You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
pages_with_panda's reviews
165 reviews
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
adventurous
dark
emotional
- 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? Yes
4.0
The pacing felt a LOT better in this book. And even though we got El’s monologuing and side stories, I felt like the world building was pretty solidly done by this book and it left us more time to get to know the characters better.
El’s development was great - she still has the same attitude and rudeness (which I love for her), but her resolve to help people (even people she hated) was amazing. I loved her overall.
Orion is so bland but we did get to know him a little better; and I’m glad that him and El had an actual conversation, considering they’re "dating."
Overall a great story - I wanted to cry during El’s realization that everyone deserved to live. It was a great way to describe the classism of our world and link it to the magical society.
Great story that wrapped up nicely while still leaving us with an AWFUL cliffhanger and enough material for the next book. Couldn't wait to pick it up.
El’s development was great - she still has the same attitude and rudeness (which I love for her), but her resolve to help people (even people she hated) was amazing. I loved her overall.
Orion is so bland but we did get to know him a little better; and I’m glad that him and El had an actual conversation, considering they’re "dating."
Overall a great story - I wanted to cry during El’s realization that everyone deserved to live. It was a great way to describe the classism of our world and link it to the magical society.
Great story that wrapped up nicely while still leaving us with an AWFUL cliffhanger and enough material for the next book. Couldn't wait to pick it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I FINALLY read it. This book has been all over TikTok and I'm glad I finally read it. It's a part ridiculous, part endearing story full of "fake-dating" shenanigans.
My gripes with the book have mostly to do with some weirdness of some scenes, the writing, and the general lack of development from the characters.
One nitpick I could not get out of my head was that Adam was so much bigger than her? In every way? And yet she's 5' 8'? Just how big is this guy? And the descriptions of their body proportions threw me off completely. It just felt really unbelievable and downright impossible.
Their age gap isn't too bad (she's 26 and he's 34), but honestly she acts a LOT younger. Lying at every turn, even with justifications, made her seem really immature. Especially during the bedroom scene and with the weird body proportions? Was a little uncomfortable to read.
Adam honestly had very little personality beyond liking Olive. He's smart and works out, but that's all we're really told about him. I thought we'd be able to see more about his past - he tells us he's so cold because of his rich, negligent parents, and that's why he treats people like shit, but then does nothing to fix himself? Olive at least tells the truth at the end.
It could come across at "cringey" but I liked the banter/dialogue between Adam and Olive even though Olive didn't stop mentioning that they were "fake-dating" at every chance she got. (Seriously, how did no one hear her with how often she said it in public? I thought all eyes were always on them?)
I also found the main conflict at the end a little unbelievable and couldn’t believe what Olive’s solution was!! But without spoiling the story I won’t say more.
Other than that, it was a fun, fast-paced read!
My gripes with the book have mostly to do with some weirdness of some scenes, the writing, and the general lack of development from the characters.
One nitpick I could not get out of my head was that Adam was so much bigger than her? In every way? And yet she's 5' 8'? Just how big is this guy? And the descriptions of their body proportions threw me off completely. It just felt really unbelievable and downright impossible.
Their age gap isn't too bad (she's 26 and he's 34), but honestly she acts a LOT younger. Lying at every turn, even with justifications, made her seem really immature. Especially during the bedroom scene and with the weird body proportions? Was a little uncomfortable to read.
Adam honestly had very little personality beyond liking Olive. He's smart and works out, but that's all we're really told about him. I thought we'd be able to see more about his past - he tells us he's so cold because of his rich, negligent parents, and that's why he treats people like shit, but then does nothing to fix himself? Olive at least tells the truth at the end.
It could come across at "cringey" but I liked the banter/dialogue between Adam and Olive even though Olive didn't stop mentioning that they were "fake-dating" at every chance she got. (Seriously, how did no one hear her with how often she said it in public? I thought all eyes were always on them?)
I also found the main conflict at the end a little unbelievable and couldn’t believe what Olive’s solution was!! But without spoiling the story I won’t say more.
Other than that, it was a fun, fast-paced read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cancer, Grief
Minor: Misogyny, Death of parent
A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I really wanted to like this book - I LOVE heists! AND it's sapphic! And it's on the TITANIC? I was so curious to see how this would play out, even if it was tragic.
However the story felt very, very short. It was fast paced, but not for the action. I mean, one second we're in Ireland, the next the ship is sinking.
