pinkbookscoffee's reviews
565 reviews

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

adventurous funny hopeful 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? No

4.0

Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-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

4.0

I truly love Rainbow Rowell’s New Year’s Eve themed short story, Midnights, and already have it in two other volumes of her short stories. This year, I was delighted to enjoy the story in this adorably small paperback, which also has unique illustrations that are not in the other volumes. 

 

I also enjoyed Kindred Spirits, a story about camping out to see Star Wars Episode VII in 2015. I’m now somehow nostalgic for 2015.

The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? No

5.0

Chalice of the Gods is the coziest possible Percy Jackson book. It was reflective, sweet, and hopeful. It was funny, in the traditional style of Percy’s narrative voice. 

 

It was a book of low stakes questing with no world-ending peril. It had really strong themes of family and friendship. 

Every Duke Has His Day by Suzanne Enoch

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

I was intrigued when I saw Every Duke Has His Day by Suzanne Enoch described as Bringing Up Baby, in the style of Jane Austen. I love Bringing Up Baby, which is a 1938 movie starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and a Leopard. I grew up watching it, incorporated the song from the movie(I Can’t Give You Anything But Love) into my wedding ceremony, and had a framed Bringing Up Baby poster in my living room. I also like Jane Austen books.

In Every Duke Has His Day, an eccentric, scientifically minded Duke is watching his aunt’s pet poodle. He’s taking the poodle for a walk when a young woman’s near-identical poodle runs at them, knocking the duke and his poodle into a stream. They accidentally switch dogs, dogs are stolen, and adventure and romance proceed from there. The story takes place during the summer in London during the “Season”.

It was a bit slow to get into, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. The dialogue and banter were funny and engaging. It had multiple points of view, giving the reader a full picture of what was going on. There was also a Gaston-level villain, and a bonus commoner romance for a bit of upstairs/downstairs action. Good “swooniness”.  Happily Ever After for everyone except the villain, even the pets. It had a 101 Dalmatians vibe too. It didn’t really have a Bringing Up Baby plot, though it had screwball comedy elements.

I couldn’t put it down and had to finish it before I could go to bed.

This is a “sweet” or “clean” romance with no “spicy” scenes.

Despite having read lots of classics throughout my youth, this may actually be the first contemporarily written “regency romance” that I’ve read. I actually had to look up British nobility rankings, because I wasn’t sure about the difference between, say, a marquis and a viscount. I’m glad I looked it up instead of just wondering if I had it right the whole time.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Tea Dragon Society by K. O'Neill

hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

4.0

The Tea Dragon Society was so cute! I struggle a bit with graphic novels because I’m not very visual and have to actively remember to look at the pictures, but I really enjoyed this one. This was the sweetest concept and such a cozy story. I love the idea of tea dragons! I showed them to my daughter, and we agree that we both want one.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous funny mysterious 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? No

4.0

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty is a great historical fantasy adventure. 

 

Amina Al-Sirafi is a middle-aged piratey sea captain who is persuaded out of retirement and away from her daughter. What she thinks will be a fact finding and rescue mission to recover the daughter of a former crewman turns into a full scale supernatural adventure. 

 

This book had a lovely, satisfying ending. Open ended with room for more stories, but not in a cliffhanger way. 

 

I got my book from Book of the Month Club and read it in hardcover, as well as listening to the audiobook for some of it. 

Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot was a funny and enjoyable fantasy romantic comedy with excellent fall vibes in a cozy small town, perfect for the Halloween season. 

 

Enchanted to Meet You stars a witch named Jessica who lives in a small Connecticut town and owns a cute clothing boutique. The fun begins shortly before Halloween when Derrick comes into her shop and tells her about a prophecy that might involve her. 

 

This book had delightful main characters as well as great side character friends. It also has some flashbacks to events from Jessica’s high school days, and has chapters from the perspectives of both Jessica and Derrick. Meg Cabot’s narrative style is friendly, light, and funny. 

 

If you’re looking for a fun romantic comedy to read this fall, Enchanted to Meet You is a great choice. 

 

Tropes/themes: fake dating, witches, small town in peril, Halloween season, forced proximity, mid-2000s high school flashbacks, dual timeline, multiple POVs, romantic comedy 

 

Thank you to NetGalley and @Avonbooks for my digital Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. 

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

Fourth Wing was a wild ride. I enjoyed the dragon-centered fantasy adventure and the romance. The narrative style is a bit more crass and profane* than I prefer, but I was easily pulled in by the world, story, and characters. And, of course, the dragons! I think I hit the point of “can’t put it down” at about the 60% mark. I flew through it and preordered the sequel.

It feels like the entire internet is reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros this summer, which is definitely part of the fun.



*The narrative style was a big contrast to the book that I read before this, The Secret Book of Flora Lee, which is more of a lyrical, atmospheric prose style of book.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing 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

4.0

A Psalm for the Wild-Built was wonderful. It was gently paced. Leisurely, but didn’t feel slow. I intend to read the next Monk and Robot book, but I don’t feel in a rush to do so.