Scan barcode
readingwithmuggy's reviews
311 reviews
Shipped by Angie Hockman
4.5
a cute classic rom com. The plot twist at the end added some excitement and I couldn’t put it down. My most common critique of romcoms is a rushed ending, but they really filled out the ending well in this one. I didn’t feel like there were any loose endings needing to be tied up. There were def some cringy moments that made me throw up in my mouth a little but overall 4.5 stars for Graham Cracker-Collins 💛
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What to expect from this book:
-morally grey characters (an unlikeable main character)
-thrilling plot w/ mystery element
-book publishing drama & tea
-discussions about race
-plagiarism & cultural appropriation
Enjoyed it & would def recommend!
-morally grey characters (an unlikeable main character)
-thrilling plot w/ mystery element
-book publishing drama & tea
-discussions about race
-plagiarism & cultural appropriation
Enjoyed it & would def recommend!
Namesake by Adrienne Young
3.0
I did not enjoy this one as much as the first one. I found myself increasingly less interested in the characters and the plot. I did like the ever changing politics, the scheming/plotting, & the complicated family dynamics. I really picked this one up because of the cliffhanger in the first. I don’t regret reading it by any means but I wanted it to be a great as the first one. The end wrapped up nicely so I think I feel satisfied by that at the very least!
Fable by Adrienne Young
4.0
A pirate book was right up my alley, made it even better that a girl was the main character. Full of adventure & a slow burn romance, I had no choice but to be roped into this book. Love love love.
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Calling all readers who love a character driven story, this one is for you! Yes it has a main adventure plot but it was mainly the a compilation of stories of this group of unlikely companions. The formatting of the book drove me nuts and made it really hard to read it on kindle and so I finally resigned to the audiobook in order to finish it for book club! It was not a bad book but it also didn’t leave me in awe! It was simply okay.
Does My Body Offend You? by Marie Marquardt, Mayra Cuevas
3.5
“These are the bodies we were born into. The bodies given to us by our mamis and our abuelas. What is so wrong with these bodies?”
This book follows two high school girls who couldn’t be more different from each other. Malena is from a tight knit Puerto Rican family that fled to Florida following a bad hurricane. She lives in a bigger body with a single working mom because her dad had to stay behind in Puerto Rico. Ruby is a skinny white girl who comes from a family of high achievers and “white saviors”.
A incident at the beginning of this story, brings this unlikely pair together to bring a change to sexist dress code at their school.
I love how this story really focuses on survivors & the idea that women are not to be blamed for men’s inappropriate behaviors. TW: There are depictions conversations around sexual assault. This book also dives into the complexity of racism, misogyny, social justice reform, the use of social media as advocacy & more.
Some of the dialogue was overly cheesy but I was willing to forgive it for the sake of the story and the overall meaning behind it.
This book follows two high school girls who couldn’t be more different from each other. Malena is from a tight knit Puerto Rican family that fled to Florida following a bad hurricane. She lives in a bigger body with a single working mom because her dad had to stay behind in Puerto Rico. Ruby is a skinny white girl who comes from a family of high achievers and “white saviors”.
A incident at the beginning of this story, brings this unlikely pair together to bring a change to sexist dress code at their school.
I love how this story really focuses on survivors & the idea that women are not to be blamed for men’s inappropriate behaviors. TW: There are depictions conversations around sexual assault. This book also dives into the complexity of racism, misogyny, social justice reform, the use of social media as advocacy & more.
Some of the dialogue was overly cheesy but I was willing to forgive it for the sake of the story and the overall meaning behind it.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
“From that moment on, I read relentlessly, one book after another. It was as if a love of reading had been sleeping somewhere deep inside me all this time, and then it suddenly sprang to life. I read slowly, savoring each book one by one. I had all the time in the world then. And there was no danger I’d run out of books, no matter how much I read.”
A short and sweet story following a girl named Takako after her relationship ends poorly, she leaves her job, and moves into the apartment above her family’s bookshop. Here she reconnects to estranged family, find her love of reading, and falls in love either the town and its people. This story is just a glimpse into her life and is very character driven so if that’s not your cup of tea you may want to pass. The setting was very cozy and perfect for any book lover. A good little one day read.
A short and sweet story following a girl named Takako after her relationship ends poorly, she leaves her job, and moves into the apartment above her family’s bookshop. Here she reconnects to estranged family, find her love of reading, and falls in love either the town and its people. This story is just a glimpse into her life and is very character driven so if that’s not your cup of tea you may want to pass. The setting was very cozy and perfect for any book lover. A good little one day read.
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
4.0
This book will hook you from the first line:
“We didn’t call the police right away.”
I could not stop thinking about this book throughout the last several days and I kept wanting to pick it up to see what happens next. There are parts that felt slower than others but I did finish it pretty quick. A dad has gone missing and his family is trying to figure out what happens with the only witness being their seemingly “non-verbal” brother. This had good commentary on treating people with disabilities as people, rather than babying them or believing they are less intelligent based on their disability.
“We didn’t call the police right away.”
I could not stop thinking about this book throughout the last several days and I kept wanting to pick it up to see what happens next. There are parts that felt slower than others but I did finish it pretty quick. A dad has gone missing and his family is trying to figure out what happens with the only witness being their seemingly “non-verbal” brother. This had good commentary on treating people with disabilities as people, rather than babying them or believing they are less intelligent based on their disability.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
4.0
This book is a combo of three things I love:
- women leads
-spies
-found family
Between this book & The Rose Code, Kate Quinn writes odes to the powerful & brilliant women behind the scenes of major historical events. With a dual pov, past/present timeline, and a budding romance, I enjoyed this so much. It did feel slow at the beginning & took me a minute to get started but once I pushed through, I read like 75% of the book in 2 days.
- women leads
-spies
-found family
Between this book & The Rose Code, Kate Quinn writes odes to the powerful & brilliant women behind the scenes of major historical events. With a dual pov, past/present timeline, and a budding romance, I enjoyed this so much. It did feel slow at the beginning & took me a minute to get started but once I pushed through, I read like 75% of the book in 2 days.
Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
4.0
“That’s the thing I always love best about the human race: how we pick ourselves back up over and over and just keep on going.”
If you want a sweet firefighter romance that tackles hard topics with honesty and compassion, this is the book for you. Juggling a complicated relationship with her mom, her past, and the concept of love, I found myself rooting for Cassie at practically every turn. Yes this book is cheesy in places and some reactions are not the most realistic, but that’s why we read romance in the first place. This book is nuanced and full of hard things (pls read trigger warnings before jumping in) but boy did I gain insight on forgiveness, & on navigating trauma with true empathy. I will be bringing quotes from this book to my next therapy session mark my words.
If you want a sweet firefighter romance that tackles hard topics with honesty and compassion, this is the book for you. Juggling a complicated relationship with her mom, her past, and the concept of love, I found myself rooting for Cassie at practically every turn. Yes this book is cheesy in places and some reactions are not the most realistic, but that’s why we read romance in the first place. This book is nuanced and full of hard things (pls read trigger warnings before jumping in) but boy did I gain insight on forgiveness, & on navigating trauma with true empathy. I will be bringing quotes from this book to my next therapy session mark my words.