limerickreads's reviews
20 reviews

Lightlark by Alex Aster

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4.0

The main complaints that I’ve seen about this book:

Too many tropes in one character
Not enough world building
Unnecessary dialogue
Lack of diversity

Here’s my response:

Maybe Isla is a little messy and complex. It’s not like her situation lends to a straight forward story. Sorry she isn’t two-dimensional with just one quirk. If you want that, go read Fourth Wing.
The story isn’t really about the world itself; it’s about the characters and their curses. Understanding their specific “type of being” and their individual problems explains a lot. To be honest, if you don’t get that, I’m not sure you’d be able to handle more world-building.
My life is full of unnecessary dialogue. It’s entertaining.
Not every book has to be about diversity. Be so for real, how many “types” of human beings do you know? Can you actually identify six?

The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell

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dark medium-paced

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

5.0

I feel like you never know what you’re going to get with Lisa (and I love that!!). I like that this story was from multiple perspectives and especially that a majority of it was from Pip’s. There is something quite eerie about a child’s point of view on adult happenings. Now, I’m not a mom (yet!), but I can imagine that this story would really make a parents’ skin crawl. As usual, this was a five-star read.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

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emotional 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

I don’t even feel like I was reading a book. I watched the last 564 pages happen in black and white, as if Kristin Hannah and Steven Spielberg (Schindler’s List) teamed up to transport me back in time.

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

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dark mysterious 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 had high expectations for this thriller and Frieda McFadden did not disappoint. I was supposed to buddy read this with my best friend but I could not put it down and I binged it this afternoon. I am such a huge fan of domestic thrillers and this one did a great job of tying together some of the best tropes. Can’t wait to binge some more McFadden this summer.

Content Warnings