fangirljeanne's reviews
1182 reviews

Mythos by Stephen Fry

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funny informative lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

All's Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath

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funny hopeful lighthearted 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

Bound & Tide by A.K. Caggiano

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funny hopeful 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

4.0

Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday

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funny hopeful lighthearted 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

5.0

A Rivalry of Hearts by Tessonja Odette

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

4.0

Rivals to lovers. Human/Fae authors on a book tour Romance. I would say this is a sexy cousin of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries. I do mean sexy. There are several well written sex scenes as well as a slow burn romance. Highly recommend.
His pretty little burden by Nicci Harris

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
I could handle the “accents” the white narrator did for characters of colors. And the characters of color are the “evil” criminals verse the love interest who is a “moral” criminal. 

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The Haar by David Sodergren

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challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is my The Notebook. Dissolved penis and all. 

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Bound by Ravens by Jesikah Sundin

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
I'm uncomfortable with how the story deals with Travellers. 
The Daymakers by Grace McGinty

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 61%.
DNF 61%

CW: Intimate partner abuse (on the page), graphic description of assault, anti-sex worker slurs and rhetoric (despite the FMC being essentially a sex worker), internalized ableism, ableist slurs. 

So, this is very obviously Sleep Token fan fiction. Which isn’t a bad thing, at all. It’s part of had me interested in reading it. Sadly, its handling of disability and sex work is so sloppy and hypocritical that it ruins any potential promised by the premise.

The FMC has volunteered to be available for sex with the band members while they’re on tour. That is sex work. While she talks a good game about it being her choice and there’s nothing wrong with her doing this very specific kind of sex work, she and all the other characters constantly disparage other sex workers. Even making comparisons between her situation and other sex workers (using slurs to refer to them). 

She’s not like other sex workers. *eye roll*

It’s clear that she’s the exception, especially because the men she’s haired to sleep with are all hot and fall in love with her almost upon first sight. I don’t have an issue with people living out their sex worker fantasy via fiction, but they better show some damn respect for the profession and people who do that work. 

One of the members of the band is an amputee. There’s a lot of dialogue around how he struggles with other people’s negative reactions to his prosthetic and of course the FMC has no problem with it (unlike other girls *epic eye roll*). While this would indicate some thought was put into this representation several of the characters repeatedly use ableist language when talking about the disabled character. It’s so sloppy I was cringing.

The plot is paper thin, which isn’t necessarily something I’d complain about when it comes to this kind of fantasy fulfillment story, I’ll forgive a lot if the sex scenes are good. These were serviceable at best.

I also have a personal issue with how polyamory/open relationship dynamics were depicted. Two of the men are in a long term sexual and emotional relationship with each other that “never seemed to quite work until (the FMC) came along.” The characters say out loud that she makes them complete. That was the last straw for me.

I don’t doubt that there polyamorous folks that have felt this way, but when we’re talking about fiction where there are no other explicitly queer characters making a relationship between two men only work once a woman is involved feels homophobic as hell.

Just ew.
Enemies With Benefits by Roxie Noir

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
DNF 50%

CW: anti-sex worker slurs, classism, former bullying, cancer (referenced), death of a parent (mentioned).

The writing was strong and the relationship dynamic was intriguing, but I couldn’t get past the FMC’s internalized classism. While I can relate to the struggle with having been “trailer trash,” it’s more suited to a younger (teen, college student) character. It’s also never really challenged. If anything it’s supported by the heavy emphasis on the lead characters’ higher education and the “redneck” neighbors being used for comic relief. It feels like the FMC’s “poverty” (honestly, owning the trailer outright is a privilege) exists to show the MMC’s a “good guy” because he doesn’t care.

This could be completely removed from the story and have no real impact on the characters or their relationship, much less the plot which is paper thin.

Meh.