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loiereads's reviews
275 reviews
Five Survive by Holly Jackson
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Reading this book straight after finishing the AGGGTM series does feel a little bit like a let down.
Don’t get me wrong, this book was good, it had its moments where I was like “oh damn”, but compared to Pip and her shenanigans, this just didn’t quite hit the same way.
-
The first half of the book felt SO SLOW. I did find it a little difficult to feel fully engaged. When things started ramping up a little, I was more intrigued, but just couldn’t ignore the fact that I just didn’t really like any of the characters. They all kind of annoyed me, which is a shame seeing as I loved the characters from AGGGTM and thought that Holly Jackson did a brilliant job of writing them and bringing them to life.
-
I don’t want to sound like I’m being too harsh, because I did enjoy the book and think that it was still clever in its own way, and perhaps if I hadn’t read the AGGGTM books, I would have find this one more clever and fascinating.
Nevertheless, it was a good book, but I probably won’t be rereading it anytime soon.
Don’t get me wrong, this book was good, it had its moments where I was like “oh damn”, but compared to Pip and her shenanigans, this just didn’t quite hit the same way.
-
The first half of the book felt SO SLOW. I did find it a little difficult to feel fully engaged. When things started ramping up a little, I was more intrigued, but just couldn’t ignore the fact that I just didn’t really like any of the characters. They all kind of annoyed me, which is a shame seeing as I loved the characters from AGGGTM and thought that Holly Jackson did a brilliant job of writing them and bringing them to life.
-
I don’t want to sound like I’m being too harsh, because I did enjoy the book and think that it was still clever in its own way, and perhaps if I hadn’t read the AGGGTM books, I would have find this one more clever and fascinating.
Nevertheless, it was a good book, but I probably won’t be rereading it anytime soon.
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
DAMN! OK! WHAT!
This final instalment of the AGGGTM series has me just !!!!!!!
That was crazy. Insane!!!!
WHAAAAAAT???
-
Okay, I will admit, that at the start of the book I felt really uneasy with the direction the story looked like it was going in. I could kind of tell what was in store for our beloved Pip. And I won't lie; I do feel a little upset that her character went from someone that a lot of people admired and looked up to, to a character with a such grey-area morality. Like do we still love her? Do we still support her? I DONT KNOW!!
It's tricky and I STILL don't really know how I feel about it.
-
But from looking at an entertainment point of view, this book had me in a chokehold. The first half was a little slow going and didn't really have me majorly hooked, but after the climatic moment halfway through, I just couldn't put the book down. I just HAD to know how it all played out. And in my opinion, for me, that's a good book. Something that can keep me wanting more and more; those are the books that I love.
I LOVED how all the stories from all three books came together at the end. IMO, Holly Jackson is so clever and I love how her mind works.
-
But my goodness. Ravi... sweet, sweet Ravi. He deserved so much more, and so much better. So loving, so loyal. He is a 10/10 character. He deserved so many hugs. What a great guy.
-
Overall, I really enjoyed this last book in the series. It took me on such a rollercoaster of emotions and I honestly, truly can’t wait for Holly Jackson to bless us with more novels to devour.
This final instalment of the AGGGTM series has me just !!!!!!!
That was crazy. Insane!!!!
WHAAAAAAT???
-
Okay, I will admit, that at the start of the book I felt really uneasy with the direction the story looked like it was going in. I could kind of tell what was in store for our beloved Pip. And I won't lie; I do feel a little upset that her character went from someone that a lot of people admired and looked up to, to a character with a such grey-area morality. Like do we still love her? Do we still support her? I DONT KNOW!!
It's tricky and I STILL don't really know how I feel about it.
-
But from looking at an entertainment point of view, this book had me in a chokehold. The first half was a little slow going and didn't really have me majorly hooked, but after the climatic moment halfway through, I just couldn't put the book down. I just HAD to know how it all played out. And in my opinion, for me, that's a good book. Something that can keep me wanting more and more; those are the books that I love.
I LOVED how all the stories from all three books came together at the end. IMO, Holly Jackson is so clever and I love how her mind works.
-
But my goodness. Ravi... sweet, sweet Ravi. He deserved so much more, and so much better. So loving, so loyal. He is a 10/10 character. He deserved so many hugs. What a great guy.
-
Overall, I really enjoyed this last book in the series. It took me on such a rollercoaster of emotions and I honestly, truly can’t wait for Holly Jackson to bless us with more novels to devour.
Young Blood by Jenny Carroll
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
Those last few sentences 🥰🤭
Mean Spirits by Jenny Carroll, Meg Cabot
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Damn, Suze really gets a guy hanging onto her arm every book, huh?
High Stakes by Meg Cabot
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Not as entertaining as the first book, but still a great, easy read.
I do wish Suze would focus more on personality, rather than looks though.
I do wish Suze would focus more on personality, rather than looks though.
