ashleyreads88's reviews
681 reviews

Dunce by Mary Ruefle

fast-paced

I enjoyed these poems and thought they were beautifully written.

Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

adventurous funny medium-paced

I loved this book, it was so cute.  I loved how Raine and Jack met, and how their friendship and then relationship developed. 

The texts between Raine and Jack when they couldn't be together were wicked sweet.

  This book was filled with so many sweet moments, the walking meetings, Tokyo,

and Jack finding Raine's guitar that had sentimental value to her.  I also loved how the story ended with Jack and Raine married.

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

challenging emotional fast-paced

Let Us Descend is a great book and hard-hitting.  I loved the element of magical realism with

Mama Aza guiding Annis and telling her to run North.

 Let Us Descend is beautifully written, the majority of the characters are likable, and all were well-developed.  Annis is such a strong character who grows throughout the story.  While at times heartbreaking, I loved this book. 

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

inspiring fast-paced

Black Beauty was always one of my childhood favorites and re-reading it as an adult I was hit with nostalgia and reminded why I loved it as a child.  I still loved it as an adult.

Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu: John Updike on Ted Williams by John Updike

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu was a great historical essay about Ted Williams' final at-bat in which he hit a home run.  I enjoyed how John Updike told his story of being in the stands that day.  The way that John Updike wrote this essay, I felt that I was at Fenway with him.  I enjoyed reading this essay.

Caught Up by Liz Tomforde

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Caught Up was a roller coaster and I loved it.  Baseball is my favorite sport and any romance with baseball in it, I'm going to want to read it.  I loved Kai and Miller's story and how it allowed

Miller to get closer to her dad, Monty.  I thought Kai's reluctance to have Miller as his nanny was funny at first.  I loved how it was enemies to friends to lovers.  It was great when Miller came back and how Kai, Max, and everyone were excited to see her.  I loved how it ended and set up the next story.

The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

There were parts of this book that were heartbreaking but I loved it.  I loved Dally's relationship with her grandfather which we got to see glimpses of because

at the beginning of the story readers find out that he had passed away.  Dally's relationship with her mother is a complex one in which her mother is all about Dally's business lessons and only gives Dally one hour of free time a day to do what she wants, which Dally spends at The Secret Library after finding something her grandfather left her.  At The Secret Library Dally goes on adventures and learns about her family history.  There is a time jump but it's not known how many years it is.  At the end of the story, Dally is the Librarian of The Secret Library.

  I did enjoy the story but felt the ending was rushed.

We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride

emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

We Are All So Good at Smiling was such a beautifully written story told in verse.  I loved Whimsy and Faerry's friendship and how

after a while they remember each other from their childhood.  The inclusion of fairy tales was well done and added more magic to the story.

. The artwork on the chapter pages was beautiful and I loved seeing what the flowers meant and represented.  There were moments of sadness in the story

but it ultimately ends happily.

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

This Could Be Us was a great book that had jaw-dropping moments.  I love Soledad as a character, and how her main focus

after everything that happened was doing what was best for herself and her girls.

Sol's support system of her friends was amazing. 

I loved the development of Sol and Judah's relationship and how understanding Judah was of Sol's boundaries.

  This was a great romance and I can't wait to read the next story in the series.

My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich is a coming-of-age story. 

Ebony, the main character loves space, she got that from her grandfather along with a love of comic books.  Ebony has to spend the summer in Harlem where she has a difficult time fitting in with the neighborhood kids because they don't accept her.

  I could relate to Ebony in a way. 

Ebony meets Pablo, who like her, loves space and wants to go to space camp.

  What I loved was the story, the characters, and how there was a story within the main story.  This is a great story.