elissapoletti's reviews
189 reviews

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey

lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.0

My Killer Vacation - 2/5 stars.
Oof, guys this was rough. This will be the last Tessa Bailey book I read, I gave it a good go, but I can’t do it anymore. I ground my teeth through the last 100 pages and very much skim read the last couple of chapters.
Not only are these relationships problematic, the writing is at best mediocre. Trashy books get trashy reviews I’m afraid. My favourite things about Tessa Bailey books are their bright and colourful covers but that’s about as far as the love goes.
This one follows a 26 year old primary teacher who goes on holiday, only to find a dead body in her holiday rental and that a 34 year old rough and tough, ex cop, bounty hunter has been sent to investigate it. The trope? She’s sunshine, he’s all manners of grumpy. She wants to get away from her stereotypical dating type of suit and tie, wants to settle down, family man, and try the polar opposite. Of course, he fits the bill. I’m sure you can work the rest out on your own. Nothing about this relationship is realistic, and if you picked it up thinking you might be in for an entertaining murder mystery, you can put it back on the shelf.
I don’t have much more to say, the 2 stars are really for the lovely colourful cover. I really hate giving negative reviews but I want to keep them honest. 

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

dark mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

Carrie by Stephen King

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

challenging mysterious reflective 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? No

4.0

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

fast-paced

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

2.5

Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score

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

3.5