margesyarf's reviews
42 reviews

Beloved by Toni Morrison

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

they just got high they’re not special

You're My Little Latke by Natalie Marshall

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.

flop

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Jilly-style review incoming…. despite its flaws, I couldn’t seem to stop reading this book, and a lot of its ideas stayed with me even when I did put it down. I get a little annoyed by the trope of the protagonist who studies philosophy – it feels like a cop-out for the author, and although it makes sense with Nora’s character, Haig often just quotes philosophers instead of using his own fiction to allow Nora to discover these truths on her own. At times I felt like he wanted to write a philosophy thesis but wrote a fiction novel instead. In this sense I feel like the book overexplains itself a little bit. There were whole sections, especially at the end, that I think could’ve been cut. It’s such a cool premise for a book, and had the opportunity to be so much more whimsical and magical and enjoyable to read than it was. But I’ll say that there were a few specific moments I was surprised resonated so deeply with me. Midnight Library is an interesting exercise in gratitude (“want means lack.” “death is the opposite of possibility.”) and reminds us that life relies on us to experience it. 

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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

4.25

i love tennis

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.

boring + weird message sorry anne :(

Desoriental by Négar Djavadi

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

i read it in french for class so it was kind of a crazy experience i think it was a good book but who’s to say

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Vomit, and Eating disorder

Circe by Madeline Miller

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75