As I said, the characters were pleasant, and you could get attached to them in some way while reading about them. All of them have realistic portrayals, which I appreciate too. With the stories for each chapter, I found it nice to see the different relationships shown and how complicated humans are with relationships. I mostly liked all the chapters included. The concept is also something that I think about often, and I love the exploration of it within the book.

What I Didn't Like About The Book

I realised I didn't get attached to one chapter as much as the others. I don't know why. It was the chapter titled 'The Sisters', and despite relating with having a sister and not showing affection towards my own that much, I couldn't get into the story as much as the others, which saddened me slightly. It felt like something was missing, not only in that chapter but throughout the whole book. Nothing big, but I'm not sure what. I am so good at writing reviews. (Insert the sarcasm there). An extra thing to note is that the build-up to the stories in the first three chapters was tough for me to read since I just wanted to skip ahead. It's something personal that I struggle with, reading through world-building stuff and rules about a particular thing that doesn't exist in real life. That's why I tend to avoid lots of books with world-building since I often find it dull, confusing or just not enjoyable to try and visualise/memorise all the information.

In Conclusion

It's a good read for anyone who wants to have a refresher from all the books they have been reading. Without a doubt, this could be a 4-5 star read for many people. A warning; I'm not very emotional, so this didn't apply to me that much, but the last two chapters can be a tear-jerker depending on the reader!

Content Warnings

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

One of the first extreme psychological books I have read, and this was a fascinating read!

What I Liked About The Book

The complexity of the plot and characters overall kept me invested in the book. Its inclusion of the different perspectives of the two main characters makes the book tenser as they narrate the plot points from their view of things. The characters all have flaws and likeable traits, which captures how well-done the execution of realistic people in the book is. Overall a good book for people who like books exploring stuff like this!

What I Didn't Like About The Book

Unfortunately, when reading reviews about it, I got the main plot twist spoiled, and this made the experience a bit less suspenseful and shocking. Also, despite doing some research on the book before buying it, I was still unaware of some topics it would discuss in a bit of detail which I am not comfortable reading, which made it a bit of a discomfiting reading experience at times. It didn't help that I was reading this at school, and I think one of my teachers recognised the book. One last thing is that I still had some questions unanswered for the ending, but maybe that could have been intentional.

In Conclusion

I would not recommend this to the fainthearted who cannot read/deal with any of the content warnings I have put since this book is intense surrounding its topics and themes. I found the read to be not too bad but don't repeat my mistake of doing too little research on the content warnings, as it could be an unsettling read for some of you.

Content Warnings

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.25

I read this book for my English homework since we have coursework or an exam based around it counting towards my GCSE grade. In short, my teacher forced my class and me to read it within a deadline which is never helpful in enjoying a book personally.

While reading the book, my main thought was constantly wishing to finish the book. Not only was it because I had a deadline coming up, but also it was because I found the book to be predominantly dull. There were many descriptions, characters, scenarios and even chapters that I felt were pointless in including or making a lengthy part of the book when it was unnecessary. A lot of these things included barely contributed to the plot, characters and overall themes. Because of this, the only sections where I had an interest in because they were significant were the

court trial involving Tom Robinson and the ending where Arthur Radley saves Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell.

Other things that were significant to the story were written out in a lengthy way that contributed to the dullness of the book.

There is another thing in which I found a problem, but this was just my personal preferences. I know that society's attitudes towards some communities were very disrespectful and corrupt at the time of this book. Despite this, I still felt tremendously uncomfortable reading this book because of the language used and the characters, even when aware of this information. It isn't the book's fault, in a way. It's because I don't feel as comfortable reading stuff like this, and I had to read this book for school and wasn't aware of how many things like this are in the book.

A last thing to say is I found too many characters included. Assumingly half mentioned wasn't necessary for anything or were mentioned in only 1-3 unimportant sentences. At one point, there were so many that I couldn't keep track of who was who.

All I was pointing out were negative points, but I like the themes it discusses, and I look forward to analysing the text thoroughly to learn more about those themes for my school work.

Content Warnings

Horrible Christmas (2020) by Terry Deary

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funny informative medium-paced

3.0

I got this book as a Christmas present, and it was a decent read.

What I Liked About The Book

It included fascinating information surrounding Christmas and its history and traditions. The inclusion of illustrations was also in the book making the pages colourful and pretty while adding little comic strips for comedy. I am a big fan of Horrible Histories and have been since I was extremely young.

What I Didn't Like About The Book

Because it only discusses Christmas, you can only read it in the right mood during the festive holiday. Also, since I'm older than I was, my humour has changed, and the comedy is more geared towards children younger than me.

In Conclusion

It's a good book that is informative and great for kids interested in history or Christmas!

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I wanted to read this book since the concept had intrigued me, and I've always been curious about having to experience different lives depending on the choices you make throughout your life; this book did not disappoint me in any way!

What I Liked About The Book

The first positive I can think of is how relatable the main character is in terms of her thoughts, feelings and humour towards certain things. At times I found the book funny because of certain things she would say, and at times I would notice that her thoughts were similar to mine (the random ones). The side characters throughout the book also had their unique characteristics and personalities, which made it even more realistic and made me feel closer to the storyline and characters. Yet again, I want to point out how the concept is so interesting, and I constantly think about my life if I made a different choice from what I initially chose. Also, the writing style I enjoyed a lot! Finally, I love how it ended.

I like that it ended with Nora continuing her original life and learning from this whole experience. She was beginning to improve her life by fixing her relationship with her brother, being more appreciative about everything and realising that life is worth living, that life doesn't have to be perfect to be the life you want to live.

What I Didn't Like About The Book

From the top of my head, I can't think of anything. This book was too good!

In Conclusion

I loved this book, and in future, I will re-read it!!! I would recommend to many users to read it but be mindful of the trigger warnings before reading if you are sensitive to any of them.

Content Warnings

Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.75

Content Warnings

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nindie's reviews 28 reviews

What I Liked About The Book

What I Didn't Like About The Book

In Conclusion

What I Liked About The Book

What I Didn't Like About The Book

In Conclusion

What I Liked About The Book

What I Didn't Like About The Book

In Conclusion

What I Liked About The Book

What I Didn't Like About The Book

In Conclusion

nindie's reviews
28 reviews