jess_xoxo's reviews
200 reviews

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

emotional informative lighthearted 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

4.0

I loved all of her books and I wasn't sure about this one but she delivered again. I don't know how Ali can wrote in a way that makes Chess exciting to read about but she did. I devoured this book and couldn't stop reading.

Mallory was irritating at times though and the ending felt rush... other then that I have no complaints. 

100% recommend.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

I read the synopsis of this book and instantly bought it. I started reading it right away. I really liked it. 

It's not 5☆ in my opinion because it lacks some action and/or a little something more. I also tought the story was slow at times. 

Otherwise, I loved the plot. I will think about this book for a long time. I love the way it makes us evaluate ourselves and our priorities. Would I look at my string? Would I want to know the lenght of my partner's string? Would I want kids even if my string or my parter's string is short?

This is the best book I've read in a while. 100% recommend.

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

slow-paced

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

2.0

This was so boring OH MY GOD. Just skip it.

There's no plot besides the characters getting ready for Solstice aka Christmas. It's the shortest book in the series by far and it took me the longest to read.

It even turned me off of reading the next book. :(

Happy Place by Emily Henry

emotional sad

3.0

I'm disappointed. Some parts were good but others were boring or annoying to me. 

I hate the miscommunication trope and the "I don't deserve you/you deserve better than me" bullsh*t. It just turns me off. If that doesn't annoy you then you'll probably like this book... wouldn't recommend otherwise.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.0

First of all, I don't read a lot of non-fiction and I found it was very repetitive but I've read it's normal for self-help books to be repetitive since it helps readers fully grasp its content (which does make sense). Still, it was very annoying IMO.

Also, the first half was very boring to me and I almost DNF. Nothing grabbed my attention. There was no new concept or advice mentionned for me. But I'm glad I kept reading because I did enjoy a few chapters towards the end about boundaries, toxic relationship and death.

I think this could be a wonderful read espescially for narcissists or people that just got out of toxic relationships. 

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.5

I probably would have loved this book as a teenager but as an adult I see all of the red flags and it bothers me.

As other mentionned, the writing and the story are cringe.

I liked Atlas on his own but the way their relationship began when they were teenagers is very unbelievable to me.

I read it in three days because I was hooked but I was also annoyed A LOT. The only thing I really liked is her relationship with her mother towards the end of the book. 

So overall 2 ½ ☆☆.

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Really disappointed. I liked the first book a lot more.

The only likeable character is Enzo. Also, Wendy is so freaking dumb. You do all this without even reading the divorce papers? Really? Like why? Make it make sense.

I'm mad. Most of this didn't make sense to me. Maybe thrillers just aren't my thing.

Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score

4.0

I really wasn't sure I would like this one since I didn't like the second book in this series but I'm glad I finally picked it up because it is in my opinion the best book in the trilogy. 

It should definitely be shorter because it's repetitive at times but overall I really liked it. I even laughed out loud a few times which rarely happens. 

To Sloane and Lucifer. ♡

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

The first quarter of the book was slow and boring to me. The story got better in the end but nothing amazing.

Onto The Housemaid's Secret now...

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Okay soooo I liked the first book and LOVED the second one but I struggled a bit with this one. It was boring at times (mostly the first half) but the pace of the story finally picked up and the ending was perfectttttt!

Onto the next one! :-)