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karessa_proctor's reviews
133 reviews
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
- The first 100 pages started of slow (for me) but then it started cooking with grease.
- Honestly the amount of twists and turns were giving me whiplash.
- This kept me really hooked and engaged.
- The FMC definitely behaves like your stereotypical white woman in a horror movie, but it was fun to be like “that would never be me but go ahead sis, I’m rooting for you anyways”
- Honestly the amount of twists and turns were giving me whiplash.
- This kept me really hooked and engaged.
- The FMC definitely behaves like your stereotypical white woman in a horror movie, but it was fun to be like “that would never be me but go ahead sis, I’m rooting for you anyways”
Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
- I finished this book in one sitting. It left me stunned, in silence, and I had trouble finding the words.
- This books is extremely heavy and I appreciated the content warning message the author started off her pages with.
- While I don’t always find graphic or descriptive scenes of SA and abuse to be necessary, I feel that the author was truly trying to convey a message and it landed for me. She showed a woman who (to me) seemed to be a bit judgmental of other women because of her childhood which bled into her sort of “I’m not one of those girls” attitudes. She much like more women than we think, learned in a terrible way that things are just not that simple. The way the author showed just how trapped our FMC was, you can tell she did her homework. She was essentially his prisoner. It goes to show that you never know what people go through.
- something that really stuck out to me was that Gus, our hero in the story asked to attend therapy at the center so that he could be a good partner to her. That was so so powerful.
- The writing style was just so engaging. I could not put it down. While the subject matter made me take a break or two, I needed to know how this story ended. The tension, yearning, and anticipation were *chefs kiss*
- This is small, but something I didn’t love was just a few lines about “some women stay too long or mistake abuse for love but that wasn’t me”. It felt harmful to those who might still be working through that. It also felt not on part with where we were heading in her growth journey. I also think she didn’t do more to listen and understand when her darker cousin spoke about her struggles growing up around lighter women. As a lightskin Black Biracial woman myself, we need to do better here.
- All in all I loved this book so much I raced to buy the second and third.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
4.75
- I finished this book in one sitting. It left me stunned, in silence, and I had trouble finding the words.
- This books is extremely heavy and I appreciated the content warning message the author started off her pages with.
- While I don’t always find graphic or descriptive scenes of SA and abuse to be necessary, I feel that the author was truly trying to convey a message and it landed for me. She showed a woman who (to me) seemed to be a bit judgmental of other women because of her childhood which bled into her sort of “I’m not one of those girls” attitudes. She much like more women than we think, learned in a terrible way that things are just not that simple. The way the author showed just how trapped our FMC was, you can tell she did her homework. She was essentially his prisoner. It goes to show that you never know what people go through.
- something that really stuck out to me was that Gus, our hero in the story asked to attend therapy at the center so that he could be a good partner to her. That was so so powerful.
- The writing style was just so engaging. I could not put it down. While the subject matter made me take a break or two, I needed to know how this story ended. The tension, yearning, and anticipation were *chefs kiss*
- This is small, but something I didn’t love was just a few lines about “some women stay too long or mistake abuse for love but that wasn’t me”. It felt harmful to those who might still be working through that. It also felt not on part with where we were heading in her growth journey. I also think she didn’t do more to listen and understand when her darker cousin spoke about her struggles growing up around lighter women. As a lightskin Black Biracial woman myself, we need to do better here.
- All in all I loved this book so much I raced to buy the second and third.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict
2.25
- Like murder on the orient express but worse
- The mystery was underwhelming, maybe because I figured out who the killer was about 20% of the way through
- Overuse of pop culture references really dates books
- The cover gives cosy murder mystery vibes but it’s actually about r*pe
Bad. Was slightly entertained.
- The mystery was underwhelming, maybe because I figured out who the killer was about 20% of the way through
- Overuse of pop culture references really dates books
- The cover gives cosy murder mystery vibes but it’s actually about r*pe
Bad. Was slightly entertained.
Sun of a Beach by Mia Sosa
4.25
- Great enemies to lovers banter going on here
- The story made me root for the main characters pretty early on so great writing there
- I know it’s a novella but some parts felt rushed
- The story made me root for the main characters pretty early on so great writing there
- I know it’s a novella but some parts felt rushed
A Walk in the Park by Rebekah Weatherspoon
5.0
This was really cute and enjoyable. Their meet cute, the building, and their relationship felt realistic and not forced. It was sweet. More than worth the listen!
The Wonderful of World Oz by L. Frank Baum
I could have done without the heads coming off sounds but this was really well done.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
- Wizard of Oz fanfiction done right
- Witty, fun, and entertaining at times but it could also drag on at other times
- I found the writing style a bit jumpy at times. I had to reread sections to make sure it wasn't me
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
-I enjoyed that it reads more like a love story than a romance, but truly I didn’t feel like “that was romantic” until the very end
- I thought the part where Theo comes out to Kit as nonbinary was very well done. It honestly had the most heart of the novel.
- I found Theo to be lowkey insufferable at times. A privileged rich white person who has a complex about being privileged so much so that they self sabotage at every given point…. annoying.
- The amount of vivid descriptions of food, wine, and locations was making this book drag on. I literally could not wait for it to be over and I found myself wanting to skim over these parts.
- They were trying to prove to each other that they were more mature now and they do this through a sex contest? The people who are unknowingly involved in said contest are literally referred to as “marks”.
- I wish we got more of their backstory before the breakup. Not having much to go off of from the start not make me feel upset that they were not together.
- I thought the part where Theo comes out to Kit as nonbinary was very well done. It honestly had the most heart of the novel.
- I found Theo to be lowkey insufferable at times. A privileged rich white person who has a complex about being privileged so much so that they self sabotage at every given point…. annoying.
- The amount of vivid descriptions of food, wine, and locations was making this book drag on. I literally could not wait for it to be over and I found myself wanting to skim over these parts.
- They were trying to prove to each other that they were more mature now and they do this through a sex contest? The people who are unknowingly involved in said contest are literally referred to as “marks”.
- I wish we got more of their backstory before the breakup. Not having much to go off of from the start not make me feel upset that they were not together.