ellieschaben's reviews
621 reviews

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams

emotional hopeful reflective tense 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

4.5

This was a great time! Denise is a local author for me (woohoo Iowa shoutouts in the book) and my coworker (ISU is a big campus. I’m heading to her chat with Ali Hazelwood in March and wanted to read some of her books beforehand, and I’m sad I didn’t start earlier. If this is just a taste, I am LOVING and can’t wait to read the next ones. 

This started off as such a light romance and had you wondering what was going to happen at the end! I disliked the third act breakup but loved the makeup. Both the MCs’ growth throughout the book was phenomenal, and it felt like these characters were people I pass by on the street. They were so relatable! Overall, a cute love story with wonderful character development!

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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

4.25

This one is a LOT to digest. 

While the main story revolves around kidnapping, this chronicle follows many of the people affected afterwards, the trauma that remains, and the shockwaves that reverberate into a community. 

It took a hot minute for me to get into this. It reads a little awkwardly in the beginning. But once you’re about halfway and you’re seeing that the story isn’t finished being told, I was so invested. I believed that Grace truly was real the whole time and the relief I had when it wasn’t all in Patch’s mind. Patch is such an odd character to cheer on - he is so morally ambiguous and truly was dealt a terrible hand in life. He manages to do so much good while making some bad decisions. Saint is so multidimensional, and I loved her story the most. 

Overall, I will be thinking about this one for a while.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

The Walker sisters (and brother) and Rome, KY have my heart! I can’t wait for Madison’s story to come out. 

Emily’s story is definitely the one I resonate with the most. She is a worrier for those she loves, a caretaker when they’re down, the rock in times of needs and she’s one of the last to find love, and she is OKAY with that. She’s a teacher, an author and falls in love with a charming teacher/author. The enemies-to-lovers is an underlying “we’ve been in love for a long time before this”, which isn’t true enemies-to-lovers but makes so much sense in a small town. Ducky is also the cutest addition to this series. I loved every bit of this!

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

It did kill me that Annie could not tell her family ANYTHING, but I did love getting to know her so much better and why she felt that way. 

I am obsessed with Will and his tattoos. Wow the trauma but that man is a dream. 

I don’t think I’d love Kentucky, but these books are making me a fan of Rome.

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

4.5

I loved this! Amelia’s relationship with Noah and his sisters, Noah’s relationship with his sisters and his grandma, the character growth! Perfect small town vibes and the last lines were perfect. Recommend for fans of Lovelight Farms - vibes are exactly the same!

The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

Thank you to Ace, You Yeong-Gwang, and Slin Jung for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is so reminiscent of The Midnight Library, even though I hate comparing. If this many people feel this way though, it’s almost too close of concepts. 

Things this book did well: 
* the immersive cultural elements - I do not know a lot about Korean culture. I loved the elements that are included! 
* Issha - his entire existence was such a light for me! I enjoyed his connection with the MC and made so many scenes wonderful
* the vibes - Rainbow Town = adorable, Rainfall Market = also adorable, all the little market vendors = very adorable, book cover = stunning, the vibes were immaculate

Things I didn’t love: 
* pacing - was a little slow to get into and the ending felt slow, even though there was a ton of action?
* the end action scene - felt unnecessary and dark, the vibes were so good throughout that I just couldn’t deal with the change-up
* character depth - I didn’t feel like we got to know any of the characters that well, and this was mainly focused on 1 MC 

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

hopeful informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.75

I didn’t even know who Ina Garten was before her memoir, but celebrity memoirs are a sweet spot for me. I did enjoy this while I listened. I think her struggles weren’t really outlined much. As many other readers have said, her childhood and early adulthood lasts 5 seconds in this novel. I did enjoy her travel stories a lot. While she name drops a lot towards the end, I do think it’s interesting to hear about the interactions between celebrities. 

Flirting With Disaster by Naina Kumar

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

Thank you to Dell and Naina Kumar for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a well done second chance romance! 

I thought Nikhil and Meena had great chemistry, and I rooted for them from the start! 

While it definitely had a miscommunication trope, I felt like it wasn’t the entire point of the couple’s problems - sometimes a quickie marriage in Vegas is hard to make last when you don’t know each other well enough! I loved seeing them fall back in love with each other. Sweet Home Alabama vibes but Indian is so accurate for this one.

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense 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

4.75

A book that keeps you as engaged as the entire fourth wing series is an automatic 5 stars from me

I have so many questions for the ending. Can’t wait to read up on ALL the theories. 

I really liked the slower pace of this one. I felt like we hadn’t gotten that in Iron Flame or Fourth Wing. This felt like a quest, and it was so enjoyable getting to learn more about the land and its cultures and people. 

Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Having binge watched One Tree Hill in college, I never would have guessed that Joy was in a CULT. This book was SO interesting - to hear about the relationships she has with her coworkers and everything going on in her personal life. Joy narrates, and she has an engaging voice with an incredible story to go along with it. Everything that got her to Rosie was so challenging and crazy, but I’m glad that she has finally found her peace.