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pagesofbellerose's reviews
235 reviews
16 & Pregnant by LaLa Thomas
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Disclaimer: I was provided a digital galley via Edelweiss+ for the purpose of reviewing. This does not affect my opinion.
16 & Pregnant is a wonderful exploration of teen friendship's ups and downs, romantic and platonic relationships, and pregnancy. Each turned page was a brilliant show of craftsmanship, and I could not get enough!
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review, available on my blog Belle's Archive now!
16 & Pregnant is a wonderful exploration of teen friendship's ups and downs, romantic and platonic relationships, and pregnancy. Each turned page was a brilliant show of craftsmanship, and I could not get enough!
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review, available on my blog Belle's Archive now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Drug use, Medical content, Alcohol, Abandonment, Bullying, and Cursing
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Disclaimer: I was provided a digital galley via Edelweiss+ for the purpose of review. This does not affect my opinion.
The Villa is an interesting, engaging thriller. With a dual-POV and timeline, there is intrigue and wonder between each line.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review on my blog Belle's Archive now!
The Villa is an interesting, engaging thriller. With a dual-POV and timeline, there is intrigue and wonder between each line.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review on my blog Belle's Archive now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Grief, and Addiction
Minor: Vomit
Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Disclaimer: I was provided a digital galley for the purpose of reviewing. This does not affect my opinion.
I was really excited about this book and thought that it'd be a great rom-com with a fun plotline. I was, apparently, wrong.
For one, the main character is over the top and annoying. He was quite rude and just plain disrespectful to his friends and teachers at times (in the beginning of the book, his teacher asked him and his friends what they were doing, as they weren't even participating in the class assignment, and he just shrugged her off and literally shooed her away by being "weird").
Another thing was that the secondary characters throughout this book weren't fleshed out well at all. The parents are like 16-year-olds in adult bodies, and Cirrus felt more like a concept than an actual character.
Along with that, I honestly just did not like the writing style at all. It was overly descriptive, weirdly paced, and I didn't like how "nerds" were stereotyped throughout this book. The author made it seem like nerds were supposed to be weak, LARP-loving people who couldn't give two thoughts about the purpose of sports. We all know that isn't true, so I'm not sure why it was written that way.
Overall, I was severely disappointed. I won't be picking this up for a reread in the future.
I was really excited about this book and thought that it'd be a great rom-com with a fun plotline. I was, apparently, wrong.
For one, the main character is over the top and annoying. He was quite rude and just plain disrespectful to his friends and teachers at times (in the beginning of the book, his teacher asked him and his friends what they were doing, as they weren't even participating in the class assignment, and he just shrugged her off and literally shooed her away by being "weird").
Another thing was that the secondary characters throughout this book weren't fleshed out well at all. The parents are like 16-year-olds in adult bodies, and Cirrus felt more like a concept than an actual character.
Along with that, I honestly just did not like the writing style at all. It was overly descriptive, weirdly paced, and I didn't like how "nerds" were stereotyped throughout this book. The author made it seem like nerds were supposed to be weak, LARP-loving people who couldn't give two thoughts about the purpose of sports. We all know that isn't true, so I'm not sure why it was written that way.
Overall, I was severely disappointed. I won't be picking this up for a reread in the future.
Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Disclaimer: I was provided a digital galley via NetGalley for the purpose of reviewing. This does not affect my opinion.
I was left disappointed.
This book started off okay. Pru--our main character--seemed somewhat relatable, and the book got right into the plot. It was about 5% of the way through when things started to go wrong.
For one, the MC is actually full of herself past this point. Pru deems it necessary to cast bad karma on anyone who is mildly inconveniencing her or doing something that she thinks is unnecessary or wrong. She doesn't bother listening to anyone whose opinion or circumstances differ from her own, and she expects everyone to cater to her every need if something bad happens. I was honestly on her side for that first 5% of the book, but past that, I started to agree with the other characters that she acted like a prude.
On top of that, the writing in this book is mediocre at best. I expected more from Marissa Meyer, considering so many people love her books. The plot was also affected by this, as the instances in which Pru's "bad karma" power (?) repeated unnecessary inflictions on people.
All in all, I can say that I'm glad this is a standalone. If there were another book of *this*, I'd be fairly concerned.
