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kaia_papaya's reviews
71 reviews
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance and Living Your Purpose by Chani Nicholas
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
As a bisexual writer I'm in love with both Iris and Roman. ðŸ˜
It was nice to read an enemies to lovers romance where the protagonists genuinely love each other in a healthy way, unlike some of the genre's other best sellers like ACOTAR and Fourth Wing (not hating at all, but I prefer this author).
I absolutely loved the choice to use newspapers and love letters as a storytelling device. Really beautiful writing.
It was nice to read an enemies to lovers romance where the protagonists genuinely love each other in a healthy way, unlike some of the genre's other best sellers like ACOTAR and Fourth Wing (not hating at all, but I prefer this author).
I absolutely loved the choice to use newspapers and love letters as a storytelling device. Really beautiful writing.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
I absolutely devoured Bright Young Women in a matter of hours. This book really makes a statement, as it completely flips around the typical narrative around serial killers like Ted Bundy -- we treat them like some kind of fascinating enigma and want to know more about THEM, even if we're disgusted -- and tells a really compelling, infuriating, thought-provoking story from the POV of the victims and their loved ones.
I really appreciate that, rather than portraying them as simply victims of a single unlikely tragedy, the author shows how these women were also victims of a long laundry list of commonplace offences: bureaucracy, patriarchy, homophobia, slut-shaming, the media and in fact, the very narrative the author is critiquing which centers on violent men and how "smart" they are to have pulled it off.
She holds ALL of these people -- not just the fictionalized Ted Bundy -- accountable for victimizing these women, which includes a massive, scandalous and dramatic failure of the police to protect them.
I absolutely loved it, and my only complaint is that I can't find a book to read next that could rival this one!
I really appreciate that, rather than portraying them as simply victims of a single unlikely tragedy, the author shows how these women were also victims of a long laundry list of commonplace offences: bureaucracy, patriarchy, homophobia, slut-shaming, the media and in fact, the very narrative the author is critiquing which centers on violent men and how "smart" they are to have pulled it off.
She holds ALL of these people -- not just the fictionalized Ted Bundy -- accountable for victimizing these women, which includes a massive, scandalous and dramatic failure of the police to protect them.
I absolutely loved it, and my only complaint is that I can't find a book to read next that could rival this one!
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Wow, okay. Bravo. What an ending.
I can't give it five stars because I almost gave up on it during the first half of the book, to be honest. Both Juniper and Athena and well, pretty much every character actually, are absolutely insufferable, and for about the first half it's mostly just listening to everyone complain. I find it hard to connect with a story if the characters are unlikable (not badly written, just unlikable). And the second-hand embarrassment is real.
Buuut I had to know what the twist was, and this book sure as hell delivers on that if you stick around.
It's VERY meta -- like, just when you think you understand the premise, R.F. Kuang peels back another layer of the inception, even in the very last page.
I can't give it five stars because I almost gave up on it during the first half of the book, to be honest. Both Juniper and Athena and well, pretty much every character actually, are absolutely insufferable, and for about the first half it's mostly just listening to everyone complain. I find it hard to connect with a story if the characters are unlikable (not badly written, just unlikable). And the second-hand embarrassment is real.
Buuut I had to know what the twist was, and this book sure as hell delivers on that if you stick around.
It's VERY meta -- like, just when you think you understand the premise, R.F. Kuang peels back another layer of the inception, even in the very last page.
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The ending destroyed me (sobbing) but I still think it was probably the right ending, though I definitely understand why some people didn't like it. Very impactful, makes a hell of a statement on rape culture, and somewhat hopeful in the sense that maybe things can change when we stand up for ourselves as women. It's so f*cked up, the things teenage girls go through.
#MeToo... And I wish I had read this book when I was a teenager, maybe I would have understood it wasn't my fault.
#MeToo... And I wish I had read this book when I was a teenager, maybe I would have understood it wasn't my fault.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Grief, Blood, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, Vomit, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Kidnapping, Body shaming, and Bullying
Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, and Fire/Fire injury