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giulsfloris's reviews
73 reviews
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.
This book was slow, the protagonist Zetian was annoying, too arrogant and too focused on revenge.
I liked Shimin (male love interest) as a character, but I didn’t get to find out if I could like him more as the story went on because I decided to DNF the book.
I knew about the relationship that was supposed to happen and I couldn’t wait to read about it, but the story is too slow paced for me to continue reading.
This novel is supposed to be feminist and yet it felt like quite the opposite. The protagonist is a woman and she uses harmful sentences towards women that are already mistreated enough (she says things like “he died like a girl” just because she knows that this kind of sentences will make the patriarchal society very angry for comparing a man to a woman), she also never talked to another woman for more than a few seconds if I recall correctly. Therefore I’m not even sure this book passes the Bechdel test to be honest. It barely did in the first part of the story…
Soooo yeah, I was bored and eventually called it quits but I might try and read it again in the future.
I liked Shimin (male love interest) as a character, but I didn’t get to find out if I could like him more as the story went on because I decided to DNF the book.
I knew about the relationship that was supposed to happen and I couldn’t wait to read about it, but the story is too slow paced for me to continue reading.
This novel is supposed to be feminist and yet it felt like quite the opposite. The protagonist is a woman and she uses harmful sentences towards women that are already mistreated enough (she says things like “he died like a girl” just because she knows that this kind of sentences will make the patriarchal society very angry for comparing a man to a woman), she also never talked to another woman for more than a few seconds if I recall correctly. Therefore I’m not even sure this book passes the Bechdel test to be honest. It barely did in the first part of the story…
Soooo yeah, I was bored and eventually called it quits but I might try and read it again in the future.
Hottie on Her Shelf by Christi Barth
lighthearted
slow-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
3.25
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read an e-ARC copy of Hottie on Her Shelf! Every thought written in this review comes from my honest opinion.
This review may contain spoilers!!
I don’t really know how to explain it best, but to me it seemed like this book wanted to throw at me everything I was supposed to learn by reading between the lines. So many emotions weren’t as subtle or “hidden” as I usually like them to be, they popped up here and there, forcing me to instantly get to know the characters’ intentions instead of letting me discover them bit by bit.
Sometimes the sentences were a little pretentious but, thankfully, other times the language was really easy to comprehend. I like it when it’s simpler because I’m a non-native English speaker and it’s really nice when the writing style is fluid and enjoyable for those who don’t speak English as a first language, but at the same time the author used a bit too many refined expressions whenever Hallie and Fitz talked and that threw me off a little.
It seemed like Fitz always had to prove how educated and smart he was (to Hallie, to his parents…) but eventually he learned how to shine by only showing how kind he was and I really liked that about him.
I also didn’t like how Hallie was so haughty at the very beginning, but I liked that she had a huge character development, too.
I must add that the relationship between the two of them felt a bit rushed. Even though I liked the banter and the way they learned to communicate, I believe that they fell for each other a little too quickly.
Last but not least, the story was unnecessarily slow and long. I believe that less parts about politics and more parts about the love story would have been better because I actually rooted for Hallie and Fitz for the entirety of the story. They are a good match and I enjoyed seeing them grow together.
Overall I didn’t dislike this story, it was a pleasant reading and I liked how the characters learned from their past mistakes, but I have to admit I probably wouldn’t read this again.
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
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
3.5
This book started out real good, I enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters and how the fake dating trope was developed by the author.
My problem with this novel was simple: it was unnecessarily long. Contemporary romance novels are usually around 300 pages, but this one was too much. Many scenes felt superfluous and at one point the miscommunication and the continuous breaking-up became redundant and kind of annoying.
I get that this is supposed to be some kind of slow-burn, but…
these two already knew each other and were crushing on one another sooooo I don’t understand why we had to see them brake up and make up multiple times
My problem with this novel was simple: it was unnecessarily long. Contemporary romance novels are usually around 300 pages, but this one was too much. Many scenes felt superfluous and at one point the miscommunication and the continuous breaking-up became redundant and kind of annoying.
I get that this is supposed to be some kind of slow-burn, but…
Henry Hamlet's Heart by Rhiannon Wilde
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
! Spoilers ahead !
This story follows the friends-to-lovers relationship between the protagonist, Henry Hamlet, andhis best friend Lennon Cane.
First of all I’d like to say that this book was cute and I enjoyed the typical ups and downs of a “first-love in high-school” novel.
I liked the characters, even though I didn’t find their personalities to be that deep or fully shaped.
Being Italian, I sadly didn’t understand many of the references, but I did catch the one about McGonagall and I honestly find it hard to let this go. A queer story with references to the work of someone who openly disrespects the community? I mean… wasn’t there any other old white and stern-looking lady to compare that person to?
Furthermore, I’d like to understand why an incestuous relationship between cousins was mentioned more than once? I mean… was that necessary?
Overall, the story wasn’t bad. The romance was full of clichés and the characters felt incredibly bland at times, but the book per se was a nice reading altogether.
I found myself imagining Len completely different than how he was described by the author. In my head, he had typically asian features, with dark brown eyes and black hair.
