morganeua's reviews
53 reviews

Beach Read by Emily Henry

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-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

4.25

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

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funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-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

5.0

"There's just tall women... and the men too insecure to date them."

This is my favourite Emily Henry book I've read! Charlie Lastra is an awesome love interest. I laughed SO hard at SO many one liners from these characters. The characters are so well fleshed out. The sister bond is beautiful. I also love reading about the publishing industry. The ending was 💯🔥👌 10/10 will read again.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense slow-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

3.75

After enjoying Emily Henry's books, I wanted to try Abby Jimenez. I chose this one at a book store staff member's recommendation because she said it was her favorite of the series and the best anxiety representation she'd ever read. This book had me hooked for about 250 pages, then it started to drag a bit. The issues in their relationship started off sort of cute, tension-building, and understandable then just became frustrating for maybe 50 pages. I enjoyed the story overall, though, and will likely try another Jimenez.

Content Warnings

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

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informative medium-paced

3.0

I listened to this as an audiobook, and I'm not sure I would've finished it if I read it as a physical book. Some sections felt better in audio, like my favourite portion which presents an imagined dialogue between two scientologists. The core idea at the heart of this book, that language can form bonds between people for better or worse, was interesting. Many examples in the book helped elucidate this core message and all the examples of binding language that come with it; however, I got the point pretty fast and didn't feel like I needed to read the whole book to get the experience of the book. So, my reading got slower and slower as the book went on. I still finished it, though! It was upbeat, interesting, and enjoyable!

Content Warnings

Happy Place by Emily Henry

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

Three days before this book was due back in the library I tried to renew it, but it was on hold. So, I picked it up and started reading and I'm so glad I did! I finished it in three days and really enjoyed myself. If you're looking for something light and cozy to get lost in, this is a great choice.

My main critiques were: 1) I didn't have a solid picture of any of the characters in my head, despite this being a very character focused book; 2) I think it could've been 100 pages shorter and it would've been better; 3) I didn't love some of the writing style choices, like the main character repeating "you, you, you" in her head; 4) A lot of the plot was driven by people just not communicating and at times it felt a bit unrealistic how little they communicated with each other. Other than that, it was a fun book to get immersed in for three days! My favourite aspect of the book is that the characters' flaws and fears felt realistic.

The ultimate message of the book, I think, was to follow your heart - AKA to be true to yourself and others about what you want and then follow that want up with action. In the words of Harriet, "No one else's happiness is yours to grant... You need to find yours" (385).

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

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adventurous hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

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

4.25

This was a super enjoyable read for me because of the fun world building and loveable characters that I wanted to see survive. It didn't do anything more than tell an exciting story, but there was death and monsters and love and scientifically-grounded space travel. So, it's a winner for me!

Content Warnings