I would've loved to see the "crew" work at least one mini heist before this big one. Because we're basically told the girls have these "roles" and they're the best, but honestly there was no one else? They all lived together. There was literally no competition to be on this heist. Not only that, but Emilie and Hinnah seem to be the only ones with talents. When the tagline called Violet an actor, I thought she might have some actually acting skills, not just be a semi-decent liar? And I would've liked to see some of Josefa's plan because beyond stealing a ticket, I can't believe she spent months working on it.
I also think that there wasn't much thought to how a Black or brown women would've been perceived on a ship like this in the 1900s? The author's note tells us there was one other Black family on the (real) ship so it was possible, but I think Emilie would've acknowledge it at least more than once? I'd hate to say that their backgrounds were simply written at random and a diverse cast was added in without thought.
The "sapphic" relationship also seemed very rushed, but honestly everything else in the book was too so I don't think it matters at this point.
The premise was so interesting but maybe 4 POVs was too much for the author. There were hints to more detailed backgrounds (Hinnah's trapeze act partner?) but nothing that actually gave us anything to care about. To the point where I literally did not care about the ending and kind of rushed through it. I especially felt like it got more ridiculous and I had to suspend my belief towards the end. There were zero tears shed, unfortunately.
The girls seemed to be able to get away with ridiculous stunts as well that made it very unbelievable for a story set during a very real setting. I got lost in some action scenes because I could not follow what was going on.
Might be a fun read for some younger readers though. And unrelated, but the cover is GORGEOUS and I love it so much.
However the story felt very, very short. It was fast paced, but not for the action. I mean, one second we're in Ireland, the next the ship is sinking.
I would've loved to see the "crew" work at least one mini heist before this big one. Because we're basically told the girls have these "roles" and they're the best, but honestly there was no one else? They all lived together. There was literally no competition to be on this heist. Not only that, but Emilie and Hinnah seem to be the only ones with talents. When the tagline called Violet an actor, I thought she might have some actually acting skills, not just be a semi-decent liar? And I would've liked to see some of Josefa's plan because beyond stealing a ticket, I can't believe she spent months working on it.
I also think that there wasn't much thought to how a Black or brown women would've been perceived on a ship like this in the 1900s? The author's note tells us there was one other Black family on the (real) ship so it was possible, but I think Emilie would've acknowledge it at least more than once? I'd hate to say that their backgrounds were simply written at random and a diverse cast was added in without thought.
The "sapphic" relationship also seemed very rushed, but honestly everything else in the book was too so I don't think it matters at this point.
The premise was so interesting but maybe 4 POVs was too much for the author. There were hints to more detailed backgrounds (Hinnah's trapeze act partner?) but nothing that actually gave us anything to care about. To the point where I literally did not care about the ending and kind of rushed through it. I especially felt like it got more ridiculous and I had to suspend my belief towards the end. There were zero tears shed, unfortunately.
The girls seemed to be able to get away with ridiculous stunts as well that made it very unbelievable for a story set during a very real setting. I got lost in some action scenes because I could not follow what was going on.
Might be a fun read for some younger readers though. And unrelated, but the cover is GORGEOUS and I love it so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Death, Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Catalina, aka Lina, has to find a date to her sister's wedding. She can't go alone because her ex-boyfriend, the groom's brother, is going to be there and get this - he's also engaged. Lina wants to prove to him, and to her family, that she's moved on and that she's actually happy with a new boyfriend (one who doesn't exist yet). Especially after the very public scandal that happened with her ex.
Aaron works at the same company as Lina, and after getting off on the wrong foot, they've made it their jobs to also hate each other and aggravate one another every chance they get. Despite all that, Aaron comes up with a deal - he'll be Lina's fake date if she'll be his. Cue the hijinks.
Despite having heard this was "enemies-to-lovers," it really isn't. Not even a little, not even in the contemporary sense. Lina is the only one who seems to have a problem with Aaron, while he really does nothing to show that he doesn't like her.
The main characters were pretty standard to be honest: Aaron is a thoughtful, put together man that every one wants, but with a sad past. He's like a big loyal Labrador retriever. Lina is quirky, smart, beautiful woman who is the only one who can't tell that Aaron actually likes her. She also has a complicated dating past.
