halle_elizabeth's reviews
84 reviews

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

4.25

4.25/5 Stars 

Wow. I think this is such an important book for people who are looking to educate themselves & people who are searching for who they are. 

There were parts of this book that made me cry, other sections that made me go, “wow that’s something I’ve thought or experienced but never knew how to express”, & parts that made me deeply reflect past experiences & how others view the world. 

This book is easy to read, & I think that’s very important so more people will pick it up & read it to the end. 

I am so happy my friend suggested this to me & if someone asks me for a memoir recommendation I will be recommending this. 

The only thing hindering this from a 5/5 star is the order of the book. There were times I found the back & forth through time to be a bit confusing. I do understand why the author broke the book up the way they did though. 

Overall, perfect pick for pride month. 

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

5/5 

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

ABSOLUTELY LOVED. 

Did I learn about a new culture & time period? Yes. 

Did I cry? Yes. 

Was I absolutely IMMERSED into the story? 1000%

This book was phenomenal all on all accounts & I wanted it to go on & on & on forever. 

Women are amazing & this book is about a REMARKABLE woman. 

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

3.0

3/5 Stars 

I absolutely had to listen to the audiobook to be able to follow along since this was written so long ago. 

Overall, there was times when I was completely immersed in the story & other times I was so bored I got unfocused & lost. I think my biggest disconnect is the style of writing & how long some of the characters talk at a time. 

Not mad I read it but probably won’t remember it in a year. I am excited to watch the movie though! 

Who Cooked the Last Supper?: The Women's History of the World by Rosalind Miles

2.25

2.25/5 Stars 

I was SO EXCITED about this book when I saw it on TikTok. I watched such great review videos, read amazing reviews on Goodreads, & picked it for Women’s History Month. I thought this was going to be a collection of stories about women in history, examples: a chapter on midwives like Martha Ballard, authors like Jane Austen, etc, etc. I thought it was going to be a book full of stories. 

This book was soooo repetitive & ANGRY in tone. There were stories here & there I found very interesting & did learn a lot. However, I feel like most of the book was “hate men because of ___” or “men did us wrong by ___”. This book was feminist but also was mostly tearing apart men & I don’t like that. I think there is a way to learn about our injustices as women that isn’t so slanderous of men. This book made me angry to read because of how poorly woman have been treated throughout history. I also got frustrated on multiple occasions because of how repetitive the book was. 

This book just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be at all & I don’t know if that’s because of reviews I saw or what. 

Overall I feel like there is definitely better books to learn about the forgotten history of women & I hope to find a great one. I would not recommend this book. 

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering

dark emotional tense fast-paced

3.75

3.75/5 Stars 

Ahhh how to rate this book. 

I listened to this book on audio & the experience was 5/5. The audio was phenomenally done. However, the story has so many plot holes & is full of mostly unlikable people & unrealistic coincidences. So, with all the being said, I landed on 3.75 stars because I was very entertained with the audiobook but left feeling very unresolved/didn’t love the ending. 

My favorite part about this book was, perspective. We got multiple POVs AND timelines. I love when books do this. We got to see inside Cassie & Billie’s brain & then see how they were perceived. I loved the psychology of this story. 

The thing I hated most besides the endless plot holes was, Billie. GIRL. She is crazy, obsessed, unwell, & like I was just waiting for her to admit she was in love with Cassie but that never came. Billie was literally too much for me most of the book. (I understand she had trauma I’m not even talking about that I’m talking about her OBSESSION with Cassie)

I think this book would be great for new readers. It’s an easy read & I think if you are newer to reading the plot holes wouldn’t seem so obvious. I do recommend the audio for anyone though! It was well done!! 

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 1 - Eternal Edition by Naoko Takeuchi

adventurous fast-paced

4.0

Wow. It ends on such a cliffhanger!! Good thing I have the second book ready to go!!

This is the first manga I’ve ever tried to read. I picked Sailor Moon because I recently started watching the anime. I’m so glad that I did! Sailor Moon brings me such joy. I wish I would have discovered this when I was younger!

