bestja01's reviews
282 reviews

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

Gorgeous prose and a fascinating exploration of the writer’s relationship with himself and his mother. I loved feeling wrapped up in his writing- extremely poetic, as one would expect from a poet. The plot, if you can call it that, was very minimal, and instead we lived within his non-linear stream of consciousness throughout his childhood and growth

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Very cute, fun book that continuously surprised me. Clever prose and clever format. I think this book would work very well as a movie. The narrator was witty and sarcastic, but not cynical. I very much enjoyed the book and read it in one sitting.

Finding Ashley by Danielle Steel

emotional reflective 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? Yes

2.5

The writing is just…not great. Very repetitive prose and simple writing. Plot wasn’t bad but it could’ve been 100 pages shorter with how redundant it was

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

Loved the way they connected technology and its use to environmentalism. Made me very aware of the world I am living in and the way I would ideally love to relate to it.

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.25

Fun little rom com! I enjoyed the story a lot, with fun characters. I appreciated how they didn’t lean into the “love saves you” narrative and instead went with “if your life changes, it’s ok to grieve but it’s also ok to find something new.” 

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

Comically sexist- very much a product of its time. But aside from that, actually a very engaging mystery. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives of the narrative and the way they added to the stories, and I found the characters largely likeable and interesting, particularly Marian and Walter. The ending seemed a bit anticlimactic but I enjoyed the story for the most part. I viewed his descriptions of women as unintentionally hilarious but others would probably be very put off by it.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.25

Lovely lil rom-com; it was an easy read but very nice. I liked the characters and the shifting between present and past. While it didn’t surprise me, it still delighted me and I enjoyed the characters and their stories.

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

I didn’t like the mixed styles of storytelling in this book, with first and third person and various narrators. I was confused for much of the story, and while I thought the world she built was an intriguing one, I was too busy trying to figure out who everybody was to understand the story. Well-written, but not for me.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I understand the Octavia Butler hype. A fascinating, dark dystopian world (set in 2024 lol) that explores regular people and their struggles to survive and find meaning in a cruel world. Some aspects of this dystopia were unnerving in the ways that they seem plausible. It was a gripping story and I can’t wait to read the sequel.

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

A fun, witty exploration of life as you get older and life in New York City. I enjoyed her writing style and dry humor and even laughed out loud a few times, but I also admired the blunt honesty and reality sandwiched between and within the jokes.