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391 reviews
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
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? Yes
3.0
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC!
I gotta say.... I'm a bit disappointed with this book. I LOVE Katherine Center and think she comes across as such a sweet person and her writing is phenomenal and I can really tell that she loves love stories. But this one missed the mark for me.
It was a bit jarring going into a book with a pretty heavy focus on our FMC Katie's eating disorder right at the beginning with no trigger warning. I personally think this needed a TW because a detailed journal entry of her calorie counting is present and she explicitly mentions starving herself and states the exact calorie number she restricted herself to. There's also mentions of a scale being her best friend. She details this along with how she hated her body because of internet trolls, and how she is now on a journey to learn to love herself. The author's note also did not mention anything about eating disorders or give any resources if anyone is struggling, and I think in this case it should have. The author's note only stated (and I'm paraphrasing here) that this was a book about learning to love yourself. Interpret that how you will.
Aside from that, this book did have some swoon-worthy moments, and I liked Hutch as a MMC. There was just something missing. I did not feel connected to these characters. A spark was missing between Hutch and Katie, I think. It felt more lust than love at times.
Some parts of this book also seemed disjointed and didn't really fit with the rest of the story. The part about Katie's coworker and boss showing up in Key West seemed very far fetched.
I think it goes without saying that my favorite character in this book was the dog, George Bailey. He was such a sweetheart.
Overall, not horrible but missing an important TW imo and not as big of a focus on the love story as I wish there was. If you enjoy Katherine Center's previous works, you may be disappointed with this one or you may love it. Find out for yourself when it publishes in May!
I gotta say.... I'm a bit disappointed with this book. I LOVE Katherine Center and think she comes across as such a sweet person and her writing is phenomenal and I can really tell that she loves love stories. But this one missed the mark for me.
It was a bit jarring going into a book with a pretty heavy focus on our FMC Katie's eating disorder right at the beginning with no trigger warning. I personally think this needed a TW because a detailed journal entry of her calorie counting is present and she explicitly mentions starving herself and states the exact calorie number she restricted herself to. There's also mentions of a scale being her best friend. She details this along with how she hated her body because of internet trolls, and how she is now on a journey to learn to love herself. The author's note also did not mention anything about eating disorders or give any resources if anyone is struggling, and I think in this case it should have. The author's note only stated (and I'm paraphrasing here) that this was a book about learning to love yourself. Interpret that how you will.
Aside from that, this book did have some swoon-worthy moments, and I liked Hutch as a MMC. There was just something missing. I did not feel connected to these characters. A spark was missing between Hutch and Katie, I think. It felt more lust than love at times.
Some parts of this book also seemed disjointed and didn't really fit with the rest of the story. The part about Katie's coworker and boss showing up in Key West seemed very far fetched.
I think it goes without saying that my favorite character in this book was the dog, George Bailey. He was such a sweetheart.
Overall, not horrible but missing an important TW imo and not as big of a focus on the love story as I wish there was. If you enjoy Katherine Center's previous works, you may be disappointed with this one or you may love it. Find out for yourself when it publishes in May!
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
Alright I know this is a polarizing review but hear me out: this book was so good in the worst possible way.
The beginning starts with all this action and wit and reveals and I'm truly enjoying everything about it. I'm loving the whole mastermind thing that's happening to get Alina and her crew on track to find the firebird.
Then one huge thing happens and the whole story seems to jump off a cliff with a certain someone. (If you've read this book, you know what I'm referring to).
The second half of this book gave me whiplash, physically and emotionally. We were dragged in all possible directions. We had people dying and coming back to life. It was genuinely wild and I would have loved to be in Leigh Bardugo's brain while she was writing this.
Also hated the ending btw just gotta put that out there.
But despite my hatred for a majority of things happening in this book, I'm still giving it five stars because no book has ever gotten so much disdain from me. Like I said, a love hate relationship. Or maybe I loved to hate it 🤔 Regardless, it was a fun time even if I feel betrayed.
I'm not sure I would classify this as a good ending to this trilogy, but it's definitely an ending. Looking forward to seeing what comes next in the Grishaverse!
The beginning starts with all this action and wit and reveals and I'm truly enjoying everything about it. I'm loving the whole mastermind thing that's happening to get Alina and her crew on track to find the firebird.
Then one huge thing happens and the whole story seems to jump off a cliff with a certain someone. (If you've read this book, you know what I'm referring to).
The second half of this book gave me whiplash, physically and emotionally. We were dragged in all possible directions. We had people dying and coming back to life. It was genuinely wild and I would have loved to be in Leigh Bardugo's brain while she was writing this.
Also hated the ending btw just gotta put that out there.
