bmyurs's reviews
289 reviews

The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown

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emotional sad medium-paced

4.5

A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to get an ARC copy of this book!

What a perfect trollop to read in the summer! This book gave me some serious Bridgerton vibes, which is exactly what I loved about this book. The beginning was a bit slow just figuring out who everyone was and how they are all connected, but once that's sorted out, it's off to London for the season. From there it's balls, parties, engagements, and gossip all the way to the end. Like I said, a great summer read for those that want to drift away into an entirely different world.
I figured out pretty early on how the couple would end up together, but it was enjoyable to see the process in how they ended up together- that is the focus of the book and it's done well. The author didn't give too much away, but there was enough foreshadowing so that every time I second guessed myself, I got a clue that my instincts were right. I also loved a bit of the David/Goliath complex between Kitty and Lord Radcliffe; seemed like they were constantly at odds with one another in the book, but Kitty ever so slightly gained ground with each passing chapter- I could relate to her fearlessness and oblivious to etiquette.

Would recommend this for anyone who has a craving for more regency romance novels that are you're not your mother's copy :)

The Ruins by Phoebe Wynne

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

1.0

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy and opportunity to preview this book!

I had previously read Wynne's book Madam over the winter and loved it- dark and gothic, but not too far off this edge. This one though took things too far. I was not a fan at all at how the adults in the story took advantage and abused these poor girls during their summer- to me that crossed a line of being appropriate to write about. In fact, I think the shock of that distracted from the overall plot of a 'coming-of-age' story that it could have been.
With that aside, the plot also moved really slow and there were a lot of characters to keep track of which was confusing. I found myself constantly going back and re-reading who was who just to keep people straight. Plot line also felt too slow for me, especially compared to Madam. There also was a lot of description into the scenery and what I would call props within the story, which I thought was leading me somewhere in the plot, but it never went anywhere and could have been cut out. Overall pretty disappointed in this book given how much I enjoyed other books by her.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

Wonderful. This to me was a mash up of Schitt’s Creek and a rom com. Love the humor and witty banter between the two main characters.

My Summer Darlings by May Cobb

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Desperate Housewives in a book! I read the entire thing in 4 days. Perfect beach read- gossip, secrets, thriller, and raunchiness all wrapped up in three women who drink a lot of wine. I wouldn’t read for the literary prose, but the plot had me hooked from the beginning.

Content Warnings