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maddibleu's reviews
622 reviews
Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.0
Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Camera Shy by Kay Cove
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
I want to gag every time he calls her “queen.” I know we love men written by women, but this one is so cringey and preachy. Sounds not only like a woman wrote him, but it’s an entirely female mindset. I love his views and the overall golden retriever appeal, but I hate the way he’s actually written. “I’m a good guy.” “All right, Queen.” Ick.
Same for Avery. I picked this up because I’m all for books about hot guys making women feel great about themselves, but Avery is so whiny and inconsistent. A woman who is insecure does not immediately get naked in front of a mirror, in front of a man. When they headed upstairs for a “lesson,” I like the idea of it starting slow and building as their chemistry and relationship built. Instead it jumped to unrealistic places. They have the same conversation over and over, and I’m getting a little sick of listening to a man preach to a “Queen” (🤮) about how she just needs to love herself. It feels inauthentic compared to letting their chemistry build naturally and letting her feel confident through the way he acts with her, not when he simply tells her over and over again.
On top of that, every conversation is about her insecurities, and every so often we get a random trauma dump from left field. The author is trying to work in all this background about why “being a nice guy” is so important to Finn like he’s on some mission to make up for his dad being a cheater. It’s some sort of Robin Hood syndrome with Finn’s job and entire mindset. I’m tired of the whiny, preachy, circular conversations and out of place trauma dumps. And I’m entirely over Avery’s whiplash insecurities. And Finn’s for that matter, like when they’re out to dinner and the waiter calls her Mrs Harvey. She simply looks at him in surprise (probably because she literally just got broken up with at her engagement) and his immediate response is to get annoyed and think, “I bring her out to a nice dinner but is the idea of being married to me that repulsive?” Gross.
I’m quitting on this one. I cannot take another “Queen.”
Same for Avery. I picked this up because I’m all for books about hot guys making women feel great about themselves, but Avery is so whiny and inconsistent. A woman who is insecure does not immediately get naked in front of a mirror, in front of a man. When they headed upstairs for a “lesson,” I like the idea of it starting slow and building as their chemistry and relationship built. Instead it jumped to unrealistic places. They have the same conversation over and over, and I’m getting a little sick of listening to a man preach to a “Queen” (🤮) about how she just needs to love herself. It feels inauthentic compared to letting their chemistry build naturally and letting her feel confident through the way he acts with her, not when he simply tells her over and over again.
On top of that, every conversation is about her insecurities, and every so often we get a random trauma dump from left field. The author is trying to work in all this background about why “being a nice guy” is so important to Finn like he’s on some mission to make up for his dad being a cheater. It’s some sort of Robin Hood syndrome with Finn’s job and entire mindset. I’m tired of the whiny, preachy, circular conversations and out of place trauma dumps. And I’m entirely over Avery’s whiplash insecurities. And Finn’s for that matter, like when they’re out to dinner and the waiter calls her Mrs Harvey. She simply looks at him in surprise (probably because she literally just got broken up with at her engagement) and his immediate response is to get annoyed and think, “I bring her out to a nice dinner but is the idea of being married to me that repulsive?” Gross.
I’m quitting on this one. I cannot take another “Queen.”