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keytheelibrarian's reviews
68 reviews
Take a Hike by Mimi Grace
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-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
5.0
mimi grace is TOO good! i've been a fan of mg's since the release of "make a scene" and can confidently say she is constantly raising the bar for herself. i like retta and duncan, the couple from "make a scene", and i adore gwen and anthony from "what a match", but raven and silas? oh, i LOVE them. they're my people and you will have to pry them from my cold, dead hands for me say otherwise.
admittedly, i wasn't sure how i felt about silas at the beginning. he was too rude and pushy for my liking, but after thinking about it, i probably would respond similarly to a stranger coming to steal my job. he's human, and it's my favorite thing about his character. both of them actually, feel so real—tangible. we all can relate to their emotions and the way mg describes them makes that easy to do.
i saw myself and my friends in raven and it made me love her character immediately. her humor, lust for life and experiences, impulsiveness just rang true for me and the people i surround myself with. her character is written perfectly and i would go as far as to say she may be mg's best character. she's headstrong, indecisive, witty, and free and though it's not needed, i wouldn't mind reading another book or two about her.
i've BEEN saying mimi grace is hilarious and she's proved it once again. i rarely audibly laugh at books, but she deadass makes me CACKLE. so much of the remarks by all the characters, inner monologue, and narrative hit the humor mark exactly (pun not intended) and it never feels corny or forced. 5 stars, EASILY!
Love Scammed by Rilzy Adams
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-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
4.75
first and foremost, y'all will NEVER believe how long it took me to finish this book. EYE can't even believe it! especially now that i have finished reading and—spoiler alert—LOVED it. rilzy ate tf out of this novella. she's just like hudson fr (if the novella was monae; he's a professional eater i fear).
i already knew this was going to be beyond entertaining when it started off with a lie that had monae tweaking. i'm a stan for chaotic, discombobulated main characters and rilzy hit the nail on the head. though, i can't say i blame monae completely because if my best friend set me up on a blind baecation, i don't know WHAT i would do. monae and hudson didn't either, until they did and realized being scammed into love isn't as bad as it would seem.
i loved both the main characters! monae is an overthinker, very calculated, and carries a lot of relationship trauma. hudson is a go with the flow creative who has no problem taking some of the weight off her shoulders. they're a perfect match and temptess (monae's best friend) and russ (hudson's cousin) BEEN knew
i'm a little pissed off that it's just a novella because i would've loved to see more of them. guess i'll just have to re-read 🤭.
4.7⭐️
The Build Up by Tati Richardson
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
the build up was definitely a build up. ari and porter's love story gave me whip lash, beat me down, buried me under the stadium, but then revived me in a spanish resort whirl pool. after ari's first day i knew this book would be a trip. you don't start a book with that chaos and expect anything less! luckily, porter is there as the knight with a shining AMEX to come to her rescue. they're both ambitious, hilarious, hampton-alums who knew from the moment they saw each other there was sparks between them. when they're saddled on a big project together what more can you expect them to do but fall in love (after a long and winding friends-with-benefit stint of course).
the third act breakup had me throwing my ipad and CRYING. i literally kept screaming, "WHY? WHY?" i couldn't believe it y'all! i don't want to say too much because y'all deserve to be just as angry as i was but oh my God. brace yourselves. the resolution was perfect, but rushed to me. i would have love to see more of ari with claudio and porter beating greer's ass. but that's just me!
i enjoyed this! it's a nice, fun, steamy read that will definitely resonate with a lot of southerners and especially atliens. it was a pleasure and honor being able to launch the book with tati and carina press at harlequin!
3.4⭐️s
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.75
if i haven't said it before, i very rarely read the synopsis of books. i go off the vibe of the cover and word of mouth mostly. with the addition of this being the @bookdbrunch march botm, i definitely didn't take the time to see what the plot was and knew nothing other than that it's YA. in a way, i think it helped. meeting emoni, a teenage mom with a passion for cooking, under no pretenses was a little shocking but i loved it. she's a spitfire girl who has a lot of baggage, but carries it well. with the help of her 'buela, her best friend, and the encouragement from a few
chefs and a sweet, new transfer, she's more than alright.
i loved this book! it was heavy, but hilarious and sweet. elizabeth acevedo wrote the hell out this book. the way each character is so distinctly their own is chef's kiss (pun intended). her world setting is better than average and really enjoyed the dialogue. there were some parts of this story that made me want to throw my ipad across the room, but by the time i finished it, i was hugging it so close. i think this story is one a lot of people can resonate with. even if you aren't a teen parent from philly, there's so much here about growing up, relationships, and fear that everyone can find themselves in this story.
with the fire on high gets 4.7⭐️s from me and i would recommend it ten times over.