The book starts off pretty slow, but despite that I wouldn't call it a "slow-burn," despite it being described as such. I feel like Lina falling for Aaron in the span of one weekend wasn't exactly slow.
The secondary plot also seemed wrapped up too neatly there at the end. Very unrealistic and really left the book with zero conflict.what do you mean it's okay she dates her BOSS!?
474 pages.
(⚠️Content Warnings;
Graphic: Sexual content, sexism, eating disorder,
Moderate: cancer, death of parent, misogyny
Minor: )
Aaron works at the same company as Lina, and after getting off on the wrong foot, they've made it their jobs to also hate each other and aggravate one another every chance they get. Despite all that, Aaron comes up with a deal - he'll be Lina's fake date if she'll be his. Cue the hijinks.
Despite having heard this was "enemies-to-lovers," it really isn't. Not even a little, not even in the contemporary sense. Lina is the only one who seems to have a problem with Aaron, while he really does nothing to show that he doesn't like her.
The main characters were pretty standard to be honest: Aaron is a thoughtful, put together man that every one wants, but with a sad past. He's like a big loyal Labrador retriever. Lina is quirky, smart, beautiful woman who is the only one who can't tell that Aaron actually likes her. She also has a complicated dating past.
The book starts off pretty slow, but despite that I wouldn't call it a "slow-burn," despite it being described as such. I feel like Lina falling for Aaron in the span of one weekend wasn't exactly slow.
The secondary plot also seemed wrapped up too neatly there at the end. Very unrealistic and really left the book with zero conflict.
474 pages.
(⚠️Content Warnings;
Graphic: Sexual content, sexism, eating disorder,
Moderate: cancer, death of parent, misogyny
Minor: )
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexism, Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Misogyny, Death of parent
Lady of the Drowned Empire by Frankie Diane Mallis
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I wonder if I wouldve liked this book more knowing that there was another one after this. I thought this series was going to be a trilogy - and in hindsight maybe it should've been.
I did like that the author put content warnings (and their locations) at the beginning of the book, and we're given another recap about the past two books.
The first half of the book was incredible slow and boring. We know at this point that the Bastardmaker and Imperator are misogynist assholes. What we didn't need was two super formal events where Lyr is forced to sit still and do nothing but stomach them. I feel like we got a lot of that from the last two books.
What I also thought would be interesting in this book was that we got a POV from Morgana - but unfortunately that was incredibly dull too and more of a way to add some backstory to make this book make sense. Her scenes felt like something added after the fact, especially with the twist at the end and yet added nothing beyond that.
Given how little information we were given during her POVs, I knew something was coming, but the twist that was added still felt completely out of nowhere and completely forced for shock value, different from the twist from the last book that at least had some lead up.
There was some scenes that grounded our characters that I never see in fantasy stories - like a woman period's being brought up which I thought was neat.
Between Morg's POV, and Lyr and Rhyan being a couple now, there were also plenty of spicy scenes. The author seemed to have written very specific scenes for fans, and then tried to tie a plot around them. There was definitely more action and fighting in the previous books.
The second half of the book seemed a bit faster paced, with super important things happen in less than one page, and yet we still somehow ended up with a cliffhanger that was frustrating.
I think if the previous books had been setup with half the information from this book and a lot of the boring, unnecessary scenes cut, we could've wrapped up the entire story in three books. I felt like more hints leading up to the twist would've helped a lot too.
I was super excited for this book and really let down. I think I'll get the next book because I'm curious to see how it wraps up, but not very enthusiastic for it.
I did like that the author put content warnings (and their locations) at the beginning of the book, and we're given another recap about the past two books.
The first half of the book was incredible slow and boring. We know at this point that the Bastardmaker and Imperator are misogynist assholes. What we didn't need was two super formal events where Lyr is forced to sit still and do nothing but stomach them. I feel like we got a lot of that from the last two books.
What I also thought would be interesting in this book was that we got a POV from Morgana - but unfortunately that was incredibly dull too and more of a way to add some backstory to make this book make sense. Her scenes felt like something added after the fact, especially with the twist at the end and yet added nothing beyond that.
Given how little information we were given during her POVs, I knew something was coming, but the twist that was added still felt completely out of nowhere and completely forced for shock value, different from the twist from the last book that at least had some lead up.
There was some scenes that grounded our characters that I never see in fantasy stories - like a woman period's being brought up which I thought was neat.
