claudianeureads's reviews
287 reviews

Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

A great  romance to help get in the holiday spirit. Loved having a WLW romance to read but I did find both Charlotte and Brighton to be unlikable characters at points in the book. 

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed this one! A super cute holiday romance that got me in the mood for the season. If you’re looking for a pretty tame holiday romance, this could be the one for you. 

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

adventurous inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A super sweet story for young readers! One of my students shared this book with me after they dressed up as Roz for Halloween. I love Peter Browns illustrations and did not realize he wrote a book as well. Loved how this book had an emphasis on generosity, chosen family, and all around kindness towards strangers. There were even some themes of climate change that is a great starting discussion. If you have a young reader in your life, I would highly recommend sharing this book with them. 

The ending did get suddenly violent and I felt there was not a need for major violence. I think that there are ways for the book to be action packed without a lot of violence. For that reason, I subtracted 1 star. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Gun violence

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

challenging emotional sad 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

4.0

I have been a huge Taylor Jenkins Reid fan since I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in 2018. That was the first historical fiction novel that I truly felt like I could connect to and see myself in. Since then, I have read all of TJR's most recent releases- Daisy Jones & the Six, Malibu Rising, and Carrie Soto is Back and I have loved all of them. 

Considering all of this, I wanted to begin reading TJR's older works and began with her first published romance novel, Forever, Interrupted. For being her first published book, this book held so much raw emotion and commentary on the human experience of grief. I knew that TJR would write a wonderful contemporary romance, but this captured not only the grief that is felt by those immediately related to the passing of someone, but the ripple affect that it has on all of those around. She also captured the love that can be found in times of grief and how you can lean on the community to lift you up.

I can't wait to read more of TJR's earlier works! 

Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A short but memorable read! Taylor Jenkins Reid has a way of conveying rich relationships no matter the length or format. I liked reading about the characters marriages, struggles, and friendship built through the letters. 

The Ex by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

3.0

I read this book right after finishing, Never Lie, which was my first Freida McFadden read. Although I thought this one was good, I was not as captured as I was in Never Lie. An interesting story and I liked how it kept you guessing but I was finding myself not as desperately wanting to figure out what was happening.

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

This was my first read of Freida McFadden's extensive books. If you are looking for a quick and captivating read, I would highly recommend this one. Although the writing was not the best, the story was twisty and turny, and kept me engaged. I read a lot of thrillers, so often I am able to predict what may happen at the end, but this one kept me on my feet.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny reflective 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

Omg I cannot believe this is the first Abby Jimenez book I’ve read. This is possibly my favorite romance novel I’ve read and loved the multidimensional characters she wrote. There’s substance to this romance and the characters are mature and reflective. I also loved the Minnesota connections, it made reading it that much more enjoyable. Absolutely adored this book and would recommend it to anyone. 

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

This book is unlike any thriller I have read recently and made me really excited to read some more. I have had trouble with newer thrillers and the repetitive tropes but with this book being more of a psychological thriller, there was more mystery and shock value. 

While reading, I could tell the author typically writes romance because of the writing style but it was refreshing to have characters with more depth and description that is often left out in the thriller genre. 

I also loved how this book specifically calls out gentrification, racism, and the prison for profit industry as I have never read any of these topics in thrillers- more typically in literary fiction. 

Definitely a book I would recommend to anyone who wants a mysterious and quick read. I’ll be thinking about this one for awhile. 

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.75

This book was a tough one. I have been reading historical fiction all summer and loving it. I have learned a lot more about topics I was not taught in school like the Vietnam War and the AIDS Epidemic. I was hoping this book would be like my past reads of the year that pull you in, but unfortunately this one was  slow and almost too “literary,” if that is possible. 

I felt there was too much time spent on little details instead of progressing the story. There were many characters introduced but you never got a good feel for who they are even with all of the details given. I wanted to like this book and I felt I learned a lot which is why I gave it a 3.75 but it is not one I recommend  if you’re looking for an enthralling historical fiction novel.