hardkaapi's reviews
67 reviews

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

adventurous emotional funny 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

4.5

Literally just AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH. This book is the definition of whirlwind and is exhilarating and painful and hilarious and precious. READ IT

Loveless by Alice Oseman

emotional funny informative 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? Yes

3.75

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was a very difficult book for me to review, mainly because I still have conflicting emotions about the story. At its core, this is the story of 2 Mexican-American boys, Aristotle and Dante, who become best friends at the age of 15. They bond over their names as well as the culture shift they face in their homes. Ari, the primary character, is shown to be in terrible teenage turmoil, which we can all sympathize with, but I wish it was written better. For a book that is a 4.4 on GoodReads, I was so confused as to why my only thought for the first half of the book was "enough with the whining". The book refused to move on, both plot wise and dialogue wise. However, as a friend
pointed out, what I perceived as repetition, was actually realistic? 15 year olds do not have rational thinking, expecting that will obviously result in disappointment. If I read this a few years ago, I think I'd feel differently for sure.
In the second half, though messy, things finally switch gears a bit, and you understand the characters better. It tackles a lot of teenage emotions at once, which puts the reader in a whirlpool of question marks for the most part, which is sad because the themes covered are so relatable, I almost cried a few times. Being set in 1978, the cultural and LGBTQ+ representations are shown with the appropriate care and honesty. This book does have 4.4 potential, I just wish I was younger😔 Good book, wrong time

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

adventurous emotional funny reflective 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? No

5.0

A found family trope never gets old, and 41 year old Linus Baker and his cat, are the absolute cutest. Linus is a caseworker at the Department In Charge Of Magical Youth (DICOMY) who is sent to the island of Marsyas Orphanage on a classified assignment. His journey ends up veering toward unprofessional, much to his dislike, as he finds himself drawn toward the children and more. The kids are considered to be highly dangerous by DICOMY but Linus reaches his own conclusions in the most heartwarming way. 
This is a book I wish I'd read when I was younger. It talks about society's definition of the "perfect" child. Everyone needs to read this, it's fascinating and important and it will remind you to celebrate your differences. Definitely will re-read for a pick me up! 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.

Literally nothing happens.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

funny hopeful lighthearted 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? No

4.25

What an absolute rollercoaster this was. This is a story about Olive, a Ph.D student, who gets herself in a fake-dating situation with Adam Carlsen but also so much more! It's witty, steamy, and cute all at once, trust me, I was screaming. I loved the writing and pacing, all of it went by so quick I wanted more. I wasn't expecting this to blow me away so much because for the past year or so, I've only read sad, heavy stories and I think I forgot how much I liked romance novels. Either way, I loved this book, it's made me rediscover the genre, please read!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Pumpkin Heads is officially my first read of 2022! I wasn't feeling A Tale of Two Cities as much, so I picked this up and it's the most cutely illustrated story that I couldn't stop reading. It's about Deja and Josiah, who work at the same pumpkin patch, and their last work day before they leave for college. The Patch itself looks captivating and their personalities are so unique (NOT YA TRASH). Overall, it's an eye-pleasing, quick, and funny rollercoaster, read it to feel a bit better, 4/5❤️

i kiiinda wish they hadn't gotten together tbh, I was really liking the fact that they had the friends conversation so naturally but it's still a very good story!

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

I really loved the concept of this book, it's so fresh and different. Yunjae was born with alexithymia (a condition where you can't identify or feel emotion). To be able to feel so much for a character that is entirely emotionless is a great feat. The story speaks a lot about love, friendship, loneliness, and loss. 
I did find a particular part to be unrealistic toward the end but I think the point of the book was not in its structured reality but in its message. Overall, it give me Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time vibes, which is a great book too

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

The way I was expecting another Book thief-esque experience from this story. This is a story of 5 brothers dealing with the reappearance of their absent father. My main issue with this book was the choice of narrator. The entire story is from the POV of Matthew, the eldest brother but the main character is actually Clay. I really would have liked to read Clay's POV because I was unable to connect with Matthew; he was never developed or given the spotlight after the first 10 pages. However, I loved the way Penny's character was written as well as the shifting timelines. The writing is good, though slightly repetitive, the metaphors became a little tiring for me. I don't think this is a special book, but it's not bad in any way. Definitely could have been at least 150 pages shorter though. I'm afraid this was a miss for me:( 
Please read Book Thief though, I will forever be obsessed with it.