beckychristina's reviews
565 reviews

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

The book description didn’t  catch my interest but I picked it up after being so impressed with the first book, and so I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy the sequel more than the first. Already looking forward to the next book in the series.

Murder and Mamon by Mia P. Manansala

adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

3.75

Cosy, foody and fun!

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Great YA mystery with lots of twists. The plot was a little predictable at points but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable, and I loved how all the clues threaded together over time.

The Off Limits Rule by Sarah Adams

lighthearted medium-paced

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

0.25

I found this book really juvenile and didn’t enjoy it at all. 

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

I don’t usually pick up books focusing on intergenerational stories or immigrant journeys, but I’m glad I left my comfort zone for this one. It was an interesting reading experience as an immigrant in the same city as these women, but from a different generation and background. 
I loved the structure of this, how the story unfurled with different perspectives adding pieces to the puzzle. I don’t know how to play Mahjong, but I’m sure if I did, I would have appreciated the structure even more so.

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.75

A nice easy rom-com  -easy is all I can read right now. The thing that stayed with me wasn’t the romance, but the show, if this reality show happened, I would be absolutely obsessed. 

The Love Connection by Denise Williams

lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

This book was the exact length it should be.

River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard

adventurous informative slow-paced

2.75

I was impressed by the research, it’s an interesting and exciting part of history, but I found myself bored by the narrative. The narrative style does work, and it must have been quite the challenge to collate, but it dragged for me. 

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

I’ve been enjoying reading through TJR’s backlist, but I didn’t plan to read this one as it didn’t sound like my cup of tea… and in many ways, it wasn’t. It’s not a subject I would reach for, but I find TJR’s earlier books really propulsive and get so emotionally invested.
This book swept me away, broke my heart, then put it back together. It was a good reminder to read outside of my comfort zone.

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

lighthearted slow-paced

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

1.75

I thought I would love this book, but it just missed the mark for me.
I thought this book would be dramatic and OTT but I found myself feeling bored -obviously this book just wasn’t what I thought it was.
This was more of a romance novel than I anticipated, but the characters fell madly in love at some point, and I totally missed it. They went from not talking, to die for you love, with zero chemistry or build up.