off.
First of all, this book inexplicably made me able to pay attention to descriptions of games, gameplay, tech, etc that normally would make my eyes glaze over. I have to attribute that in large part to the overall plot and the characters, who I keep wishing were real people and my friends. At various points, I completely identified with different characters, but then would be angry with them in the next chapter for their actions. Overall though, my heart was completely invested in Sam and Sadie. The characters were the absolute heart of the book.
The references were clever and the writing was clever. The descriptions were detailed and really painted a picture in your mind.
My small issue was with the style as I found it jumped around (in present, flashbacks, locations, game descriptions, characters) and it was sometimes difficult to follow where you were in the story. It was probably purposefully done in order to make the story come together in the way it did, but it was on occasion distracting.
Overall, this book made me feel my feelings an awful lot, which was not what I expected going in. The gamut of feelings: happy, annoyed, excited, sad, nervous, aching heartbreak, love. It was a pleasure!
Engagement: 5
Characters: 5
Style: 4
Overall Rating: 4.75/5
Review: I read this one almost solely because of recommendations from others. Frankly, I'm not really into gaming and on first glance, I assumed it wouldn't be interesting to me. I was way off.
First of all, this book inexplicably made me able to pay attention to descriptions of games, gameplay, tech, etc that normally would make my eyes glaze over. I have to attribute that in large part to the overall plot and the characters, who I keep wishing were real people and my friends. At various points, I completely identified with different characters, but then would be angry with them in the next chapter for their actions. Overall though, my heart was completely invested in Sam and Sadie. The characters were the absolute heart of the book.
The references were clever and the writing was clever. The descriptions were detailed and really painted a picture in your mind.
My small issue was with the style as I found it jumped around (in present, flashbacks, locations, game descriptions, characters) and it was sometimes difficult to follow where you were in the story. It was probably purposefully done in order to make the story come together in the way it did, but it was on occasion distracting.
Overall, this book made me feel my feelings an awful lot, which was not what I expected going in. The gamut of feelings: happy, annoyed, excited, sad, nervous, aching heartbreak, love. It was a pleasure!
Shadowsphere by J. Kevin Cox
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.5
Plot: 4.5
Engagement: 4.5
Characters: 4.75
Style: 4.25
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Review: The second book in the Bewilderness series and this one ramped it up even further than the first!
I love the depth of the characters that this author crafts and the continued intricate world building. I found this one easier to read than the first, possibly because we're already acquainted with the general overview and the writing style. Again, the various characters take center stage and you really get invested in what's going to happen with them. The supporting characters (Darby being my fave) are great!
We start to see some connections as they also deal with the Nulthereals in this story. These creatures? /beings? /demons? are frankly terrifying and a great "bad guy". I enjoyed the fighting back against the Nulthereals more directly in this version, both physically and mentally. We get to learn a little more about them as well as the Blight Whidge.
I did piece together a couple of things, but I won't give spoilers. Excited for book 3!!
Engagement: 4.5
Characters: 4.75
Style: 4.25
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Review: The second book in the Bewilderness series and this one ramped it up even further than the first!
I love the depth of the characters that this author crafts and the continued intricate world building. I found this one easier to read than the first, possibly because we're already acquainted with the general overview and the writing style. Again, the various characters take center stage and you really get invested in what's going to happen with them. The supporting characters (Darby being my fave) are great!
We start to see some connections as they also deal with the Nulthereals in this story. These creatures? /beings? /demons? are frankly terrifying and a great "bad guy". I enjoyed the fighting back against the Nulthereals more directly in this version, both physically and mentally. We get to learn a little more about them as well as the Blight Whidge.
I did piece together a couple of things, but I won't give spoilers. Excited for book 3!!
Imagine Me and You by Lynn Camden
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Plot: 4.25
Engagement: 4.25
Characters: 4.5
Style: 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.38/5
Review: I received a copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Initially I thought this was going to be a slow burn, but it actually got steamy pretty quickly! I love the friends to lovers trope and these two main characters were so great together. I'm glad it was dual POV so you could see how much both Simone and James were into it, but worried about the possibility of rejection. Also, I applaud any authors writing curvy girls as their FMC!!
