kendranh's reviews
62 reviews

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

Abby Jimenez has done it again in creating a love story that makes me want to laugh, cry, and actually start dating again.

Watching Sloan come back to life after the events of the Friend Zone (highly recommend reading these books in order although not a requirement) was amazing. 

The way Jason and Sloan met and came together was like a warm hug in the form of a book. Jason’s patience as Sloan overcame her grief and fear of a new relationship was very well written.

I found some of the conflict in the second part of the book frustrating, but not enough to knock off more than .25 stars because frankly there HAD to be conflict or I would have lost interest. I enjoyed the conflict that was driven by Sloan and Jason trying to step out of the way of the other person’s dreams, but I did not like the use of Lola as a tool to drive them apart. It felt reminiscent of Britney Spears being villainized for years and left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, I highly recommend!
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Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I think this is my favourite Ali Hazelwood book yet! I could relate so closely to Elsie (I too let someone call me by the wrong name for years because the thought of correcting them stressed me out). Beyond just being a romance, this book made me think hard about myself. How much of the person I portray to others is actually me? I’m a semi-recovered people pleaser and it made my heart happy to see Elsie grow throughout the book.

On the romance side, I loved the way the relationships in the book developed. Jack was such a supportive and respectful partner, but I do wish more time had been spent letting their relationship develop.

I also loved the ace/aro representation in the book and the focus on how difficult it can be as a woman in STEM. My favourite moment in the whole book was when
Elsie realized she was treating George the same way she had been treated throughout her career. Misogyny is so deeply embedded in STEM fields that you don’t even realize you have absorbed those opinions.
Catfished by Stella Bixby

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A fun light mystery. I wish there had been more time to flesh out the characters, but I still enjoyed it. I felt like I didn’t have enough time to really get invested in the long run, but it was nice to see a heroine in her late 20s/early 30s and a cozy mystery that takes place outdoors instead of in a bookshop/coffee shop/bed and breakfast.
Lies of the Wicked by B.L. Lewis

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adventurous mysterious medium-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? No

3.25

Thank you to the author for sending an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to rate this book higher. The world that B.L. Lewis has built is a complex and magical one divided into powerful factions. The story follows Thessa, a young orphan graduating school and finding her place in the world. We are introduced to three different factions of witches as well as being told about the evil demons defeated in a historic war. I loved that each chapter heading included lessons that Thessa learned while in school, giving the reader insight into the way magic works in Andera. Over the course of the story, Thessa is forced to confront the secrets from her past as she comes of age and gains her powers.

One of my favourite themes throughout the book was being loved for who you are rather than who society expects you to be.

As I read, I had a hard time with the speed at which friendships and relationships formed. This was most noticeable in the romance between Thessa and Soren. I felt like the conflict between Thessa and Soren only existed to create an enemies to lovers moment, but there wasn’t enough time in the book dedicated to why they were enemies or their journey to lovers. I would have also loved to see more time in the book spent on the conflict between the factions because it felt like a hundreds year old war was resolved through a single battle.

Overall, I loved the world created in this book, but wish more time had been spent developing the characters and building out the plot.
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Happy Place by Emily Henry

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.5

As a semi-recovered people pleaser who loves a found family trope, this book hit me right in the heart. I saw bits of myself in Harriet, Sabrina, and Cleo and as much as this book is a romance, it was the friendship that made me want to reach out to my own friend group and let everyone know how much I love them. 

Frankly the only thing preventing it from being a full 5 ⭐️ read for me was the level of miscommunication happening for a solid 90% of the book. I get that it was the foundation the book was built on, but at times it made me want to scream.
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Southern Gentleman by Jessica Peterson

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

This was a sweet, lighthearted romance. I’m not a huge fan of the pregnancy trope, but it was well done here and supported the character development beyond just bringing Julia and Greyson together.

While I don’t think it is breaking any molds or making me think very deeply, this is such a nice book to read while sitting on the porch drinking a cool lemonade. 
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Hunting Werewolves and Other Bad Dates by Kel Carpenter, Meg Anne

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adventurous funny slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

The title is the best part of this book. I genuinely cannot think of a time I have read a book with such an annoying main character. How does this have so many positive reviews on other sites?! Bizarre plot, unlikeable characters, confusing lore, cringy dialogue. If it had been any longer I wouldn’t have finished it.

I’m just grateful I didn’t pay money for it.
Prime Minister by Sadie Haller, Ainsley Booth

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

4.0

I genuinely didn’t think I would like this book as much as I did. I’ve never been a huge fan of unbalanced power dynamics in romance, but Ellie was a strong female character who broke free of the stereotypes. She made up her own mind and I appreciated the conversations about consent. I also loved that a huge focus of the book was building a relationship between Ellie and Gavin. Also as a Canadian, it was nice to see the plot revolve around Canadian politics and cities. Overall, a good quick read with loveable characters and a solid romance.

Things I didn’t like: 
  • I kept picturing Justin Trudeau as Gavin. Probably just a Canadian problem, but it gave me minor ick 
  • I would have appreciated Ellie being just a bit older. I get that the age difference was part of the plot, but you can still be finishing your PhD in your late 20s
  • I wish the romance hadn’t been so rushed in the beginning. Like I wanted to see some real character development before they dove in bed together
  • It felt like it ended abruptly
  • Spoiler -
    the threesome added nothing to the plot whatsoever and was never really addressed again. Could have done without it.
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The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

(I won an advance reader’s edition in a contest, my opinions are my own)

This is a lovely YA retelling of so many different fairy tales. I truly enjoyed the twist given to the stories of Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. My mental images of the forest made the story even more fun thanks to the author’s creative world building.

I wish more time had spent developing the relationship between Clara and Axel because it felt like nothing really happened to spark things between them and we were just expected to believe that all of it had happened before the story began. I also wish the characters were a few years older. I understand it is YA, but having the main trio be between 15 and 17 made it frustrating at times.

Overall I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book!
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

This book both broke my heart and healed it at the same time. I have never been so invested in the lives of fictional rockstars. The 70s is not normally an era I enjoy for historical fiction, but 5his book is phenomenal.