Between Morg's POV, and Lyr and Rhyan being a couple now, there were also plenty of spicy scenes. The author seemed to have written very specific scenes for fans, and then tried to tie a plot around them. There was definitely more action and fighting in the previous books.
The second half of the book seemed a bit faster paced, with super important things happen in less than one page, and yet we still somehow ended up with a cliffhanger that was frustrating.
I think if the previous books had been setup with half the information from this book and a lot of the boring, unnecessary scenes cut, we could've wrapped up the entire story in three books. I felt like more hints leading up to the twist would've helped a lot too.
I was super excited for this book and really let down. I think I'll get the next book because I'm curious to see how it wraps up, but not very enthusiastic for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Kidnapping
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
5.0
It’s going to be a bit challenging for me to talk about Book 3 by itself without referring to the Trilogy as a whole but I’ll try; We continue Rin’s struggles during the civil war in Nikan.
She’s the newly appointed leader of the Cike, struggling with being a replacement to Altan as she vows vengeance against the Empress. In comes Yin Vaisra, the Dragon Warlord, who promises Rin her chance at revenge if she serves him in a war towards Democracy.
In the following war, we’re reintroduced to Nezha, Kitay, Venka, and even Chagin. The threat of Hesperians is closer than ever and we get to hear their philosophies from their own mouths as an evil race from the West.
We get to travel across Nikan in more details as the civil war erupts across the entire country. Rin plays her part but continues to be easily manipulated. Her journey in this book is breaking free from anyone who would command her and her finding the strength to make her own decisions and choices. I loved that the final chapter held her accountable to herself. She made the choices at the end. It was all her!
This book was full of returning to roots; of circles. Rin returns to Tikany, she returns to her people after trying to distance herself from them while in Sinesgard. She sees her foster family again, we revisit the history of the Trifecta from a new perspective. We visit old friends and old enemies.
Everything in the book reminded us that history comes full circle.
Some nitpicking about the books: because of how much traveling we do and how important the geography of the land is, I wish we could’ve gotten more detail maps.
I loved the series as a whole but this book may have been my favorite. A tragically beautiful story from start to finish.
She’s the newly appointed leader of the Cike, struggling with being a replacement to Altan as she vows vengeance against the Empress. In comes Yin Vaisra, the Dragon Warlord, who promises Rin her chance at revenge if she serves him in a war towards Democracy.
In the following war, we’re reintroduced to Nezha, Kitay, Venka, and even Chagin. The threat of Hesperians is closer than ever and we get to hear their philosophies from their own mouths as an evil race from the West.
We get to travel across Nikan in more details as the civil war erupts across the entire country. Rin plays her part but continues to be easily manipulated. Her journey in this book is breaking free from anyone who would command her and her finding the strength to make her own decisions and choices. I loved that the final chapter held her accountable to herself. She made the choices at the end. It was all her!
This book was full of returning to roots; of circles. Rin returns to Tikany, she returns to her people after trying to distance herself from them while in Sinesgard. She sees her foster family again, we revisit the history of the Trifecta from a new perspective. We visit old friends and old enemies.
Everything in the book reminded us that history comes full circle.
Some nitpicking about the books: because of how much traveling we do and how important the geography of the land is, I wish we could’ve gotten more detail maps.
I loved the series as a whole but this book may have been my favorite. A tragically beautiful story from start to finish.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Cannibalism
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.0
I tend to dislike Book 2s of trilogies because they always seemed bloated with nothingness - but this book was action from start to finish and we see Rin and the other characters develop even more.
Every character had their own personality, their own desires and felt fully fleshed out in a way that was not done in the first book.
Rin’s desperate to fight for someone, anyone, and in this book she finds just the person who could command her towards vengeance against Empress Daji.
The writing of her character was great - you’re not supposed to like Rin, especially after all she’s done but I still sympathized with her. She talks a lot of compartmentalization but she has to cope with everything she’s done and I’m glad Kuang forces that onto her. It seemed like her character developed more in this book than in the first one when she went from peasant girl to soldier.
Kitay and Nezha are also in this book, as well as the Cike, and I really loved that they didn’t seem like side characters in the background. Kuang has a way of writing everyone into a story that makes them seem real.
The politics and war get even deeper in this book as well, and it’s hard not to get sucked in to the story.
