femaletrouble401's reviews
147 reviews

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny relaxing 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

This is my second book to read by Allie Hazelwood, and I am really enjoying her writing style. She does a great job of staying away from a lot of the typical romance cliché that I personally get really bored with. Her characters feel authentic, their backgrounds seem believable, and their actions align with their motives. Overall very good writing, especially for contemporary romance. 

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

adventurous challenging dark funny sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Part of any issue that I have with this book is probably going to stem from the fact that I listened to it on audiobook as opposed to reading the physical copy. That being said, it was difficult for me to picture the events in the story, maybe it was because it was my first time hearing the story, or maybe it was, a challenging read for me. The beginning half was a little dull but the action picks up halfway through and I enjoyed the rest of it. 

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

emotional hopeful 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

3.0

A perfectly simple love story about a woman who gets expiration dates for her boyfriends. Will she stick to date or make her own choices? Honestly a little boring for me, but I did enjoy the occasional musings by the author about LA, Hollywood, love, and comedy. 

Then Everything Happens at Once by M-E Girard

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

1.0

It isn’t often I come across a MC that I can’t stand. And Baylee Kunkel is one of them. She was a true menace and showed zero respect to anyone throughout the entire story. The first 3rd of the book feels you in, then Covid hits, and all hell breaks loose. The MC spends the rest of the books lying, cheating, sneaking out, and knowingly exposing her disabled sister to Covid. I was shocked that the author gave her such a happy ending. It truly felt like she didn’t deserve it. 

The Battle for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective 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

A satisfying end to a rip-roaring epic trilogy. I have very few complaints, and would highly recommend this series to everyone. 

Bondslave by Georgia Fox

challenging dark fast-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? No

3.0

Okay, most people seem to hate this story from what I’ve read. But! I would like to point out that while the plot isn’t necessarily my favorite there are some great examples of talented writing (esp. w/in the romance genre). It’s worth a try? 

From the Rocking Chair: A collection of motherhood poetry and prose by Jessica Driscoll

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Beautiful. 

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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

Delightful 

A Hero for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful tense fast-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? No

4.0

Maybe in order to make the book more succinct the author chooses to jump forward in the timeline occasionally. Most of the time it works, but there were sometimes I felt like I was getting missing information or I wasn’t receiving the whole story. There were also times I wanted more details about what was going on and how the characters were feeling. But I also think that maybe this was done because it is just a children’s book ultimately at the end of the day. And not young adult it’s specifically targeted for a junior audience. With that being said, I love these books. I plan to finish the trilogy and I can’t wait to see how Eva evolves and changes. 

Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.

Hard to get into for some reason. I will try again another time.