To read this manga I turned on a Spotify playlist called, “Sailor Moon Songs” & curled up on the couch! This book gave me the feeling of when you are a kid & you stay up too late reading hiding under a blanket with a flashlight. Just an overwhelming feeling of contentment & childhood wonder. 

This manga gave me major female heroine coming of age vibes & I loved. 

Cowboys and Chaos by Elizabeth Pantley

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

4.25

4.25/5 Stars 

This series is quickly becoming a comfort series of mine. I’m so glad there are so many books in the series! I love the quirky characters, magical settings, & plot twists I don’t see coming. This series never fails to make me laugh & smile, such a feel good series. I cannot wait to pick up book four & join the gang for the next cozy mystery! 

There is also an element of nostalgia for me reading this. “The Magic Tree House” books are the books that come to mind when I think of the series that really got me into reading as a child. In those books it’s always the same main characters but each book is a new adventure to a new place with a drastically different setting. I think if you enjoyed that series as a child you would find, “The Magical Mystery Book Club” series enjoyable as an adult! 

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

3.25

3.25/5 Stars 

Realllllly debating on what to rate this book. At times, I was completely swept away into the escapism & dark academia of it all. Other times, I was so offended by the sexism I couldn’t believe I was reading this book. So let’s break it down. 

The escapism, a book about books. What reader/book lover doesn’t love this? I loved how the book began & the allure of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. I also am such a fan of historical fiction & was definitely swept into the time period. 

The sexism in this book is bad. I know it’s the time period…however, there were times when it was absolutely unnecessary & it made it hard for me to root for all the male characters. It’s harder for me to get into a book with mostly male characters anyways but the sexism made it impossible for me to root for these people. 

Some points in the book I was on the edge of my seat & couldn’t wait to keep reading. Other times, I was so beyond bored & distracted & lost that I actually couldn’t tell you what was going on. I feel like the whole story was a constant battle of “is this the best book I’ve ever read” or “the longest most drawn out confusing coming of age story”. 

Would I recommend? I honestly don’t know…I feel so conflicted on it. 

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.5

4.5/5 Stars 

Such an eloquently written book.

I loved how beautiful the writing was & how descriptive everything was. I felt like I understood the weather, the characters feelings, how the characters looked, what was happening, etc. I feel like everything I needed to envision the story was properly there & that made the story really come to life. 

What kept this from being a 5/5 star book for me was 1) It was just too long. There were times when I thought we were hearing unnecessary things or information got repetitive. 2) I just didn’t get that 5 star feeling but definitely enjoyed my time with this story.

There is a lot of trigger warnings for this book. A lot. If you are a sensitive reader please look at that before reading. 

If you liked this book I would recommend, “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey. I read that book earlier this year & enjoyed it & the stories aren’t the same but the vibes are similar & I truly think if you liked one you’ll enjoy the other. 

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

dark emotional tense fast-paced

5.0

I want to start this review by saying: 

I am very familiar with the Jack the Ripper case. I’ve listened to podcast series on it & done my own research. I do believe having that knowledge about the case greatly added to my enjoyment of this book. 

This book was AMAZING. This is the first book in a very long time that I could not put down. It was historical fiction done correctly. I felt like I was truly in Whitechapel in 1888. When I say historical fiction done correctly I mean: 

-I felt like I was truly there. I felt like I could really imagine the fear, brutality, & injustices that were happening. The author made me feel like this is a story that could have been true. 

This book truly had me on the edge of my seat. I was reading at every possible moment. I was surprised on who Jack turned out to be. (Side note: I hope one day we will find out who the IRL Ripper was) The only thing I was a tad disappointed in was the ending. I felt like the whole thing was very real & raw & then got a little too sci fi. However, I still enjoyed the book. 

I hope this book encourages people to take a look at the real case & pay their respects to the victims. It was an entertaining story but we must remember that real victim names & causes of death were used. These people really died & had lives & families & were more than just Ripper victims.