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dmackreads's reviews
111 reviews
The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Um wow. This book was seriously an emotional roller coaster and I bawled my eyes out in the last couple chapters.
Why are we not making it mandatory for there to be trigger warnings on these books tho??? Like I get the element of surprise but there’s so many topics that are serious triggers for people.
Anyways. It took a bit for me to get into it because I thought a few things were weird but overall it was a very great book. So so emotional and I did not expect a lot of the turns in this book. I got attached to the kids especially and it broke my heart.
Coming from a mom and a sister, just wow. Be prepared to cry.
Why are we not making it mandatory for there to be trigger warnings on these books tho??? Like I get the element of surprise but there’s so many topics that are serious triggers for people.
Anyways. It took a bit for me to get into it because I thought a few things were weird but overall it was a very great book. So so emotional and I did not expect a lot of the turns in this book. I got attached to the kids especially and it broke my heart.
Coming from a mom and a sister, just wow. Be prepared to cry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
I liked the book, the characters were easy to follow and grow an attachment to (some of them anyways).
I was expecting there to be some kind of plot twist, there wasn’t. Exactly what you expect is happening, is happening. I also don’t agree with so many choices in this book so that made it kind of hard to read too.
I didn’t like the writing style, it felt slow paced to me and also didn’t need to be this long. In the paperback version there’s only 336 pages but it felt almost double because the margins and font were so small.
I was expecting there to be some kind of plot twist, there wasn’t. Exactly what you expect is happening, is happening. I also don’t agree with so many choices in this book so that made it kind of hard to read too.
I didn’t like the writing style, it felt slow paced to me and also didn’t need to be this long. In the paperback version there’s only 336 pages but it felt almost double because the margins and font were so small.
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I UGLY CRIED.
It’s a tiny bit cheesy / cringy in a couple spots. But it made me feel. I smiled, actually laughed, and cried so hard. At first I was like “typical man getting his heart broke once in his teens and then hating relationships forever” but… I get it. I don’t, but I can understand and empathize. I loved this book.
It’s a tiny bit cheesy / cringy in a couple spots. But it made me feel. I smiled, actually laughed, and cried so hard. At first I was like “typical man getting his heart broke once in his teens and then hating relationships forever” but… I get it. I don’t, but I can understand and empathize. I loved this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Car accident
The Playground by Jane Shemilt
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
This follows 6 characters and all their children, 6 total children. It’s written from each of their perspectives and it’s written in third person. 12 main characters is way too much for me, plus one of them has a nickname “Melly” for Melissa, the dog has a human name like Noah. It’s very hard to follow and the writing style does not work for me at all. I think if it had been written differently I could follow it but it’s a mess. I could not finish.
A Light in the Forest by Melissa Payne
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This is one of those books where everything comes full circle, comes together, and just makes sense. Other than being written in 3rd person, I absolutely loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Pregnancy
Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I almost rated this a 3 star because I’ve been in an adrenaline rush lately when it comes to books, stuff that really gets my heart rate going whether it’s fantasy or romance or thriller/mystery.
BUT.
When I separated what I’m used to from what this book is, I really appreciate it. It IS a “light” read but it’s perfect. It’s real and wholesome and I really did connect with the characters. It gave me the similar feeling that Gilmore Girls and The Good Witch do. There were so many lines that stuck out to me and although I could feel my attention waning periodically (it’s a personal thing) I really enjoyed this book.
Grief is a brutal experience. People are having identity crises and reinventing themselves every day. Along with finding friendship in unexpected places and happiness when you didn’t think you could. Relationship and family problems.It’s relatable.
Idk maybe it’s just me but it gives a warm and cozy feeling.
BUT.
When I separated what I’m used to from what this book is, I really appreciate it. It IS a “light” read but it’s perfect. It’s real and wholesome and I really did connect with the characters. It gave me the similar feeling that Gilmore Girls and The Good Witch do. There were so many lines that stuck out to me and although I could feel my attention waning periodically (it’s a personal thing) I really enjoyed this book.
Grief is a brutal experience. People are having identity crises and reinventing themselves every day. Along with finding friendship in unexpected places and happiness when you didn’t think you could. Relationship and family problems.It’s relatable.
Idk maybe it’s just me but it gives a warm and cozy feeling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief
A Dirty Business by Tijan
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
I really wanted to love this book and there were a lot of components I did love but others not so much. I’m not sure how to describe this writing style, not quite choppy/blunt but not full on descriptive sentences either. So that was kind of hard for me to read.
I also got way more attached to secondary characters than the main characters. I’m all for a “lust at first sight” but there was something about the connection between the main characters in this book that didn’t flow for me. I didn’t care for them or attach to them.
Overall quite a few twists I wasn’t expecting and basically every character is fucked in the head. Made for a decent story.
Um… the ending??? Pertaining to two characters I do love?? Please, I could cry. Terrible terrible ending. I needed more or that to just not exist in general.
I also got way more attached to secondary characters than the main characters. I’m all for a “lust at first sight” but there was something about the connection between the main characters in this book that didn’t flow for me. I didn’t care for them or attach to them.
Overall quite a few twists I wasn’t expecting and basically every character is fucked in the head. Made for a decent story.
Um… the ending??? Pertaining to two characters I do love?? Please, I could cry. Terrible terrible ending. I needed more or that to just not exist in general.
The Fear by Natasha Preston
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
I prefer more descriptive imagery than this book offered so it did make the writing style seem semi blunt and a little hard to get into but this was super original compared to anything I’ve read and definitely had to know wtf was going on. I suspected multiple people as the killer throughout the book and, I was half right. That ending was ridiculous and also, talk about a cliff hanger? Wtf happened after that? Exactly what I was talking about as far writing style. I just overall needed more from this book.
The Truth about Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Writing was great for that high school reading level. I’ve noticed a lot of negative reviews simply due to disliking the characters of this book and that… was literally the point.
This is a very realistic book when it comes to what high school, bullying, hard home lives, and overall teenage years are like. High school was really fucking hard for me so this was triggering and it brought back so many memories. Not the good kind.
I really wish kids, or teenagers, were taught in more depth about the importance of bullying. I get schools say “bullying is not tolerated” and act like they do something to stop it but they really don’t. If anything half the teachers are just as fucking bad if not worse than the students bro. It’s a game and funny to make others feel terrible just because they have different interests, or less money, not very nice clothes. Or they are miserable themselves and project their own insecurities on others to feel better. And it leads to self harm, bad decisions, isolation, depression, and sometimes ending your own life.
Yes, I disliked a lot of characters in this book. But it’s truly represents the reality of high school. The book did it’s job.
This is a very realistic book when it comes to what high school, bullying, hard home lives, and overall teenage years are like. High school was really fucking hard for me so this was triggering and it brought back so many memories. Not the good kind.
I really wish kids, or teenagers, were taught in more depth about the importance of bullying. I get schools say “bullying is not tolerated” and act like they do something to stop it but they really don’t. If anything half the teachers are just as fucking bad if not worse than the students bro. It’s a game and funny to make others feel terrible just because they have different interests, or less money, not very nice clothes. Or they are miserable themselves and project their own insecurities on others to feel better. And it leads to self harm, bad decisions, isolation, depression, and sometimes ending your own life.
Yes, I disliked a lot of characters in this book. But it’s truly represents the reality of high school. The book did it’s job.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship