lilalhreads's reviews
292 reviews

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad 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

Even though this wasn’t my favorite Emily Henry book, I did enjoy Funny Story.
At times the plot felt a little lackluster and it felt as though nothing was really happening. But I eat up the fake dating trope every time.
I found the characters lovable (except Peter and Petra 😡) and Miles & Daphne make my heart swoon. Their witty banter and romantic scenes were everything. They felt real. I think it was important that not only did they help each other heal from their breakups but also helped each other start to heal from their traumatic childhoods.
I also really loved the friendship between Daphne and Ashleigh. In fact, Ashleigh, along with Miles’ sister Julia, was actually one of my favorite characters.

Content Warnings

The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I loved the idea of this book and was really anticipating the release but unfortunately I was not a fan.

The things I didn’t enjoy:

— Everyone annoyed me. Literally every character. I know they were tackling some serious issues (ptsd, alcoholism, etc.) but I just could not stand any of them. Esther is supposed to be this help anyone who is need, kind christian woman and her internal monologue was so incredibly judgmental.

— Cooper was supposed to be dealing with the fact that he’s taking custody of his little sister and she was hardly in it?? I just feel like if him taking custody was supposed to be a big plot point she should have been more prevalent to the plot.

Also I know their dad only stuck around because he was sick but what was the point of Cooper even taking custody if they were all living together anyways

— Iris is 26, doesn’t have a steady job/income and yet is somehow able to afford not one but two houses?? Make it make sense

I would have preferred if the story had focused on just the funeral ladies and the ups and down of putting together the cookbook

Content Warnings

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

3.75

Content Warnings

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage

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emotional funny hopeful fast-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

3.75

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad 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

4.0

Content Warnings

Funny Feelings by Tarah DeWitt

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

Overall I enjoyed the story and the relationships (especially those between Farley and Hazel) but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m not a huge fan of stand up comedy in general so I’m not sure why I thought I would enjoy a book centered around a stand up comedian and her manager more.
The last halfish last quarter of the book felt very rushed as well. We saw

the fallout of Meyer deciding to stop managing Farley and we saw them have the big argument/discussion about it but then we saw none of the resolution. It just jumped ahead 3 months and while things weren’t back to what they were before, they were pretty good and then the book was over.

I just feel like there could’ve been more to that

Content Warnings