But despite my hatred for a majority of things happening in this book, I'm still giving it five stars because no book has ever gotten so much disdain from me. Like I said, a love hate relationship. Or maybe I loved to hate it 🤔 Regardless, it was a fun time even if I feel betrayed.
I'm not sure I would classify this as a good ending to this trilogy, but it's definitely an ending. Looking forward to seeing what comes next in the Grishaverse!
Cat's People by Tanya Guerrero
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC!
I enjoyed this book. I thought the story of a bunch of strangers coming together with the shared love of a stray cat was a wholesome story and one that could spark inspiration for others.
There are a lot of POVs in this book, including one of Cat, the stray. I enjoyed all the POVs. All of the people were flawed and they each had their problems, and it was nice to see how they ended up connecting at the end.
I do wish the cat's POV was more prominent, as his POV was obviously my favorite. I wish we had more resolution with some of the characters, too.
Overall, this was a wholesome read. If you're a cat person, you'll probably like this one!
I enjoyed this book. I thought the story of a bunch of strangers coming together with the shared love of a stray cat was a wholesome story and one that could spark inspiration for others.
There are a lot of POVs in this book, including one of Cat, the stray. I enjoyed all the POVs. All of the people were flawed and they each had their problems, and it was nice to see how they ended up connecting at the end.
I do wish the cat's POV was more prominent, as his POV was obviously my favorite. I wish we had more resolution with some of the characters, too.
Overall, this was a wholesome read. If you're a cat person, you'll probably like this one!
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I loved this one! It was a great retelling of Arthurian Legend and touched a lot of important topics. It's probably the most unique fantasy book I've read in a long time.
Bree is angsty, and I loved that about her. She's strong and resilient and I can't wait to see what she does in the next book! I really enjoyed the storyline of her finding her ancestors and calling on them to teach her what her mother couldn't. And finding out how her bloodline and those of the Order connect 🤯 Mind. Blown.
There's a lot of great side characters in this book, too - William and Alice are my favorites. I liked that they all served a purpose for this story.
Overall, great YA fantasy! There's action, adventure, family drama, friend drama... it has a little bit of everything. Looking forward to the next book!
Bree is angsty, and I loved that about her. She's strong and resilient and I can't wait to see what she does in the next book! I really enjoyed the storyline of her finding her ancestors and calling on them to teach her what her mother couldn't. And finding out how her bloodline and those of the Order connect 🤯 Mind. Blown.
There's a lot of great side characters in this book, too - William and Alice are my favorites. I liked that they all served a purpose for this story.
Overall, great YA fantasy! There's action, adventure, family drama, friend drama... it has a little bit of everything. Looking forward to the next book!
Forever Never by Lucy Score
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.
I'm sorry I just do not care about these characters or this story
The Grand Scheme of Things by Warona Jay
informative
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you Simon Books for the e-ARC!
The Grand Scheme of Things follows Naledi (Eddie) and Hugo as they devise a plan to get Naledi's play into the spotlight. Naledi is a black immigrant to England, and Hugo is a white man, so they conduct an experiment to see if Naledi's play will gain more success if the writer's name is a white male's name. Newsflash: it does. So much so that Naledi and Hugo ride out this lie for as long as they can, even though Hugo feels guilty that he's getting recognition for this play instead of Naledi. (But does he really feel guilty, though?)
This story is written in a very interesting way, and I actually enjoyed the writing style. We had POVs from Naledi/Eddie and Hugo. It sounded like they were speaking to each other, since there was this second person narration going on. I thought it made the story more personal and allowed me to get more of a sense of these characters' emotions and backstory.
The most interesting thing about this story, though, is that it is truly up to the reader to decide if Naledi and Hugo's scheming was morally just. Should Naledi have used Hugo to garner success? Should Hugo have turned down Naledi's idea to use his name? Should Naledi have fought harder to get an agency to accept her play with her name? It really makes you think about the grand scheme of things.
These characters are not meant to be super likeable - they're meant to be real. If you're a fan of literary fiction and are interested in reading more of a case study about race and morality, you'll enjoy this book!
The Grand Scheme of Things follows Naledi (Eddie) and Hugo as they devise a plan to get Naledi's play into the spotlight. Naledi is a black immigrant to England, and Hugo is a white man, so they conduct an experiment to see if Naledi's play will gain more success if the writer's name is a white male's name. Newsflash: it does. So much so that Naledi and Hugo ride out this lie for as long as they can, even though Hugo feels guilty that he's getting recognition for this play instead of Naledi. (But does he really feel guilty, though?)