UPDATE EDIT: It was brought to my attention that there are some very serious problems with this book and Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series. Recognizing that, I feel it's also important to point out discussions about this from @KailiaSage and author Katie Zhao. Please make yourself aware of these and address the very real issues with these books.
I was left disappointed.
This book started off okay. Pru--our main character--seemed somewhat relatable, and the book got right into the plot. It was about 5% of the way through when things started to go wrong.
For one, the MC is actually full of herself past this point. Pru deems it necessary to cast bad karma on anyone who is mildly inconveniencing her or doing something that she thinks is unnecessary or wrong. She doesn't bother listening to anyone whose opinion or circumstances differ from her own, and she expects everyone to cater to her every need if something bad happens. I was honestly on her side for that first 5% of the book, but past that, I started to agree with the other characters that she acted like a prude.
On top of that, the writing in this book is mediocre at best. I expected more from Marissa Meyer, considering so many people love her books. The plot was also affected by this, as the instances in which Pru's "bad karma" power (?) repeated unnecessary inflictions on people.
All in all, I can say that I'm glad this is a standalone. If there were another book of *this*, I'd be fairly concerned.
UPDATE EDIT: It was brought to my attention that there are some very serious problems with this book and Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series. Recognizing that, I feel it's also important to point out discussions about this from @KailiaSage and author Katie Zhao. Please make yourself aware of these and address the very real issues with these books.
The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Disclaimer: I was provided a physical galley for the purposes of a book tour. This does not affect my opinion.
I was really hoping to like this book, but it let me down in more ways than one.
The book started off okay until I realized that Caleb, one of the main characters in this book, was essentially an obsessive and creepy guy that didn't know how to take a hint. It was revealed to us that Evie had rejected him in the past and told him she didn't see him that way, but instead of backing off like a decent person, he continued pining after her. I mean, he internally tracked each of their "almost-kisses" by their dates. (They really weren't even almost-kisses, they were mostly just times he felt like kissing her.)
Along with that, this book is supposed to have anxiety representation? And yet, the author included a harmful comment from Evie's friend Bex about Evie needing to "talk the crazy out" with no pushback against it. Way to make us with anxiety feel loved.
Overall, after a few chapters into reading this book, I DNFed it. Based on this experience, I won't be reading future books from this author.
I was really hoping to like this book, but it let me down in more ways than one.
The book started off okay until I realized that Caleb, one of the main characters in this book, was essentially an obsessive and creepy guy that didn't know how to take a hint. It was revealed to us that Evie had rejected him in the past and told him she didn't see him that way, but instead of backing off like a decent person, he continued pining after her. I mean, he internally tracked each of their "almost-kisses" by their dates. (They really weren't even almost-kisses, they were mostly just times he felt like kissing her.)
Along with that, this book is supposed to have anxiety representation? And yet, the author included a harmful comment from Evie's friend Bex about Evie needing to "talk the crazy out" with no pushback against it. Way to make us with anxiety feel loved.
Overall, after a few chapters into reading this book, I DNFed it. Based on this experience, I won't be reading future books from this author.
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Disclaimer: I was provided a physical galley and finished copy of this title for review and publicity purposes. This does not affect my opinion.
Even Though I Knew the End was an unexpected read. Despite being a novella, there was a full story within C. L. Polk's written pages.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review on my blog now!
Even Though I Knew the End was an unexpected read. Despite being a novella, there was a full story within C. L. Polk's written pages.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review on my blog now!
Beauty And The Besharam by Lillie Vale
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
Disclaimer: I was provided a digital galley via Edelweiss+ for review purposes. This does not affect my opinion.
Beauty and the Besharam is a fun, addicting take on the classical Beauty and the Beast Disney fairytale edition. From start to finish, I was hooked on this book and unable to put it down, and I found myself wanting more upon finish.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review, available on my blog now!
Trigger/Content Warning(s): Grief, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity
Beauty and the Besharam is a fun, addicting take on the classical Beauty and the Beast Disney fairytale edition. From start to finish, I was hooked on this book and unable to put it down, and I found myself wanting more upon finish.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review, available on my blog now!
Trigger/Content Warning(s): Grief, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity
Love in Rewind by Tali Alexander
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.
The worst writing, by far, I've read. Extremely cringey, and the dialogue doesn't read as realistic either.