robyncoleman's reviews
117 reviews

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

emotional reflective 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? Yes

3.0

Been meaning to get around to this book for awhile! Since the series came out and there’s actually music to listen to, thought I’d give it a go.

Really great character studies! The documentary style format of the book is really cool. Unreliable narrators, and differing memories are a great way to tell the story!

I’m gonna say it was a neat, good story with cool characters. Sometimes felt very surface level/casual with some things (like drug use and addiction). At times things felt a bit repetitive too. 3 stars

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark tense 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? Yes

3.5

The plot do be twisting in this book. Plot twists the equivalent of fusilli pasta. This book was long, and sometimes a bit stagnant. There’s lots of war and a whole lot of characters. Sometimes things happened and I didn’t fully understand, so the impact of it wasn’t as impressive as it might have been. The couples be coupling too (or the mates be mating). 3.5 stars experience imo

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

Highly recommend if you like historical fiction! This was a brilliant story - had me engaged for the entire plot. I didn’t know too much about Geisha culture in Japan in the 1930-40s so this was a wonderful insight. 5 stars

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

A peculiar strange story that explores the relationship between two women. Very bizarre, emotional and sad. Grief, memory and challenging emotions. 

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Can’t believe I’m giving this 4 stars. But also, faery romance slay the house down.

Weird pacing at times, but that last one third was chef’s kiss. If you like sexy slutty faery adventures with a lot of romance and fantasy tropes, this book is for you. Lol and apparently it was for me too.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

Okay, okay. I can see the hype. And I am HERE for this book. As a (former) self proclaimed sixteen year old fantasy romance obsessed fanatic, this book gave me major nostalgia.

I haven’t late night read a book in a long time - but honestly this book… oh it kept me up! Is it perfect? No. But honestly, it didn’t give me the opportunity to question any of the flaws…

I would say this book is the equivalent of fast food but like yummy greasy hangover fast food.

Is it good for me or my health? No. Does it taste good? Yes. Do I like it? Yes. Does it consist of quality ingredients? Debatable. Will it make me feel good if I ingest it? Initially - Hell yeah. In a few hours, maybe not. Am I addicted and coming back for more? Oh 100%. My dopamine receptors are at their max capacity.

If I were to look at this book under a microscope, let’s be real - It’s not an idyllic piece of mastery. It’s messy, the plot and storytelling methods can be questionable. Some of the dialogue is cringey, and unrealistic. But I didn’t care. They’re literally faeries… this book screams unrealistic from the get-go. The characters were loveable, and the pacing is fast. It kept me engaged! 4.5/5 stars or 9/10.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

adventurous mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

My kind of book. Very beautiful and descriptive. Gorgeous characters, slow plot but worth every word! If you like fantastical and magical stories with a love story thrown in, I would highly recommend.

None Of This Is Serious by Catherine Prasifka

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.25

Kind of… boring?

Merits: portrays a pretty accurate lifestyle of a south-side, recently graduated young adult in contemporary Dublin. Housing crisis, perpetually online, friends emigrating, job hunt and politics included. If this sounds like your buzz, then I would recommend this book (maybe?). 

Has nice reflective writing at times. Relatable as someone who is periodically addicted to social media. Being connected via phone all the time is a massive theme in this book.

Faults: I didn’t like one character in this book. They’re all so moany and the male characters are awful (for obvious reasons). Like I don’t think any of them combined, had a positive characteristic. I’m all for an unlikable character but the narrator was just so dramatically tragic and sad ALL THE TIME. She felt like a bit flat… or lacking depth sometimes.

Also lots of descriptions of people getting sick or vomiting. Almost every chapter.

My ending thoughts of the book was that it felt a bit like nothingness. 2/5 stars

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

3.25

I’m not really a romance reading person, but this book seemed highly recommended so I thought I’d give it a go.

It was very sweet, lighthearted and funny at times! I wasn’t sure if I’d get to a point in my 20’s where reading a contemporary YA, coming of age romance wouldn't be as fun as I thought it could but here we are. I still enjoyed this book, but I think it’s definitely a me issue. 

I am seriously lacking in the rom-com department… I think I’ll have to watch all of the ones referenced in this book as homework. 

The characters were likeable, the plot was a classic end of high school situation and all the highs and lows that come with prom. If you’re looking for a light read, and love romance - I’d highly recommend it! For me it was a solid 6.5/10 or 3/5 stars

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Bravo! A wonderfully written series of reflective essays exploring many themes of womanhood through the experiences of EmRata herself. I didn’t know too much about her (apart from iCarly, Blurred Lines and Gone Girl). Happy to say I’ll be recommending this book to people in the future, and that it is what I’ll associate her with from now on. 4/5 stars