The Grim Reaper's Lawyer by Mea Monique
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
2.75
let the record show i'm OBSESSED with this idea. the thought of the grim reaper not being this single entity but instead a title within a bigger system? genius. mea monique ate that really, really bad. there was a lot of potential, but i do think the actual writing left much (much) to be desired. the writing style isn't my favorite—i'm into more colloquial writing—but i was willing to overlook that because this is one of my reads for my @bookdbrunch tbr for march. it felt very...script-y. Very direction and dialogue based over descriptive which i think is fine when there's balance, but this didn't have much.
joyce and yirah's relationship is my favorite in the book, which is sad bc joyce and aiden are the main characters. i like how m.m. made j&a's attraction for each other clear. it was obvious from the beginning and that's perfect bc without the lip looks and distracted glances you would never know he liked her. like, he literally watched her get her ass beat by a spirit. their first smut scene was fine, but after that they felt very cringed and almost forced. aiden's whole "owe" thing was such a turn off i literally gagged.
the plot "twists" were predictable (to me), but mea monique still does a good job writing about them and adding them into the story. though they all lead into each other, the plot still becomes messy, jerky, and that's disappointing.
even with all of that said, i will be tuning into the next book. what can i say? the book is low vibrational and my favorite kind of entertainment. it also should be said that this is mea monique's debut and i know it'll only get better. 2.7⭐️s.
Equivalent Exchange by Christina C. Jones
challenging
emotional
funny
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
3.75
tw domestic violence, deceased sibling, death of a parent
this book...this book was...so long 😭! i don't know, i loved the plot, loved the characters, but it felt like it was going and going and GOING! with that being said, it was good enough for me to finish and that says a lot because y'all KNOW i will dnf a book with swiftness.
laken and keris (love their names) are some of the weirdest, most broken, stubborn characters i've ever read, but i think that's another layer of their compatibility. laken is still recovering from the emotional toll his brother's untimely death left on him while building his own brand and trying to step out of his family's shadow. keris is forced to go into the next stage of her life after a failed relationship leads her back to her childhood home and jobless. when i say these two are broken? i really mean it, but watching them put their pieces back together was so enjoyable.
i loved the side characters (sans walter 😒)! natasha, lark, the kimble parents, and cal shine throughout this book especially. kind of disappointed we won't get to see cal and natasha's relationship, but i'll live. i can't even talk to y'all about mama and daddy kimble, i CAN'T! it's too much i fear. just read it. you will not regret it! 3.8 ⭐️s
The Prodigy 2: Rise of a Queen (Family Ties) by Shae Sanders
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i...liked it. can't say i loved it, can't say it blew me away, but i did like it. it wasn't bad by any means, and for the most part we did get the loose ends pertaining to malika and jakari wrapped up. i don't know y'all, it just feels like there's SOMETHING missing. maybe the fact that gab's still living is throwing me off. need her gone IMMEDIATELY!
in book two we get to see the consequences of what we learned at the end of book one. malika is scarily level headed about the entire situation, but the more i think about it, the more it makes sense for her character. throughout this book we see her become stronger, bolder and step into her role as mrs.windermere. the conflict with her family and past play a large role in who she becomes, but there are times feels they felt like they were glossed over.
i would've loved to see jakari take on more of the king role this book. he's still the prodigy of course, but with his father gone and everything happening it would've been interesting to see him lock into that character arc. it felt like he was just chasing malika for the majority of the book. as a romance lover, i'm never going to complain about that, but i would've loved to see some balance.
overall, i enjoyed it! 4 ⭐️s!
The Prodigy by Shae Sanders
dark
emotional
funny
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? Yes
4.5
y'all know i always write my reviews immediately after i'm done reading the book and this is why. my jaw is hanging. HANGING! when i first started this book, i had an idea of where it might go. by the middle of the book, i just knew how it was going to end. it was easy, predictable. until it wasn't. i can honestly say i didn't see that coming and i will be starting the next book immediately.
i didn't know how to feel about jakari and malika at first. jakari was a player type who was bred from money and not nearly as family-oriented as he wanted everyone to believe. malika...malika was a little bit of a loser if i'm honest. they needed each other (real bad) and their character progression throughout the book proved that. they went from being "prisoner" and "jailor" to being a unit and it's one of the best things about the book.
shae has always done well with making side characters unimportantly important. she doesn't make them overplay their role, but they always help move the story along. jaz, gab, eris, nay, and everyone else work superbly as plot movers and i can't wait to see how shae uses them in the next book. ESPECIALLY gab.
i rate this book 4.4 ⭐️s! it was entertaining, fast, and the cliffhanger was a true gag. if you're looking for a hot-ish, drama-filled, marriage of necessity, i definitely recommend.
Tempted by Danger by Endiya Carter
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? No
4.5
oh. em. gee. ENDIYA CARTER! i don't know if i wanna hug or hit you! this book...THIS BOOK 😭. if you haven't read my review on captivated by danger (the second book in the series; yes i read that first), let me give you the run down. i LOVED it. loved it so much i still consider it a top five read of mine from last year. diesel and grey are and will forever be my people, but quinci and dymon are coming in at a very, very close second.
their love story is sweet, hot, and funny as hell. as always, e.c. does a phenomenal job developing her characters. a lot of authors who go the "opposites attract" route miss the mark by making them too different, or forcing the senseless attraction, or both, but that was never an issue here. the two main characters are different enough to where the reader is able to get a sense of their individuality and understand they're different, but similar enough to where their relationship doesn't take the quadratic formula to make sense of. carter also did well with the side characters. they weren't overdone and were used properly to further the storyline.
if you want a dom/sub, age gap (24/30), opposites attract, spicy workplace romance with a head-strong fmc and boy-obsessed mmc, this is the one for you.
4.5⭐️s!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death