Scan barcode
nicolinebl's reviews
252 reviews
The Anxiety Sisters' Survival Guide: How You Can Become More Hopeful, Connected, and Happy by Maggie Sarachek, Abbe Greenberg
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
Haven't really learned anything new yet and I'm at 1/3 of the book so I'm giving up, sorry! I can see this being helpful for people who don't really know anything about anxiety yet, though.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I don't know what to say other than I adore Neil Gaiman and his writing, and this was yet another fantastic novel by him. The beautiful illustrations from Elise Hurst made it even better, and are very fitting to the story. An element of spookiness, but not too spooky.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity and Gaslighting
Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The movie was certainly better.
Better thought out and with scenes that really hit. I still got some enjoyment out of reading this book, but the movie was just so much more emotional. The characters more loveable.
And there were some weird scenes written in here to be honest. Like the part with Knox and Chris and the scene where Keating shows questionable photos to some teenage boys. The movie came first and had some great scenes that weren't put in the book but they added these weird and uncomfortable ones??? Like, just no.
Better thought out and with scenes that really hit. I still got some enjoyment out of reading this book, but the movie was just so much more emotional. The characters more loveable.
And there were some weird scenes written in here to be honest. Like the part with Knox and Chris and the scene where Keating shows questionable photos to some teenage boys. The movie came first and had some great scenes that weren't put in the book but they added these weird and uncomfortable ones??? Like, just no.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Grief, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
This book was definitely an experience. I honestly didn't expect this book to be so dark so it was a bit of a shock. Definitely well written but my god is it gruesome. Heavy topics, a story that keeps you on your toes till the end and a very special main character. I'm still not certain if it's real or fake. To them at least it was real.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Death, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Those Who Wait by Haley Cass
Did not finish book. Stopped at 53%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 53%.
My god. Could not finish this. It was just too boring and I don't care what happens. Don't care about the characters either. Just ugh
Gesprekken met vrienden by Sally Rooney
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Definitely prefer this book over Rooney's other novel Normal People, although, to be fair, I was probably a bit too young to read that book back then (time for a re-read!). Her characters are never very likeworthy and definitely remind me of the main characters in Exciting Times & A Year of Rest and Relaxation. Even though Frances wasn't likeable, she was quite relatable in other ways. I guess you will always relate more to a flawed character than some miss-perfect.
I'm not quite sure how to describe what I thought of this book other than it feeling like taking a road-trip, getting to know the characters through observing and listening to them. It is a book that is very much about its characters and their actions. It's not a wild adventurous story but I was still on the edge of my seat, curious where the story would go. This is the second book by Sally I've read and her characters tend to be quite pretentious, not sure if that is on purpose or not. I do like the philosophical and intellectual conversations they have with each other though.
I'm not quite sure how to describe what I thought of this book other than it feeling like taking a road-trip, getting to know the characters through observing and listening to them. It is a book that is very much about its characters and their actions. It's not a wild adventurous story but I was still on the edge of my seat, curious where the story would go. This is the second book by Sally I've read and her characters tend to be quite pretentious, not sure if that is on purpose or not. I do like the philosophical and intellectual conversations they have with each other though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Self harm, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. As someone who is very far away from Christianity (was one when I was young tho) it felt a bit preachy at the start of the book. I honestly found Jo a bit annoying because of how preachy and holier than thou she sounded.
But honestly, it's been a while so I had to get used to that. And when I got over myself, I quite enjoyed the book. Look, Dana was an a very annoying best friend imo. The homophobic people from Georgia weren't the greatest either (fuck Jessica!). But my goodness, I loved BTB, Mary Carlson & George. Not everything about this was the greatest like the plot basically being her having to hide her gay which just gives us some miscommunication and lying to have a plot. But I enjoyed the ride.
