jls6283's reviews
106 reviews

Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens

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funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.75

I loved this! The
”3rd act breakup”
trope kind of annoys me (especially since
Anna essentially lied to Will to make it happen)
so I can’t quite give it 5 stars, but it was cute and relatable. It was funny and also made me tear up a bit. 🩷
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Normal People by Sally Rooney

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

2.5

I’m having a lot of trouble giving this book a star rating.

I found both main characters, especially Connell, to be very relatable in their internal struggles. There were times I was very upset at both of them for the choices they made even though I UNDERSTOOD why they made those choices.

Overall this is the most depressing book I think I have ever read.  It’s not one big, sad event, but rather the deep, slow sadness that can accompany every day life. I had to take breaks because I felt very affected by it…

The ending was very unsatisfying, but I UNDERSTAND it. I’m very conflicted on if I “liked” the book or not…

I think the book served it’s purpose, but I could never read it again.
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The Financial Peace Planner: A Step-By-Step Guide to Restoring Your Family's Financial Health by Dave Ramsey

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informative slow-paced

2.5

I’m not a Dave Ramsey fan and knew that going into the book (he’s misogynistic and weaponizes Christianity), but someone got this for me so I gave it a try. This one had some good advice and was much less irritating and anti-woman than “Financial Peace Revisited.” Obviously take everything in it with a grain of salt since it’s egregiously outdated. (I literally laughed out loud when he said “you might have to settle for an 80,000 house instead of the 100,000 one you want.”)
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

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lighthearted 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? Yes

3.5

Things I liked: FMC’s inner monologue of self-doubt is relatable, the 🌶️ scenes are realistic especially for women who are more naturally guarded and/or introverted (or ever experienced sexual anxiety and/or vaginismus. It was a very mild example, but this was the first time I’ve seen something even similar in a romance novel and appreciated it.)

Things I didn’t like as much: fake dating trope, miscommunication trope, the fact that she lies to him, some of the cheesiness, the numerous “big” references, I found the ending revelation with
him silently pining after her for 3 years after one short interaction
to be a little unrealistic…

Will I listen to the other “Steminist Romances” by Ali Hazelwood? Yes. Yes, I will.
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Still Me by Jojo Moyes

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emotional hopeful sad 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? Yes

4.25

I didn’t think I’d like the sequels so much, but Louisa is just such a relatable character. In the end
I’m not sure if I’m happy she ended up with Sam. (I’m just REALLY happy it wasn’t Josh… 😒). I don’t know if I’d have been able to forgive him, but I get that he too was going through a lot and we all make mistakes. I like that there is a sort of openness about the ending.
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After You by Jojo Moyes

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emotional hopeful sad 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

3.75

Louisa is very relatable 🩷

It’s nice to see a story that ends
with the woman choosing herself over a man. Even though I do like Sam and hopes it works out for them. 💙
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Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

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emotional sad 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

4.25

I read this before the movie came out and remembered being very surprised that the second book was also good. So when I found out there was a third I had never read, I decided to listen to them all.

This story asks the most important philosophical questions: What is life? What makes it worth living? 

I like and relate to Louisa’s character very much. 🩷
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Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Love this duology!

Just like with the first - some parts of the plot were predictable, but the whole concept, magic system, and gothic writing style is unique and captivating.
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Lies My Doctor Told Me Second Edition: Medical Myths That Can Harm Your Health by Ken Berry

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challenging informative medium-paced

3.25

I agree with 90% of the information presented in this book and will have to dive into some research on my own on the few things I was left questioning. The American diet is absolutely the leading cause for so many of our issues 😞

I love that Dr. Berry provides other resources (books, articles, studies, etc) to the readers. I do wish he provided some more details/information/tips on some of the topics and areas, but this book is pretty general. Hopefully some of the resources he provided will help me more with the specifics I am looking for!
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

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

4.5

The magic system in this book is so unique and creative as is the style of writing. I literally didn’t know some of the types of trees referenced and had to look them up. 😅 Some of the “revelations” were a little predictable
(like Nightmare being the Shepherd King, Ravyn & Emory being infected, and Ravyn eventually figuring out her secret by using the nightmare card)
, but it’s a really cool read and I’m looking forward to the conclusion in book two!

Also “fake relationship” is an annoying trope in contemporary romance because it’s always some petty reason like “let’s make our exes jealous,” but apparently I’m here for a “let’s be in a fake relationship so we have an excuse to be near each other to conspire to save everyone” trope. 😂

“Be wary. Be clever. Be good.”
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