hayleygatenby's reviews
397 reviews

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted fast-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

5.0

Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith

inspiring reflective

I love reading g Patti Smiths books just for the love of language and how swept up I can get in the mundanity of life through her. It’s very stream of consciousness and I don’t know her well enough to understand references but I love how she string sentences together 

All Fours by Miranda July

challenging dark hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was SO weird, but so earnest. It feels like it's dug a little bit out of my chest and has made a home there. It was a bit of a fever dream but it was also unashamedly raw and open. I don't quite know how to feel. 

The characters weren't necessarily lovable, and it didn't have much plot, it was a character study of women, I'm sure so many people saw themselves in the unnamed MC. 

It spoke on menopause, desire, sex, parenting, art and love and how that all looks and how it all gets mixed up together in life and what that means when you're aging and how the definition of all of these things changes as you age. 
I feel like I need to sit with this one for a while. I will 100% pick up more from Miranda July after this. It kinda felt like reading a Patti Smith where it's just stream of consciousness and can take you any which way without even trying to. 

The sex scenes were strange and a little gross and I did find myself icked out at times, but the writing was so delicate and poetic I was happy to kinda not think too deeply about those scenes haha. 

The Coworker by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious 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

2.0

Honestly, this book was boring, and the worst thing a mystery/thriller book can be is boring... 
This was my first Freida McFadden and it will definitely be my last, I didn't get along with the amateur writing, it was so simple and over explained everything the characters did. Like at one point there was a whole paragraph of Natalie one of the main characters talking about how cold it was and how if it really was freezing the water would've been ice, like just not necessary. 

It wasn't even exciting and the twists did almost nothing for me, like I'm someone who is almost always surprised about twists but I was just like 'Oh, well there ya go' about this one? 

I also REALLY disliked the way the character Dawn was portrayed, she felt VERY autistic coded without saying she was and all the other characters made fun of her, or realised she was crazy BECAUSE of these traits and it just felt like Freida was making fun of autistic people tbh. It was uncomfortable to read. 

The characters had almost no substance, I wasn't rooting for any of them quite honestly, and when all of the characters are unreliable narrators it makes the book super boring cos you know every perspective you hear is just someone messing with you to try and shock you in the end. 

I finished it, which is why i've given it 2 stars, but this has cemented that I don't want to read anything from her again. Sorry Booktok

Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

This was solid and I had a fun time with it. I think I need to stop reading queer books that deal with queer kids just having a shit time hahah, it feels like that’s a real thing that’s happening at the moment with queer stories. I did think the representation was excellently done and the emotions of what society/parents want vs how you feel about yourself had so much depth and was well worth reading. I think this would be relatable for a lot of young people but maybe if they were solidly in their identity rather than trying to figure it all out. 

I did like that the “horror” of the book was heteronormativity and religious values rather than a ghost/demon/otherworldly creature (even though there was a bit of that!) I did grow to really like the characters but it didn’t absolutely blow me away. Wish it had a *bit* more horror/mystery/suspense but it’s also YA so I can see why it didn’t go all the way.

Dry by Jarrod Shusterman, Neal Shusterman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.

It wasn’t really doing anything for me, for a book about a dystopia where there’s no water left it was pretty boring… and I didn’t care for the characters. I have too many other books out of the library to continue with one I’m meh about 

The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

This was a super solid and fun YA paranormal romance. I actually enjoyed all of the characters and they all felt like their age which is something I struggle with with YA sometimes. 
The plot was much of a muchness but there were times that shocked me when something happened. It could’ve been a little more wrapped up in the end but overall happy with how it turned out. All the pining and lusting was super cute and I think the girls at my high school book club (librarian here!) will love it (they also loved Isabel sterling’s books!)

The diversity was a bit awkward, whenever characters came up they were introduced by their race first and it felt a bit clunky and almost *too*’purposeful but it was cool that that’s a thought for the author where it’s not for many others however I did love the LGBTQ+ rep was done excellently 

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

This was what I’ve come to realise is standard Riley Sager, great atmosphere and setting but not a hell of a lot going on beyond the surface for me. 

The more I read his books the less thrilling and twisty they get, I’ve only got two more of his back log to read and idk if I’ll pick them up.

I did love the dual timeline/perspective in this and having it be the book while similar things were happening present day kept me really engaged and I read this super quickly but it was all pretty straight faced and dare I say a little bored - it didn’t need to be this long!!!! Give me a quick 200-250 page thriller for the love of god. 

I didn’t really connect with any of the characters which was a shame, I feel like I just honestly felt nothing about and for this book ahhaha. 

As others have said in their reviews it did feel very much like it took parts of other haunted house/dysfunctional family horrors and mushed it all into this.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

I love these characters and this world and I’m really really into a cosy sci-fi at the moment cos it’s summer and the world is so alive. 

Becky chambers knows how to write an EXCELLENT setting and I loved travelling with Mosscap and Dex on this adventure. Their blossoming friendship was everything and I loved learning more about the world and the other people in the cities and towns.

This one didn’t blow me over as much as the first one did, I think there was less existentialness to it that I really missed it was more just a slice of life. However would 100% reread. 
This world is so interesting and I’m forever wishing Becky will write another. 

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

dark tense slow-paced

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

2.75

I wish I liked this more as everyone seems to absolutely love it! 

I found the characters one dimensional and much preferred Devon’s perspective than Chiamaka but the whole book did feel like a massive trauma dump when literally everything bad that could possibly happen to Devon happened. 

I don’t really have much to say tbh, i found it a bit too obvious and not as thrilling or suspenseful as I wanted it to be. It also was just hitting you over the head with some pretty obvious “racism is bad” themes