To me, this book lacked diversity and I know for a fact that Australia is a pool of different ethnicities.
It just may be the fact that I am always looking for different kinds of stories, the ones with people who aren’t always represented, but this book was compared to Red White and Royal Blue or Becky Albertalli’s and Adam Silvera’s novels. In those novels I pretty much always found some representation, but here… this was literally two white people falling in love and they just happened to be gay. There was no self-discovery, no fully trying to understand their sexualities or questioning them. As part of the lgbt community, I know that we don’t all have the same experience, but this made me feel like I was reading about a straight relationship. I don’t know how to explain it any better than that. At times, their relationship felt… unseasoned?
Overall, I’ll still say that this story was cute and a nice read, but I probably wouldn’t read it again. I hope I wasn’t too harsh because I did enjoy reading parts of it, especially once the story took a faster pace (the beginning was a bit slow).
Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for the opportunity to read this book
This story follows the friends-to-lovers relationship between the protagonist, Henry Hamlet, and
First of all I’d like to say that this book was cute and I enjoyed the typical ups and downs of a “first-love in high-school” novel.
I liked the characters, even though I didn’t find their personalities to be that deep or fully shaped.
Being Italian, I sadly didn’t understand many of the references, but I did catch the one about McGonagall and I honestly find it hard to let this go. A queer story with references to the work of someone who openly disrespects the community? I mean… wasn’t there any other old white and stern-looking lady to compare that person to?
Furthermore, I’d like to understand why an incestuous relationship between cousins was mentioned more than once? I mean… was that necessary?
Overall, the story wasn’t bad. The romance was full of clichés and the characters felt incredibly bland at times, but the book per se was a nice reading altogether.
I found myself imagining Len completely different than how he was described by the author. In my head, he had typically asian features, with dark brown eyes and black hair.
To me, this book lacked diversity and I know for a fact that Australia is a pool of different ethnicities.
It just may be the fact that I am always looking for different kinds of stories, the ones with people who aren’t always represented, but this book was compared to Red White and Royal Blue or Becky Albertalli’s and Adam Silvera’s novels. In those novels I pretty much always found some representation, but here… this was literally two white people falling in love and they just happened to be gay. There was no self-discovery, no fully trying to understand their sexualities or questioning them. As part of the lgbt community, I know that we don’t all have the same experience, but this made me feel like I was reading about a straight relationship. I don’t know how to explain it any better than that. At times, their relationship felt… unseasoned?
Overall, I’ll still say that this story was cute and a nice read, but I probably wouldn’t read it again. I hope I wasn’t too harsh because I did enjoy reading parts of it, especially once the story took a faster pace (the beginning was a bit slow).
Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for the opportunity to read this book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Incest
The Stand-In by Lily Chu
hopeful
fast-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
3.75
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
After losing her job, Gracie Reed accepts to work for a celebrity (Wei Fangli) as her dopplegänger since they look extremely alike. As she dives into the world of fashionable events and famous people, Gracie finds herself falling for Sam Yao, Fangli’s friend and co-star.
This story was a cute rom-com with a nice message. It was a fun read, but I had a bunch of issues with how some things were handled.
The slow-burn relationship wasn’t as slow as I would have hoped, but it wasn’t bad either. The story was mostly focused on more serious issues such as depression, anxiety and sexual harassment and I wasn’t necessarily expecting it. I would have loved to have less clichés and a pinch of originality, but the story was cute nonetheless.
Overall I do believe that this novel was exactly what I needed in order to get out of my awful reader’s block, but I also think that it could have been a bit better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Dementia, and Mental illness
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
3.75
Thank you NetGalley for this book. Love Radio was enjoyable and the love story I needed to read!
I liked the characters and the fact that I didn’t have to focus too much on the plot since it was kept simple and relatable. This lighthearted story about falling in love as a black teenager made me understand how important it is for black love to be
well-portrayed, especially because I don’t always get to see it and read about it.
Being a white woman in her late-twenties, I feel like this story wasn’t necessarily meant for me, but I liked it nonetheless. The only thing that made it harder for me was the fact that English isn’t my first language (I’m from Italy) and many dialogues threw me off sometimes. I believe AAVE was used and although I found it perfectly on point, it made it difficult for me to focus on the story, especially when someone said “whaaaat?”.
Being a survivor, I liked how Dani focused on her recovery and on being better mentally before starting a new relationship. I also liked the fact that getting psychological support wasn’t stigmatized.
I liked the characters and the fact that I didn’t have to focus too much on the plot since it was kept simple and relatable. This lighthearted story about falling in love as a black teenager made me understand how important it is for black love to be
well-portrayed, especially because I don’t always get to see it and read about it.
Being a white woman in her late-twenties, I feel like this story wasn’t necessarily meant for me, but I liked it nonetheless. The only thing that made it harder for me was the fact that English isn’t my first language (I’m from Italy) and many dialogues threw me off sometimes. I believe AAVE was used and although I found it perfectly on point, it made it difficult for me to focus on the story, especially when someone said “whaaaat?”.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault