kristin_boren's reviews
293 reviews

The Memory Dress by Jade Beer

emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.0

I think this suffers from the sort of Julie & Julia thing where you're like, I love reading about Julia Child but I don't much care about this other woman. I wanted so many more coherent flashbacks than this had. Also I felt like all the other characters treated Jayne like a sort of annoying baby adult which I found annoying for so much of the book. You're telling me if you had the luxury of a trust fund you wouldn't just love to work as a dog walker and florist? I dunno they felt kind of judgey. Just OK honestly.

Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson

4.0

I love kevin Wilson's little freak brain and I'll just read anything he writes, little to no questions asked. I love the mix of absurd and heartfelt that center in his writing. I think the titular story was my favorite. Every year I was in college my dreams took place in warehouses and the year after I graduated and was settled in a long term relationship and had a job locked down my dreams stopped being in warehouses. Anyway tunneling to the center of the earth felt like that time in life. The foreword talks a little about that weird untethered time in life when you're legally an adult but barely know how to be a person and I think a lot of the stories hold those feelings.

Clear by Carys Davies

emotional hopeful reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Oh I just never would have picked this up of my own accord but it was a book club pick so I read it for that and what a treat for me. Beautiful writing. Really puts you in the story with mood and setting in a way that feels like the words are swirling around you and carrying you along. Lovely comments on finding common ground, gaining empathy, and addressing parts of yourself perhaps hidden by other distractions.

Never Planned on You by Lindsay Hameroff
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.

Couldn't get into it. Felt like a story about cheating but also...boring.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

dark funny hopeful mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

Just OK to me. I thought some of the character inner thoughts were a little clunky but Vera is such a silly, meddling character she makes it a little more fun. I wanna eat all the food in this for sure.

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

medium-paced

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

2.5

The writing is good but I guess it's like...what's the point? It doesn't help I suppose that I'm reading this in 2024 but what a pointless story to tell. It's not even that satisfying of an ending. Everyone learns to be slightly less selfish. The end. As with all things, maybe it's a me issue but I had trouble getting through this one. 

Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

There was simply no reason for this to be as good as it was. In fact I'd say when I started it I kind of actively hated it but here we are at 5 stars. 

This was SO silly like a level of silly I rarely get the treat of encountering in a book. AND shockingly heartfelt.

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

3.0

I guess it's on me for assuming these would all be Christmas based stories. But I guess technically it is called just holidays on ice. Some good, some meh, some repeats from other collections. Not my favorite. 

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

2.5

I love the premise and I liked the first maybe 50 pages of the book. But then it felt like the pacing was bad, the characters had the same 3 arguments literally over and over and then the conclusions mostly felt kind of randomly placed. The pacing was not great. I wanted to love it genuinely and I just did not. There are 3 POVs and they somehow all feel exactly the same? I can't recommend.

Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.5

This was so cutieeeeeeeeeee! I'm definitely gonna read the rest of the series. Very lovely descriptive writing that sets some good scenes. Sweet characters all around and I LOVE a super small town setting.