rieriereads's reviews
135 reviews

Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.

For me, both the writing and the book's narration felt dry and boring. I didn't liked Joan also.

Death's Obsession by Avina St. Graves

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dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

We were so caught up in trying to pick up our own broken pieces that we didn’t realize some of our shards were in the other person’s hands.

Death's Obsession by Avina St. Graves was an okay and fast-paced read. To be honest, I only read this because I saw a line on Tiktok that intrigued me. But I didn't regret it; although I didn't love the book, it was certainly a fun read. (Paranormal romance, or just anything romance-related, will always be my guilty pleasure.)

The book revolves around Lilith coping with the trauma she experienced a year and a half ago. She wishes she had died back then, but Death has other plans for her. As she goes about her day-to-day life, she gets random letters, marks, and symbols. No one else believes her; everyone, even her boyfriend, calls her mad.

I think Death's Obsession has one of the best dedications I've read, just because I find it funny and a little relatable. Aside from the dedication, I find the writing okay, and I liked the use of metaphors. I also liked how Lilith healed and developed at the end. For the sexual scenes, I find them okay, but not as hot and toe-curling as I was expecting. Honestly, I wish they did it in the end again, haha.

Overall, I don't think it's hypeworthy, but it is definitely a fun read. I'd definitely recommend it for those who love paranormal romance and are looking for a fun read. For those who aren't used to this genre but want to read this book, I recommend checking the trigger warnings first.

2.00 ⭐
1.00 🌶️
•••

My Rating System

5 🌟 - Life changing, a new favorite read
4 ⭐ - I loved it
3 ⭐ - I liked it
2 ⭐ - It was okay
1 ⭐ - I hated it but decided to not dnf

Content Warnings

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

It's your body, you can treat it however you please. The only area where you're free to do just as you like.

The Vegetarian, written by Han Kang and translated by Deborah Smith, was beyond my expectations. It was dark, graphic, melancholic, and somewhat reflective.

This is one of the books I would love to read reviews about but not make my own. The Vegetarian covers so many themes, and I'm afraid my review couldn't live up to it. Mental illness, relationships with family and yourself, anorexia, society, and more could be seen in the novel.

Divided into three parts, it is the story of two sisters, Yeong-hye and In-hye, and their husbands. One day, because of a strange dream, Yeong-hye decided to become a vegetarian. Everyone around her chastised her for her decision. Slowly, the world between the characters interlopes and tumbles into something I never would have expected.

My favorite of the three parts was the first one. It was the most interesting, and I loved that the narrator was unreliable. Mr. Cheong focuses on the other characters' flaws, not noticing his own flaws. The second part was the best in terms of description and imagination. Though in this part the novel took a turn I did not expect, I love how the flowers, pleasure, and overall story were written. The third and last part was the slowest of the three. It was equally weird, but it was my least favorite.

Overall, The Vegetarian was a good book. I wouldn't probably be reading it again, but I believe it's one of the books that everybody should at least try to read. I'd recommend this book too, but only in certain situations since the trigger warnings are quite heavy. Moreover, this was a perfect read this August.

•••

My Rating System

5 🌟 - Life changing, a new favorite read
4 ⭐ - I loved it
3 ⭐ - I liked it
2 ⭐ - It was okay
1 ⭐ - I hated it but decided to not dnf

Content Warnings

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.5

𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴. 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺, 𝘴𝘢𝘥, 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈𝘭𝘴𝘰, 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝙸𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚘𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝-𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 was a quirky, fun, emotional, and overall good read. The book starts off with 15-year-old Christopher, who has autism, finding out that the neighborhood dog, Wellington, was killed.

Listening to the audiobook, it felt like the book was divided into two parts: a murder mystery and an emotional story of growth and family. Two distinct opposites that some may see as okay and others may disagree with. I'm in the middle.

In the first part, as Christopher acts like a detective, we can see that he sees things and people differently. He understands certain situations differently and notices details not many would even give a thought to. And I love how, while listening to the audiobook version, it feels like I am by his side.

