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hayleyjames24's reviews
329 reviews
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.0
finishing this book made me want to immediately read all of Talia Hibberts back catalogue.
I am SO fond of all of these characters and even the side characters felt so real and fleshed out which I find with some YA is not necessarily the case.
It was silly, it was funny, it was so damn CUTE and I loved the stream of consciousness writing style interspersed with lots of inside jokes bracketed within the text. I literally laughed out loud so many times (and not just breathed sharply out my nose ahhah)
It also hits many good themes for teens in like year 11,12,13 of like what you want to do with your life, parent and families expectations, being too scared to follow the dream you actually have. Creative careers vs “stable jobs” and it also had a lot of really great family themes and tropes in there as well.
Really enjoyed the OCD representation and liked that it wasn’t Miles whole personality but felt like it could’ve been involved a little bit more!
I am SO fond of all of these characters and even the side characters felt so real and fleshed out which I find with some YA is not necessarily the case.
It was silly, it was funny, it was so damn CUTE and I loved the stream of consciousness writing style interspersed with lots of inside jokes bracketed within the text. I literally laughed out loud so many times (and not just breathed sharply out my nose ahhah)
It also hits many good themes for teens in like year 11,12,13 of like what you want to do with your life, parent and families expectations, being too scared to follow the dream you actually have. Creative careers vs “stable jobs” and it also had a lot of really great family themes and tropes in there as well.
Really enjoyed the OCD representation and liked that it wasn’t Miles whole personality but felt like it could’ve been involved a little bit more!
Funny Story by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
I’m so sorry but there’s nothing this woman could do to make me not be obsessed with her. she’s got me hook line and sinker, truly madly deeply.
THE MAGIC OF LIBRARIES THAT IS THROUGHOUT THIS BOOK STOLE MY HEART.
The found family!!! MILES!!!!! she did it again, I laughed, I cried, I giggled and kicked my feet, emilys books are just so immersive. I want to live in one of her small towns forever!!!!! The community!!!! THE LIBRARY!!!!!! miles is EVERYTHING!!!! I think this is emily’s sexiest book yet!!!!!
i dont even annotate and i underlined and scribbled in this book like I couldn’t help myself!!!!
Anyway. Think I’ll need a reread to actually get some proper thoughts but don’t mind me while I stalk the internet for as much Daphne and miles content I can get my hands on
THE MAGIC OF LIBRARIES THAT IS THROUGHOUT THIS BOOK STOLE MY HEART.
The found family!!! MILES!!!!! she did it again, I laughed, I cried, I giggled and kicked my feet, emilys books are just so immersive. I want to live in one of her small towns forever!!!!! The community!!!! THE LIBRARY!!!!!! miles is EVERYTHING!!!! I think this is emily’s sexiest book yet!!!!!
i dont even annotate and i underlined and scribbled in this book like I couldn’t help myself!!!!
Anyway. Think I’ll need a reread to actually get some proper thoughts but don’t mind me while I stalk the internet for as much Daphne and miles content I can get my hands on
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Unsure how to rate this because while I did thoroughly enjoy it and giggle and kick my feet I simultaneously cringed and laughed out loud and thought what the actual fuck am I reading hahahah.
Misery is such a not like other girls girl and sometimes you just had to roll your eyes at her but Lowe on the other hand stole my heart (as did Ana!!??)
I think if you’re looking for a palette cleanser and something a bit fun and silly this is perfect. Haven’t read a silly little romance in a while and I devoured this in less than 24hrs! It was perfect for what I wanted it for
Ngl, I would absolutely write the sequel I saw Ali Hazelwood talking about and will be reading her others..
Misery is such a not like other girls girl and sometimes you just had to roll your eyes at her but Lowe on the other hand stole my heart (as did Ana!!??)
I think if you’re looking for a palette cleanser and something a bit fun and silly this is perfect. Haven’t read a silly little romance in a while and I devoured this in less than 24hrs! It was perfect for what I wanted it for
Ngl, I would absolutely write the sequel I saw Ali Hazelwood talking about and will be reading her others..
Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
This was so solid, what a debut!! The writing was atmospheric and unsettling and almost clincial that kept you slightly at arms length from our MC
I picked this off the shelf of the library not realising it was classified as horror and also not knowing anything about it and honestly I recommend going in as blind as you possibly can so I'll try make this review as vague as poss.
It talks deeply about family, and support especially with the immigrant experience, the child feeling the need to grow up and do what their parents couldnt, the cost of assimilation in a new country, capitalism and the price and standard of beauty.
