mikaylamarie's reviews
935 reviews

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.

I couldn't get past the fact that the main character was so stupid. She clearly points out the door for which enters her room is doubly as thick as any other door, and then proceeds to say oh I'm so high up that no one would hear me scream. Yet she still wants the job? I don't know, maybe it's not for me.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I've read one other Emily Henry book to date, and as much as I enjoyed that book, this one was better.

Daphne thinks she has it all, a beautiful house, her dream job, and her soon-to-be perfect husband Peter. That is until her fiance discovers at his bachelor party that he's actually in love with his childhood girl best friend, and he gives her a week to find a new place to live. Out of options, she turns to the only person who knows exactly what she's going through; Miles. Miles subsequently gets dumped the same day by Petra, Peter's newfound lover. When the new roommates each receive a wedding invite to their ex's wedding, they decide to respond, and so begins the game of convincing the new lovebirds that they've moved on, with eachother. 
I went in expecting it to be a funny story, as the title suggests, and this is shown through the quirky banter of our two main characters. The progression of their relationship from depressed roommates to friends to best friends to lovers was beautifully done. 

I didn't expect to be crying during this, but I did. Daphne's relationship with her Dad hit a little close to home for me, and I greatly enjoyed her standing up for herself and being brave enough to say what she had on her mind for so long.

If you're looking for a book with romance, humor, finding yourself in your thirties vibes, I'd highly recommend this book.

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 63%.

It was just too long for me, and way too much talk about ships. I might go back to it someday though because there are a few gems.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

adventurous slow-paced

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

4.0

A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a short science fiction story that chronicles the unlikely friendship between a traveling tea monk who is looking for their meaning in life, and a robot who grew up devoid of human life, making a journey to see if humans have improved their lives. 

I'm not sure what to really make of this book. I liked it, it was easy to read, the characters were likable, but similarly to Dex's problems in the book, something felt like it was missing. It's not one of my favorites, but I'm glad I gave it a chance and I might pick up the second book someday. 

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

The follow up to the Final Empire is full of political games and underlying prophesies that push and pull your attention throughout. I still have yet to guess something correctly, and I'm here for it. I also really enjoyed the character developments for eachof our main cast; so much has happened to each of them and Sanderson does a great job of showing the varying responses to their traumas. I'm interested to see just how everything is going to play out going forward

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Brandon Sanderson has made a unique and prevalent place in the world of fantasy today, and one of the best places to start with his diverse world of the Cosmere is with this book. A high fantasy with such a unique magic system based around metals, this book promises a wild ride with an unlikely group of rebels wanting to pull of the heist of the century. 

I did find that the start of the book was hard to get into, but once I understood the basics of the magic system, everything started to pick up. And they weren't kidding when they said that the last 100 pages of Sanderson's works go totally off the rails. I can't wait to see how the world develops further. 

Cautious Match by Roe Horvat

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. A tale of a charismatic cinnamon farmer aptly named Cinnamon, gets drunk one night and accidently saves a demon. She finds out that they've been living a lie and that the demons are actually victims of her 'goddess' who isn't who she claims to be. Cin and her new demon companion get stuck together on a quest to release the demons from their curse. Cinnamon as a character was hilarious; she's got a lot of sass and she isn't afraid to say what she wants, and Fallon is a giant cinnamon roll (pun not intended), especially when it comes to Cin. If you're looking for a low stakes romantasy with sugar and spice, I'd recommend this book. 

Bright Dead Things: Poems by Ada Limón

inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

Easily palatable, full of depth and relatability, this collection of poems by Limón is a breath of fresh air. Limón does a great job of telling her story while still making her word open to place your name in the narrator's seat; the stories and lessons she writes in this book are universal and worth the read. 

Havoc Killed Her Alpha by Marie Mackay

dark slow-paced

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

3.5

I really wish this book was just a bit shorter. I was hooked from the beginning and so invested with what would happen when the group found out what Logan did for Havoc to kill him. 

Things started to drag around the 300 page mark, where their problems just became more and more repetitive, and it was so frustrating. The end went off the rails, and I thought it was unnecessary to go to that extent, but also to bring in so much extra information so late in the book. I won't be continuing the series.