jenny_c's reviews
129 reviews

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

Such a fun, quick read. Laugh out loud funny. I was rooting for Finley and Vero every step of the way! 

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

The Covenant of Water is a work of art. I am reminded of a river delta - Abraham Verghese records   infinitesimal details, painting a story with each sentence and paragraph, then connects them, and like tributaries flowing into a great river, they come together into this literary masterpiece. There are so many metaphors, really. A root system, connecting to form the trunk of a tree, with branches and leaves. The blood vessels of the human body. But the key is connection, within ourselves, our families, our communities, and eventually, the rest of the world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Medical content

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

5.0

Wordhunter: A Novel by Stella Sands

5.0

When she isn't using booze to drown her trauma or getting a new tattoo or piercing to mark a hard won success, grad student Maggie Moore diagrams sentences to cope. It's weird but it works, and she quickly finds that her proficiency with language can solve crimes. Wordhunter is a page turning mystery with quirky, relatable characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Addiction, Violence, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Death of parent

Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell

5.0

When four teens on the Montana Blackfeet reservation realize that they are suspects in a murder investigation, they realize that the only way to clear their names is to take up the investigation themselves.

Looking for Smoke hits it all, perfectly.  Nuanced characters, including strong young women, a page turning thriller, and a terrific story bringing awareness to the horrific problem of missing and murdered Indigenous women. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Trafficking, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Violence, and Murder

Royal Scandal by Aimée Carter

5.0

Evan Bright returns as the King of England's illegitimate - and American - daughter, and the scandals keep getting worse. It's not enough that the keyboard assasins are after her on every social media platform, now the threats are real. I just love how Aimee Carter weaves in honest depictions of surviving with serious (and often overlooked) mental health challenges to her page turning thrillers. 

Road Home by Rex Ogle

5.0

When Rex Ogle was 17, barely out to himself, let alone the world, his father gave him an impossible choice: go to church and get a girlfriend, or leave home.  What follows is an awe inspiring tale of survival - through a toxic relationship and life living on the streets of New Orleans, hundreds of miles from home. Road Home is the third chapter in Rex Ogle's memoir trilogy, but I haven't read the first two, and I loved this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, and Suicidal thoughts

True North by Andrew J. Graff

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

When I met author Andrew Graff at a bookseller conference, I told him I had to put the book down because it was written so well, it hurt too much to read. I am so glad I picked it up again. There is adventure and gorgeous scenery, but at its heart, this is the story of a marriage, and how marriage is a lot like riding a rapids. It’s a beautiful story. 

The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

Family Family by Laurie Frankel

emotional funny informative reflective 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

5.0