karessa_proctor's reviews
128 reviews

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

- I really wasn’t feeling this at first because I hate too many pop culture references in books. I feel like it really dates the read but I’m SO glad I stuck it out 
- The banter, chemistry, and friendship between the main characters was everything. I love when people bring out the best in each other. It was really cute and I actually didn’t mind the slow burn because it felt like actually watching people fall in love 
- The female friendships were so amazing and made me happy 
- I felt like the behavior was a bit high school at times even though this was supposed to be college. 

You Had Me At Hola by Alexis Daria

emotional lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

4.0

- I found this really enjoyable because it was refreshingly progressive without it seeming forced
- I felt like it really humanized celebrities 
- The FMC annoyed me a little bit sometimes because I felt like she made herself the victim when she wasn’t (through that was acknowledged) and I didn’t like how she almost gave up on everything she worked for for a man. I appreciated that she grew from that through. It drove the plot. 

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated

5.0

Well just cut my heart open why don’t you?? I knew the outcome and it still left me heartbroken. This was up there with catching fire for me. Genuinely, how will they make the movie PG-13?

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

- I enjoyed figuring out the mystery in this one and was genuinely surprised by some twists 
- You can tell that they author put time and care into the source material since this was a heavy subject 
- I think if this book was trimmed down just a hair it would have been a 5 stars for me. Some parts seemed to drag which overshadowed the really amazing elements of this powerful story 
- I appreciated that the ending seemed like that’s what would happen in real life given the situation 

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

5.0

Maame by Jessica George

challenging emotional informative sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

- This was really interesting coming of age story considering that our FMC is 25 years old 
- I really like the writing style here, I kinda felt like I was reading her diary or thoughts 
- I get that she was obviously really sheltered because of cultural and family dynamics but I felt like there was biphobia that she didn’t really learn from. 
- I liked that there was character growth for not only the FMC but for the people around her 

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

- This story was so compelling and captivating. I could not put it down. I was gagged, entertained, and emotional. 
- The budding friendship between our morally grey characters here really kept me wanting more.  
- The character arcs were chefs kiss 
- Writing style really kept me hooked 
- Some things I saw coming because there was clear foreshadowing but one of the twists genuinely shook me. 

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.75

•  Had no idea going in that this was a contemporary romance with historical fiction and speculative elements but I was pleasantly surprised!!
•  I saw things coming but still was in emotional distress when it happened
•  LOVED the characters. If feel like I cared about each one of them deeply.

The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This was so delightful. I was literally giggling and kicking my feet. 

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

- I found the beginning a bit slow but I’m so glad that I stuck with it because I started to really get into the mystery of it all 
- I found the reveals to be enjoyable and they kept me hooked. 
- I kept thinking I knew what was happening and then I didn’t (in a good way)