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fangirljeanne's reviews
1182 reviews
In a Jam by Kate Canterbary
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
I am fast approaching full on Stan for Kate Canterbury.
CW: anti-fat comments (that are addressed), emotional abuse (from an ex), religious trauma, emotionally neglectful parent (not the leads), incarcerated parent (not the leads).
Can you call it a second chance Romance if it was a one-sided high school crush? I would argue that this book does a good job making the one friend is in love with the other who is oblivious version Friends to lovers not seem creepy. Namely because that dynamic is in the past and age appropriate, and is a source of a lot of the MMC’s conflict over his feelings for the heroine. That gives it a tasty enemies to lovers undertone to the Romance.
Both characters come to their relationship with baggage, and both get time and space to process it both on their own and as a couple. The supporting cast is great, as is the small town farming community setting. The farm isn’t just a background but practically a character of its own. A lot of ink is spilled explaining how it runs as well as details on the making and marketing of jams. Something that usually would bore me to tears in other novels but here I was intrigued and charmed by how into it Noah (the MMC) was.
Likewise I found Shay’s deep investment in being an educator and advocate for kids endearing. They felt like individuals rather than components in a trope. That lent a great deal of credibility to their developing relationships and made the conflicts standing in the way seem less contrived. I really worried how they were going to make it work.
The ATV scene nearly gave me a heartache. Rude!
This was a cozy and heartfelt Romance about two imperfect but genuinely good people finding love and family together.
Also the sex scenes are smoking hot and a little bit kinky. Highly recommend.
CW: anti-fat comments (that are addressed), emotional abuse (from an ex), religious trauma, emotionally neglectful parent (not the leads), incarcerated parent (not the leads).
Can you call it a second chance Romance if it was a one-sided high school crush? I would argue that this book does a good job making the one friend is in love with the other who is oblivious version Friends to lovers not seem creepy. Namely because that dynamic is in the past and age appropriate, and is a source of a lot of the MMC’s conflict over his feelings for the heroine. That gives it a tasty enemies to lovers undertone to the Romance.
Both characters come to their relationship with baggage, and both get time and space to process it both on their own and as a couple. The supporting cast is great, as is the small town farming community setting. The farm isn’t just a background but practically a character of its own. A lot of ink is spilled explaining how it runs as well as details on the making and marketing of jams. Something that usually would bore me to tears in other novels but here I was intrigued and charmed by how into it Noah (the MMC) was.
Likewise I found Shay’s deep investment in being an educator and advocate for kids endearing. They felt like individuals rather than components in a trope. That lent a great deal of credibility to their developing relationships and made the conflicts standing in the way seem less contrived. I really worried how they were going to make it work.
The ATV scene nearly gave me a heartache. Rude!
This was a cozy and heartfelt Romance about two imperfect but genuinely good people finding love and family together.
Also the sex scenes are smoking hot and a little bit kinky. Highly recommend.
The Billionaire's Wake-up-call Girl by Annika Martin
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
This would have been a four star, but it lost points for the perpetual anti-sex worker jokes and the heroine blaming an abused woman for her death. The pacing is all over the place, largely because the unnecessary manufactured conflict that draws out the story and left me bored.
It also suffers from the Not Like Other Girl in disguise. Where all but one of the other women in the story are antagonistic (jealous) or one dimensional background characters. The one other female character (friend, sister, mother, etc) is only slightly more developed but primarily exists as a confidant and cheerleader for the leading lady. That way it’s less obvious about the internalized misogyny, but it is definitely there.
The bright spots of this book are the banter between the two leads during the sexy wake up calls and their love scenes. They have great chemistry and are a fun twist on the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, where her sunshine is snarky but only with him. Which he likes a lot. Sadly, the romantic side of the developing relationship fizzles into a cliche “she fixes him by teaching him to feel” trope that left me bored.
I feel like the biggest letdown of this work, aside from the issues I’ve already mentioned, is that the author failed to explore the MMC’s very obvious degradation kink that makes the sexy scenes so electric. It’s as if she understood it worked, but either didn’t know or was reluctant to explore why. Which is a real shame, but not all that surprising given the rather vanilla branding of the series.
Oh well. I recommend it only for the sex scenes and the audiobook narration. Neva Nevarre and Jason Clarke gave great performances.
It also suffers from the Not Like Other Girl in disguise. Where all but one of the other women in the story are antagonistic (jealous) or one dimensional background characters. The one other female character (friend, sister, mother, etc) is only slightly more developed but primarily exists as a confidant and cheerleader for the leading lady. That way it’s less obvious about the internalized misogyny, but it is definitely there.
The bright spots of this book are the banter between the two leads during the sexy wake up calls and their love scenes. They have great chemistry and are a fun twist on the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, where her sunshine is snarky but only with him. Which he likes a lot. Sadly, the romantic side of the developing relationship fizzles into a cliche “she fixes him by teaching him to feel” trope that left me bored.
I feel like the biggest letdown of this work, aside from the issues I’ve already mentioned, is that the author failed to explore the MMC’s very obvious degradation kink that makes the sexy scenes so electric. It’s as if she understood it worked, but either didn’t know or was reluctant to explore why. Which is a real shame, but not all that surprising given the rather vanilla branding of the series.
