ingamama1033's reviews
272 reviews

Dear Life by Meghan Quinn

hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

A little different kind of romance with 4 main characters. All 4 are grieving in some way and join a self help group called Dear Life.  An inspiring and gratifying read.  I gave this lower stars because I thought one character could have been more realistically developed. 

The Way I Hate Him by Meghan Quinn

lighthearted sad 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? Yes

2.5

This could have been a very satisfactory story had the MMC been developed in depth. Instead his problematic character traits were explained away by the label “abandonment issues”. There was little in-depth exploration of those.  The third act breakup popped up without much warning thanks to those unexplained abandonment issues.  On the plus side, the FMM was well developed, the meet-cute was definitely cute and the story had all the necessary requirements: grammer, sentence structure although the plot could have been a bit meatier.

The Improbable Meet-Cute by Sally Thorne, Christina Lauren, Ashley Poston, Sariah Wilson, Abby Jimenez, Jasmine Guillory

hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory

hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-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? No

4.0

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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? No

4.0

See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson

hopeful 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? No

4.0

I really enjoyed the hockey in this story and learned many new terms. The characters are complicated with anachronistic attitudes.  The story is well crafted.

Before Girl by Kate Canterbary

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-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? No

4.0

The concept of this book is a bright new twist. A new DNA test can match singles to their perfect partner or so it claims. A romance author helps design a “bachelorette” type TV show to test the claim by casting typical romance heroes: pirate, cinnamon roll, navy seal, etc.  it took me a while to read through this story though because it’s long on observation and short on action until the last half of the story.  Great concept and characters. 

Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea

hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

3.0

Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke

informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Analysis of changing standards of beauty, changing attitudes toward race and cultural appropriation