beesneysbooks's reviews
300 reviews

Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

4.5

Super cute, super easy read! very little life changing conflict, very fanfic, obsessed. sometimes you just wanna watch a cute couple be cute without some crazy drama happening 

This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

this was exactly what i expected! i went into it knowing the style the author uses isn’t my absolute favorite but wanted to try an audio instead of a print book by her. and i did enjoy it! especially the end! i liked the general plot and the characters were well written! 

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

HOLLY JACKSON HAS DONE IT AGAIN. AND BETTER. 
i swear every time i read a new holly jackson book, it immediately takes over as my new favorite. i immediately texted a friend of mine who also loves holly and told her she had to drop everything and pick it up immediately. 
the characters. the plot. the TWISTS AND TURNS. just when you thought the big twist happened, three more followed up so quickly. 
even if you manage to guess some of the twists, you’ll be shocked again on the next page. 

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano

funny lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

Such a good addition to the FD series! It was very cool to learn Vero’s backstory and get a little more information on Ramon and Javi as well. Vero is truly such a badass. 

Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

if jesse writes it, i will read it. bonus points if they’re interconnected stand alones like this one. 
once i started this book, i literally didn’t put it down until the end. it was light-hearted (for the most part), empowering, and a wonderful story to end women’s history month with. 

i get so sick of tropes being copy and paste, so jesse flipping this one around a bit was SO refreshing. jonas not getting a redemption arc meant everything to med because boys like that don’t deserve a redemption arc. i’m so glad kiki realized how powerful confidence can be. i’m glad she had a support system who would do everything and anything for her. and im glad jesse didn’t minimize any of kiki’s feelings throughout this story. very “the man” by taylor swift energy.

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

WOW WOW WOW. I have been wanting to go on a Mason Deaver spree for a hot minute but i knew the books would destroy me in the best way, so I had to be ready. And WOWWWWWW was i unprepared for how much these characters would mean to me. 
i love reading books about queer identities that differ from my own so i can learn and grow to become a better ally and member of the queer community. the way that these characters felt so real to me is something that is SO special as a reader and i will be immediately reading the rest of mason’s backlog.  

It All Comes Back to You by Farah Naz Rishi

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

I picked this one up because the cover was gorgeous (yes, i do judge books by the cover.) and i am so glad I did. I learned so much about a variety of cultures through a variety of lenses. While reading (listening), i found myself making a list of things I wanted to do more research on and fell down a few internet rabbit holes. 
it has second chance (and third? i guess?) romance, invisible string theory, and incredible characterization. 
i will say i almost wish i had the written book in front of me while listening, but i enjoyed the journey the audiobook took me on! 

Nate Plus One by Kevin van Whye

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.5

Okay, I need to be so clear that this book was genuinely written well, and up until about 75% in, i was sure it would be a solid 4 star read. The reason it’s not is nothing to do with the writing itself, but the tropes being used. The more I thought about it, the more I got frustrated. 

Before I explain why, I’m going to talk about how much I liked it! I went through a phase where I was really interested in South African culture, so it was nice to revisit that. The family aspect, the band aspect, the cultural aspect… they all were so well put together. 
But, I do want to mention the points I didn’t like. For one, there was SO many clashing plots going on and that was a bit frustrating to follow. I feel like so many of the storylines were limited because there were so many. I also got frustrated with the “kissed his ex in front of his new boyfriend” trope. I’m so not a fan of cheating tropes, and I feel like there were SO many things that could’ve been a source of conflict that didn’t involve this trope. It’s so overdone. Add in the miscommunication and you having a cliche trope. And THEN, just when I get over how annoyed I was, there was an OPEN ENDING. the author spent the whole book talking about this battle of the bands competition, making me HATE the other band and the old lead singer for ditching them JUST TO NOT TELL ME IF THEY WON? I read to escape thinking, so a book making me think was not what I wanted.

Overall, I did like the characters, the setting, and the relationship. I just wish the last 25% was different. 

Chef's Kiss by Jarrett Melendez

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-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

4.0

A cute story about life after college, cooking, queer joy, and a cute pig! 
I loved the friendships, found family, and food conversations. Every character was so unique and so special. 
Ben and Liam are so cute. Liz and Ben’s friendship is ideal. The four friends at the center were such a fun group. The restaurant staff were all so cool. Winston was Winston, perfect as can be. 

I Like Me Better by Robby Weber

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

i was looking for an easy listen, found an easy listen. the story was easy to comprehend, easy to follow, and easy to love. i listened to it on audio and i enjoyed the experience of listening to it. 
i was worried about the possibility of a miscommunication trope, but i was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t what i thought it would be. 
had me giggling & kicking my feet, rooting for the couple, and all that. 
also a fun listen if you’re into conservationism and environmentalism. bonus points for the pets & other animals included.