emmyrandomreport's reviews
304 reviews

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli

emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.5

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a fun book that also addressed hard issues. Mostly focused on mental illness and preventing suicide. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Lesbophobia

After the Bloom by Leslie Shimotakahara

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

It was a great idea but I had hoped for better execution. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.5

This is more like Big Little Lies set at a ballet company instead of a school. In the end, it lined up with BLL plot points. All the men are horrible there isn't one nice one. All of these men used the C-word like it was going out of fashion. 
It would have been better if it focused on more of the relationships between the women and been labeled literary fiction. It showed the complicated relationship between mother and daughter well. A sudden twist and a big bad did not need to exist to make this story shine.

I think people looking for a thriller will be disappointed and those looking for dance fiction a bit disappointed in the end. It is a good debut.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming and Abortion

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Terminal illness and Toxic relationship

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

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? Yes

4.5

A beautiful story with a diverse cast. The relationships were realistic and had a moral without beating you over the head. It is nice to have a book with friendly aliens. A mix of science fiction and pagan folklore that merges seamlessly.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, and Transphobia

Written In Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind by Sue Black

dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Very interesting information on the dark topic of investigating deaths using bones we leave behind. It did what it advertised it would do. I found the subject of bodies and bone intriguing. Black is extremely knowledgeable and speaks it down to a plain level of learning. Be aware of the content warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Sexual assault

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

Shows the hypothesis of the psychological effects of time travel. Would time travel cause issues or would existing issues would be heightened by time travel? It was interesting.

Court of Swans by Melanie Dickerson

adventurous emotional 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? No

2.75

A bit too preachy. Did not know it was Christian Fiction until I was halfway through.

Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.0

Bits of this story are unbelievable and strange. The bad guy was a shock because how would we know? Will have a moment of violence then we stop to have a conversation about relations. Just did not hit the mark.