Oh well. I recommend it only for the sex scenes and the audiobook narration. Neva Nevarre and Jason Clarke gave great performances.
Puck Me Secretly by Odette Stone
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.
The beginning was good, but the rest of it meanders into a convoluted mess. The writing could really use a good line edit. The FMC is needlessly incompetent to the point that it’s distracting and feels unrealistic. The Harry Potter references were the last straw.
Small Change by Roan Parrish
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
never thought I would swoon over a dude referencing the Care Bear Stare, but here we are.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
At First Spite by Olivia Dade
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Maeve Fly by CJ Leede
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
I don’t know what it says about me that I was sad that this didn’t have a happy ending, but it is what it is.
This is a great horror novel, beautifully grotesque and emotionally raw to an uncomfortable degree. It’s very much more lit fic than in tone and execution than horror or splatter punk, though it absolutely holds its own in both genres. The experience of being a woman, especially one who doesn’t fit the unattainable hypocrisy of socially acceptable feminine ideals, is a horrific mind-bending experience.
Maeve is not unique in her weird or messiness, take out the overt violence and this would be like many other women’s lit narrative about the trauma of living under patriarchy. But here, in the framing of a horror novel this narrative feels more authentic, more autonomous compared to the passive victimhood of a lot of white women’s navel gazing fiction, at least until the end. Maeve felt like she was going to give the cliche narrative of the weird girl, the creepy girl, the femme fatale a newer better ending. One where she embraces that aspects of herself that fear of society tells her to suppress and hate. While she escapes the typical fate of “fallen women” of literature, she is still punished for refusing to conform to society. That’s the only aspect of the story I disliked. It felt like a step back after so many subversive strides forward.
I get it, this is a horror novel. Heartbreak is an important aspect of that genre. But I would also argue that few things are quite as frightening to patriarchy as a villainous woman getting everything she wants including love and acceptance.
Highly recommended to fans of graphic horror and dark humor. If you love the movie May (2002) this book might be for you too.
This is a great horror novel, beautifully grotesque and emotionally raw to an uncomfortable degree. It’s very much more lit fic than in tone and execution than horror or splatter punk, though it absolutely holds its own in both genres. The experience of being a woman, especially one who doesn’t fit the unattainable hypocrisy of socially acceptable feminine ideals, is a horrific mind-bending experience.
Maeve is not unique in her weird or messiness, take out the overt violence and this would be like many other women’s lit narrative about the trauma of living under patriarchy. But here, in the framing of a horror novel this narrative feels more authentic, more autonomous compared to the passive victimhood of a lot of white women’s navel gazing fiction, at least until the end. Maeve felt like she was going to give the cliche narrative of the weird girl, the creepy girl, the femme fatale a newer better ending. One where she embraces that aspects of herself that fear of society tells her to suppress and hate. While she escapes the typical fate of “fallen women” of literature, she is still punished for refusing to conform to society. That’s the only aspect of the story I disliked. It felt like a step back after so many subversive strides forward.
I get it, this is a horror novel. Heartbreak is an important aspect of that genre. But I would also argue that few things are quite as frightening to patriarchy as a villainous woman getting everything she wants including love and acceptance.
Highly recommended to fans of graphic horror and dark humor. If you love the movie May (2002) this book might be for you too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Dirty Little Secret by Kendall Ryan
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
DNF
I enjoyed the writing and characters, but the anti-sex work slurs and sentiment is just so distracting. It’s so hypocritical considering the main characters are actively in sex work. But of course the story perpetuates misinformation about sex work that’s based more in classism and misogyny that actual fact. That’s a huge pet peeve of mine. Condemning sex work in a book about sex workers, that pins it’s entire “sexy scenario” on the titillating thrill of being a sex worker while looking down on sex work and sex workers.
I enjoyed the writing and characters, but the anti-sex work slurs and sentiment is just so distracting. It’s so hypocritical considering the main characters are actively in sex work. But of course the story perpetuates misinformation about sex work that’s based more in classism and misogyny that actual fact. That’s a huge pet peeve of mine. Condemning sex work in a book about sex workers, that pins it’s entire “sexy scenario” on the titillating thrill of being a sex worker while looking down on sex work and sex workers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
How to Date Your Dragon by Molly Harper
Did not finish book. Stopped at 80%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 80%.
DNF
I was really enjoying this book, despite the dragon shifter love interest being a cop (he felt more like a community protector than a tool of the state) then it had to go and make the shifters fucking Confederates. One of the calls the Civil War “The war of Northern aggression.” Seriously? You’d think that people who had to live in secret, under the thumb of powerful governing body that never had a say in creating wouldn’t side with enslavers.
So disappointing.
I was really enjoying this book, despite the dragon shifter love interest being a cop (he felt more like a community protector than a tool of the state) then it had to go and make the shifters fucking Confederates. One of the calls the Civil War “The war of Northern aggression.” Seriously? You’d think that people who had to live in secret, under the thumb of powerful governing body that never had a say in creating wouldn’t side with enslavers.
So disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Classism