katey_'s reviews
996 reviews

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny reflective 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

Only and Forever by Chloe Liese

emotional lighthearted 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

3.5

A lovely way to tie up the Bergman Brothers series with a nice little bow. I'll miss these characters!

The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman

informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

I was really young in the 90s -- born in '91 -- so a lot of my conscious memories of the 90s aren't really related to what was happening in the world around me. This book provided a lot of really interesting context to my childhood!

Mercy by Sara Cate

2.0

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

emotional funny lighthearted 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

5.0

This is Christina Lauren at their absolute *best* after a few releases I wasn't all that crazy about.

My favorite CL book is The Unhoneymooners and this feels like a spiritual sibling of that book -- an idyllic setting, forced proximity and charming, funny characters with excellent banter. And bonus tropes for this one: Fake dating/marriage of convenience with a quirky twist. I saved this to be my first summer read of 2024 and I'm so glad I did.

Bonus points for rich people family drama, which I usually just eat up -- and I definitely did this time, too.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

5.0

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune

emotional reflective medium-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

3.5

I know Carley Fortune's previous books have been polarizing because of the use of cheating tropes (I actually feel differently about them and have a more nuanced take that I've written about in other reviews), but I will say I was nervous picking this one up because I was hoping that trope wasn't used for a third time. Happily, it wasn't!

What this book *was* was a lovely brothers-best-friend trope, with Fortune's signature dual timeline format. The location is idyllic, and Fortune's writing really shines. 

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

emotional hopeful 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

4.0

Annabel Monaghan is becoming a must-read author for me. Her books are always a blend of sweet romance and heavy, real-life issues. This book is no different. I love that Monaghan also writes about women in their 30s (often their mid/late-30s), when so many other books are often about younger women. This book tackles some heavy topics -- divorce, grief -- but still manages to be a perfect summer beach read. I knew I would love this so I saved it to read until the weather started to warm up and I'm so glad I did -- this should absolutely be on your vacation reading list this summer. 

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

wow. wow. wow. 

Well, This is Exhausting: Essays by Sophia Benoit

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.5

I enjoyed this so much, I'm buying it in print immediately so I can highlight and flag sections that resonated with me. "Well, This is Exhausting," is a poignant, exhaustive (ha) analysis of modern womanhood. Every woman in their late 20s or early 30s will find something in here that feels so real you have to put the book down and do a lap around your house while thinking about it.