moodreadingmagic's reviews
916 reviews

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

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funny lighthearted 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

3.5

Run: A Novel by Blake Crouch

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

✨BOOK REVIEW✨

Run - Blake Crouch

I was intrigued when I saw this pop up on NetGalley because I love Blake Crouch’s books and didn’t realize he had back listed independently published stories out there. Run was self published in 2011 and is considered to be Crouch’s debut novel.

Run is a story about a family of 4 on the run from a rage epidemic sweeping the nation. Seemingly over the span of days Americans have begun to hunt, torture and kill others without any explanation. When Jack hears his name and address being announced over the public emergency system he knows he needs to take his family and flee. Run follows Jack and his family as they try to outrun the millions of people hunting them in attempts to kill them.

This is a fast paced action packed speculative thriller/horror. Though I can see glimpses of what I have come to love and expect from a Blake Crouch book, this story felt far less fleshed out, there really was no plot and little character development. Instead you are offer a wild anxiety riddled cross country trip from your worst nightmares. The body horror is graphic and there never seems to be a lull in the chaos. The ending felt very rushed and I would have loved less near death interactions and more explanation of what caused the violent phenomenon that eradicated most of the country. I quite literally could not put this down and yet found myself grimacing and my heart racing as I kept reading.

For fans of:

Mysterious epidemics/pandemics

Fast paced thrillers

Zombie apocalypse stories

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book; all opinions are my own.

Content Warnings

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious 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

4.0

I Did Something Bad is the debut novel by Pyae Moe Thet War. I knew nothing about this story going into it, including its genre. The book begins at a rather fast pace and leaves the reader wondering: is this a romantic comedy, a murder mystery, or a thriller? Ultimately, as the author notes in her acknowledgements, it is a romantic comedy…with murder.

Khan is a freelance author who's been given a high profile opportunity to shadow one of the hottest movie stars for a cover story in Vogue. Tyler is a Myanmar star in Hollywood who has returned home to film a new movie with his best friend, an important project for them to highlight their home country and diversify Hollywood rom-coms. Early on in the filming process, Khin and Tyler find themselves in the middle of a police investigation and are forced to test the limits of their professional relationship and learn to trust each other. In the end, Khin must decide what is most important, her feelings for Tyler, or capturing the scoop and cover story she needs to secure a coveted position at Vogue.

This was a really cute rom-com. The timeline was very short, I believe everything took place in the span of 1.5 months, which did make it a bit challenging to really convince me that these perfect strangers fell in love so fast and hard. That being said, their character development was great and I loved the subtle nods at culture and representation, especially given how few Asian love stories that take place in Asia exist in the American publishing industry today.

For fans of:

Romantic comedies with no spice

Amazing banter

Asian representation

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book; all opinions are my own. I Did Something Bad is out now!

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted 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

Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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

3.75

I randomly stumbled upon Lex Croucher’s debut novel, Reputation, and quickly fell in love with their writing style. Not For The Faint of Heart is their second YA historical romance novel, a Robin Hood inspired sapphic love story between Robin Hood’s granddaughter and a country healer. The Merry Men cast of characters alongside our two main characters, Mariel and Clementine, are an absolutely wholesome found family group of misfits. This novel was fast-paced, action packed, inclusive and full of love, both romantic and familial. I adored the characters and appreciated the complexity and ambiguity in some of the character development.

This story did read as YA to me but was still well structured with a solid plot and romance byline. The spice was minimal and the love was inclusive and diverse. I really like Lex Croucher’s adult and YA books and can’t wait to see what they come out with next!

For fans of:

Robin Hood

Sapphic YA love stories

Strong LGBTQIA representation

Thank you to (Publisher) and Netgalley for my copy of this book; all opinions are my own.

In Charm's Way by Lana Harper

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced