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dobbsthedog's reviews
1729 reviews
French Exit by Patrick deWitt
1.0
CW: suicide (on page), attempted suicide, transphobia
This book was fucking terrible.
This book was fucking terrible.
Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale
4.0
Dammit, Allegreto has won me over.
While I find Kinsale’s books a bit on the plotty side for me, to point I have trouble following what’s going on, I did enjoy this one! The action climax at the end was fantastic, I loved it.
I didn’t entirely love all of the Catholicism at the end, but it was a fairly major plot point throughout the book, so I probably shouldn’t have been surprised.
This might be my fav Kinsale that I’ve read to date, so, of the 3 that I’ve read. 😆
While I find Kinsale’s books a bit on the plotty side for me, to point I have trouble following what’s going on, I did enjoy this one! The action climax at the end was fantastic, I loved it.
I didn’t entirely love all of the Catholicism at the end, but it was a fairly major plot point throughout the book, so I probably shouldn’t have been surprised.
This might be my fav Kinsale that I’ve read to date, so, of the 3 that I’ve read. 😆
Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas
4.0
I was thinking that I wanted to read some more histroms, as I haven't read many het histroms, and a friend suggested I try some Lisa Kleypas. This one was also a contender in Alexandra Vasti's Historical Romance Sex Scene Battle, so I decided to give it a go!
So, overall, I enjoyed this one! I wasn't sure about jumping into the middle of a series, but on the whole, I felt like it stood it's ground and I wasn't really missing anything from not having read the others in the series first. Though I am definitely going to go back and read the others in the series.
Phoebe (who is named after a North American bird, it actually specifies, so my little birder heart was so happy!) is a young widow with two small kids who meets West at a family wedding. West used to bully Phoebe's now-dead husband while they were at school together, and then went on to become quite the scoundrel. He's now reformed and is working managing the land for his family's estate. At the wedding Phoebe and West get to know each other, and the sparks start flying almost immediately. Truly, this is a fairly cookie-cutter romance, imo, but it's a very well done cookie-cutter romance. Very low angst (which I always appreciate), fairly low drama, everything is quite neatly wrapped up at the end. I don't always love single parent romances, but this one worked for me.
So, overall, I enjoyed this one! I wasn't sure about jumping into the middle of a series, but on the whole, I felt like it stood it's ground and I wasn't really missing anything from not having read the others in the series first. Though I am definitely going to go back and read the others in the series.
Phoebe (who is named after a North American bird, it actually specifies, so my little birder heart was so happy!) is a young widow with two small kids who meets West at a family wedding. West used to bully Phoebe's now-dead husband while they were at school together, and then went on to become quite the scoundrel. He's now reformed and is working managing the land for his family's estate. At the wedding Phoebe and West get to know each other, and the sparks start flying almost immediately. Truly, this is a fairly cookie-cutter romance, imo, but it's a very well done cookie-cutter romance. Very low angst (which I always appreciate), fairly low drama, everything is quite neatly wrapped up at the end. I don't always love single parent romances, but this one worked for me.
Just Like This by Cole McCade
3.0
I enjoyed this book, though not as much as I enjoyed the first in the series. I am not at all a fan of slow burn romance, and this one honestly felt like it was kind of dragging. Still liked it, it was just very slow…
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
4.0
I really enjoyed this! It was absolutely absurd and so typically John Scalzi and I loved everything about it!
But my favourite part, truly, were the unionized dolphins. Solidarity! ✊🏼
But my favourite part, truly, were the unionized dolphins. Solidarity! ✊🏼
Role Playing by Cathy Yardley
5.0
Strong 4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book! It’s great to read something with slightly older protagonists (Maggie is 48, Aidan is 50).
I think that one of the reasons I liked this so much is that it is so relatable! While I don’t play MMORPGs, I’m very familiar with them, and I think that any nerdy hobby could be substituted here. I also liked the message that online friends are real friends! It was quite funny when both Maggie and Aidan were making assumptions about the other’s age, but that they still became friends, even when thinking there was a massive age gap (Maggie assumed Aidan was 20 and Aidan assumed Maggie was in her 80s!). Also also, I like that “gamer” stereotypes were basically destroyed. It seems like folks typically think of gamers as being guys in their early twenties, living in their parents’ basement, etc. This book blew that apart by having gamers of all ages playing and including a woman. Loved it.