This story is written in a very interesting way, and I actually enjoyed the writing style. We had POVs from Naledi/Eddie and Hugo. It sounded like they were speaking to each other, since there was this second person narration going on. I thought it made the story more personal and allowed me to get more of a sense of these characters' emotions and backstory.
The most interesting thing about this story, though, is that it is truly up to the reader to decide if Naledi and Hugo's scheming was morally just. Should Naledi have used Hugo to garner success? Should Hugo have turned down Naledi's idea to use his name? Should Naledi have fought harder to get an agency to accept her play with her name? It really makes you think about the grand scheme of things.
These characters are not meant to be super likeable - they're meant to be real. If you're a fan of literary fiction and are interested in reading more of a case study about race and morality, you'll enjoy this book!
The Starlets by Lee Kelly, Jennifer Marie Thorne
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Thank you Bibliolifestyle and Harper Collins for the gifted review copy!
This was the most ridiculous, unserious historical fiction book I have ever read. There were a million things happening, and everything kept becoming more insane. The whole book gave me whiplash, dragging me around in so many different directions, and for what reason?!
This review will be full of spoilers here on out, so if you want the ridiculous play by play, keep reading. If not, you can read this book for yourself.
Let me break it down for you: it's 1958 and Vivienne Rhodes is heading to an island to film a movie. She gets there, realizes her archnemesis Lottie Lawrence is also in the film - and in Vivienne's promised role! 😱 < This is all fine and dandy. I'm vibing with the old Hollywood drama and movie sets. I don't expect this book to go in the direction it did based on the first few chapters.
Lottie discovers a dead body in a mysterious hangar holding props for the film. Yes, a dead body. On a film set. While this is happening, Vivienne is on the movie studio president's yacht. The yacht ends up getting hijacked?? And Vivienne has to swim to safety so she doesn't get shot. And behold! Lottie to the rescue on a stolen boat. < There is much more context here but this gives the jist of it.
Together, Vivienne and Lottie begin a journey to Monaco to have the one and only Grace Kelly save them and get them to Paris to alert Interpol of some illegal doings on the film set. < This does not actually happen and Lottie and Vivienne end up on this wild journey involving a wine truck and the Alps and posing as extras on a Rome film set... it's crazy, yall. And all this time Vivienne is carrying some very important film roll in her bra that can implicate whoever was doing illegal things on the film set.
Eventually, Lottie and Vivienne end up back on the island they're filming the movie on and are being blackmailed by the studio president to keep their mouths shut about his illegal drug dealings. < Not surprised in the least that the illegal activities are drugs, and he is hiding them in movie props to bring back to the US. But he will expose everyone's biggest secrets if they spill anything about what he's doing.
Lottie and Vivienne do not keep their mouths shut and tell all their costars about the drug dealings and their big adventure to try and get a film role to Interpol. There was a snake in this group who told the studio president and he almost blows everybody up at 3am with a giant Trojan horse full of dynamite. < I am not joking.
In the end, the Navy rescues everyone and Vivienne throws the studio president off a cliff and all is well.
This was the most ridiculous, unserious historical fiction book I have ever read. There were a million things happening, and everything kept becoming more insane. The whole book gave me whiplash, dragging me around in so many different directions, and for what reason?!
This review will be full of spoilers here on out, so if you want the ridiculous play by play, keep reading. If not, you can read this book for yourself.
Let me break it down for you: it's 1958 and Vivienne Rhodes is heading to an island to film a movie. She gets there, realizes her archnemesis Lottie Lawrence is also in the film - and in Vivienne's promised role! 😱 < This is all fine and dandy. I'm vibing with the old Hollywood drama and movie sets. I don't expect this book to go in the direction it did based on the first few chapters.
Lottie discovers a dead body in a mysterious hangar holding props for the film. Yes, a dead body. On a film set. While this is happening, Vivienne is on the movie studio president's yacht. The yacht ends up getting hijacked?? And Vivienne has to swim to safety so she doesn't get shot. And behold! Lottie to the rescue on a stolen boat. < There is much more context here but this gives the jist of it.
Together, Vivienne and Lottie begin a journey to Monaco to have the one and only Grace Kelly save them and get them to Paris to alert Interpol of some illegal doings on the film set. < This does not actually happen and Lottie and Vivienne end up on this wild journey involving a wine truck and the Alps and posing as extras on a Rome film set... it's crazy, yall. And all this time Vivienne is carrying some very important film roll in her bra that can implicate whoever was doing illegal things on the film set.
Eventually, Lottie and Vivienne end up back on the island they're filming the movie on and are being blackmailed by the studio president to keep their mouths shut about his illegal drug dealings. < Not surprised in the least that the illegal activities are drugs, and he is hiding them in movie props to bring back to the US. But he will expose everyone's biggest secrets if they spill anything about what he's doing.
