pandaorb's reviews
351 reviews

This was well written and I enjoyed Donut more than is probably healthy, but this is going to be an DNF for me. I'm definitely not the target audience. I can handle and even enjoy this level of stupid, but the crude, middle school brand humor isn't my style and the language had me cringing enough that at some point I just didn't feel like continuing.

Can I say though, that Jeff Hays is exceptional? This audiobook is as delightful as an audiobook whose contents one can't stomach could possibly be.

Content Warnings

The Royal Argent Bank Heist by Adam Harden

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adventurous informative medium-paced

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The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Hayes' debut novel is probably not what you expect. If, like me, you're expecting a fun, imaginative story about a cute little dinosaur that dives into a little darkness, you'll get exactly what you're looking for - for the first half of the story. After that, you'll discover the darkness is much deeper than you might have dared to imagine.
As advertised, one of the themes of this book is overcoming trauma, and anyone who's gone through trauma knows that it comes out of nowhere and it hits hard. Hayes managed to capture that feeling of being totally blindsided by life, and it was a cunning move.
There was much to love about this novel: the unique characters, the vibrant world, the clever descriptions, and Tippy's sarcastic attitude. But overall, there was a consistent feeling of this story being not quite believable. I know, I know, this is fiction. About imaginary friends. Got it. But, so often I felt as if character dialog and actions were staged. The way that every Friend frequently had to take a pause and give an exposition on its emotions was so awkward. I could see from miles away that this would be the type of ending where

the bad guy stops because someone asks him to

and then I roll my eyes.
Despite that, I really did love the whimsy that The Imaginary Corpse opened up with, and I equally loved how Hayes chose to close the novel after hitting the Stillreal with a sobering dose of reality. There's definitely room for more stories on the Stuffed Animal Detective Agency. I'm curious to see if they come.

Content Warnings

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.

I don't like Duke. I don't care about Laura's past. COVID was literally the worst time. And in the span of 5 pages we went from "We'll never have children because we're planting asparagus instead of cherries" to "I'll go kill the kittens and meet you at the beach".
Is there a content warning for boring and dumb?

Jack Zulu and the Girl with Golden Wings by S.D. Smith, J.C. Smith

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adventurous dark funny inspiring 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

I've been anticipating this release since I finished the first installment of the series. I absolutely love Jack, Benny, Michelle and Myrtle itself, and I was so excited to explore more of the world beyond the Wayland in this sequel.
We get to travel through Thandalia in this novel, witnessing Jack's struggle against temptation, and the growth of his relationship with Michelle's father, Steve, throughout. Once again, I loved every character, new

except Timman, about whom I screamed to my husband one night, "He is SO SUS"

and old. There were moments that made my heart swell, moments that made it break, and reflection and laughter in-between. I could not be more pleased to revisit this world that Sam and Josiah have presented.
The only drawback was that pacing on this book felt a little off. It plodded along, dabbling in exposition until about halfway through, when all that lore started to pay off. Balancing the delivery of world-building insights with the action of a narrative is a challenging task, so I don't hold too much against the narrative for this, but I wasn't as enamored as with the first book. I also felt like this book was much more violent than its predecessor. It's not particularly graphic, but if you're reading with younger kids, you may want to do some screening.
Anyway, the story ends on a cliffhanger, and I'm just as ready for the next one as I was last time!

Content Warnings

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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? No

4.75

Touching. Humorous. Happily ever after. What else could you ask for in a rom-com?

Guinea pigs? Some dumbo who awarded himself the best worst nickname of all time?

I truly did enjoy every single character that this story brought to life. Katherine Center was right - everyone needs to love this book!

Content Warnings

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

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hopeful inspiring relaxing 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? No

4.75

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pandaorb's reviews 351 reviews

pandaorb's reviews
351 reviews