Something I thought the book did brilliantly was showing a lot of harmful stereotypes, toxic masculinity, and homophobia, and then just calling it out. There were several side characters who were quite awful (in their outdated/homophobic mindsets), and the two MCs just flat out told them they were wrong. While I don’t enjoy reading about homophobia or toxic masculinity, I thought it was done really well in this book; showing what it looks like and showing how it can be shut down.
Another thing I really appreciated was Aidan’s reactions when Maggie was legitimately afraid, when home alone or being in a new space as a single woman. That is SO real, and I love that it was addressed.
The more I write of this review the more I think I should be rating this 5 stars…
Anyway, I’m definitely going to check out some more of Cathy Yardley’s books after this!
I really enjoyed this book! It’s great to read something with slightly older protagonists (Maggie is 48, Aidan is 50).
I think that one of the reasons I liked this so much is that it is so relatable! While I don’t play MMORPGs, I’m very familiar with them, and I think that any nerdy hobby could be substituted here. I also liked the message that online friends are real friends! It was quite funny when both Maggie and Aidan were making assumptions about the other’s age, but that they still became friends, even when thinking there was a massive age gap (Maggie assumed Aidan was 20 and Aidan assumed Maggie was in her 80s!). Also also, I like that “gamer” stereotypes were basically destroyed. It seems like folks typically think of gamers as being guys in their early twenties, living in their parents’ basement, etc. This book blew that apart by having gamers of all ages playing and including a woman. Loved it.
Something I thought the book did brilliantly was showing a lot of harmful stereotypes, toxic masculinity, and homophobia, and then just calling it out. There were several side characters who were quite awful (in their outdated/homophobic mindsets), and the two MCs just flat out told them they were wrong. While I don’t enjoy reading about homophobia or toxic masculinity, I thought it was done really well in this book; showing what it looks like and showing how it can be shut down.
Another thing I really appreciated was Aidan’s reactions when Maggie was legitimately afraid, when home alone or being in a new space as a single woman. That is SO real, and I love that it was addressed.
The more I write of this review the more I think I should be rating this 5 stars…
Anyway, I’m definitely going to check out some more of Cathy Yardley’s books after this!
The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram
4.0
*Very, VERY mild spoilers ahead!*
ngl, I *almost* put this down as soon as I picked it up at realized it was a ‘theatre kids’ book. No offence to anyone who enjoys those stories, but as a 100% not theatre kid, I tend to not like these stories, at all. Thankfully I kept with it and really enjoyed it!
I really enjoy Adib Khorram’s writing and I was happy to see this, after I absolutely adored his last book (Kiss and Tell). While I found Jackson a bit annoying, he was also very much a teenager, unsure of himself and making some really dumb choices. I liked that by the end he was doing the work to get himself, and his relationship, to a better place. Also, love that he recognized (maybe with a bit of help) that therapy might help him work through some of the things that led to so many things blowing up.
I also appreciated that this was very much an HFN, as YA with an HEA just does not seem realistic at all. I also like that the book ended before there was even any real discussions of what a post-high school relationship would look like. When I read that in a book, it often comes across as the author trying to write an HEA when one is very unlikely. Always here for an HFN when it makes sense, and it absolutely did for this story.
ngl, I *almost* put this down as soon as I picked it up at realized it was a ‘theatre kids’ book. No offence to anyone who enjoys those stories, but as a 100% not theatre kid, I tend to not like these stories, at all. Thankfully I kept with it and really enjoyed it!
I really enjoy Adib Khorram’s writing and I was happy to see this, after I absolutely adored his last book (Kiss and Tell). While I found Jackson a bit annoying, he was also very much a teenager, unsure of himself and making some really dumb choices. I liked that by the end he was doing the work to get himself, and his relationship, to a better place. Also, love that he recognized (maybe with a bit of help) that therapy might help him work through some of the things that led to so many things blowing up.
I also appreciated that this was very much an HFN, as YA with an HEA just does not seem realistic at all. I also like that the book ended before there was even any real discussions of what a post-high school relationship would look like. When I read that in a book, it often comes across as the author trying to write an HEA when one is very unlikely. Always here for an HFN when it makes sense, and it absolutely did for this story.