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kamrynkoble's reviews
452 reviews
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
4.25
Middle school Kam bad taste. This was one of my favorites and it was SO fun to revisit it. It’s definitely one of the better YA dystopians. I found the audiobook narrator very annoying, but that’s no fault of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Police brutality
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death
How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I’m so glad I finally read this. I’ve followed K.C. online for several years now and have enjoyed her other content.
Cleaning has never come easily to me, and I carry deep shame about how the amount of work I’m doing/what my space looks like/how that affects others. A lot of the more “psychology” based points (author is a therapist, interestingly) really did speak to me and I almost cried a few times listening to this.
The book speaks very widely—it’s obvious it’s trying to talk to as many people as possible, but at the cost of not being specific enough sometimes. I wish it was longer and perhaps had a narrower audience.
I gained some great tips from this and if you struggle with maintaining your house for whatever reason, this is a good starting point. But now I feel like I need a different book to learn how to actually execute the cleaning, now that I’m processing that said cleaning is morally neutral 😅
Seriously, if you catch yourself assigning your worth to what your house looks like or how much time you spend cleaning, give this a try. It’s short, sweet, and extremely validating.
Cleaning has never come easily to me, and I carry deep shame about how the amount of work I’m doing/what my space looks like/how that affects others. A lot of the more “psychology” based points (author is a therapist, interestingly) really did speak to me and I almost cried a few times listening to this.
The book speaks very widely—it’s obvious it’s trying to talk to as many people as possible, but at the cost of not being specific enough sometimes. I wish it was longer and perhaps had a narrower audience.
I gained some great tips from this and if you struggle with maintaining your house for whatever reason, this is a good starting point. But now I feel like I need a different book to learn how to actually execute the cleaning, now that I’m processing that said cleaning is morally neutral 😅
Seriously, if you catch yourself assigning your worth to what your house looks like or how much time you spend cleaning, give this a try. It’s short, sweet, and extremely validating.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
Finally! I have read Throne of Glass. Read this one as a buddy read with Danielle (and coincidently at the same time as my cousin Tori)! That always makes it more fun.
I don’t have anything to say that has not already been said by my friends here, let alone every other reviewer. I think I’ve been “primed” for TOG so much that I knew exactly what to expect and wasn’t disappointed.
I’m excited to see where it goes from here. At this moment, I am glad that I read Assassin’s Blade first. I have literally no opinion on the love triangle men yet, but hey, I’ll always take a captain of the guard and a Crown Prince.
Royalty-based, medieval-feeling romantasy always does it for me.
I don’t have anything to say that has not already been said by my friends here, let alone every other reviewer. I think I’ve been “primed” for TOG so much that I knew exactly what to expect and wasn’t disappointed.
I’m excited to see where it goes from here. At this moment, I am glad that I read Assassin’s Blade first. I have literally no opinion on the love triangle men yet, but hey, I’ll always take a captain of the guard and a Crown Prince.
Royalty-based, medieval-feeling romantasy always does it for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Slavery, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed this. It’s been a bit since I’ve read something more literary and character-driven. I liked the reflective point-of-view, and the atmosphere was great. If you like complicated English majors on the east coast in the 90s, this is a good pick.
It addressed multiple nuanced subject matters: professor/student affairs (it’s not adult x minor but the power dynamic…yikes), adultery, kidnapping, blurry consent, dead parents, divorce, feminism…
While I found it thought provoking, I didn’t have much of an emotional reaction to it. The plot/pacing was also not very even. It’s well written and I’d read more from this author, but it left me wanting a bit more.
It addressed multiple nuanced subject matters: professor/student affairs (it’s not adult x minor but the power dynamic…yikes), adultery, kidnapping, blurry consent, dead parents, divorce, feminism…
While I found it thought provoking, I didn’t have much of an emotional reaction to it. The plot/pacing was also not very even. It’s well written and I’d read more from this author, but it left me wanting a bit more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Pregnancy
Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N' Roll by Priscilla Presley
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Wow. Even though it was obvious that Priscilla danced around a lot that would make Elvis look bad, he comes across as a basket case and I think Priscilla might have the patience of a saint. If I were her, I would have had several mental breakdowns dealing with all of this.
This was written in the 1980s and I would be very curious what she thought of it now. I’m a little horrified by all Priscilla was put through, and it seemed a bit like she hadn’t even acknowledged the magnitude of what grown adults did when she was a literal child.
This paints in pretty broad strokes. There’s some honesty, but everything is so big picture that it never dives too deeply into anything. I did love the glimpses at the end about her finally discovering more of herself beyond who Elvis wanted her to be, but this whole book is definitely more focused on him.