I felt like this was an older (and more horrifying) version of uglies by scott westerfeld.
Was not prepared for it to get quite sci-fi/body horror on me but it was a welcome surprise which kept me flipping pages and ignoring responsibilites. Felt as if it was the perfect length for the story it was telling which is a welcome change from the few books ive read recently.
It was weird and disconcerting but had depth and knew exactly what it wanted to do.
Would 10000% read more from this author
I picked this off the shelf of the library not realising it was classified as horror and also not knowing anything about it and honestly I recommend going in as blind as you possibly can so I'll try make this review as vague as poss.
It talks deeply about family, and support especially with the immigrant experience, the child feeling the need to grow up and do what their parents couldnt, the cost of assimilation in a new country, capitalism and the price and standard of beauty.
I felt like this was an older (and more horrifying) version of uglies by scott westerfeld.
Was not prepared for it to get quite sci-fi/body horror on me but it was a welcome surprise which kept me flipping pages and ignoring responsibilites. Felt as if it was the perfect length for the story it was telling which is a welcome change from the few books ive read recently.
It was weird and disconcerting but had depth and knew exactly what it wanted to do.
Would 10000% read more from this author
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
I actually THOROUGHLY enjoyed this, it was exactly the kind of book I needed after getting in a bit of slump after my last read.
This was entertaining, and thought provoking (I really enjoyed the musings on assisted suicide being a crime that this book brought up, especially with extremely sick people) I don't really expect much in terms of themes in thriller books I just want to be excited and shocked so it was cool to have a little bit of something thought provoking in there too.
It definitely made me do that thing where your eyes dart to the end of the page pr a few paragraphs down cos you're trying to read so fast cos of the suspense and you end up spoiling yourself hahaha. I had to physically put my hand on top of the page to stop it.
Love the kind of dual timeline we get here via letters and then the actual story. You as the reader get to see where the book is going and/or find out more about the characters than the MC currently knows and it's exciting to see when the MC is going to get this information. It was super suspenseful and I loved the atmospheric dark setting. The house was such a great setting for this particular story.
I did take a little while to realise Kit was a girl hahaha.
It was so digestible and readable, I read it in like 24 hours because it was so fast paced.
The final quarter of the book was full of lots of twists and I do love that it kinda endedwrapped in a pretty little bow There were many times when I gasped and put my hand over my mouth in shock. Overall this was a really fun read, super entertaining and quick when you need a bit of a sugar rush in a book. Would read more of Riley Sagers books!
This was entertaining, and thought provoking (I really enjoyed the musings on assisted suicide being a crime that this book brought up, especially with extremely sick people) I don't really expect much in terms of themes in thriller books I just want to be excited and shocked so it was cool to have a little bit of something thought provoking in there too.
It definitely made me do that thing where your eyes dart to the end of the page pr a few paragraphs down cos you're trying to read so fast cos of the suspense and you end up spoiling yourself hahaha. I had to physically put my hand on top of the page to stop it.
Love the kind of dual timeline we get here via letters and then the actual story. You as the reader get to see where the book is going and/or find out more about the characters than the MC currently knows and it's exciting to see when the MC is going to get this information. It was super suspenseful and I loved the atmospheric dark setting. The house was such a great setting for this particular story.
I did take a little while to realise Kit was a girl hahaha.
It was so digestible and readable, I read it in like 24 hours because it was so fast paced.
The final quarter of the book was full of lots of twists and I do love that it kinda ended
Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Trigger warning for a LOT of weight talk and fatphobia, the MC gains 10kg and everyone is horrified at how fat she is…
I really wanted to like this book but it was so bloody long for no reason. It just felt like it went on foreverrrrrrr.
Could’ve EASILY been 100/200 pages shorter. There was no reason for it to be this long.
I just didn’t really connect with the characters and they didn’t really grow and change, or when I felt like they were about to have an epiphany it just never went anywhere?? And they left a few plot points just hanging and never went back to it. I wish I connected with the characters more, I just didn’t really feel anything for any of them tbh. And felt like they kept making decisions that the author had already shown us is against what they would usually make. Kajii was probably my fave character cos i felt she actually had depth.
Considering this is based on a true story I wish it was more mysterious and more thrilling, this was very slice of life with a bit of mystery and it just didn’t keep me hooked.
