hayleygatenby's reviews
397 reviews

The Couple in the Photo by Helen Cooper

mysterious medium-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

2.5

This was an ok thriller, I read the whole thing in 24hrs so I’ll give it that (im also in a HELLA book slump so nothing is impressing me atm) 
I really disliked the third person pov, it really kept me at arms length and stopped me from liking the characters - though the characters sure helped with that. I think it was a bit overly dramatic and maybe too long??? It just seemed like she did a LOT of thinking and being gaslit?? 
I don’t think I’d pick up another thriller from this author

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

funny hopeful reflective slow-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? Yes

2.75

This was ok, it was fairly funny and a good easy read but honestly the main character was a bit insufferable and this book did NOT need to be over 300 pages, that was ridiculous. Maybe it would be more relatable if I was in my 30s and had had more break ups to be able to relate. 
I finished it cos it was an easy read but can’t say I enjoyed it. All the characters were barely fleshed out for 300 pages I was honestly still questioning who was who at the end. 

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Make It Make Sense by Lucy Blakiston, Bel Hawkins

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.0

I did enjoy this and Bel and Lucy both write beautifully but this type of book and I don’t really get on as a genre??

Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson

3.0

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

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

3.75

This was really solid and giving Hunger Games-esque vibes. 
I really enjoyed the writing style and felt it wasn't as YA as some books in this genre can be. 
I was NOT expecting the

sapphic side plot

but loved it immensely when it happened

even though it did feel quite insta lovey which is not usually something I can get behind

The world building here was pretty god, though I feel like it started in the middle of things and I wasnt explained to what each of the roles they were talking about meant which kinda took me a while to get used to the language they were using and references they were making. 

Very keen to read the second one which I'm not usually a series kinda gal so that's gotta say something, it ended on just enough of a cliff hanger to keep me intrigued. I hope the second book is at the library I work at cos idk whether I would wait for the second one though. 

I really liked our MC Dani, she was fiercely protective and we really got to see her depth in a way we didnt see with the other characters. By the end there was still slightly too much mystery for me??

I did like the themes of feminism and gender roles and rebellion and revolution and always love to see these in YA novels. 

Darkly by Marisha Pessl

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Oooof the ending of this really got me, I had to reread it to understand cos I read it so fast the first time I didn’t actually comprehend. Hahahha

This is definitely plot over character building but the world building and the atmosphere were incredible and everything was very vivid. I loved the mixed media here and it worked really well at dropping hints along the way. The gothic, tense writing was really lovely and I really appreciate that in a YA.  Tbh I did spend a lot of this book confused as to how the games worked and would’ve maybe liked more explanation here or some back story, you were just transported so deeply into the games and were confused alongside the character which made me not really understand how the games worked and whether everything was real or whether there was a paranormal aspect to it. Were they ever in real danger? 

I didn’t find the characters all that lovable or connect with them
Much (though I loved the captain lol) but the setting and the intricacy of the world building kinda made up for it. I did really enjoy that we didn’t know who to trust the whole time and we got to know the characters alongside our mc. They also felt very aged up compared to 
Other YA I read (which honestly was a nice change) but it did feel like this was marketed as YA but could’ve done better and had more depth as a NA?

I would love a sequel (something I don’t say very often) as I feel like this has a lot more to give. 

I didn’t particularly like the romance here (not that there was a lot of it) I just didn’t think we needed it in this complicated of a story. And both of the boys gave me the ick tbh. There was no joy there or like crushing it was just insta love but boring insta love? 

It definitely didn’t feel like the 400 pages it was. When I was reading it it went SO fast, I didn’t find it tense or feel anticipation until the last maybe 150 pages but when it started it up it started UP and everything went by so fast and was so tense till the big reveal

Would definitely read her other books! 

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this, I want to shove it into the hands of all my book club girls at the school I work at and remind them how powerful their words and feelings are.
This is the sort of book I would've LOVED as a teenager, and loved now.
This is an enjoyable and easy starting point into feminism for young girls and why we need it rather than thinking that everyone should be treated equally.
One thing I really enjoyed about this book was how intersectional it was, a lot of the inspo for these teenage girls within the pages were audre lorde and angela davis and I think this is super important.
Some of the characters could've been more fleshed out, and I wished I could've gotten to know our MC Viv for more as she was kind of one dimensional in her fight for feminism (we didn't know what she wanted to do at college, we didn't know about her interests) I realise you only have so many pages to get your point across but I would've loved to have felt like I knew Viv and the other girls at the end. 

I also wished we had explored with more depth the reason Viv started all this in the beginning... her mum! I wanted to explore their relationship more and have more of an insight into her mum and why she chose the future she chose and how their everyday life and her thoughts about feminism still effected how Viv grew up. I would've loved to see more of an in depth conversation from the end of the novel when Viv and her mum talk about Moxie. 

I did feel triumphant and joyful at the end and I think  teenage girls would feel very powerful in those moments. 

I loved the emphasis on zines in this book, would love to read more books centered on self publishing and zines and that world. Also loved the mixed media designs in this book too! Made Moxie feel more real and tangible. 

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

Echostar by Melinda Salisbury

challenging informative reflective fast-paced

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

Read this for school library to see whether we could use it for 2.9. Middle grade very young YA but really interesting subject matter which is important for kids to know about