eatingwords's reviews
910 reviews

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.25

a cutesy story with a lot of tropes (enemies to lovers, age gap, workplace romance, fake dating..have I forgotten one?), a misogynistic boss, a FMC who cannot stand up for herself and is still stuck in the grieving process of losing her father, and let's not forget the MMC who has a masters degree and nice forearms. 

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

so charming, so cheesy and so full of puns. I highly enjoyed myself and loved the artwork!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

the first time I read this, I was still in school. now I'm almost in my mid-thirties.
and this book just holds up.

the nostalgia factor was on point. the story is as great and as cruel and as interesting as 15 years ago.
and definitely more relevant than ever.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

this is one of those books that have a hold on you and that you think about for a long time.

what does it mean to be human?
how does a person develop if there are no societal norms and no men around?

definitely a must-read!
I will have to buy a physical copy and annotate the sh*t out of it and re-read it and be as dumbfounded as I was the first time reading this masterpiece.

The Play by Elle Kennedy

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

after reading about Hunter in the first two books I was intrigued to get his POV and I was not disappointed.
I loved the whole Pablo Eggscobar side story, Hunter as a team captain, Hunter as a great friend.

but after thinking about it, Demi was kind of meh.
she seemed like a strong character on one hand, but on the other hand she lets her boyfriend of forever walk all over her.
she was smart and whitty and she and Hunter had great banter, but I did get the feeling of a pick-me/'not like other girls'-girl.

I could not stop reading once I picked it up. There were so many funny scenes, quite a few scenes that made me giggle and some that made me want to strangle Demi for being so naive.

a lot of fun and just what I needed as a pick-me-up.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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 was such a calming and cozy read.
every one of the stories made me cry at one or another point.
I really felt for the characters as they went back in time to understand their present.

this was very different from other novels I've read.
the language was kept simple and easy to read (could have been due to translation?), but that's what made the stories themselves stand out.
I felt as though I was a bystander, sitting in that inconspicuous little café, sipping my coffee and listening to the characters' stories.

I didn't expect to get so emotionally invested in all of these characters and am eager to continue with the next book in the series when I need something soothing to read.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

the audiobook was amazing!
the mystery and thrill were too intense to stop listening. I lived and breathed this story for two days.

the plot developed differently than I thought I would and I was pleasantly surprised to have been led to false conclusions. I was on my toes all the time!

but as with her other standalone novel Five Survive, everything was resolved too neatly. every puzzle piece fell just into the right place and that irked me somewhat.
I probably would've liked it more if it was marketed towards adults rather than teenagers.

overall a highly addictive and enjoyable audiobook with some flaws here and there.

Big Bad by Chandler Baker

fast-paced

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

3.5

the tension was high throughout the story.  very creepy.

Kim Jiyoung, geboren 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

the rage I felt while reading this story was probably not enough.
the misogyny made me so mad, I lost count how often I was shaking an angry fist at the patriarchy.

I loved that the story was interspersed with factual information and that made me even angrier.
this situation that the everyday woman finds herself in is not only typical for South Korea, but can be applied to almost any westernized country.

it is a very important book that should be obligatory reading.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism

The Billionaire's Wake-Up-Call Girl by Annika Martin

emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

2.0

this felt very quickly very cringe-y and the only ray of hope was Lizzie's roommate Mia who was a cross stitcher.
I think I will DNF this series. not worth it for me.