It was great in the worst way because of the violence, gore, war, blood, etc. It’s hard to say I enjoyed a book where nothing good happens, but I did. Read the content warnings. But also there’s so much that happens I may have missed a few triggers.
Off to the next book!
Every character had their own personality, their own desires and felt fully fleshed out in a way that was not done in the first book.
Rin’s desperate to fight for someone, anyone, and in this book she finds just the person who could command her towards vengeance against Empress Daji.
The writing of her character was great - you’re not supposed to like Rin, especially after all she’s done but I still sympathized with her. She talks a lot of compartmentalization but she has to cope with everything she’s done and I’m glad Kuang forces that onto her. It seemed like her character developed more in this book than in the first one when she went from peasant girl to soldier.
Kitay and Nezha are also in this book, as well as the Cike, and I really loved that they didn’t seem like side characters in the background. Kuang has a way of writing everyone into a story that makes them seem real.
The politics and war get even deeper in this book as well, and it’s hard not to get sucked in to the story.
It was great in the worst way because of the violence, gore, war, blood, etc. It’s hard to say I enjoyed a book where nothing good happens, but I did. Read the content warnings. But also there’s so much that happens I may have missed a few triggers.
Off to the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, War
Moderate: Confinement, Medical trauma, Abortion
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.0
The Poppy War is a strong start to a really good series. I liked how it was inspired by true events, but I think I found myself more interested in the real history than the story in this book. There was a lot of clear parallels that I ended up exploring but the overall pacing of book 1 felt a little off.
The first half seemed to have a strong start - peasant girl Rin wants to become a soldier at the Sinegard Academy to escape an arranged marriage. She beats the odds, scoring perfectly and being accepted. However, that’s only the start of her troubles. Being at the school didn’t bring her the same opportunities as the other students because she was still just a peasant girl from the south in the eyes of the other students.
That’s NOT the plot of the book though. That’s only 1 section of 3. If you just started the book and don’t like it, maybe keep reading. It gets really different from here on out.
Book 1 felt VASTLY different from the rest of the book were everything seemed to change, including the writing and descriptions and even the story. While book 1 felt very YA, the rest of the book was decidedly NOT. It was full of dark violent scenes not meant for young adults.
I liked the way Rin faced everything thrown at her during Book 1 and her time at the school, but I felt like Book 2 was full of worldbuilding where Rin was often in the background and no longer the main character. There was just a lot of information thrown at us and it didn’t feel steady enough to drag us through so much so quickly.
I also felt like some of the atrocities were mentioned in great detail as a way to shock the readers. We went from brief mentions of violence and battles, to multiple fully detailed scenes of sexual violence and horror. Nothing else seemed to be described that way in the rest of the book though, and I felt like Kuang wanted us to know that this had happened in real life and wanted to mention it here as well. It just seemed unexpected and jarring.
Overall the story was interesting and I’m definitely going to be continuing the story.
Please check the content warnings. This book gets very detailed and very dark. It talks about colonialism and the horrors of war and everything in between.
The first half seemed to have a strong start - peasant girl Rin wants to become a soldier at the Sinegard Academy to escape an arranged marriage. She beats the odds, scoring perfectly and being accepted. However, that’s only the start of her troubles. Being at the school didn’t bring her the same opportunities as the other students because she was still just a peasant girl from the south in the eyes of the other students.
That’s NOT the plot of the book though. That’s only 1 section of 3. If you just started the book and don’t like it, maybe keep reading. It gets really different from here on out.
Book 1 felt VASTLY different from the rest of the book were everything seemed to change, including the writing and descriptions and even the story. While book 1 felt very YA, the rest of the book was decidedly NOT. It was full of dark violent scenes not meant for young adults.
I liked the way Rin faced everything thrown at her during Book 1 and her time at the school, but I felt like Book 2 was full of worldbuilding where Rin was often in the background and no longer the main character. There was just a lot of information thrown at us and it didn’t feel steady enough to drag us through so much so quickly.
I also felt like some of the atrocities were mentioned in great detail as a way to shock the readers. We went from brief mentions of violence and battles, to multiple fully detailed scenes of sexual violence and horror. Nothing else seemed to be described that way in the rest of the book though, and I felt like Kuang wanted us to know that this had happened in real life and wanted to mention it here as well. It just seemed unexpected and jarring.
Overall the story was interesting and I’m definitely going to be continuing the story.
