bonaimee_books's reviews
3 reviews

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really enjoyed this! Elizabeth Zott is  a brilliant character. All the characters were generally well-rounded, and the narrative was engaging, but I felt  it lacked narrative depth in places. Like when Walter divulges to the reader that Elizabeth is his best friend. It was plausible, but it felt like  we were  being told rather than shown, and I felt this way about a lot of the secondary characters. I think parts were ripe for more storytelling, which I think is where the tv adaptation has more scope.
Discussion of science, religion, misogyny and sexism, amongst others, were deftly handled and still feel alarmingly necessary in our modern world. There were some very touching moments throughout. It was very almost a 4-star rating because I was really taken with Six-Thirty, but ultimately it remained a solid 3-star overall.
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Watching Women & Girls by Danielle Pender

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

3.0

This is a solid collection of short stories. The writing is excellent, with a good sense of place and purpose, and spot-on characterisation. There were a couple of stories that stood out for me as stronger than the others, but I think it was personal preference rather than the other stories being less evocative.

I can see this being a collection that I recommend to particular friends, who I know will really vibe with it, but for me it didn’t make it past 3-stars because it felt a little... relentless? Perhaps I’m not in the right mood... Much to discuss in forthcoming book club!
Throttled by Lauren Asher

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

1.0

When I pick up a Romance I tend to assume HEA is the goal, but I want some subtlety and tension along the way…

This has a split perspective narrative between the two love interests, Maya and Noah, and there was no palpable tension between the two throughout. There was a lot being told there was tension, but I just didn’t feel it. They felt like a foregone conclusion.

It was  running at a 2-star rating, until chapter 42, where it went full Tiktok POV and lost all credibility for me.
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