It did hit on really important themes of adult friendships, depression and asking for help, how people use food as a crutch to “heal” from trauma, how society views women (both from a feminist perspective and from the male/not like other girls perspective)
Really enjoyed a little insight into the publishing industry and how they get tip offs etc.
Felt like this translated book always had a sense of second degree. Everything is written very matter of fact and it’s not entirely immersive. Although the descriptions of food were tender and delicious and full of so much depth and love.
I think if I want reading it for bookclub I would’ve DNFd it! It just went on for too long with not a lot happening and I usually do enjoy that but this time it just didn’t do it for me
The ending was very sweet and wholesome though, did really love that. The budding relationship between shinoi and his daughter had me feeling soft
I really wanted to like this book but it was so bloody long for no reason. It just felt like it went on foreverrrrrrr.
Could’ve EASILY been 100/200 pages shorter. There was no reason for it to be this long.
I just didn’t really connect with the characters and they didn’t really grow and change, or when I felt like they were about to have an epiphany it just never went anywhere?? And they left a few plot points just hanging and never went back to it. I wish I connected with the characters more, I just didn’t really feel anything for any of them tbh. And felt like they kept making decisions that the author had already shown us is against what they would usually make. Kajii was probably my fave character cos i felt she actually had depth.
Considering this is based on a true story I wish it was more mysterious and more thrilling, this was very slice of life with a bit of mystery and it just didn’t keep me hooked.
It did hit on really important themes of adult friendships, depression and asking for help, how people use food as a crutch to “heal” from trauma, how society views women (both from a feminist perspective and from the male/not like other girls perspective)
Really enjoyed a little insight into the publishing industry and how they get tip offs etc.
Felt like this translated book always had a sense of second degree. Everything is written very matter of fact and it’s not entirely immersive. Although the descriptions of food were tender and delicious and full of so much depth and love.
I think if I want reading it for bookclub I would’ve DNFd it! It just went on for too long with not a lot happening and I usually do enjoy that but this time it just didn’t do it for me
The ending was very sweet and wholesome though, did really love that. The budding relationship between shinoi and his daughter had me feeling soft
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.
I was enjoying it to an extent but I put it down to read the bookclub book I needed to read before a certain date and I have no intentions of picking it up again. I might try it again at a different time but for right now this is a DNF. The writing was super easy to read and the characters had distinctive voices but I did find myself confused at points and it just wasn’t gripping enough for me as a thriller
The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
UPDATE: I did look up the author while I was reading it and wondered about her whether she was the right person to tell this story, and as I'm looking into it more I see there controversy here as she is not Mexican (and according to readers of colour she did not do a good job of this depiction. So this is something to think about before reading this book - and something I'll admit I should've looked into before picking it up) This article by Vox is interesting overview: https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/1/22/21075629/american-dirt-controversy-explained-jeanine-cummins-oprah-flatiron
I am reading and learning what POC people thought about this book and think it is important to stand in solidarity with them
"I don't have a death wish, I like being alive. Despite it all"
I just finished this and my heart hurts for Lydia and Luca and Soledad and Rebeca and all the people in real life who have to make this treacherous journey every day. This book will stay with me, and remind me how important it is to read diverse stories and diverse experiences!
There were such heartfelt depictions of fried and the insurmontable heaviness of hope when you have lost everything, and chosen family (in the sense of people you are experience a horrible experience with that become family rather than queerness) and the concept of home.
This book had my nerves jangling and my hand over my mouth so many times throughout, the anxiety and the terror were real feelings in my body whenever there were tense parts of the story. But the author did such a great job of combining almost poetic and flowery language with a nerve wracking, exciting and BRUTAL plot. It had me whenever I picked it up reading for an extended period of time (which is hard to do in this day and age of the ol' phone and the ol' tiktok)
The juxtaposition of the beautiful homely moments and tender explorations of friendship and love and the depictions of the brutality that is migrating, losing everything you have and your dignity and the absolute anxiety of never feeling safe is so wonderfully done throughout.
I was so so so fond of these characters, the sisters Soledad and Rebeca and Luca and Lydia are tucked away in my heart after this novel. The intense love that they feel for each other while also being willing to sacrifice everything is a hard read.
