loveclairee's reviews
99 reviews

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

4.0

I started reading this book yesterday, right after I finished reading a different book. I was hoping to have this as my last read for 2022 but I failed. Hence, I finished it on the very first day of 2023.

Here are some lines that stood out for me:

“We’ve always felt this way. I’m here. You’re there. Just like before, we still belong to each other.” —Elliot

It never occurred to me that love could be anything other than all-consuming. —Macy

“Maybe all this time I was just getting it warmed up for you.” —Elliot

“Ranunculus. It’s a kind of flower. It’s such a weird word but the flowers are so pretty, I like how unexpected that is.” —Macy

“I don’t mind if you love him, Mace. Even if you think you might always love him. But if it makes you wonder what you’re doing here, with me, then we need to talk about it.” —Sean

I’m terrified of what I’m feeling; I feel like I’ve just woken up. I thought I didn’t want intensity, but in fact, I’m desperate for it. —Macy

“I just think that’s good advice, I guess. Like, if you can’t talk about it, you shouldn’t be doing it.” —Macy

Time. I knew well enough that time numbed certain things—even death. —Macy

“Favorite word?” he whispers. I don’t even hesitate: “You.” —Macy & Elliot

Date Started: December 31, 2022 1:37 PM
Date Finished: January 01, 2023 6:35 PM

Content Warnings

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

“I know,” he says. “I can read you like a book.” -Charlie

I finally gave in and read this book in the last month of 2022. I keep seeing this on and on Tiktok being recommended by a LOT of people. I gave it a lower rating compared to other BookTok books because I expected a lot more due to the hype it was given. Glad to say that I was able to relate with Nora as we have some common problems and traits. If I were to be asked to read this book again in the future, I will gladly do so and I will also recommend this to my friends.

Here are some lines that stood out for me:

Anything broken can be fixed. Any problem can be solved. -Nora

That's the thing that makes working on a book exciting: seeing its raw potential, knowing what it's trying to become. -Nora

He made the world open up around me, like there were colors I'd never seen, new levels of happiness i couldn't have imagined. -Nora

It feels like there's poison inside of me. No matter how hard I run, I can't burn through it. For once, I wish I could cry, but I can't. -Nora

"You need someone who appreciates you. I mean, you obviously don't need anyone, period, but you deserve someone who understands how special you are." -Libby

You can't control the passage of time, but you can soften its blow to your face. -Nora's Mom

That's why I put my career first. Not because I have no life, but because I cant bear to let the one Mom wanted for us slip away. [...] because I want to carve out a piece of the city and it's magic, just for us. But carving turns you into a knife. Cold, hard, sharp, at least on the outside. -Nora

"You're in books. Of course you don't have a life. None of us do. There's always something too good to read." -Charlie

"[...] You're not the kind of woman who only works hard when it feels good, or only shows you when it's convenient. [...]" -Charlie

“My point is, being that ‘magic free spirit’ you think is this mythical perfect woman? It comes with its own problems. Just because not everyone gets you doesn’t mean you’re wrong. You’re someone people can count on. Really count on. And that doesn’t make you cold or boring. It makes you the most . . .” -Charlie

"Love is not enough to change the details of a person's life, or—or their need. It doesn't make everything fall into place. [...]" -Nora

Because nothing—not the beautiful and not the terrible—lasts. -Nora

“Love isn’t enough to change the details of a person’s life, or—or their needs. It doesn’t make everything fall into place. -Nora

“I doubt I will ever like anyone else in the world as much as I like you.” -Charlie

Maybe it’s possible to belong in a hundred different ways to a hundred different people and places. -Nora

Maybe love shouldn’t be built on a foundation of compromises, but maybe it can’t exist without them either. Not the kind that forces two people into shapes they don’t fit in, but the kind that loosens their grips, always leaves room to grow. -Nora

No matter where we go, our love will stretch out to hold us, and that makes me feel like . . . like everything will be okay. -Nora

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

I still can't believe I managed to finish reading this book in less than 4 hours. This was such a quick read for me but insightful at the same time.

