bella613's reviews
419 reviews

Shanghailanders by Juli Min
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.

This is boring me and the narrator isn't easy to listen to for some reason. Maybe I'll come back to it someday but for now it's my first dnf of the year.

Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles by Ron Currie

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No

3.5

Some parts of this were really good and overall it's a well done book. But the pacing and attitude of the story aren't my favorite. 

Healing the Soul of a Woman: How to Overcome Your Emotional Wounds by Joyce Meyer

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Forever After, Season 1 by Violet Matter, Quinn Sosna-Spear

adventurous funny 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? It's complicated

4.75

So fun!!
I love fairytale retellings but I don't actually know that many so I had a blast learning more. This is a really well planned story and I think these authors especially Hannah and Violet Matter do a great job at everything they produce. High quality and humorous, great art, and the characters are all really lovable and interesting.

The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto

dark tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life by Christie Tate

medium-paced

3.75

The Demon Tide by Laurie Forest

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

This was not great. 
The writing seems to get either worse or just more noticeable bad with each book of the series, and there were many parts of this book that made me think the author didn't have any editors feedback.
It's really annoying that everything is overly descriptive- sometimes it's best in writing to show and not tell, especially when trying to write romantic scenes. The word choice and specific description of the characters feelings about everything made this read like fanfiction and not in a good way.

We spent wayyy too long on the sex festival. I get that it was a literary device used to force the characters to all confess to each other and get the romance moving in each storyline at the same time, but it really didn't need to go on and on and on. It was overused and felt really uncomfortable. 
The final battle was dramatic for the sake of drama. And by the end I was just waiting for the book to be done.

There were parts of the story that I liked but as with most popular fantasy series I am juat a little more disappointed the further in I get.

The Tiny Book of Tiny Houses by Lester Walker

informative inspiring fast-paced

4.25

This is great! 
Very cute and just enough information included to satisfy curiousity.

Pearly Everlasting by Tammy Armstrong

adventurous emotional slow-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

fast-paced

2.75

The main character is kind of an *sshole but the vibes are cute later on in the book
Btw if youre looking for a book where youre actually not sure whether theres a serial killer or a nice guy, this isnt it. There's absolutely less than zero indication that the dude is anything but a stand up citizen, she just wants to find a reason to justify treating him badly.
There's not really a plot to this book, but it wasn't terrible. And if you want an easy-listen cozy romance it'll do better than background noise.