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laurenmitchell's reviews
1114 reviews
A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Under the Smokestrewn Sky by A. Deborah Baker
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Not Here to Make Friends by Jodi McAlister
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
5.0
I've followed Jodi's fiction career since Valentine, which was in a very different genre—YA fantasy, my beloved—but the quality of her writing and the fact that the Marry Me, Juliet series was billed as a rom-com drama had me tear through the first two books in the series and pre-order Not Here To Make Friends the moment I was able to do so.
I was not disappointed. While each of the prior books were also wild rollercoasters, Not Here To Make Friends took off its seat belt, snapped off the security rail, and stood up in its seat screaming all the way. Everything from the characters' voices to the plot's pacing to the way all the little hints the audience had had from the previous books were not only explained but revealed to be much bigger than at first glance made Not Here To Make Friends a real page-turner. At the same time I wanted to savour it, because—to the best of my knowledge—this is the last installment in the MMJ series. (I'm happy to be wrong, Jodi!) So instead of devouring it in one sitting, I stretched it out over two bubble baths, one train ride, and enjoyed the last few pages of it just now with the rain on the roof (Melbourne is doing summer wrong) and one of the cats trying to help me to read by sitting on the book.
Fans of The Bachelor and similar shows will undoubtedly enjoy this show-in-book-form, because I enjoyed it immensely and my reality TV taste is more on the Masterchef and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! axis. It's a lot easier to deal with the conniving scumbagginess when it's on the page rather than on the screen, and yet the characters are so well-written you could swear they're real people.Fucking Greg! Never have I ever more wanted to slap a fictional character!
Now someone get Jodi that Bachelor consultant role!
I was not disappointed. While each of the prior books were also wild rollercoasters, Not Here To Make Friends took off its seat belt, snapped off the security rail, and stood up in its seat screaming all the way. Everything from the characters' voices to the plot's pacing to the way all the little hints the audience had had from the previous books were not only explained but revealed to be much bigger than at first glance made Not Here To Make Friends a real page-turner. At the same time I wanted to savour it, because—to the best of my knowledge—this is the last installment in the MMJ series. (I'm happy to be wrong, Jodi!) So instead of devouring it in one sitting, I stretched it out over two bubble baths, one train ride, and enjoyed the last few pages of it just now with the rain on the roof (Melbourne is doing summer wrong) and one of the cats trying to help me to read by sitting on the book.
Fans of The Bachelor and similar shows will undoubtedly enjoy this show-in-book-form, because I enjoyed it immensely and my reality TV taste is more on the Masterchef and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! axis. It's a lot easier to deal with the conniving scumbagginess when it's on the page rather than on the screen, and yet the characters are so well-written you could swear they're real people.
Now someone get Jodi that Bachelor consultant role!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Grief, and Death
I have tagged these content warnings but would like to assure the reader that the book isn't, for example, glorifying racism. The racists and misogynists get glorious comeuppances that are very satisfying, however, the journey to get there is a tough one. Explicit slurs are avoided and there are more allusions than overt, on-screen incidents, but please be mindful of your triggers.
Can I Steal You for a Second? by Jodi McAlister
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
There are (currently) only two palatable-to-me portrayals of COVID-19 in fiction: Glass Onion: a Knives Out mystery, and Jodi McAlister's Can I Steal You For A Second? and Here for the Right Reasons. The pandemic's touch on the world here is notable and it is real and it brought back memories of the endless Melbourne lockdowns. I felt the pandemic's presence throughout the book.
And I still devoured it in 80 minutes flat, because the amazing relationship dynamics, colourful characters, drama and squabbling, the sense of the reality show still having so much weight in the characters' lives in addition to what was going on in the outside world, the dialogue and pacing and just everything is such a treat. I don't watch a lot of reality TV, but I knew the general gist of the kind of show the book was representing, and so I can say even if you don't watch dating shows you can enjoy this romantic comedy.
I also read Here for the Right Reasons in one sitting prior to this, which was such a good feeling because since the pandemic began I've struggled to read for pleasure, where it used to be something I did daily. I had that familiarity with the characters going in, and it was genuinely so much fun to see the story again through another character's eyes, and then when I read 'I hope you're ready for some more shenanigans' at the end of the Acknowledgements I squealed, almost dropped the book in the bath, and tweeted 'LILY BOOK LILY BOOK LILY BOOK' at the author.
And I still devoured it in 80 minutes flat, because the amazing relationship dynamics, colourful characters, drama and squabbling, the sense of the reality show still having so much weight in the characters' lives in addition to what was going on in the outside world, the dialogue and pacing and just everything is such a treat. I don't watch a lot of reality TV, but I knew the general gist of the kind of show the book was representing, and so I can say even if you don't watch dating shows you can enjoy this romantic comedy.
I also read Here for the Right Reasons in one sitting prior to this, which was such a good feeling because since the pandemic began I've struggled to read for pleasure, where it used to be something I did daily. I had that familiarity with the characters going in, and it was genuinely so much fun to see the story again through another character's eyes, and then when I read 'I hope you're ready for some more shenanigans' at the end of the Acknowledgements I squealed, almost dropped the book in the bath, and tweeted 'LILY BOOK LILY BOOK LILY BOOK' at the author.
Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
dark
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? It's complicated
Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes
challenging
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
I can't help but love Marian's books even when the themes take a darker turn, and while Again, Rachel definitely has it sadder moments, as always we're left with a feeling that things will be all right, that the characters have weathered the storms and come out the other side.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault and Incest
A Lush and Seething Hell: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror by John Hornor Jacobs
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0