dramagirl2003's reviews
259 reviews

Stars May Burn by Alice Ivinya

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i was both impressed and angry at the ending, and i loved that the FMC and i share a name. the plot was unique, there’s tension, there’s secrets, there’s badass warriors, male and female. totally recommend, but the ending will make you want to murder the author in her sleep

thoughts while reading

Readers beware: This book ends in a cliff-hanger. If this might make you want to murder the author in her sleep, you may wish to wait until you also have Stars May Fall. You have been warned.
appreciate the warning, i will use this preparation time wisely 🔪

p32: oh kasten what a gentleman you are
p43: are we sure this tonic helps with fertility and isn’t harming it?

“I’m Callum, the general’s official pain-in-the-backside. I’ve spent half my life being dragged behind him from one near-death experience to the next.”

p75: i’m beginning to suspect a The Starlit Prince type situation. did his arrow injury curse him somehow?

“Are you hurt, Sophie?”
I licked my lips and tried to slow down my breathing. In. Out. In. Out.
"Did he touch you?" My husband's voice
was firmer and more insistent now.

It was like he really knew me—I just hadn’t realised it. And not just known me but accepted this part of me I’d always felt the need to keep hidden.

p181: ah of course this is what the yadum blades are really for
p189: he’s gonna survive and we’ll get an wound-tending scene 🥰
p191: nope you should’ve kept the dagger in

I wanted to see her again. I wanted to live for her. I’d never wanted to live for anything before.

p244: this was a bad plan, could’ve just barricaded yourself in your room or hidden in the garden
p263: kasten is gonna have to fight for his life to keep his hands off you

I considered throwing him out the window. 

p307: reminiscent of the founder’s day dance in The Vampire Diaries
p336: no kasten! not really! think back to your last conversation

“If you always assume I’m weak, I’ll never have the chance to grow strong.”

p340: prediction: soph gets angry that kasten doesn’t trust her to stand up to her own brother, and kasten hopefully shares his true feelings for her

“You are so perfect. Somebody like me shouldn’t even touch you.”

p361: i told you! 💔
p384: i swear if this is a trap…
p403: yep, this is definitely gonna end in a cliffhanger 🔪🛌 
p430: my author murder plan will be flawless
Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

this was just as good as BTTM, if not better! i liked the university setting, which is unusual in YA books. i am a total lynn painter fan now, there’s just something about the way she writes. next up, Betting On You!
age rating — 15+

thoughts while reading

p2: the way my jaw just dropped!
wes’ dad dying
was the last thing i expected to happen! and they split up because of it?? surely the hope would be that would draw them closer together
p8: why, bennett? she was perfect for you and would’ve helped you through it. why would you push her away 💔
p15: spoiler alert, liz: you do know that guy
p17: ha! she’s gonna have to record wes
p49: dear God, you broke her wes
p51: anyone who knows the colour-coding of my (hypothetical) book annotations is my friend for life
p54: oh liz, not this again 😂
p57: yeah the line between hate and love is very thin
p64: 😧 you believed that? come on wes, this is exactly what y’all did two years ago
p68: you sound just like my brother. we are not in your business, we’re actually interested in your life, unlike you. quite frankly we’re probably keeping you alive too
p71: SEE that was a FANTASTIC suggestion! another reason why we “get in your business.” you can’t be trusted to make good decisions. at the very least, you owe liz a tremendous apology for pushing her away
p72: yeah ok you might have a point actually
p99: i’d be pissed too, talking trauma is a decision only the person themselves can make, not a marketing strategy
p141: ashley had nothing to do with it girl
p148: oh wes you idiot 😭

I had zero interest in him, but objectively speaking, he looked like baseball perfection.
just you keep telling yourself that

It'd been better than the movies, I swear to God.

She was mine first.

p216: the way i just had to immediately flick back to the prologue to find out when this happened, but it’s not on-page
p219: they are exes
p274: clark
& sarah are totally into each other
so that’s definitely another reason for the fake-dating to stop
p275: lemon cake cameo 🍋
p276: good effort sarah, appreciate the support
p313: excuse me ☝🏻 hundreds of flowers??
p318: pressure washer?? i’m cackling 🤣
p320: GUYS. this is gonna be an uno reverse where
liz sees the damage and realises
🤭

"I just hope that guy learned his lesson before someone gets hurt."
"Y'know, I don't think he gives a shit, Lib, because everyone's already been hurt. He's got nothing to lose and everything he's always wanted to gain, so you should probably brace yourself."

p344: leo did what?? fed the raccoons?? 🦝
p349: the fact that wes
found liz’s costume instantly
🤙🏻

That kiss, God help me, had been the one that lets you know the characters are finally going to end up together.
kinda messing with the fourth wall here 😏

p375: this is where you pull the “guess where i’m taking you” card and do whatever she says
p398: cue “i love you, i’m sorry” by gracie adams
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Good Girls Die First by Kathryn Foxfield