I did look up the author while I was reading it and wondered about her whether she was the right person to tell this story, and as I'm looking into it more I see there is a bit of controversy here as she is not Mexican (and according to readers of colour she did not do a good job of this depiction. So this is something to think about before reading this book - and something I'll admit I should've looked into before picking it up) This article by Vox is interesting overview: https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/1/22/21075629/american-dirt-controversy-explained-jeanine-cummins-oprah-flatiron
I am reading and learning what POC people thought about this book and think it is important to stand in solidarity with them
"I don't have a death wish, I like being alive. Despite it all"
I just finished this and my heart hurts for Lydia and Luca and Soledad and Rebeca and all the people in real life who have to make this treacherous journey every day. This book will stay with me, and remind me how important it is to read diverse stories and diverse experiences!
There were such heartfelt depictions of fried and the insurmontable heaviness of hope when you have lost everything, and chosen family (in the sense of people you are experience a horrible experience with that become family rather than queerness) and the concept of home.
This book had my nerves jangling and my hand over my mouth so many times throughout, the anxiety and the terror were real feelings in my body whenever there were tense parts of the story. But the author did such a great job of combining almost poetic and flowery language with a nerve wracking, exciting and BRUTAL plot. It had me whenever I picked it up reading for an extended period of time (which is hard to do in this day and age of the ol' phone and the ol' tiktok)
The juxtaposition of the beautiful homely moments and tender explorations of friendship and love and the depictions of the brutality that is migrating, losing everything you have and your dignity and the absolute anxiety of never feeling safe is so wonderfully done throughout.
I was so so so fond of these characters, the sisters Soledad and Rebeca and Luca and Lydia are tucked away in my heart after this novel. The intense love that they feel for each other while also being willing to sacrifice everything is a hard read.
I did look up the author while I was reading it and wondered about her whether she was the right person to tell this story, and as I'm looking into it more I see there is a bit of controversy here as she is not Mexican (and according to readers of colour she did not do a good job of this depiction. So this is something to think about before reading this book - and something I'll admit I should've looked into before picking it up) This article by Vox is interesting overview: https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/1/22/21075629/american-dirt-controversy-explained-jeanine-cummins-oprah-flatiron
Jackal by Erin E. Adams
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really wanted to like this but it threw me off and lost me when it got all magical realism and supernatural on me which felt like it came from left field.
It was eerie and uncomfortable and had me flying through the pages in the beginning but it lost me maybe half way. feels like it went on a bit long for me when it could’ve been shorter and sharper for more impact.
I do really like a “MC has to return to their small hometown that they purposefully ran away from and discovers things” trope so loved this side of it.
The person on the cover that said it was like the movie Get Out had a great observation and if it had ended with a more typical murder mystery I think I would’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.
I found the themes and tropes of racism, and secrets in a small town and ritualistic murders interesting alongside speaking about class and segregation and the history of the town. It was definitely a LOT of black trauma
I was super interested in the plot point of the murderer taking the little black girls to stop their families thriving a predominately white town and wish this had ended without the supernatural. It just left me confused and I didn’t know what the plot was anymore :(
I liked the flash forwards and flash backs and the stories of each of the girls but the writing was sometimes these really short sentences with lots of full stops and others really flowery metaphorical language, my brain struggles a little.
I really really enjoyed Liz’s character and thought she was so fleshed out and real, but I didn’t really bond with any of the other characters and I think that’s why I got to the end and was like huh, but ultimately didn’t really care.
I would read another one of this authors books, as I think the themes she explored are super interesting and I did enjoy majority of this book. Will be interesting to see what she does next.
It was eerie and uncomfortable and had me flying through the pages in the beginning but it lost me maybe half way. feels like it went on a bit long for me when it could’ve been shorter and sharper for more impact.
I do really like a “MC has to return to their small hometown that they purposefully ran away from and discovers things” trope so loved this side of it.
The person on the cover that said it was like the movie Get Out had a great observation and if it had ended with a more typical murder mystery I think I would’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.
I found the themes and tropes of racism, and secrets in a small town and ritualistic murders interesting alongside speaking about class and segregation and the history of the town. It was definitely a LOT of black trauma
I was super interested in the plot point of the murderer taking the little black girls to stop their families thriving a predominately white town and wish this had ended without the supernatural. It just left me confused and I didn’t know what the plot was anymore :(
I liked the flash forwards and flash backs and the stories of each of the girls but the writing was sometimes these really short sentences with lots of full stops and others really flowery metaphorical language, my brain struggles a little.
I really really enjoyed Liz’s character and thought she was so fleshed out and real, but I didn’t really bond with any of the other characters and I think that’s why I got to the end and was like huh, but ultimately didn’t really care.
I would read another one of this authors books, as I think the themes she explored are super interesting and I did enjoy majority of this book. Will be interesting to see what she does next.