kailienm's reviews
114 reviews

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

holy cow. one of my favs of all time. somehow took every fear and tiny fleeting feeling i have ever had and cemented it into a novel. i could cry at the thought of this book to be quite honest. 

Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

medium-paced

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

3.5

i enjoyed this, but am hesitant to say anything more. main character is unlikeable, yet relatable and speaks to the insecurities many of us have in relationships. i wish there were more intricacies discussed in the straight/queer dynamic, or just other elements to make the plot and character development more interesting. i just felt that bits of every plot line were so close to being great, but suffered from being just slightly underdeveloped.

I'll Tell You in Person by Chloe Caldwell

slow-paced

3.0

Fleabag: The Special Edition by Phoebe Waller-Bridge

dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

incredible!!!! phoebe waller bridge is such an inspiration, and i think the way communicates feminist undertones through a deliberately flawed and humorous character is just brilliant. love love love

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

medium-paced

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

3.75

hmmmmmm.... this was interesting. after hearing about this book for over a year, i finally decided to pick it up and i was..... surprised to say the least. plot was essentially nonexistent and the entirety of the book was most definitely driven by the narrator's 'development'. i especially found the flashbacks to her relationships with her parents and trevor the most interesting, because i think those are the parts that point out what led the narrator to the point where she is at now and her underlying insecurities. 

Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

medium-paced

4.25

this was such a great read -- definitely speaks to feminism on a more high level scale, but touches on points that were new for me as well. solnit speaks to the trajectory of feminism as one of a thousand mile road; while we may have a large majority of the journey to go, she points out that any progress is positive movement (which i think adds a nice element of hope, especially because there have been many frustrating moments throughout the waves of feminism)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

really enjoyed this one! not a huge fantasy buff, but this had enough realistic elements to keep to story grounded enough (for me). overall, i had a great reading experience and always looked forward to picking this one up. i will say the character development isn't the strongest, and some of the plot points didn't make much sense to me towards the end, but it wasn't 'bad' enough for me to rate this below a 4. definitely recommend if you've been thinking about picking this one up!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

4.0

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

4.0