Please check the content warnings. This book gets very detailed and very dark. It talks about colonialism and the horrors of war and everything in between.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, Colonisation, War
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit
True Biz by Sara Nović
Ugh, the rage I felt during the first few chapters!! I felt so angry on behalf of Charlie but it was a solid reminder that this is the every day life for so many.
I really enjoyed diving into this book and the insight it gave into the Deaf community. It was super informative - I LOVED that the illustrations and info that would've been given to the ASL students/family was given to us, without being some kind of guide on Deafness. Nović did a great job of balancing the fact and fiction. I read the hardcover edition of the book and was glad I did. Not sure how the illustrations would translate to an ebook or audiobook. There were other stylistic choices too that I liked, especially when multiple people were signing and you could visually see them separated on the page. I thought that was so ingenious!
The story was also very interesting with a diverse cast - not a single person felt perfect. They were all human with their own flaws and issues and I really liked. I felt the anarchy route was interesting, and added some suspense and action to the every day lives of students. However, the rather anti-climatic ending did feel a little unrealistic.
On the other hand, I liked the open-ended conclusion, especially after reading the author's note. I didnt think it was that abrupt or lacking a conclusion. It felt real.
386 pages.
(⚠️Content Warnings;
Graphic: Self-harm, medical trauma, death of a parent, ableism, violence,
Moderate: Car accident,
Minor: Racism, Drug use,)
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In a public school strapped for resources, extra tutoring and empathy had to be rationed, and they could not risk wasting it in her.
Ugh, the rage I felt during the first few chapters!! I felt so angry on behalf of Charlie but it was a solid reminder that this is the every day life for so many.
I really enjoyed diving into this book and the insight it gave into the Deaf community. It was super informative - I LOVED that the illustrations and info that would've been given to the ASL students/family was given to us, without being some kind of guide on Deafness. Nović did a great job of balancing the fact and fiction. I read the hardcover edition of the book and was glad I did. Not sure how the illustrations would translate to an ebook or audiobook. There were other stylistic choices too that I liked, especially when multiple people were signing and you could visually see them separated on the page. I thought that was so ingenious!
The story was also very interesting with a diverse cast - not a single person felt perfect. They were all human with their own flaws and issues and I really liked. I felt the anarchy route was interesting, and added some suspense and action to the every day lives of students. However, the rather anti-climatic ending did feel a little unrealistic.
On the other hand, I liked the open-ended conclusion, especially after reading the author's note. I didnt think it was that abrupt or lacking a conclusion. It felt real.
386 pages.
(⚠️Content Warnings;
Graphic: Self-harm, medical trauma, death of a parent, ableism, violence,
Moderate: Car accident,
Minor: Racism, Drug use,)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Self harm, Violence, Medical trauma, Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Drug use, Racism
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
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
4.0
Tropes: High school age, childhood-friends to enemies to fake-dating,
Very cute, lighthearted story. Elizabeth (Liz or Libby) is obsessed with rom-com movies as a way to stay connected to her late mother. When her childhood friend, Michael, moves back to town, she enlists the help of her “enemy” neighbor Wes to try to win Michael over. The results are what you’d expect.
I also want to clarify that it’s considered an “enemies-to-lovers” but honestly it’s more banter than anything else and they get along great for like 95% of the book.
Liz was infuriatingly hopeless. She lies her way through half the book and ends up in some embarrassing situations, but she was adorkable. Wes was the perfect guy at every step of the way, always trying to help her even if it wasn’t what he wanted. Their moments were so endearing!! Loved all the references but I haven’t seen a lot of the movies.
The ending was very cute and I loved it.
Very cute, lighthearted story. Elizabeth (Liz or Libby) is obsessed with rom-com movies as a way to stay connected to her late mother. When her childhood friend, Michael, moves back to town, she enlists the help of her “enemy” neighbor Wes to try to win Michael over. The results are what you’d expect.
I also want to clarify that it’s considered an “enemies-to-lovers” but honestly it’s more banter than anything else and they get along great for like 95% of the book.
Liz was infuriatingly hopeless. She lies her way through half the book and ends up in some embarrassing situations, but she was adorkable. Wes was the perfect guy at every step of the way, always trying to help her even if it wasn’t what he wanted. Their moments were so endearing!! Loved all the references but I haven’t seen a lot of the movies.
The ending was very cute and I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Car accident