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itsjustkatereading's reviews
1684 reviews
Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I loved this book almost as much as I loved the cinnamon roll that is Andrew Santos.
Must Love Books is a raw and nuanced exploration of a side of depression not often discussed; not necessarily wanting to die but not knowing why you want to live. It's about a woman in her twenties not knowing where she fits in the world and not having the energy to find it. It's a messy story of keeping your head above water with lies and doing your best to try and seem okay. It's a gentle love story of many parts; romantic, familial and self love are all represented and given time to shine.
I can see why people might be thrown if they went into this expecting a light romance. Yes, the romance is sweet and flawed and heartwarming but it's not this story's centre. At its centre, this is a story about a woman doing her best to keep up with the world she's found herself in, a world that she doesn't always feel strong enough to withstand. It's a story that truly stole my heart.
Must Love Books is a raw and nuanced exploration of a side of depression not often discussed; not necessarily wanting to die but not knowing why you want to live. It's about a woman in her twenties not knowing where she fits in the world and not having the energy to find it. It's a messy story of keeping your head above water with lies and doing your best to try and seem okay. It's a gentle love story of many parts; romantic, familial and self love are all represented and given time to shine.
I can see why people might be thrown if they went into this expecting a light romance. Yes, the romance is sweet and flawed and heartwarming but it's not this story's centre. At its centre, this is a story about a woman doing her best to keep up with the world she's found herself in, a world that she doesn't always feel strong enough to withstand. It's a story that truly stole my heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts
Midnights With You by Clare Osongco
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A devastating, moving and ultimately hopeful story of grief, parental emotional abuse, first love diaspora and generational trauma. This was raw, brutal, messy and beautiful. The romance tugged at every one of my heart strings and the ending was pure perfection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Racism
Reckless by Lauren Roberts
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
I’d like to take a moment to give ms Roberts a round of applause for not only writing a dramatic and tear filled hair cutting scene circa 2012 (I loved it) but also for writing a plot twist that actually took me by surprise because I did not see that shit coming (although in hindsight, I definitely should have.)
I think I possibly preferred this to Powerless and that’s something I did not see coming after reading the reviews. I loved the slower pace of this that essentially made for a book that was 80% Paedyn and Kai squabbling like an old married couple, who happen try to threaten murder every few hour.
Anyway, now I’m off to stare at the ceiling until book three is released because what else is a girl to do after having read that ending?
I think I possibly preferred this to Powerless and that’s something I did not see coming after reading the reviews. I loved the slower pace of this that essentially made for a book that was 80% Paedyn and Kai squabbling like an old married couple, who happen try to threaten murder every few hour.
Anyway, now I’m off to stare at the ceiling until book three is released because what else is a girl to do after having read that ending?
You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
This wasn't my favourite from Sutanto but an engaging and entertaining read nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming
The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Perfectly cute and Christmassy, I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas Day read.
What to expect:
- grumpy x sunshine
- hate to love
- autism and demisexual rep (fmc)
- type 1 diabetes rep (mmc)
- delightfully bookish
- you’ve got mail vibes
What to expect:
- grumpy x sunshine
- hate to love
- autism and demisexual rep (fmc)
- type 1 diabetes rep (mmc)
- delightfully bookish
- you’ve got mail vibes
Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.5
I had no idea what to expect from this book going into it and I’m so glad because this was such a beautiful surprise. An emotional and entirely charming story of adolescent mental health, friendships, bullying and healing, The Lonely Castle in the Mirror truly swept me away. It was, at times, painfully relatable but warmed my heart to its core. Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, this is a book for all those whose school days weren’t filled with the joys of childhood they deserved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault
Educated by Tara Westover
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
People saying ‘it read like fiction’ when talking about non fiction is usually a slight pet peeve of mine but, as much as I hate to say it, reading Educated felt like reading a work of fiction. Not only was it accessible and easy to read, it was also incredibly enthralling and difficult to put down. I think Tara did such a beautiful job of telling her story. This was a dark, emotional, heavy, painful and utterly fascinating read and one I’d highly recommend.
TW: domestic abuse, domestic violence, racial slurs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Violence
Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
From its loveable, ragtag group of characters to the top notch banter to the incredibly fun plot, I adored everything about this book. This is the second of Lex Croucher’s books I’ve read and I can’t get enough of their sense of humour and the way it shines through in their writing. As a life long Disney Robin Hood fan, this was such an enjoyable reading experience.
what to expect:
- slow burn
- grumpy x sunshine
- sapphic romance
- found family
- 10/10 humour
- merry men hijinks
what to expect:
- slow burn
- grumpy x sunshine
- sapphic romance
- found family
- 10/10 humour
- merry men hijinks
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
I’m not sure whether this was a romance based on shared grief, car crashes, trauma bonding or an emotional mix of all three but whatever it was, I very much enjoyed it.
what to expect:
- forbidden romance
- office romance
- found family
- second chance (kind of)
- hate to love (kind of/one sided)
- grief
- complex family dynamics
- discussions of diaspora and being the child of immigrants
what to expect:
- forbidden romance
- office romance
- found family
- second chance (kind of)
- hate to love (kind of/one sided)
- grief
- complex family dynamics
- discussions of diaspora and being the child of immigrants
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Car accident
Moderate: Grief
Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
Cute, chaotic and merrily messy.
I wasn't sure what to expect from a second chance romance where one had left the other at the alter but I ended up really enjoying it. Brighton and Charlotte were nuanced, complex, messy humans and I loved that Ashley Herring Blake allowed them to grow both separately and together. I also really enjoyed the celebration of friendship and opening yourself up to others.
With cozy, hallmark movie vibes and a whole lot of angst, this was a fun and emotional holiday read and one I'd happily recommend.
What to expect:
-second chance romance
- childhood friends to lovers
- music
- found family
- forced proximity
- sapphic romance
- snowed in
- festive vibes
I wasn't sure what to expect from a second chance romance where one had left the other at the alter but I ended up really enjoying it. Brighton and Charlotte were nuanced, complex, messy humans and I loved that Ashley Herring Blake allowed them to grow both separately and together. I also really enjoyed the celebration of friendship and opening yourself up to others.
With cozy, hallmark movie vibes and a whole lot of angst, this was a fun and emotional holiday read and one I'd happily recommend.
What to expect:
-second chance romance
- childhood friends to lovers
- music
- found family
- forced proximity
- sapphic romance
- snowed in
- festive vibes