hellokatya's reviews
151 reviews

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

adventurous challenging dark hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

i’m a bit late to the party, i never read this one as a child, but i’m really glad i picked it up.
very addictive story. reeled me in and kept me there from the second i started reading. highly recommend. 

i can’t help but wonder what the series would’ve been like if it had purely been about katniss and not had the romance / love triangle aspect in it. granted, every dystopian series on the market then had the token triangle, but it would’ve been nice to see that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Vomit and Cannibalism

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

this book was fantastically written; kept me on the edge of my seat throughout its duration, but left something to be desired with the ending. it was lackluster and docked a star from the rating. had very good potential, but it still one i’ll definitely recommend. draws you in and holds your attention well. a really good binge book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Stalking, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicide and Blood

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

junie is truly such a menace. very unserious and made me giggle a lot throughout it. i prayed on her downfall the entire time and she deserved infinitely worse. really good palette cleanser book, out of my usual comfort zone and i’m happy with it. would recommend for a quick funny read. 
wish we knew more about her redemption book, maybe a sequel?

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

i did enjoy this book, but the ending felt like too much of a gotcha. 

it confuses me why the mother would claim jason was the one that was in the house when she intended to put the blame on christian and lily anyway. what did she gain?

i think the

ryan angle

was a much better ending. 
overall good read but not sure that i’ll be recommending it to many people over others i’ve read. 

Come Closer by Sara Gran

adventurous dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

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

3.75

this book was a really eerie quick read. really easy to digest and churn through, and held my attention the entire time. highly recommend for around halloween time 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Confinement and Vomit

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

this book really took me by surprise. the twists and turns fully got me - i did not expect any of them. really good plot, not great execution. the writing style bored me at points and felt like a chore to get through. also far too many characters to keep track of, constantly had to refer back to character log to know who was being spoken of. 
overall very good book. would recommend 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Gun violence, Misogyny, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Mental illness, Vomit, and Car accident

End of Story by A.J. Finn

challenging emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

im conflicted upon how i feel about this book. i really enjoyed this book up until the ending; it felt like a cop out to “gotcha” the reader, rather than an actual

trans reveal. i did appreciate the way it was handled and the mended relationship between nicky and sebastian, but couldn’t shake the feeling that it was from a much different place than i would hope for.

overall, the book itself was pretty okay. i enjoyed it quite a bit - the writing style did stale a bit over time, it got tiring feeling like the author was trying to boast how professional of a writer they are by making it unnecessarily difficult to digest.
not sure i would recommend it to just anyone, i think it would take a very specific person to make me have this book in mind for them to read. much prefer woman in the window to this one.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

i really enjoyed this book. overall, i thought it was very well written, paced, and just the right length. 
left very good breadcrumbs throughout the read that really all came together with the big reveal. ending felt very realistic. would recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Child abuse and Police brutality

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

i loved this book. she was able to speak on extremely difficult topics with humor, grace, and humanity. she could admit to faults and call other’s bullshit and i have endless respect and admiration for her. please pick this up

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

this was a very good read - super easy to get through, and felt like a palette cleanser. 
only complaint is it felt a bit too YA for the mature topics that were in it, hence the lower rating, but overall i thoroughly enjoyed it and the ending was really nice! 
highly recommend

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Dementia, Car accident, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming and Blood