But honestly, it's been a while so I had to get used to that. And when I got over myself, I quite enjoyed the book. Look, Dana was an a very annoying best friend imo. The homophobic people from Georgia weren't the greatest either (fuck Jessica!). But my goodness, I loved BTB, Mary Carlson & George. Not everything about this was the greatest like the plot basically being her having to hide her gay which just gives us some miscommunication and lying to have a plot. But I enjoyed the ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Grief, Outing, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
emotional
funny
medium-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
Oh my goodness. I have so much love for this book. So many topics are brought up in such a nice way. It didn't feel like too much. It didn't feel like a list of representation points they were checking off of a list. It was done tastefully and it felt natural. OCD, anxiety and depression. Heavy topics but dealt with so well. And the representation of not only non-binary characters but also asexuality, characters finding out they're gay & lesbian.
The story itself: I loved that it was basically like the bachelor but with a very great, very gay twist. Very engaging for most of the book, but got a little boring around 65% in. Got interesting again very quickly though :) And to be honest, I love when it takes a bit more time before they actually get together. I love the pining for each other without daring to make a move because "no way they like me". So I was a bit sad they got together so quickly lol. But that's definitely not a big issue to most people, probably!
The story itself: I loved that it was basically like the bachelor but with a very great, very gay twist. Very engaging for most of the book, but got a little boring around 65% in. Got interesting again very quickly though :) And to be honest, I love when it takes a bit more time before they actually get together. I love the pining for each other without daring to make a move because "no way they like me". So I was a bit sad they got together so quickly lol. But that's definitely not a big issue to most people, probably!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Bullying and Racism
Melt My Heart by Bethany Rutter
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I hate to be writing a somewhat negative review about this book but I just did not enjoy it as much as I wished I had.
I did not like the main character at all. I feel like the author put a lot of herself and her struggles into this (as one often does with writing) so it feels terrible to criticize the character and the story but it just didn't work.
Topics like homophobia, fatphobia, racism etc. were brought up. Very important topics and I fully agree with her point of view on them. It just... Wasn't executed well enough. It felt random how things with these themes were brought up. It felt unnatural, awkward. Like no one would ever have a conversation like they had them. I thought the main character was very annoying because she kept saying that things weren't bothering her and that she liked her body etc. but you could clearly tell that wasn't the case. And it doesn't feel like a done on purpose sort of thing by the author. It just felt badly executed and icky.
The story itself wasn't that interesting either, not much happened besides her I guess "finding herself" moment. I think the idea of this book was great, I love coming out/finding out what your sexuality is stories; standing up for what you think is right; challenging yourself. All themes in this book, yet I still did not like the story.
I will say that I liked the ending. It was quite cute but couldn't save the book for me. Cassie was definitely my favourite character.
I did not like the main character at all. I feel like the author put a lot of herself and her struggles into this (as one often does with writing) so it feels terrible to criticize the character and the story but it just didn't work.
Topics like homophobia, fatphobia, racism etc. were brought up. Very important topics and I fully agree with her point of view on them. It just... Wasn't executed well enough. It felt random how things with these themes were brought up. It felt unnatural, awkward. Like no one would ever have a conversation like they had them. I thought the main character was very annoying because she kept saying that things weren't bothering her and that she liked her body etc. but you could clearly tell that wasn't the case. And it doesn't feel like a done on purpose sort of thing by the author. It just felt badly executed and icky.
The story itself wasn't that interesting either, not much happened besides her I guess "finding herself" moment. I think the idea of this book was great, I love coming out/finding out what your sexuality is stories; standing up for what you think is right; challenging yourself. All themes in this book, yet I still did not like the story.
I will say that I liked the ending. It was quite cute but couldn't save the book for me. Cassie was definitely my favourite character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Islamophobia
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
An easy breezy book, perfect for the summer. Reads quickly, definitely makes you chuckle. I wasn't fully blown away and the ending felt a bit, easy? But I definitely enjoyed reading this story.
I am going to acknowledge that I felt a bit awkward when a character said that she "wished that she had been born a lesbian". Speaking as one, it just felt weird and implies that dating women is so much easier as if we do not deal with homophobia and other struggles all the time.
I am going to acknowledge that I felt a bit awkward when a character said that she "wished that she had been born a lesbian". Speaking as one, it just felt weird and implies that dating women is so much easier as if we do not deal with homophobia and other struggles all the time.