haileyrt's reviews
333 reviews

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0

suing for emotional distress and suffering. wished the characters were a bit more mythically realistic and accurate but this was pretty close. also keeping track of the locations and relationships between the characters is a whole other level to the book's added complexity. i really just tried to keep up with patroclus and achilles tbh but i did enjoy the story and the ending, as much as the ending was definitely not a happy-ending. 

One Week in Paradise by Anise Starre

funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

A wholesome, happy ending, YA wlw romance! Irene and Scottie are such a cute couple, and as much as Irene hated cliches, this book was cliche in the best way. With the enemies to lovers, fake dating, and teen sports romance novel, this book is a cute and entertaining read. I enjoyed the characters and appreciated Scottie's development, but I wished it was a dual POV between Irene and Scottie! As frustrating as it was when Scottie kept going for Tally, slowly I understood her reasoning for needing closure towards the end of the book. Chapter 18 was so cute!!!! I loved this book since it got me out of my reading slump, and it was a short and sweet, easy read. 

King of Pride by Ana Huang

adventurous emotional funny 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

3.0

Tbh I'd fold for Kai, a rich businessman who likes to translate classics into Latin, too Isabella 💅🏽✨

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this graphic novel so much! I'm not an avid reader of graphic novels, but this didn't not disappoint! I loved the art and the storyline so much, and as a black girl I loved the wash day concept so much. Nisha, Davene, Kimana, and Cookie we’re so entertaining and made the book so fun to read. 

In a Jam by Kate Canterbary

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

I thought this was a pretty good romance! The smut was WHEW and I love the characters so much! I felt like the beginning was pretty slow (which is why it took me 3-4 weeks to finish it lol) but once the romance picks up it does NOT disappoint 👏🏽 I loved the friends to lovers trope and the fact that he waited 15+ years for her to come back and the Little Star with the blue and gray background was based off the letters she gave him in high school, literally hit me right in the feels reading that. Also Noah Barden is definitely a new favorite book boyfriend. If you love small-town, friends to lovers romances, you'll love this book!

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall

adventurous emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

An incredibly powerful and well written book. I expected it to be a regular novel, so imagine my surprise when I found out it was a graphic novel! The illustrations were so well done and the stories were so detailed and well articulated. I'm glad that these women's stories are getting recognition, and I hope that the future holds more for the stories that have been written but tried to have been erased. I appreciated the author's experience along with finding more about the history of black women leading slave revolts, and it made the story a bit more compelling to go back and forth between the author's experiences and history. 

Babel by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

Holy shit. I'm ngl as a uni student it who usually reads fast-pace books, it took me a while to truly go all on and lock in reading this book. It may seem a little slow at first but when things pick up (i.e. the Hermes society at Robin's cohort going to Canton), boy do things get better. This was an incredible book and my first reads by RF Kuang, and she did not disappoint! Her writing style is so good and super descriptive and detailed, and the ending.....whew. I loved Victoire, Ramy, Anthony, and Robin (iykyk about Letty and Professor Lovell). I really enjoyed reading about the topics of colonialism, racism, sexism, and the culture experiences that Robin, Ramy, and Victoire all shared, but I wish we got to know the other main characters of Robin's cohort more! I feel like Robin was the only character we really, truly got to know, but I still did appreciate Victoire's POV for the epilogue and Ramy and Letty's interludes. I also liked the academia and science fiction, although I feel like nothing much really happens until Robin meets Griffin, so that's why the book may seem a little slow at first. 

The Cool Bean by Jory John

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Couch Potato by Jory John

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0