libbyhb's reviews
217 reviews

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is so cute! I loved the note-passing build up of their relationship, and the payoff was so cute. I also really enjoyed the perspective switching, especially the style of Leon's chapters. The drama parts of this were a little too...dramatic...(?) for me, like in a 2000s women's fiction type way. But generally this was cute and fun.

America the Beautiful?: One Woman in a Borrowed Prius on the Road Most Traveled by Blythe Roberson

adventurous funny informative medium-paced

3.5

This started off so well for me - I was so into the premise, and her writing style and all of the fun facts she was dropping (like the Theodore Roosevelt section). By the middle it started to feel a little repetitive and almost like there were separate essays embedded within the chapters that didn't really mesh well with the narrative. I did really like the part in her friend's ghost town, though. Super cool.

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

I generally liked this, but some parts didn't work for me. In the first section, I was mostly hanging on for the behind-the-scenes aspect and less for the romance. With the switch to the email section I was HOOKED to the romance part - I'm such a sucker for epistolary stories. Then I kind of flagged on the whole thing by the end section. I wasn't super into any of the characters specifically, and there was a kind of remote/detached way they interacted with each other that felt off to me.

Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Loved loved loved this. I loved being in Enid's head and feeling the whole emotional rollercoaster along with her. It felt wild and out of control and so relatable. Every relationship in this was complicated but real, especially between Enid and her mother and Enid and Polly. Such good writing.

Come & Get It by Kiley Reid

emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This very much lived up to the anticipation for me! The setting of the university was so detailed and grounded in reality which really enhanced the story. The characters were so interesting and complicated. I also liked how efficient(?) the book felt - like nothing was superfluous. Can't wait for more Kiley Reid!

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Amaaaaaaziinggggg! I highly recommend reading this on a plane like I did. It really put me in a good headspace for this weird story. This was written so beautifully, and I loved how the plot unfolded. Such an enveloping atmosphere, too.

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Great read! Very digestible and I appreciated that it didn't seem to tread the same ground over and over. It gave me a new perspective on how I use my time but not in a doomsday kind of way.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

emotional mysterious tense 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

4.0

So compulsively readable! I obviously had already watched the HBO series when it came out, but I didn't feel like it messed with my experience reading this at all. Great, messy characters and fun twists and turns. Excited to read more Liane Moriarty.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

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

4.0

I never read this in my childhood, so after watching the movie adaptation I had to pick it up. It's easy to see why this is beloved - it's so charming and the characters are endlessly relatable. Just a cute read!

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

This book is silly as fuck! I read the Percy Jackson series back when I was a tween/teen and really enjoyed it, so I wanted to re-read this first one before the tv series came out. I know that the future books will get deeper and the characters will be more well-rounded, so I didn't super mind how this one was a little more surface-level. The plot moves in such a funny way, like kind of slow but also jerky? I don't know. The characters are super cute and lovable though.