bookgabz's reviews
518 reviews

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Director's Cut by Carlyn Greenwald

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.5

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Vintage for a free copy of #DirectorCut in exchange for an honest review!

Let me start by saying that I wanted to love this story. I am nothing if not a sucker for any kind of sapphic romance. Add in a dash of academia and Hollywood, and I should theoretically be a goner.

That was not the case with this book. I never skim books, and I found myself quickly skimming the final 50% just to complete. This review may contain spoilers, so beware!

I want to start by saying I LOVED Maeve. She was such a fun character! A beautiful, intelligent academic! Val on the other hand? She drove me up a wall! She was conceited, pretentious, annoying, inconsiderate, and rude. And the fact that this book was 100% from her point of view, I couldn’t wait to get out of her head. I understand this book relies heavily on the miscommunication trope (all because of Val), and a lot of that miscommunication is explained away due to mental illnesses. I am not in any way questioning the difficulty of living with anxiety paired with an uncomfortable physical illness as well like IBS (which Val also has). I am, however, uncomfortable with how the author is portraying mental illness in this book. All of it felt sloppy and not fully researched. It all felt like generalizations and stereotypes. I have anxiety, I am not on medication, and I have done the work to make sure I still find ways to communicate important things to my loved ones. Val has allegedly been in therapy since she was a child. Even without medication, she should have learned skills to prevent the major issues in this book.

Like I said, I wanted to love this book! I am not typically a tough reviewer. But this book just wasn’t the right fit for me. 2.5 our of 5 stars.

These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs

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adventurous emotional tense fast-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

5.0

Wish You Were(n't) Here by Erin Baldwin

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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? No

5.0

Wish You Weren’t Here by Erin Baldwin is the sapphic romance book I wish I’d had when I was in high school! This book is wholesome, funny, adorable, and the perfect love story for young adults looking to get into romance!

I loved everything about this book! In the story, you are reading from Juliette Barrera-Wright’s point of view as she navigates her Senior Year of high school. She often feels invisible in every aspect of her life, until she’s at her one happy place, Fogridge Summer Camp. Her Senior Summer at Fogridge is going to be the best yet! Until she realizes there her number one least favorite person, Priya Pendley is not only at camp for the summer too, but is her roommate!

What follows is a story of finding yourself, and learning that your perception of someone, or their situation, is often not what you initially believe it to be. And if you can learn to accept that and shift your understanding, wonderful things can bloom.

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense slow-paced