jessicamusch's reviews
123 reviews

A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne

dark relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

Lost a star because the all the action at the end felt unnecessary, like the book felt like it needed to have a plot.. it didn’t 

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow. Much to think about.

I want to re read already. This book tells the story of a breakup from the male perspective with much hilarity. What makes it worthy of five stars is the change in perspective at the end to the female perspective, where the story is completely re written. 

Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

Clever and witty, completely transporting to the 1920s.

A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A very fun page turner. I loved this series and was really happy with how all the storylines wove together at the end.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.0

This felt like a cosy open your own cafe style game but in a book. I liked it but was times it got a little boring.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

adventurous mysterious fast-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

4.0

This book was so refreshingly fast paced, so it was easy to get into. I felt compelled to continue each chapter. I also loved the use of letters and it reminded me that I should write a letter to someone I love.

I didn’t really like the magic system, it felt a bit oddly placed in a world that feels similar to Europe in WWI. While the romance was cute, I was never really sure why the characters loved each other, except that they said they did. 

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-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

3.0

The premise of the plot and the writing were very good. I just love uncanny valley stories.

This book could have been 400 pages but instead it was way too many. There were a lot of scenes where the protagonists tell other characters about an event in detail, but the conversation does not advance the plot at all. There are also too many filler scenes where the daily activities of the protagonists are detailed. Also there are a little too many sexual references, and the lesbian scenes in the beginning of the book felt needlessly pornographic as it did not contribute to the plot or character development at all. 

A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories by Angela McAllister

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

1.0

I feel like the explanation of the lesser known plays lacked depth, but equally would be difficult for a child to understand, so I’m not sure who this book is intended for. I also didn’t love the illustrations, which are different to what is on the cover.

Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

3.5

I love this cosy series. This one was more emotional than the others, with all stories centring on saying goodbye to a loved one.

I like that the prose focuses on dialogue, which keeps the story moving quickly. 

I found the explanations of the time travel system to be a little tedious and repetitive. Perhaps this is because the same thing is explained in each story in every book so I have read it a few times.

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

A fast paced fun read. I loved the treatment of time travel and didn’t work out the mystery until it was revealed at the end. 

Missed out on 5 stars because the enemies to lovers plot line has become a very very slow burn, spanning 3 books. Jacks is so up and down in his treatment of Evangeline and it annoyed me a bit.