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javacat's Reviews (25)
inspiring
fast-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:
Yes
This is not your usual boy-meets-girl love story. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this was more a story of self-love than anything else. None of the overdone break-up type tropes are present in the story, and the MMC is a Twilight fan. Soooo this was a winning book.
I loved how the character development was subtle. You wouldn't really notice it until the end when everything comes full circle; this is such a realistic thing to happen. We consciously change ourselves, our relationships change us, and our experiences change us. It doesn't happen overnight.
It helps to have a general understanding of how the scoring of tennis works, but it is not necessary to follow the story.
I found this read to be fast-paced and fun. There's not much downtime in the story, and we also get a glimpse of how the characters from the first book are doing.
I did read these books out of order, but I can't wait to go back and read Scottie and Nico's story!
Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
I loved how the character development was subtle. You wouldn't really notice it until the end when everything comes full circle; this is such a realistic thing to happen. We consciously change ourselves, our relationships change us, and our experiences change us. It doesn't happen overnight.
It helps to have a general understanding of how the scoring of tennis works, but it is not necessary to follow the story.
I found this read to be fast-paced and fun. There's not much downtime in the story, and we also get a glimpse of how the characters from the first book are doing.
I did read these books out of order, but I can't wait to go back and read Scottie and Nico's story!
Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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:
Complicated
This book is fast-paced, addicting, and left me wanting more. Harris has created a dystopian landscape, which we can all envision as this novel is set in the not-so-distant future, and the imagery is *chef's kiss*.
Every character has several layers of complexity in their emotions, interactions, and back story. It's clear that Harris has spent a lot of time developing them. Because each character has so much depth to them, the story doesn't stop moving and is very fast-paced. I had a hard time putting this book down each evening when I was reading.
There are some loose ends that are appropriately placed. I would love to see some sequels or spin-offs and will certainly be interested if they come out.
Thank you, Entangled Publishing and Netgalley, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
Every character has several layers of complexity in their emotions, interactions, and back story. It's clear that Harris has spent a lot of time developing them. Because each character has so much depth to them, the story doesn't stop moving and is very fast-paced. I had a hard time putting this book down each evening when I was reading.
There are some loose ends that are appropriately placed. I would love to see some sequels or spin-offs and will certainly be interested if they come out.
Thank you, Entangled Publishing and Netgalley, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was written for those times when you can't decide if you want to watch a 2000s horror movie or read a book.
I blindly went into this book, judging it by its cover 100%, and I'm glad I did. This is one of those times where it fully paid off because I just found a book that I read in just two sittings (which is fast for me). The characters are thought out but not over-developed. Are they relatable? I don't even know, but I do know that they're realistic.
The entire story kept me hooked and guessing from chapter one. I did not, at all, see any of the ending coming. The entire book arguably plays out like a 2000s horror movie with an endingreminiscent of something from the 80s . The imagery was enough to picture the location, the yurts, the hike. This story is not my usual read, but still deserves 4.5 stars; half a star deducted for leaving some unanswered questions which I would have loved to see mentioned (even in conversation) in the final chapter.
Thank you, Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
I blindly went into this book, judging it by its cover 100%, and I'm glad I did. This is one of those times where it fully paid off because I just found a book that I read in just two sittings (which is fast for me). The characters are thought out but not over-developed. Are they relatable? I don't even know, but I do know that they're realistic.
The entire story kept me hooked and guessing from chapter one. I did not, at all, see any of the ending coming. The entire book arguably plays out like a 2000s horror movie with an ending
Thank you, Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Unfortunately, I really struggled with this book. I loved the story, and it had so much potential, but it fell flat for me. The book told a story, but it was not immersive, and I didn't feel as though the story was shown to me. I never once felt like I was in Billie's mind or next to her when the story was taking place. Billie also felt very two-dimensional, naive, and willing to do whatever she had to to get ahead, even if it meant using others as leverage. Almost like she needed to do things for others to say, "Look what I did..."
The story could also use a bit more insight.The middle could have possibly mentioned Michael and Connor's last names as Billie would have known them, but the reader didn't until the very end. Speaking of the end, it left a lot of unanswered questions on what paths side characters would go down. An epilogue would go a long way for this story.