Love You to Death by Jenny Carroll, Meg Cabot
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Read this series at least 10 years ago and loved it. Decided to reread it now as I've been struggling with a reading slump.
Such a great decision.
I love Suze so much. She's the type of girl I wanna be.
Such a great decision.
I love Suze so much. She's the type of girl I wanna be.
Satellite by Nick Lake
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
☆ STORY:
This book has such an interesting concept; to be born and raised in space, but then journey to earth. Does that technically mean you’re an alien? But you’re still human… it’s interesting to think about. Not to mention the morality of it, and the science behind what would happen to your body after going from 0g to 1g. I found it fascinating.
The story was a little slow for the first half, but not in an unenjoyable way. Everything was pretty relevant to the story. There were a few turns in the story that I wasn’t expecting and had me hooked throughout the whole book.
I did feel as though it may have been a tad long, and come the end of the book, I was looking forward to getting to the end and seeing how everything turned out.
☆ WRITING STYLE:
The book is written in a text-talk style, which is actually quite distracting and hard to get into at the start. It made it a little hard to concentrate, but once I got used to it, it was easy enough to read through.
☆ CHARACTERS:
The characters were interesting in their own ways, but I didn’t feel that strongly towards any of them, to be honest. I found Leo a little unbearable at times, especially when it came to his views towards his mother. I think he was a little harsh towards her, and it would have been nice to have seen their relationship positively develop a little more towards the end.
☆ ATMOSPHERE/VIBE:
I loved the space vibes. I didn’t feel as though sciencey terms were being shoved down my throat and I could easily follow along with everything that was happening. I loved the description and explanation of everything. The author has a really great way of helping you to envision exactly what’s going on. There’s also some really beautiful poetic writing in there as well which I really enjoyed.
Overall this was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This book has such an interesting concept; to be born and raised in space, but then journey to earth. Does that technically mean you’re an alien? But you’re still human… it’s interesting to think about. Not to mention the morality of it, and the science behind what would happen to your body after going from 0g to 1g. I found it fascinating.
The story was a little slow for the first half, but not in an unenjoyable way. Everything was pretty relevant to the story. There were a few turns in the story that I wasn’t expecting and had me hooked throughout the whole book.
I did feel as though it may have been a tad long, and come the end of the book, I was looking forward to getting to the end and seeing how everything turned out.
☆ WRITING STYLE:
The book is written in a text-talk style, which is actually quite distracting and hard to get into at the start. It made it a little hard to concentrate, but once I got used to it, it was easy enough to read through.
☆ CHARACTERS:
The characters were interesting in their own ways, but I didn’t feel that strongly towards any of them, to be honest. I found Leo a little unbearable at times, especially when it came to his views towards his mother. I think he was a little harsh towards her, and it would have been nice to have seen their relationship positively develop a little more towards the end.
☆ ATMOSPHERE/VIBE:
I loved the space vibes. I didn’t feel as though sciencey terms were being shoved down my throat and I could easily follow along with everything that was happening. I loved the description and explanation of everything. The author has a really great way of helping you to envision exactly what’s going on. There’s also some really beautiful poetic writing in there as well which I really enjoyed.
Overall this was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Monsters by Emerald Fennell
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Coming from the director of Saltburn, I was expecting this book to be a lot more creepy and disturbing than it actually was. Don’t get met wrong, there were moments in this book that made me quite uncomfortable, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting.
It was a compelling read, and had me hooked. I flew through the first half of the book, but slowed down a little in the second half. I was expecting a slightly bigger plot twist as well, but the ending was pretty predictable.
It definitely seems as though it’s been set up for a second book, and I would be super interested to see what happens next if there ever was a second instalment.
However, I’m only going to give this book a 3 stars, as I was expecting a little more from it.
Idk, I’m feeling a little picky this year 🤷🏻♀️
It was a compelling read, and had me hooked. I flew through the first half of the book, but slowed down a little in the second half. I was expecting a slightly bigger plot twist as well, but the ending was pretty predictable.
It definitely seems as though it’s been set up for a second book, and I would be super interested to see what happens next if there ever was a second instalment.
However, I’m only going to give this book a 3 stars, as I was expecting a little more from it.
Idk, I’m feeling a little picky this year 🤷🏻♀️
Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
STORY:
Woah, the concept for this book was SO FASCINATING. I love, love, LOVE books with unique concepts that really make you think, and this book had that going for it. It did get a little confusing at times, as there was a lot of jumping around, which is required for this type of book, but I did find myself feeling a little lost here and there.
I heard that there were lots of great twists in this book, and while there were twists and turns every now and then, they weren’t as mind blowing as I was hoping they would be. I really wanted it to PUNCH me you know, but it wasn’t quite capable of that.
WRITING STYLE:
This author knows how to write beautiful sentences. I love artful writing styles, and this book had exactly that. I’ll definitely have to check out more of this author’s work!
