kazbinej's reviews
449 reviews

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

i think this book truly is a love letter for Syria. its important that we know those stories of so many people outside of fiction, and we think about them as humans with a life, with feelings, and not just some numbers. i loved Zoulfa’s writing, and despite its changes in a particular subject, i see this narrative as something really necessary and an object of awareness that we need to share. i laughed and i cried and i was in love with Salama and Kenan. i hope that in real life, syrians, and for that matter, palestinians, can be free to live, love, and just be in their own home. 

Team Players by Deanna Grey

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

4.0

i did not like the bet/casual relationship thing. i wish they became friends first and lovers after :( 
i loved their personalities tho!!!! behind the fuckboy athlete facade, Sam turned out to be very sweet, and i could relate so much with some of Aderyn’s struggles. the end was really good too but i think the whole idea could've been better executed. hope there's more Mendell Hawk's books!!

Sunny Disposition by Deanna Grey

emotional lighthearted relaxing 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

4.25

this was a great read and i'm so glad i found it by chance, and it's on kindle unlimited. it's true that i'm a fool for college romances, but i think this one is relatively different from the others in some ways. i really liked Deanna's writing and how she put some subjects in the narrative. Naomi and Finn have so much chemistry and i loved the found family and the realness of the characters, specially Naomi’s strong development, the slow burn and the fact that there wasn't a third act breakup.

also, this thing Deanna wrote on author's note really stuck with me:

“When I started my author career I wanted to create characters who were like me. Black women who struggle with their mental health, sharing their emotions, and taking up space.”

i'm really grateful for this mindset, because i struggle with this kind of problem myself and i feel like i'm constantly searching for fluffy romances with black women being happy and taking up space, as Deanna said. i'll definitely be reading her other books.

Business Casual by B.K. Borison

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and B.K. Borison for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Surprisingly, I started the book thinking that I would not like it, because despite the name and having read the synopsis, I was expecting a little bit of a slow burn and I didn't get it, but that’s okay. This series is one of my favorites, and every time I had a glimpse of Charlie and Nova in the previous books, I would be kicking my feet and smiling, because they seemed so interesting individually, that I was dy!ng to see them together. They’re really great! Charlie is so genuinely funny that I was laughing at him a lot, and Nova has a wonderful personality. Also, I was missing the others so much that any crumbs would make me happy. (THE NEWS at the end got me screaming).

It’s really good to see some important subjects being addressed, like ADHD and mental health issues, which i could relate with, and i thank B.K. Borison for her writing. Something i didn't like was the amount of smut scenes. It seemed unnecessary and messed my reading experience a little, and I think the space could've been filled with other types of scenes. However, I had a great time reading this and I will miss this crew so f much. All the serious conversations and the found family/little town aspect is really special to me. Also I finished this wanting to have a new tattoo so bad!!!!

I’m feeling a little bittersweet because I was hoping this would be a 5 stars with no doubts, and almost turned out to be 3.5, but it happens. I will come back on release day to share my highlights because the world needs to see them!!! 

Bide by E.J. Blaise

emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

3.25

it started way more fun than the first one, but turned out to be so messy??? i like the author’s writing but i feel like shes trying to came up with a lot of plot twists just to let the book drag on forever and its boring :( i like the found family and how there's chapters focused on both povs of the main characters though 

Mulheres Negras e Literatura: Representatividade, estereótipos e protagonismo by Thiarlley Valadares

hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

reflexões incríveis que todo mundo deveria estar por dentro!

Unexpected by E.J. Blaise

emotional funny hopeful 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

3.25

its nice and i loved the Brazilian referencies. but its so f long

Spearcrest Rose by Aurora Reed

funny lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

4.25

i think i would give up my trust fund over noah watson and rich girl poor guy will always be something

Se tu me quisesse by Jadna Alana

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

adorei esse! uma fantasia curtinha escrita por uma autora do meu estado, chega fiquei feliz 

Finn Rhodes Forever by Stephanie Archer

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

i was enjoying the dinamic between olivia and finn, but some other things were pissing me off... i think the author had a lot of potential for this series to be great but it seems that she just uses the same pattern in the four books. anyway, i was expecting a lot more