lamanda_quiring's reviews
459 reviews

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

The FMC was okay by the end but for most of the story I couldn’t stand her. I thought she was very selfish. I did like the MMC though. The end was cute. 

The Deal by Elle Kennedy

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This book was recommended to me for my 12 book recs by 12 friends challenge… last year… 😅 I never finished the challenge so I had to carry it over to this year. 

This story was so cute and I really liked the main characters. Tiffy was quirky and funny. She reminded me of Lou from Me Before You. 
Leon is a sweetie but I have to say, the way his POV was written did drive me a little insane. His quirk is that he’s a nightshifter so he’s so tired he can barely string sentences together. As a fellow nightshifter, I found this relatable. However, every single sentence in his POV is written choppy and short and I hated it lol. 
But I did like the direction the story took and Tiffy’s journey to healing after a bad ex. And the epilogue was sweet. 

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

What The River Knows wasn’t my favorite but it ended on a crazy cliff hanger so I had to read book 2. 

Where The Library Hides was better than book 1 in my opinion. I didn’t care for Inez in book 1 but I liked her growth in book 2. This one was more adventurous and had me interested from start to finish and the romance was a nice touch. I didn’t love Whit in book one but he redeemed himself towards the end of book 2. I read through this one pretty quickly. I tandem read with the audio and on my kindle. The audio is great! 🎧 

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

YOU GUYS! If you take one recommendation from me this year, let it be this one. 

I saw Haley Pham & Destiny Sidwell recommend this earlier this year, so when I saw it in the little free library last week I picked it up. It was also free on Audible so I tandem read it. This book was everything I needed. I cannot rave about it enough!

I loved the writing so much. It kind of reminded me of Fredrik Backman or Phillipe Besson. It just had those warm vibes that pulled at my heartstrings. I loved the characters so much! I loved the bookstore setting. I loved the mystery aspect and the way it all tied up. I got teary eyed several times during the end. 
I loved AJ and Amelia’s romance, but this book was so much more than a romance novel. 

Also did you know they adapted this into a movie?! 🎥🍿 Kunal Nayyar plays AJ and he’s so perfect for the role! And the movie follows the book almost to a T! The dialogue is the same as the book. I loved it so much and it made me cry twice. 

Please give this book (or the movie) a chance! You won’t regret it. 

All The Young Dudes - Volume 3: ‘Til the End by MsKingBean89

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I was recommended this during my 12 Recs from 12 friends last year by @blaxkbooks and I finally read it! Im not going to lie, I have been putting it off bc of the TW. This book talks about infant loss, death of a loved one, divorce, grief, thoughts of suicide, & depression. I was a little nervous about jumping into that but I’ve never seen a bad review of this book so I finally picked it up. I’m so glad I gave this book a chance!

I love Kennedy Ryan’s writing style. This story flowed so well and I really had time to connect to the characters and love them. I honestly cared about every character & relationship. I enjoyed exploring Yaz’s relationship with her daughter and their feelings throughout everything they go through. I loved Yaz & Josiah together. I loved Yaz’s friends. I can’t wait to read their books!

This book handled the sensitive topics so well, you can really tell the author wrote with care. The whole book felt real and heartbreaking but also healing and warm. 

Hooked by Emily McIntire

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

1.0

The BuddyReadBabes were reading this in December and it’s been sitting on my shelves for over a year so I felt this was the perfect time to read it!
The audiobook was free so I listened to this and read it in one sitting. I’m sad to say I didn’t love it. I just didn’t feel connected to the characters or the story. The plot felt a little surface level and I wanted to dive deeper into it. The smut was good, but I wasn’t emotionally connected to Hook or Wendy so I didn’t really care about that either. I’m glad I finally read this so I can unhaul it but I probably won’t continue the series. 😕

Twisted Lies by Ana Huang

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No

1.75

The suspense/mystery of the story was dealt with so quickly. It was basically all smut with minimal plot. Basically this did NOT need to be 550+ pages. 

The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

medium-paced

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

1.5

The movie was better