klpsencik's reviews
1018 reviews

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

emotional 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

3.0

A super cute follow-up to Fangirl Down! I actually preferred this to the first in this series. 

Burgess is a lovable male lead and you can't help but root for Tallulah (despite her unfortunate name -- Tessa, why do we have to have leads with names like these???)

Mouth to Mouth by Tessa Bailey

lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

typical tessa bailey smut, you know what you're getting into here!!! (not in a bad way at all)

His Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice by Robert Samuels, Toluse Olorunnipa

informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Profound and important.

This book takes a look at the life of one man whose story is all too familiar for thousands of men who look like him. This book deftly follows what George Floyd's life was like before he was murdered in 2020. It's not a happy story or a particularly glamorous one, but that makes the story all the more heartbreaking. It's proof that Floyd was, like the rest of us, a flawed person doing their best to make it in the world. But in Floyd's case, and in the case of countless people of color, the odds were stacked against him. This book also explores the social movement that followed Floyd's murder. Most poignant to me was the exploration of how Floyd's murder impacted thousands (if not millions!) of people who had never met him, compared to how those closest to him grieved as the entire world learned his name.

Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was funny, and uncomfortable, and heartbreaking, and uplifting all at the same time. I loved the characters' quirks and an accurate, thoughtful exploration of mental health issues.

Do You Take This Man by Denise Williams

emotional funny 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

3.75

Denise Williams never misses! Her characters always bring such depth to romance novels, and the story grows beyond the romance (while keeping the HEA the focus, of course).

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional 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

5.0

Abby Jimenez is never not making me cry. Every book I read of hers, I think, "is this my favorite one yet?" because she keeps getting better and better.

This book is HEAVY. Probably heavier than her others. But it's also so incredibly swoony, hilarious and full of heart. AND, as is par for the course in Abby Jimenez books, there's a great dog character and an excellent series of side characters.

Personal Effects: What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living by

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

The first half of this book was extremely gripping; the second half, not so much. Robert A. Jensen's life is fascinating and absolutely memoir-worthy, but the order these stories were told in was a little confusing for me. I think I'd rather have it perhaps be fully chronological or organized differently -- I found the jumping around really difficult to follow. I also think the book could have used a bit more paring down -- it was a little longer than I feel it needed to be.

The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones

dark emotional tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

What a freaking end to this series. I would follow Stephen Graham Jones anywhere. I wish I could delete my memory of this trilogy from my brain so I could go read it again for the first time. 

Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Stephen Graham Jones is one of the greatest living horror novelists.

This series pulls from classic horror tropes -- specifically horror movies -- and it feels weird to say that a horror novel is fun to read, but these books are just so damn fun to read.

Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

I honestly can't say I ever thought I'd enjoy a golf romance, but here I am!

"Fangirl Down" is quintessential Tessa Bailey -- hilarious, steamy, swoonworthy and so unique. Looking forward to the next in this series!