juwaria's reviews
211 reviews

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

emotional funny inspiring reflective 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

5.0

Such a heartwarming, emotional yet funny book. The rollercoaster of emotions I went through whilst reading was insane. Ove is such a loveable character and Fredrick Backman’s dry humour wins once again. 

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

lighthearted fast-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

4.0

I just loved the narrator Takako’s voice? Is that what they call it? She had a dry sense of humour which had me chortling and she was just very relatable. If she was a real person I would want to be her friend. 

Nowhere to Be Found by Bae Suah

reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

It was good - and I really enjoyed how the mundane and slog of a 20 something woman’s life was written about so eloquently. It gives an insight into lower working class culture and the tedium of life that a lot of people find thenselves mindlessly going through. I got to the end and gave it 3 stars mainly because I felt like I wasn’t smart enough to understand the real message behind the story or if there even was a message? I dunno - the more I ruminate on it the more stars I want to give it. 

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

reflective fast-paced

4.0

So relevant many years on. 

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee

informative reflective fast-paced

3.0

A lot of points that I related to - really helped break down same of my psyche and enabled me to reflect. 

Recitatif by Toni Morrison

challenging fast-paced

4.0

Toni Morrison didn’t want us to know who was white and who was black. So despite me wanting to go back and highlight everything to investigate I won’t do it. I really enjoyed it and appreciated the fact that it got me thinking about my own unconscious biases. 

The foreward by Zadie Smith was great, it was essentially an essay breaking down the book but it spoiled too much. They should come after the story has ended and obviously be called something else. Either that or I just need to practice jumping back to the foreward? 

A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enríquez

dark fast-paced

4.0

Still hasn’t reached the upper echelon of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed. However, some of the stories reached the level of creepiness that made TDOSIB so memorable. 

Ladybirds by R. Raeta

emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

3.0

It almost felt like it needed to be longer and the problem not to be solved as easily as it was?! 

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling

funny reflective medium-paced

4.0

The characters were just so likeable! I liked the storyline and the double twist at the end. I also enjoyed how the ML and FL got together with not too much fuss, I’ve read too many books where it’s  dragged on and it’s become borderline boring so this was refreshing. 

13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad

dark sad medium-paced

3.75

The character was likeable and unlikeable at the same time. Majority of the time very relatable. Written very emotively and well.