lillyturmel's reviews
79 reviews

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I liked this book more than the Hunger Games, but of course this book couldn't have been so amazing without it. It explains the games so much and at the same time gives us an in to the beliefs of the Capitol. The romance, angst and character development are amazingly written. 

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

2.75

As far as romances go, this was pretty good. Basically adult fan-fiction but that's what I wanted. The epilogue was unnecessary though I think it would've been better left imagining their future.

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

If you love pretty little liars, I suggest you read this and give it a chance. I really liked the actual plot, but it wasn't the page turner I thought it would be. The story moved so slowly at first and the drama wasn't even that high. I feel like everything happened in the last 100 pages. Overall though, it was pretty enjoyable and definitely had the PLL vibe. I honestly wish it was written better because the plot was so good.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow. This book was somehow compelling, even with its dark and absurd themes. I could never really recommend this to anyone in good conscience, but its a really good read, so beautifully written, and made me feel my emotions in a whole new way I never thought I'd do.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Physical abuse, Suicide, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Rape, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Violence

Cet hiver by Alice Oseman

emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

An easy read to get you out of a slump, and good representation of mental health struggles and teenage emotions

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Honestly, my favourite book from the trilogy. The drama, the emotion, it was a great read. Also, I think Han really captured the teenage/young adult experience in this book, and I loved getting into the nitty gritty of all the characters!!

Hazel Fine Sings Along by Katie Wicks

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

So, this is a book that was originally written on Wattpad & published by Wattpad... which is kind of why I picked it up. As someone who enjoys a light, fluffy fanfiction every now and then this perfectly satisfied that craving, although it wasn't really a romance novel. Writing was really good considering I had Wattpad level expectations, but the characters were all over the place. All in all, its an easy, lighthearted read and I enjoyed it more than I expected.

Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

The entire body of the book was just so boring. Reading it felt like trudging through mud, thinking "when are we going to get to the point" and when you do get to the end, its very emotional, and it makes sense, but it just doesn't necessarily pay off

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Really good for a sequel, I like how the characters were explored more in this book. It follows a similar line of the first book, but I enjoyed that, it’s why I liked the first one. The mystery was just an unpredictable 

Love, Pamela by Pamela Anderson

adventurous informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I don't know why I was expecting to not really like this, I'm not someone who is fond of memoirs or non-fiction in general, but I really loved this book, I read it entirely in one sitting. Pamela's insight to life as a woman, and experiences around people doubting her, needing to find herself, abilities always being questioned are incredibly relatable and written in a way that makes you feel like Pamela is there telling you your experiences are valid as well.