antigoniselena's reviews
271 reviews

Roommates by Ola Tundun

funny inspiring slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

 

I absolutely loved Roommates by Ola Tundun. It did not follow conventional American style romances. Honestly, it was so refreshing. Ariella leaves her childhood best friend-turned fiance one day without warning. Just packs up and leaves him without explanation; leaving the perfect life we are all told as women to aspire to. She moves in with Caleb, the fuck-boy at her office who happens to have a room available. When I read the synopsis of this book, and began reading it, I thought I knew how the story would go; how the characters would act, and maybe all the circumstances that brought them together. This was not the case. This novel exhibited complex human emotions, like loving someone deeply but knowing that love is not enough to move a relationship forward, and what I appreciate is that it wasn’t in the way I expected. When most authors write romances where the characters begin “as friends” we never really see the foundations of the friendship actually being built. Often characters are “friends first” but within the narration you see that someone is usually already pinning for the other. In this case, you can truly see the characters feelings gradually change and blossom. They actually challenge each other in meaningful ways. 

Romance, love, family… none of these things are perfect and while we often see them come together in that perfect idealistic way, Tundun has written a story where these things come together in a realistic way. The emotions, the characters, they all felt so real. 

If you aren’t afraid of a slow budding romance, so slow that even the characters themselves almost don’t realize that they are falling, i recommend you pick up this book. 

Snowy Serendipity by Melissa Ferguson

hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

 This is my second read by Melissa Ferguson (FAMOUS FOR A LIVING) and this novella was really cute and a nice little intro to the holiday season. I know were still deep into spooky season, but this was gifted to me by NetGalley and I had to read it ASAP.

So this novella has two stories: Dashing Through the Snow and Pining for You. I absolutely LOVED DTTS. It was Christmas-ey and fun and really creative and original. If this was the only story in this novella, I’d have given this novella 5 stars. It was perfect and actually got me excited for the holiday season (YES! before Spooky Season is even over! I know. Shocking!)

The second story was not as fulfilling for me. The biggest issue for me wasn’t even the story itself but that the “snow theme” was not very present; at least not enough for me to feel like “Snowy Serendipity” to be a valid title. Overall I would have given this a 3 star.

Finally, I just wanted to note that this was gifted to my as an audiobook, and I did not enjoy the narrator at all. It felt super flat and often times I would have to go back and relisten to entire chapters because their voice was so blah that I would loose focus on the story.

Overall good read if you're looking for something light for the holiday season, but i do not recommend the audiobook.

*** I received this book as a gift from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

 

Ghosted by Sarah Ready

fast-paced

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

1.5

 

TW: Suicide mention 

This novel was tough to rate if i am being quite honest. It started off really solid. I liked Jillian a lot. She was nerdy and she was a writer and she was falling for a ghost (Danny). Really cool premise. There were quite a few issues with this novel, and are the reason I will not be recommending this read. Firstly, there is sort of this allusion to her being plus size. She’s always talking about herself being curvy and honestly even the way she talks about herself, you think… maybe just maybe I am getting some representation here… but that is not the case. Even on the cover she is thin, not even curvy one bit and the novel never really gives a direct answer but more a few hints. That in itself was not a good enough reason for me to give the novel such a poor rating - i know, but just wait. 

Jillian is also VERY two dimensional… all she talks about is Star Trek. Seriously, I am a Star Wars, Disney and Marvel girly (including tattoos) and I have OTHER INTERESTS TOO! She was way too simple. I am honestly just baffled that this was published… Also… She refers to herself as a “Trekker” when most people call themselves “Trekkie”. It really pulled me out of the book as someone who grew up in the comic book/sci-fi universe. This is me being nitpicky because this book got on my nerves already. 

Before I really get into the hate rant, I did want to mention something I really liked about this novel before I hate on it. I absolutely loved the storyline about Jillian and Michael. It was probably the most real and the most beautiful part of the novel. Jillian looses her best friend Michael to suicide… and how this has affected her is just wow. That aspect was so beautifully written it almost feels like this should have been the primary story of the novel. Not the ghost romance. The emotions were raw and real and relatable. I really felt and understood Jillian here… but only in that instance. 

So at first they think that Daniel is dead. Which makes a lot of sense because he is a ghost. Then when Daniel’s ghost disappears and Jillian sees him IRL she thinks maybe its him dying in the future and his ghost coming into the past? So here is where they start to loose me. Now science wise suuuuure maybe but even in how the dialogue is presented between Jillian and her Science bestie it is soooo farfetched (even for a paranormal type story) its like they didn’t even try to make it make sense. Now at this point Daniel doesn’t recognize Jillian or the times they spent together (or the ghost sex because… yeah there was ghost sex) because it technically hasn’t happened yet (?). So, like the rational person she is because she “knows him” and “loves him” she starts disrespecting his boundaries and STALKING him like that is a totally normal and justifiable thing because “she fell for him when he was a ghost”.

Oh not part of the main plot or anything, but two co-workers who have never dated, kissed or fucked get married on a whim at the end of the novel and it really just made the whole dumpster fire of a novel so goddamn worst. 

Avoid this book. You’re welcome. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide

Jillian looses her best friend to suicide (flashbacks to feelings)

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.0

I absolutely loved this. I read this in basically two days and COULD NOT stop. The writing was great. I am adding Bethany Turner to my list of good writers. It starts off with Brynn fucking up royally on live TV and having to go back to her home town to fix up her image. There she meets Sebastian, an ex-journalist who moved to this small town to start his life over. Needless to say, they DO NOT get along. But throughout the week, they begin to see each other for who they are and… swoooon. I am a sucker for enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes.

This is a well paced book and even has some really interesting commentary on daughters with bad relationships with their moms, which I very much appreciated. The writing is very current with a lot of pop-culture references too. There are also moments of vulnerability, which were so relatable because I have been there… wondering if you said something that it ruined everything, even a slight movement…
This was such a fun read with great banter. I recommend you pick it up ASAP! (well not this second because it's only out September 1st)

RECEIVED THIS BOOK FOR FREE ON NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW 

The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre
Did not finish book. Stopped at 70%.

 

I did not enjoy this book at all. The premise was simple, woman in her 30s down in the dumps inherits a house from a distant aunt. BUT when I picked up with book, I had JUST finished “Back in the Burbs” by Tracy Wolff and I assumed that since this series was paranormal and witchy, that it would be way more entertaining with a magical twist. It was not. How can a similar premise with magic be worst than the one without? I don’t know, but this book manages to do it.

It was boring and the magic was mundane. An overall YAWN fest.
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I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FOR FREE ON NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW 

Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan

5.0

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

5.0

Tunnels of Blood by Darren Shan

5.0

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

5.0

Trials of Death by Darren Shan

5.0