While I didn't necessarily dislike the story, it was just not what I was expecting when I began reading, and I'm sorry to say it wasn't a favorite read.
Thank you, Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and Ballantine books for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
The story could also use a bit more insight.
While I didn't necessarily dislike the story, it was just not what I was expecting when I began reading, and I'm sorry to say it wasn't a favorite read.
Thank you, Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and Ballantine books for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Entangled did it again by giving us another story of love with an unexpected twist. This time, we have the tension of a very forthcoming, lustful demon named Levi and an overly compassionate former supernatural healer, Jason, looking to move on from that part of his life.
The opposites attract contrast in this story was incredibly executed. I loved not only the difference between who the characters are and their developments, but their whole persona. It made for a lot of moments where I found myself laughing at their interactions.
The other enjoyable thing was that the story was not in the 11th hour before any resolution. That trope feels very overdone, so it was a breath of fresh air to have a resolution and twist that didn't feel forced or out of the blue.
Thank you, Entangled Publishing and Netgalley, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
The opposites attract contrast in this story was incredibly executed. I loved not only the difference between who the characters are and their developments, but their whole persona. It made for a lot of moments where I found myself laughing at their interactions.
The other enjoyable thing was that the story was not in the 11th hour before any resolution. That trope feels very overdone, so it was a breath of fresh air to have a resolution and twist that didn't feel forced or out of the blue.
Thank you, Entangled Publishing and Netgalley, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If you think this book is going to be a campy story about a haunted piece of furniture, then you would be just like I was before starting this book. And I was wrong.
I straight up devoured this book. The first third or so felt like a ton of filler adjectives thrown around like bubbles at a wedding, but that did eventually calm down. Dalrymple did a great job at keeping the reader engaged and had the perfect amount of jumping into different years to add onto the story. This felt like a 2010s horror movie, just written onto a page.
The ending was not expected by me, at least not based on the feel of the first 75% of the book. I still wonder what happened after the epilogue, though.
PLEASE check trigger warnings for this book as there are a number of sensitive subjects throughout the story.
Thank you, Quill & Crow Publishing and Netgalley, for this ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
I straight up devoured this book. The first third or so felt like a ton of filler adjectives thrown around like bubbles at a wedding, but that did eventually calm down. Dalrymple did a great job at keeping the reader engaged and had the perfect amount of jumping into different years to add onto the story. This felt like a 2010s horror movie, just written onto a page.
The ending was not expected by me, at least not based on the feel of the first 75% of the book. I still wonder what happened after the epilogue, though.
PLEASE check trigger warnings for this book as there are a number of sensitive subjects throughout the story.
Thank you, Quill & Crow Publishing and Netgalley, for this ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
You've heard of a ghost writer, but what about a ghost author? Divorced and living upstairs from her sister's shop, Kate has nothing left to lose but to write to her old agent and ask for acting work. But this isn't acting in the traditional sense.
I really enjoyed this book during my time reading it, and some of the storylines really come full circle in the best way possible. The title suggests exactly what this is, a slow burn. It's possibly one of the slowest. Not in a bad way, but I did feel as though there was little to no tension build up, to the point where any romance between the two main characters felt forced. I felt for Kate as a character, and I couldn't help but really root for her, and I wanted to see her success.
However, writing this review a couple of days after finishing, the story didn't stick with me the way I expected. I would recommend this story to someone who wants a bit of a lazy river ride but still has loveable characters.
Thank you, Random House Publishing, Ballantine, and Netgalley, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
I really enjoyed this book during my time reading it, and some of the storylines really come full circle in the best way possible. The title suggests exactly what this is, a slow burn. It's possibly one of the slowest. Not in a bad way, but I did feel as though there was little to no tension build up, to the point where any romance between the two main characters felt forced. I felt for Kate as a character, and I couldn't help but really root for her, and I wanted to see her success.
However, writing this review a couple of days after finishing, the story didn't stick with me the way I expected. I would recommend this story to someone who wants a bit of a lazy river ride but still has loveable characters.