Lottie and Vivienne do not keep their mouths shut and tell all their costars about the drug dealings and their big adventure to try and get a film role to Interpol. There was a snake in this group who told the studio president and he almost blows everybody up at 3am with a giant Trojan horse full of dynamite. < I am not joking.
In the end, the Navy rescues everyone and Vivienne throws the studio president off a cliff and all is well.
The Girl from the Grand Hotel by Camille Aubray
emotional
informative
mysterious
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? No
4.0
Thank you Bibliolifestyle and Blackstone Publishing for the gifted review copy!
I thought this was a very unique historical fiction novel. It covered a lot of ground in only 300 pages, and the story was told well.
Annabelle works for her uncle at the Grand Hotel in France. The summer of 1939, Hollywood stars are visiting due to the inaugural Cannes Film Festival. Europe is also on the brink of war. This leads to an interesting summer for Annabelle, who gets to play assistant to a writer and an actor. Only there are many secrets floating around this hotel, and Annabelle ends up uncovering some of them.
I thought the idea of Annabelle "working" for a couple of important Hollywood people was a unique concept, and it was done well. There were some parts of this story that left me wondering why they were included. Even the epilogue didn't explain some things, so we're left with a couple loose ends which isn't ideal. However, the overarching theme of the book was executed well and the epilogue explained the more important things that needed to be cleared up.
There was a lot happening in this book. There was a focus on Annabelle's love life, and then there was a focus on espionage. I wish these two things had more of a connection because it ended up feeling like two different stories put together. Did they work together? Sort of, but not really in my opinion. The espionage was super interesting to read about, but I feel like it would have worked better if it was introduced earlier in the story.
Overall, this book held my interest all the way through and I thought the Hollywood meets France aspect was super well done. Did I love everything about this? No, but I still think this is worth the read especially if you enjoy romance and historical fiction.
I thought this was a very unique historical fiction novel. It covered a lot of ground in only 300 pages, and the story was told well.
Annabelle works for her uncle at the Grand Hotel in France. The summer of 1939, Hollywood stars are visiting due to the inaugural Cannes Film Festival. Europe is also on the brink of war. This leads to an interesting summer for Annabelle, who gets to play assistant to a writer and an actor. Only there are many secrets floating around this hotel, and Annabelle ends up uncovering some of them.
I thought the idea of Annabelle "working" for a couple of important Hollywood people was a unique concept, and it was done well. There were some parts of this story that left me wondering why they were included. Even the epilogue didn't explain some things, so we're left with a couple loose ends which isn't ideal. However, the overarching theme of the book was executed well and the epilogue explained the more important things that needed to be cleared up.
There was a lot happening in this book. There was a focus on Annabelle's love life, and then there was a focus on espionage. I wish these two things had more of a connection because it ended up feeling like two different stories put together. Did they work together? Sort of, but not really in my opinion. The espionage was super interesting to read about, but I feel like it would have worked better if it was introduced earlier in the story.
Overall, this book held my interest all the way through and I thought the Hollywood meets France aspect was super well done. Did I love everything about this? No, but I still think this is worth the read especially if you enjoy romance and historical fiction.
Jackrabbit Skin by Ivy Pochoda
medium-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? No
2.0
Did anything even happen?
Story Of My Life by Lucy Score
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
Thanks Hambright PR for the gifted ARC!
I looooved this book! It was the perfect small town vibe, and the humor was fantastic. This was my first Lucy Score book, believe it or not, and it definitely won't be my last!
I want to go to Story Lake. I enjoyed the camaraderie between the townsfolk. I loved Cam and Hazel. I loved all of the side characters. It seems like such a fun place! Lucy Score did an excellent job at bringing this small town to life.
I really loved the whole concept of this book - an author escaping the big city to go find inspiration in a small town. Obviously there is much more depth to this story than that, but that's the bare bones no spoiler jist of it.
If you've been debating reading this one.... it's so worth it. If you want to laugh out loud and have fun reading something, I highly recommend this book.
I looooved this book! It was the perfect small town vibe, and the humor was fantastic. This was my first Lucy Score book, believe it or not, and it definitely won't be my last!
I want to go to Story Lake. I enjoyed the camaraderie between the townsfolk. I loved Cam and Hazel. I loved all of the side characters. It seems like such a fun place! Lucy Score did an excellent job at bringing this small town to life.
I really loved the whole concept of this book - an author escaping the big city to go find inspiration in a small town. Obviously there is much more depth to this story than that, but that's the bare bones no spoiler jist of it.
If you've been debating reading this one.... it's so worth it. If you want to laugh out loud and have fun reading something, I highly recommend this book.