It’s honestly very sad how loving/concerned about each other they were during and after their divorce. It just did not have to be this way. I frequently wished I could’ve hugged Priscilla—someone should have. It seemed like she was terribly alone even in rooms full of other people.
I’m very excited for the upcoming A24 movie based on this. It was my final push to read this.
This was written in the 1980s and I would be very curious what she thought of it now. I’m a little horrified by all Priscilla was put through, and it seemed a bit like she hadn’t even acknowledged the magnitude of what grown adults did when she was a literal child.
This paints in pretty broad strokes. There’s some honesty, but everything is so big picture that it never dives too deeply into anything. I did love the glimpses at the end about her finally discovering more of herself beyond who Elvis wanted her to be, but this whole book is definitely more focused on him.
It’s honestly very sad how loving/concerned about each other they were during and after their divorce. It just did not have to be this way. I frequently wished I could’ve hugged Priscilla—someone should have. It seemed like she was terribly alone even in rooms full of other people.
I’m very excited for the upcoming A24 movie based on this. It was my final push to read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug abuse
The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I actually called who the killer was an eon before the reveal. Some secrets were a surprise, but not that one. Although, something I hate in thrillers is the info dump epilogue and that’s exactly what this was.
Another thing that made this fall flat for me is that I disliked all the characters and didn’t feel any emotion/sympathy toward any of them.
That being said, excluding the epilogue info dump, this was tightly plotted with lots of elements that were still easy to follow. It’s a very classic thriller and would potentially be a good intro to the genre.
Another thing that made this fall flat for me is that I disliked all the characters and didn’t feel any emotion/sympathy toward any of them.
That being said, excluding the epilogue info dump, this was tightly plotted with lots of elements that were still easy to follow. It’s a very classic thriller and would potentially be a good intro to the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent
Tampa by Alissa Nutting
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I can’t make myself rate this book. It’s probably the most disturbing thing I’ve ever read, and it would make me physically nauseous often. My bedside Tums were my BFF for this one.
Twenty-six-year-old teacher. Fourteen-year-old boys. Very, very, very graphic.
I will say that this is well-written and I liked the author’s style. I feel like I need a lava bath after reading this, so I’m not sure how the author feels after living in Celeste’s head for this long. An ambitious project, but a disturbing read.
Twenty-six-year-old teacher. Fourteen-year-old boys. Very, very, very graphic.
I will say that this is well-written and I liked the author’s style. I feel like I need a lava bath after reading this, so I’m not sure how the author feels after living in Celeste’s head for this long. An ambitious project, but a disturbing read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia and Sexual content
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
dark
tense
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
4.5
I…am in complete shock here. I don’t even know why I’m trying to write this review now when it’s so raw.
I’m a budding fantasy reader and I really wasn’t sure about dragons. But I heard a review that was so amazing that I actually preordered this ebook. I finally got to read it and…wow.
I love, love, love this one. It’s reminiscent of the super popular YA novels of the 2010s like Divergent, but more grown up.
I’ve already bought a print copy and preordered the second ebook and hardcover—that will tell you how crazy I am about this.
As my first real fantasy read after ACOTAR, this was fabulous. Can’t wait for the second. I’m dead. The tears haven’t dried on my face yet.
I’m a budding fantasy reader and I really wasn’t sure about dragons. But I heard a review that was so amazing that I actually preordered this ebook. I finally got to read it and…wow.
I love, love, love this one. It’s reminiscent of the super popular YA novels of the 2010s like Divergent, but more grown up.
I’ve already bought a print copy and preordered the second ebook and hardcover—that will tell you how crazy I am about this.
As my first real fantasy read after ACOTAR, this was fabulous. Can’t wait for the second. I’m dead. The tears haven’t dried on my face yet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: War
Minor: Death of parent
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
A very solid thriller! I blasted through this audiobook. Dual timeline, a haunted boarding school, and murder—what more do you need?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Murder
Wanted by Sara Shepard
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It’s honestly funny to me—the acknowledgment for this book (#8) talked about how it was sad to write the last PLL book. But the series has SIXTEEN?! Okay, Sara.
This one actually through me for loops with all the twists, so that was fun.
As always, here’s my favorite quote:
He reminded Spencer of an emo version of a Super Mario Brother.
I’ll be back for #9!
This one actually through me for loops with all the twists, so that was fun.
As always, here’s my favorite quote:
He reminded Spencer of an emo version of a Super Mario Brother.
I’ll be back for #9!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury