ladylovestead's reviews
286 reviews

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

DNF 25%. 

This was just ok. Checked reviews to see if it was worth finishing and saw all the controversy. DNFd because life is short and there are so many good books that aren't controversial/problematic to enjoy.

The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok

medium-paced

2.0

I was surprised that I didn't like this because I've loved the author's previous work. This book tells rather than shows. It is full of melodrama and plot holes. It felt like a lifetime movie? I also felt like it defaulted to stereotypes and tropes rather than tackling any nuance. Bummer. 

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

3.0

This was in line with previous books in the series. This had a bit more emphasis on the relationships than the previous books. The conclusion wrapped up all the loose ends nicely and this feels like a good place to end the series. So, I'm a bit confused about what she'll write about in the next book. 

Black Sunshine by Karina Halle

dark medium-paced

DNF at 32%. I love vampires but I'm bored. The writing is cheesy. It also has too many homages to Twilight that weren't super well done--so much so I couldn't tell if it was an homage to Twilight or just sloppy. I liked some of the imagery but that's about it. 

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 20 by Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

5.0

This wrecked me in the best possible way.

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

4.0

There was one scene at the end of this that felt more brutal than it needed to be and didn't fit with the tone of the rest of the story. That took it down to a 4 star but overall I had such a wonderful time reading this. Seadragons reminded me of axolotls so of course they melted my heart. The characters felt appropriate for a YA audience. Some people have mentioned issues with the pacing but nothing about the pacing threw me off or pulled me out of the story. There's only so much an author can do in a standalone when it comes to pacing and world building so I wasn't bothered by anything there. I can see myself coming back to re-read this one.

The Last Word by Taylor Adams

dark tense fast-paced

4.0

First and foremost you need to know the dog survives. 

Next, I thought this was awesome in part 1 and pretty good the Part 2 to the end. I didn't love when in part 2 there were suddenly multiple POVs. It works for the structure of the story, I just didn't like it as much. And the very last twist felt pretty unlikely/unbelievable, but the overall creepiness was great.

How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis

reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.0

I thought Davis could have done a little bit more with this but overall it was a helpful read. I appreciate the author's attention to making sure it was an easy book for neurodivergent brains to read.

The Teacher by Freida McFadden

funny mysterious fast-paced

2.5

Was this book supposed to be funny? Because I laughed my way through it. It was highly entertaining but in the "it's so bad it's good" kind of way. 

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

DNF after 30 pages. I loved the vibes and atmosphere but my eyes rolled so hard at the hero's OTT insta-love.