Here are some lines that stood out for me:

"[...] If you want something as passionately as you clearly want this, that means you owe it to yourself to make it happen. That's what I'm doing. I want out so I'm getting out. I' going far, far away. You should, too." –Jesse

"Your parents don't have to be you. You hage to be you. [...] you did it their eay for a long time. Soon, it's time for you way." –Jesse

"You are my one true love. I don’t even think I'm capable of loving anyone else." –Emma

I had predicted my life on the idea that I wanted to see everywhere extraordinary, but I'd come to realize that extraordinary is everywhere. –Emma

When you lose someone you love, it's hard to imagine that you'll ever feel better. –Emma

Hollow and empty are terrible ways to feel when you're used to being full of joy. But it's not so bad when you're used to feeling full of pain. –Emma

You know that you will never truly be free of the grief. You know that it is something you must learn to live with, something you manage. –Emma

And then, slowly, day by day, minute by minute, at such a snail's pace that you can barely register that anything is happening at all, you find a life's purpose again. –Emma

You are happier to have known him than you are sad to have lost him. –Emma

Good things don't wait until you're ready. Sometimes they come right before, when you're almost there. And I figured when that happens, you can let them pass by, like a bus not meant for you. Or you get ready. So I get ready. –Emma

But realizing you want love in your life means you have to be willing to let love in. –Emma

He prioritized the heart of the situation over the details. He paid attention to actions more than words. –Emma

" I don't expect you to stop loving him just because you love me."–Sam

You don't tie yourself to something unless you're scared you might float away. –Emma

There is other love out there for me. But its different. It isn't this. It isn't this exact love. It's better and it's worse. But I guess that's sort of the point of love between two people—you can't re-create it. Every time you love, everyone you love, the love is different. You're different in it. –Emma

"I want to be with someone who lives for me. I want to be with someone who considers me the love of her life. I deserve that." –Sam

For the first time, I find myself wondering if facing the truth and being sane aren't the same thing, if they are just two things that tend to go together. I'm starting to understand that they might be correlations rather than synonyms. –Emma

Falling out of love with someone you still like feels exactly like lying in a warm bed and hearing the alarm clock. No matter how good you feel right now, you know it's time to go. –Emma

I don't think that true love means your only love.
I think true love means loving truly.
Loving purely. Loving wholly. –Emma

I thank my friend for convincing me and letting me borrow her physical copy of this book. I've been putting off reading this book since the beginning of 2022 since I wanted to read it physically. By the way, I am Team Sam.

Xoxo

Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.75

Naomi and Waylay's relationship is top tier. 🙌

Here are some lines that stood out for me:

What the hell kind of name was that? Was it a hard Knox life? Did he tell a lot of Knox Knox jokes? Was it short for something? Knoxwell? Knoxathan? –Naomi

Romantics were the hardest women to shake loose. The sticky ones. The ones who pretend they could handle the whole "no strings" deal. Meanwhile, they plotted to become "the one", trying to con men into meeting their parents and secretly looking at wedding dresses. –Knox

She was the kind of woman with expectations. With long term plans. With honey-do lists and would you minds and can you pleases. –Knox

"She didn't understand that people could be more than one thing or like more than one thing. You can wear dresses and makeup and build rockets. You can dress in suits and play basketball. You can be a millionaire and work in you pajamas." –Naomi

My voice of reason best friend. No judgments. No second guessing. Just unconditional love and support...and the occasional truth bomb. He was one in a billion. –Naomi

"You get to decide how you show up in this world. No one else gets to you who you are," –Stef

"She'll probably still fuck up now and then, but that's cause she's human, not broken." –Knox

"And I'm not going to let anyone make her feel like she's responsible for the decisions adults make." –Naomi

"Baby, need to stop obsessing about the things you should be doing and make some time for the shit you wanna do." –Knox

"You can't spend your entire life trying to make everyone else happy, Naomi." –Knox

Oh, but you can solve everyone else's? You gotta stop worrying about making everything okay for everyone else and start thinkin' about making it okay for you." –Knox

A man doesn't go all in with a woman, it's for a reason. Maybe he's looking for something better. –Naomi

"That's parenting. We're all doing our best. We're exhausted, confused, and feeling like we're constantly being judged by everyone who looks like they've got it all figured out. But no one does. We're all just making it up as we go." –Yoland Suarez (Caseworker)

"At some point, you have got to stop worrying so much about what everyone else needs and start thinking about what you need." –Yolanda

"There's a difference between taking care of someone because you love them and taking care of someone because you want them to love you." –Yolanda

"Sometimes when you don't know what's possible, you can't hope for it yourself." –Yolanda

Overall, this was such a light and fun read before 2022 ends in 2 days. 💗

Xoxo

Content Warnings