CHARACTERS:
I can’t lie, I didn’t really feel any major connections with any of these characters, I was more interested in what they were doing, rather than their character as a whole. There was nothing that made me want me root for any of them.
ATMOSPHERE/VIBE:
So intriguing. It always left me wanting to read more, to find out more, to get to the big twists. I have to admit that I was more drawn in and hooked at the start of the book. Near the end, I feel as though it started to lose a bit of its magic and the ending was a little disappointing, juuuuust a little 🤏
Nevertheless, this was a super interesting read that makes you think on a deep level, and is definitely worth checking out!
Woah, the concept for this book was SO FASCINATING. I love, love, LOVE books with unique concepts that really make you think, and this book had that going for it. It did get a little confusing at times, as there was a lot of jumping around, which is required for this type of book, but I did find myself feeling a little lost here and there.
I heard that there were lots of great twists in this book, and while there were twists and turns every now and then, they weren’t as mind blowing as I was hoping they would be. I really wanted it to PUNCH me you know, but it wasn’t quite capable of that.
WRITING STYLE:
This author knows how to write beautiful sentences. I love artful writing styles, and this book had exactly that. I’ll definitely have to check out more of this author’s work!
CHARACTERS:
I can’t lie, I didn’t really feel any major connections with any of these characters, I was more interested in what they were doing, rather than their character as a whole. There was nothing that made me want me root for any of them.
ATMOSPHERE/VIBE:
So intriguing. It always left me wanting to read more, to find out more, to get to the big twists. I have to admit that I was more drawn in and hooked at the start of the book. Near the end, I feel as though it started to lose a bit of its magic and the ending was a little disappointing, juuuuust a little 🤏
Nevertheless, this was a super interesting read that makes you think on a deep level, and is definitely worth checking out!
A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
STORY:
I was feeling in the mood for something mysterious, and when I read the premise for this book, I thought it matched to what I wanted pretty well. I have to admit though, that it was the reviews on Goodreads that swayed me into reading this one.
I do feel a little disappointed coming away from the book, as there was a huge selection of good book reviews on Goodreads, and while I do feel that this book was good, it didn’t quite meet the expectations I had for it.
There were some pretty good plot twists, but it took a rather long time to get to them, and a lot of the really good stuff came right at the end, which I always find to be a bit of a bummer.
The story itself wasn’t anything that spectacular and unique; there are a lot of books very similar to this one out on the market, but it was still an enjoyable and cozy book to curl up with.
WRITING STYLE:
I really liked the writing style in this one. I particularly enjoyed the excerpts from the girls’ podcast, which was nice as we got to hear a little more of Bristal’s individual personality coming through. Everything flowed quite well, the dialogue was believable for the age range of the characters, and made for smooth reading.
CHARACTERS:
Okay, I am IN LOVE with Bristal. I have a real soft spot for characters that are hard and harsh on the outside, but we see their exterior melt to reveal their sweet and wholesome side. I really enjoyed seeing the relationship grow and strengthen between Lydia and Bristal as well; it was done really smoothly and organically which was a real strength for the story.
ATMOSPHERE/VIBE:
The vibe was cozy in this one, and as I’ve been sick with a nasty cold for the last couple of days, I’ve mainly been snuggled up under my blankets with this book, and it’s been a real comfort, so if I’m grateful to this book for anything, it’s that.
I was feeling in the mood for something mysterious, and when I read the premise for this book, I thought it matched to what I wanted pretty well. I have to admit though, that it was the reviews on Goodreads that swayed me into reading this one.
I do feel a little disappointed coming away from the book, as there was a huge selection of good book reviews on Goodreads, and while I do feel that this book was good, it didn’t quite meet the expectations I had for it.
There were some pretty good plot twists, but it took a rather long time to get to them, and a lot of the really good stuff came right at the end, which I always find to be a bit of a bummer.
The story itself wasn’t anything that spectacular and unique; there are a lot of books very similar to this one out on the market, but it was still an enjoyable and cozy book to curl up with.
WRITING STYLE:
I really liked the writing style in this one. I particularly enjoyed the excerpts from the girls’ podcast, which was nice as we got to hear a little more of Bristal’s individual personality coming through. Everything flowed quite well, the dialogue was believable for the age range of the characters, and made for smooth reading.
CHARACTERS:
Okay, I am IN LOVE with Bristal. I have a real soft spot for characters that are hard and harsh on the outside, but we see their exterior melt to reveal their sweet and wholesome side. I really enjoyed seeing the relationship grow and strengthen between Lydia and Bristal as well; it was done really smoothly and organically which was a real strength for the story.
ATMOSPHERE/VIBE:
The vibe was cozy in this one, and as I’ve been sick with a nasty cold for the last couple of days, I’ve mainly been snuggled up under my blankets with this book, and it’s been a real comfort, so if I’m grateful to this book for anything, it’s that.