ellieschaben's reviews
623 reviews

Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Middle grade books are so hit and miss for me. I love Jason Reynolds and think this book does have an audience. Is it one I’ll recommend easily? No. Does it have a niche group of kids that will find this helpful? Absolutely!

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Mixed feelings. Almost DNFed but glad I stuck it out. Last bit was FUN. Ending was predictable, but that wasn’t the reason I disliked. 

I think the trial bit was too long? It felt monotonous. I liked after the trial though.

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This was a fun one! Leans YA, but great characters, plotting, liked the dual POV. The ending was satisfying, even if it wasn’t the perfect happy ever after. 

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

So heartwarming and a great follow up to the first! These children bring me so much joy, and David is the best addition. Arthur and Linus are just the best. Zoe and Helen are the power couple we all strive to be. 

I do agree there are times where the monologues are monologuing and unnecessary, but the overall sentiment in the book is still positive so 

A River of Golden Bones by A.K. Mulford

adventurous 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

5.0

I loved this! I was excited to read it every chance I got, and I can’t wait to follow it up with the next book in the series. 

Grae and Calla’s journey from friends to fighting to lovers made me love them so much. Galen den’ Mora made me want to join my own traveling musical troupe.

Definitely awaiting to see what’ll happen next!

Fumbled Into Love by Nicole Cubba

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

Thank you to Nicole Cubba for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! 

I loved this! One of the best sports romances I’ve read. Of course this is book 3, and now I get to work through the other ones in the series and I’m so excited! 

The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-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

3.75

I enjoyed this, I really did, but I zoned out for almost the entire thing.

Characters were great, plot was good, this had everything I like in a romance, but I could not pay attention. Definitely going to read another book by Tarah to figure out if it’s me

Love at First Set by Jennifer Dugan

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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

4.5

Yes, James and George and Stella and Cara all suck. Yes, Lizzie needs therapy. 
Yes, I still had a great time.

Sapphic love stories are one of my favorite genres to read! This was a fun one. While I didn’t think the epilogue scene was needed whatsoever, I did really enjoy this story.

This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Making my way through Ashley’s backlist 

This one was twisty! A bit hard to understand/navigate with accents and characters via audiobook, but I was intrigued the whole time. Didn’t quite know who did it, but also wasn’t super surprised as it had to be one of them.

Go as a River by Shelley Read

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This is a beautifully written but DEVASTATING book. I spent the entire time being so sad for Victoria and all the death and sadness she was surrounded by, all while taking care of the peach trees and her family’s legacy. I was scared for Will, and then I mourned his loss. I was sad for Ruby Alice, and then smiled a bit as she found comfort and companionship with Victoria. I was sad for Blue who had to lost his mother, gained a mother, and then felt so displaced. And poor Inga, who gained a son and then felt like she lost them both. I don’t know - I guess read this if you wanna be in a depressed mood cause I picked the wrong time of year.

Also Seth can go kick bricks.