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

personally i didn’t enjoy this book too much, (i needed to finish it for a reading challenge or i would have dnfed it) but subjectively speaking, it’s excellently written. the plot was suspenseful, the characters were mysterious, the antagonist was evil. fantastic thriller/horror

thoughts while reading

5%: it’s just like those tired retail workers memes
5%: ew
67%: this is incredibly demonic
82%: don’t tell me whispers is in ava
82%: nah i’m pretty sure if you tell someone to kill themselves and they do, it is in fact partly your fault
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Better than the Movies: Bonus Chapters by Lynn Painter

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

4.25

i loved the alternate pov for all these little scenes, and i adored the road trip! only thing i’m wondering, what happens in between now and Nothing Like the Movies?? everything was fine at the time end of the road trip
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Better Than the Prom by Lynn Painter

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emotional lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

i love reading these scenes from wes’ pov. the end scene continued further than it did in BTTM
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A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

the end was totally unexpected, left me thinking, “what actually just happened there…?” the biggest tragedy is having to wait for the next book 😭 the eastern asian-like setting was delightful! (please forgive me if i’m slightly geographically wrong)

thoughts while reading

p17: almost the same system as the vampire diaries
p43: knife to the throat, slay
p64: a new pov, also slay
p97: flick is becoming a danger to us all
p156: about 12 pints
p158: just like hook wrapping emma’s bandage with his teeth in Once Upon a Time
p173: WHO? i can’t remember
p178: they employ 9yr olds? this really is an oliver twist retelling
p232: intriguing. and
penn arundel
is the who in question
p258: oh dear, they’re probably part of the scientists
p284: that boy is really attracted to her
p287: is arthie a…vampire?
p290: yeah don’t know why i didn’t click onto that earlier, there was plenty of foreshadowing
p296: i swear this is one of the hottest things i’ve read in forever and it’s not even explicit
p298: right, what i don’t get though is how the coconut water actually helps
p301: does jin know?
p320: laith definitely isn’t
the ram
right?
p321: wow did arthie plan this? she must have known something
p335: HUH?
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Nothing Better Than You by Lynn Painter

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lighthearted fast-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? No

4.0

wes is so real for his reactions. his perspective changes everything about that scene from BTTM, i had no idea alex was only speaking to him cause she knows about the deal
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Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

i’m excited to have finally read a lynn painter book! it was amazing 🫶🏻

thoughts while reading

p10: i can see how the thing-i’m-not-meant-to-know happens if liz has that attitude ingrained
p20: aha there he is! i couldn’t remember the name of the other boy in this triangle
p31: love the way liz always tells us what song she’s listening to so we can play it 🎧
p44: oh my heart 🥺 i can’t believe she goes there every day
p72: *coughs* one of you is
p74: two reasons.
  1. fake dating never works and you always fall for each other
  2. any decent person would back the hell off from anyone in a relationship
p75: pretend? ha! if you say so buddy
p85: sure you’re not falling for him girl
p86: liz just be honest about how it makes you feel. if joss can’t understand or learn to accept that then you need to rethink this friendship
p127: no offence but michael is seeming less like a good choice for liz with every interaction

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take my romance novel home and read it in a steamy bubble bath."

p156: come on lib, just tell them how you feel
p159: oh yes, such a crime to go outside your own house that you must sneak out and not simply ✨walk out✨
p178: helena is my kinda woman

I think the universe likes Wes better.
same girl

p187: thank you lynn painter for acknowledging that red clothes and ginger hair don’t mix, many people don’t
p188: based on one of the cover graphics, i speculate that she’ll go to the prom in a floral dress anyway
p212: AHH the moment we’ve been waiting for!
p214: NO! he does love you, he’s just trying to guard his heart
p222: yes! run! go get your guy
p234: is she putting a BURGER in the microwave??
p249: GIRL he thinks you’re the one forgetting about him

"She's not you."
"What?"
"She. Isn't. You."
🤭💗

"A girl will never forget the first boy
she likes."
— He's Just Not That into You

"But she'll also never forget the first boy she hates.
— Liz Buxbaum
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Better than Before by Lynn Painter

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

it’s cute. i didn’t realise it was a prequel to Betting On You as well, so i’ll have to read that too after i’ve finished this series
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Trapped by Magic by Nicki Chapelway

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

4.75

i thought it was great 🪄
my only complaint is missing commas in a couple of places where it would’ve made the sentence easier to read, and that it wasn’t any longer! i was invested in their story and would love to know what happens next

thoughts while reading

Perhaps it is my father's teachings, but power is something that should be sought by few and attained by even fewer.
After all, if everyone is equally powerful then no one is powerful. What is power if not an edge over your enemy?

p39: that’s when wilder will appear
p41: see, i could’ve wrote this book
p64: totally crushing on bronwyn

My life has never been normal by any stretch of the imagination, but I think that kissing Wilder is perhaps the most surprising thing that I have ever experienced.
And I walked in on my father murdering one of his business associates when I was eight.

No more kissing in private?
Well, that's not so bad. It just means that I have to kiss her in public.

p93: my heart just died,
the fourth guest is gonna be wilder’s dad

p123: he said was, she’s probably dead
p129: ironically,
bronwyn is gonna end up a vampire
at some point anyway
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