Thank you, Random House Publishing, Ballantine, and Netgalley, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Yes
How much treasure can one hunt reveal?
In this sapphic romance story, Harper is on the hunt for Monty Montana, the famous treasure hunter who had left the spotlight with her partner after locating a long lost sunken ship. Her search is obstructed early on by Monty's neice, Eve, leading to a story of trust, tension, and, of course, treasure.
I love, love, love this book. Nolan has written a book that is so addicting and easily binge-readable. She has taken some of the inner conflicts I think we all deal with and put them right on the page. This is a story of finding oneself while opening the door to those who love and support you. Even with typical tropes that we see pretty regularly, they were all executed so well that I didn't feel at all like I was reading something I've read before. I will continue to recommend this book.
Thank you, Entangled Publishing and Netgalley, this ARC. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
In this sapphic romance story, Harper is on the hunt for Monty Montana, the famous treasure hunter who had left the spotlight with her partner after locating a long lost sunken ship. Her search is obstructed early on by Monty's neice, Eve, leading to a story of trust, tension, and, of course, treasure.
I love, love, love this book. Nolan has written a book that is so addicting and easily binge-readable. She has taken some of the inner conflicts I think we all deal with and put them right on the page. This is a story of finding oneself while opening the door to those who love and support you. Even with typical tropes that we see pretty regularly, they were all executed so well that I didn't feel at all like I was reading something I've read before. I will continue to recommend this book.
Thank you, Entangled Publishing and Netgalley, this ARC. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Sometimes love is looking for us when we're least expecting it. Sometimes, it's right under our noses.
I loved the general theme and the characters of this story. I have no complaints about any of the characters, especially Da and Dad. They were the best, most supportive parents in a YA novel I've read in a long time.
I wanted to really like this book. However, it fell flat for me. It felt like a rich kid with a very "woe is me" mentality. I felt there really was no actual conflict, internal or otherwise. Truthfully, the only thing that kept me reading was wanting to know more about the brother and future sister-in-law.
The above being said, I would recommend this to a younger audience if they were looking for a light, easy read.
Thank you, Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
I loved the general theme and the characters of this story. I have no complaints about any of the characters, especially Da and Dad. They were the best, most supportive parents in a YA novel I've read in a long time.
I wanted to really like this book. However, it fell flat for me. It felt like a rich kid with a very "woe is me" mentality. I felt there really was no actual conflict, internal or otherwise. Truthfully, the only thing that kept me reading was wanting to know more about the brother and future sister-in-law.
The above being said, I would recommend this to a younger audience if they were looking for a light, easy read.
Thank you, Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley, for the ARC opportunity. This honest review has been left voluntarily.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Adventure? Check. Magic? Check. Slow burn romantic tension? Double check. The Robin in the Oak throne is angsty, fast-paced, and gripping, all while hinting at emotional details that will be a strong theme in the story.
I devoured the first eight chapters of this book so fast that I can't wait for this to arrive for me to continue! This new story has everything I loved from The Wren in the Holly Library, and then some. Linde wastes no time in getting the story started and provides only necessary details as a recap of book one, which was chef's kiss (I'm never a fan of drawn-out recaps). Readers already learn of new characters, and a main storyline has been outlined, leaving me very excited for what will come. Our new characters seem so dynamic; I can't wait to see how our characters from book one are doing and how they've grown.
Thank you, Entangled Publishing, Red Tower Books, and Netgalley, for the ARC preview. This honest review has been left voluntarily and will be updated with a full review when available.
I devoured the first eight chapters of this book so fast that I can't wait for this to arrive for me to continue! This new story has everything I loved from The Wren in the Holly Library, and then some. Linde wastes no time in getting the story started and provides only necessary details as a recap of book one, which was chef's kiss (I'm never a fan of drawn-out recaps). Readers already learn of new characters, and a main storyline has been outlined, leaving me very excited for what will come. Our new characters seem so dynamic; I can't wait to see how our characters from book one are doing and how they've grown.
Thank you, Entangled Publishing, Red Tower Books, and Netgalley, for the ARC preview. This honest review has been left voluntarily and will be updated with a full review when available.