mirandalikesbooks's reviews
35 reviews

The One by John Marrs

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No

3.0

Interesting to read all the couple's stories come together. Science discovering your genetic DNA match is very black mirror. It's a cool premise that the author fleshed out well. It stays a middle of the road book for me though because the dialouge lacked depth and flow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Stalking

Minor: Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

Hot Copy by Ruby Barrett

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.75

Pros: good sex scenes and the stereotypical gender roles were swapped.

Cons: dialouge lacked natural rhythm at times. Corrine's mood swings from kind/loving to borderline abusive behavior were jarring. This happened often. And the fact that Wesley knowingly lets her get away with this behavior is annoying. Richard was a caricature of inappropriate bosses. I think book needed a stronger editing eye. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

I liked this! A straightforward who done it. It was fun. I guessed some of the twist, but this book had twists to spare. 

The private-school friends were unbearable. Their bro behavior was appropriate for the characters, but I still didn't like them. There was a lot of casual sexual harassment and misogyny which isn't my favorite theme for a book. 

All together, this book kept me coming. I flew through the last 100 pages. 

to me, it seems unlikely that Will could be the cause of all the problems for all the main characters. but the mutual hatred for Will made for a fun killing scene.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Abortion

Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Classism

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really good read! I think the author expertly navigated telling a story that spanned 100s of year. I was invested in Addie's journey. She made me want to go experience new things. 

I thought her relationships with Luc and Henry were a little underdeveloped. I kept wondering if she would have cared about either man if they weren't the only ones who she could form a relationship with. Also the abundance of one-sentence paragraphs was a bit distracting. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this if you like a sprinkle of fantasy, romantic scenes, strong female characters, or art.

My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative sad

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

3.75

I really liked this book! Trey, the POV character, is loveable in his flaws. You definitely end up rooting for him. I learned a lot about gay history and black history through the footnotes. I liked the footnotes and definitely missed them when I switched to the audiobook format!

My issue with the book is it feels as if some of the plot threads weren't fully fleshed out. I also think the ending was ABRUPT. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Violence, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Police brutality, and Alcohol

Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

This one kept me hooooooked. The twists kept me guessing. I really cared about the POV characters. What more could you want from a thriller?

Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

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

4.25

This was my favorite of the series! Shane's character arc is perfect. And Marguerite is such a boss. 

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

challenging emotional informative mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Enjoyed this a lot! It's a mystery that took me through a whole range of feelings about the narrator and her father. It also has some insightful commentary about privilege and abelism. 

In parts I felt like it could have used an edit. The main character used the word inane/inanity often enough that it was noticeable. I also thought some of the footnotes could have been cut. All in all though would recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, Rape, Terminal illness, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? No

4.0

Love a sapphic romance and Wilsner is one of the best in the game. Grace and Matthews are my autistic/adhd couple icons. I love the way miscommunication plays out in this book - it's different than how that trope usually plays out in a good way!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

3.5

I liked it. Great if you like funny, personal first person POV. Vesper, the main character, is quick & snarky and the story moves super quickly so it's an easy read. Fun.

I thought some of it was a little cliche and unbelievable. Mild spoiler:

So many pentagrams.

It's not doing anything deep really. Reads a tiny bit YA for me. 

I would have trust issues for life if I was Vesper.

Would recommend for an easy palette cleanser

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, and Murder