There were some added plot points of family drama, references to difficult childhoods, and even some Native land rights issues (bravo for seamlessly including these!!), but it still didn't seem too heavy even with these topics.
Read if you like: friends to lovers, fake relationship, body positivity, and a little family drama too.
Engagement: 4.25
Characters: 4.5
Style: 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.38/5
Review: I received a copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Initially I thought this was going to be a slow burn, but it actually got steamy pretty quickly! I love the friends to lovers trope and these two main characters were so great together. I'm glad it was dual POV so you could see how much both Simone and James were into it, but worried about the possibility of rejection. Also, I applaud any authors writing curvy girls as their FMC!!
There were some added plot points of family drama, references to difficult childhoods, and even some Native land rights issues (bravo for seamlessly including these!!), but it still didn't seem too heavy even with these topics.
Read if you like: friends to lovers, fake relationship, body positivity, and a little family drama too.
Bewilderness by J. Kevin Cox
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.25
Plot: 4.5
Engagement: 4.25
Characters: 4.75
Style: 3.75
Overall Rating: 4.31/5
Review: This was an intense fantasy/sci-fi adventure that was very original. The story itself was a cool idea and very creative. If you love characters with depth, intricate descriptions, and LOTS of world building, you will likely enjoy this. I will say I had some difficulty getting into it initially because of the massive world building and also powering through portions that I felt were unnecessarily wordy. No spice/romance really, the main characters are teenagers or "alien" beings and the story focuses more on bigger issues. The characters overall were great. I loved Avo'Doria and the world of Elyravess. Ambrielle's personal journey was really touching as well in regards to her past. I'm unsure if any characters or worlds overlap or are revisited in Kevin Cox's subsequent books in this series, but I'm excited to see where the stories go next!
Engagement: 4.25
Characters: 4.75
Style: 3.75
Overall Rating: 4.31/5
Review: This was an intense fantasy/sci-fi adventure that was very original. The story itself was a cool idea and very creative. If you love characters with depth, intricate descriptions, and LOTS of world building, you will likely enjoy this. I will say I had some difficulty getting into it initially because of the massive world building and also powering through portions that I felt were unnecessarily wordy. No spice/romance really, the main characters are teenagers or "alien" beings and the story focuses more on bigger issues. The characters overall were great. I loved Avo'Doria and the world of Elyravess. Ambrielle's personal journey was really touching as well in regards to her past. I'm unsure if any characters or worlds overlap or are revisited in Kevin Cox's subsequent books in this series, but I'm excited to see where the stories go next!
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Plot: 5
Engagement: 5
Characters: 5
Style: 4.75
Overall Rating: 4.94/5
Review: "Courage is the root of change—and change is what we’re chemically designed to do."
Stunning, stellar, powerful book. I had to take a minute and pull myself together because I've been sobbing for the last 40 minutes reading the end of this journey. This was, at the heart, a story about feminism, but there was SO MUCH more to it. Love, family, challenging the status quo, challenging yourself, standing up for what's right even in the face of adversity. It makes you grateful for what we have now in terms of rights, but also highlights the still present issues with women in the workforce and particularly in STEM. Each character was brilliantly written and believable--it almost felt like nonfiction. I love that Zott refused to compromise when it came to her morals and her intelligence. And then there were the beautiful surprises like Six-Thirty. Need I say more? 100% recommend reading this book. I'm buying it right now.
Engagement: 5
Characters: 5
Style: 4.75
Overall Rating: 4.94/5
Review: "Courage is the root of change—and change is what we’re chemically designed to do."
Stunning, stellar, powerful book. I had to take a minute and pull myself together because I've been sobbing for the last 40 minutes reading the end of this journey. This was, at the heart, a story about feminism, but there was SO MUCH more to it. Love, family, challenging the status quo, challenging yourself, standing up for what's right even in the face of adversity. It makes you grateful for what we have now in terms of rights, but also highlights the still present issues with women in the workforce and particularly in STEM. Each character was brilliantly written and believable--it almost felt like nonfiction. I love that Zott refused to compromise when it came to her morals and her intelligence. And then there were the beautiful surprises like Six-Thirty. Need I say more? 100% recommend reading this book. I'm buying it right now.