daisiescaroline's reviews
57 reviews

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I went into reading this with minimal expectations, I’ve avoided reading it for ages but decided to finally give in because it had to be done at one point. 
It was *alright*.
Don’t get me wrong, it was an easy read and well structured but overall I was just really underwhelmed with it all and felt it was all too predictable and a bit textbook. Obviously I understand that the issues discussed can’t exactly be dressed up with glitter and pearls but I don’t even think they were taken deeply enough and she romanticised them to fuck.
Coming back to this review I definitely didn’t go hard enough and I was so mannered in my criticisms. It’s just bizarre to me that Colleen Hoover refuses to add any warnings to the novel while claiming it to be for awareness. She’s created a culture of teenage readers who feel sympathy for an abuser who is a textbook manipulator which is simply beyond stupid.
Glad I read it and just got it out of my system.
No cats which just kind of added to the meh.

Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher

emotional hopeful 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

4.0

This author knows her demographic to a tee. I didn’t really think I’d like this more than The Fine Print but I just fell in love with it. I enjoyed that there was less back and forth in the relationship and it was a good progression with good payoff. 
I loved the build and the characters and the stupid romantic gestures because I’m a massive sucker for it, it was just a really solid love story that makes you smile. 
The only thing that pushed me away from it was that I was just left wanting more, it just felt a little bit hollow when the initial realisation came which was sad.
No cats but a very large dog which was alright.

Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous

dark funny reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

I was really using this book as a quick filler read to separate longer books and to give myself a genre break but I was so surprised how much I enjoyed it.
It went at a constant pace and I just liked reading a book where I didn’t like the characters. I was rooting for Aisling, I wanted her to humiliate the narrator and I enjoyed it happening.
Honestly I’m really happy I picked it up and I’m even more happy I made a point to read it.
There weren’t any cats rip.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I’m really glad I read this book. It took be a bit to get into because I had no context or idea what it was about when I started reading, but I ended up really enjoying and appreciating it.
I loved the narration and how the story progressed, the reader ends up in exactly the same place as the town; trying to piece together the Lisbon girls and understand them.
There were no cats.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I loved this book so much.
From the beginning I knew I’d adore it because of how much I relate to being a hopeless romantic knowing that actual romcom romances don’t really happen. 
This is definitely a selfish star rating because there are definitely tonnes of books that are objectively better but this just made me smile and read. 
I only wish there had been a little more of the final relationship included because I wanted to see it and enjoy it.
Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop, it was too easy to fall into the romance and the warmth of it all and I hate how much I relate to it all, it’s borderline painful.
There weren’t any cats in it but I could care less, I am in love.

The Fine Print by Lauren Asher

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Okay so this took me a while to fully get into but I’m so happy I stuck it out. 
I’m such a sucker for the happy girl and grumpy boy trope so this just made me melt at the best of times, there were so many little warm moments that just made me smile. 
About halfway in I couldn’t stop reading, I just wanted more and the only way I could get it was to keep reading obvs. I’m just a bit bitter that it took that long to make me fall into it. 
It was such a classic kind of love story and had the key love moments that make a romance.
My main issue comes with the cliches that were written in some of the characters, they felt very formulaic at times which just kind of ruined them for me when I was so ready to love them.
There weren’t any cats :((

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

dark informative mysterious tense 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

I was so nervous about this book because I felt let down by the second book in the series BUT I wasn’t disappointed this time around.
It picked up at a great point and went into Pip’s trauma really well even if it was a little cliche. The first part of the book was really well done, even if the mystery was decently easy to solve but I can live with that because the second part was done immaculately. 
A full circle to the first book in so many ways and without spoiling too much, I can say that it’s class. 
The ending just fit so well and made so much sense without being too much or too little.
Slight mention of cats but not enough to make a difference to the rating.

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I was really enjoying this book until about page 350, it went downhill so fast. 
It had an amazing beginning and middle, it picked up well from the first book and didn’t feel rushed at all. The mystery was really open ended and the switch to the podcast layout made it just similar enough to the first book but different. It was such a good story with the way it progressed and some lines were just chilling, I was enjoying it more than the first one.
Then it all went to shit.
It wasn’t necessarily a BAD ending but it just felt like a cop out ending where someone had to be blamed and there had to be a reason for it. Even if the *twist* had been given a bit of time earlier, it wouldn’t have been so jarring and disappointing to read. It took away all your own thoughts and theories because how are you meant to know about a fake event in a book that wasn’t ever mentioned? 
Overall it was decent, lost major points for the ending though and there were zero cats.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

This was just so romantic in so many senses. The idea of going to different points in time without being able to change any outcomes, only see people again and have a conversation is so soothing to me. 
I loved how the stories were just long enough to develop but not too long that they dragged while also linking into eachother but not in a forced way. It’s written in such a way that just flows so easily through your mind and is easy to just fall into and fly through in a couple of hours. 
There weren’t any cats but there was one on the cover which was lovely 

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

I was not expecting to like this as much as I did but wow.
The writing style takes a little bit of getting used to but once I was into the rhythm of it, it just kind of flowed like a train of thought and was really easy to get through. 
This is one of the only books I’ve read recently where I feel the characters are actually realistic and believable, the way that all the relationships play out has such a familiar air to it with my own relationships and it makes it so hypnotic to read. Even when I didn’t agree with what the characters did, it felt so realistic and unforced like it wasn’t a deliberate plot point.
Honestly I cannot fault this book, I could barely put it down and I will definitely pick it up again. (Cat or no cat, this book is perfect)