Most of the characters were likable, and I definitely loved how Ed's, Christopher's father, feelings and frustration were shown. Though I may not agree with some things he has done, his emotions were raw and honest.

Aside from Christopher's perspective and how he sees and understands the world, I also loved the way his parents say I love you to him. The gesture was sweet; it was my favorite detail of the novel. I also really liked the prime-numbered chapters, and it was a novel within a novel.

Unfortunately, even though the book was narrated beautifully, I found some parts tedious to listen to. A part of me wanted something else to happen since the plot for me was predictable. Overall, it was still a good book. I wouldn't probably read it again, but I would still maybe recommend it to those willing to try it.

•••

My Rating System

5 🌟 - Life changing, a new favorite read
4 ⭐ - I loved it
3 ⭐ - I liked it
2 ⭐ - It was okay
1 ⭐ - I hated it but decided to not dnf

Content Warnings

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad 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

3.75

𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰.

𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙸 𝙳𝚘 by Taylor Jenkins Reid was such a fun, honest, and heartwarming read. The book follows Lauren and Ryan's marriage as it reaches its breaking point. After so many miscommunications and fights, they end up confessing that they don't love each other anymore. Not ready to give up on their marriage, they came up with a plan to break up for a year with no contact with each other.

At the very start, I was already hooked on TJR's storytelling. It was fun, easy to follow, and fast-paced. Although I found most parts predictable, they fortunately did not ruin my reading experience. I love how I easily navigated my way with Lauren and her dynamics with her family and friends. I love how they supported each other through both highs and lows.

I also really like seeing the different kinds of relationships, opinions, and advice all throughout the book. I didn't agree with some, but I loved how each character was different and had their own personality and perspective on a certain problem.

Aside from being predictable sometimes, what I also didn't love was how much was going on towards the ending. Events pile up on top of each other, which makes it difficult for me to focus. Should I be happy? Sad? Or just be bittersweet?

Overall, I really liked After I Do, and I would without a doubt recommend it. If you're looking for a good, fast-paced book that focuses on the aftermath of falling in love or are just looking for a fun read this August, you should try this out.

•••

My Rating System

5 🌟 - Life changing, a new favorite read
4 ⭐ - I loved it
3 ⭐ - I liked it
2 ⭐ - It was okay
1 ⭐ - I hated it but decided to not dnf

Content Warnings

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-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

4.0

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵.

𝙾𝚗 𝙴𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚆𝚎'𝚛𝚎 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚢 𝙶𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚜 by Ocean Vuong left me with mixed emotions. There were lines so beautiful that I would pause for a second and reread them again. There were also some parts of the novel that left me with a good kind of empty feeling in my chest. It's hard to explain, but I felt full of mixed feelings—sadness, satisfaction, and amazement. Ocean Vuong is without a doubt a talented poet and novelist.

That being said, the writing felt so beautiful that it acted as a double-edged sword. Some parts of the novel did not work for me. Some paragraphs were intimate and perfect, but when they flowed to the next one, it felt totally different. Although it is still undeniably beautiful, I struggled and felt the story didn't flow as smoothly as I thought it would. (This is why it took so long for me to finish this.)

The novel centers around Little Dog writing a letter to his mom, who cannot read. As you read along, you see the raw and honest relationship he had with his mother and grandmother (Lan). You can also see how they struggled, their family history, the happy moments, and much more.

One of my favorite parts was Little Dog making Lan "young" again by getting rid of her white hair. His grandmother's reward in return would be telling stories. This little part felt so relatable and nostalgic. While reading, it makes me think of my own life, the stories of my own grandmother, and my family's history.

Over all, I loved the novel. There may be parts with which I struggled, but I understand why many enjoyed this and left great reviews. On Earth, We're Briefly Gorgeous was a wonderful reading journey. It's definitely a novel that I'd remember from time to time. And before reading this, I'd recommend first checking out the trigger warnings.

•••

My Rating System

5 🌟 - Life changing, a new favorite read
4 ⭐ - I loved it
3 ⭐ - I liked it
2 ⭐ - It was okay
1 ⭐ - I hated it but decided to not dnf

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

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challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced