robyncoleman's reviews
117 reviews

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

A melancholy, reflective tail of a bond between man and cat. This was a much more emotional read than I anticipated. It’s got a lovely tone to it, and would recommend to anyone who likes “appreciating the small moments in life” vibes. 3.5 stars, enjoyed!

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

Sorry Ms Hoover. This really wasn’t my vibe. I might return to it but consider it abandoned for now.

Milkman by Anna Burns

challenging dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

3.5 stars - this book is heavy and dense in both subject matter and writing style. I recommend full concentration when reading it, as the plot flows in a stream of consciousness/introspective manner. The narrator goes off on very reflective, and pondering tangents a lot of the time, which gave me a good insight into their mindset and thought process. The time line jumps back and forward between what’s happening, what has happened and what is to come. And this can be confusing if you’re not paying attention.

It’s a very analytical book, but also satirical at times and has mild humour. The contents itself was fascinating. This book is set in the north of Ireland (presumably Belfast) during the troubles in the 1970’s, and is outlined from the narrator’s (an unnamed 18 year old girl) point of view.

I actually listened to the audiobook on and off, to aid with this book. It definitely helped so I’d recommend that if you’re having a problem with reading it (the phonetics, cadence and tone really enhanced the experience).

Overall, a pleasant read but would recommend a clear head when reading to fully grasp what is happening.

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

3.5 stars - this was a fun unhinged woman winter read. I would recommend it to anyone who likes “struggling artist, whose sexually liberated, cold mean girl, femme fatale, hates everyone but also fucks with everyone”. It’s grungy but in a nice modern way. I liked it!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

This book was brilliant! Beautifully written, and very well suited for this time of year (November). The tempestuous weather and craggy moors were extremely well paired to the current climate. I feel like my vocabulary doubled while reading this book. I actually had to get an audiobook so I could listen along whilst I read (this helped with the classic literature and wording a lot!! And I’ll definitely continue doing this with classics in the future).

The story was so charming. And I loved Jane Eyre as a character. It was such a lovely storyline, that didn’t hold back on trials and tribulations. 4 stars, truly delightful. 

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.0

“Olive felt on the verge of a full body cringe”  - me reading this book.

I’m a simple girl. I love romance. I see trending romance book on tiktok. I see it’s 99 cent on the apple book store. I buy it and I read it. Lord have mercy on my soul.

This book was an experience. Like the characters were tolerable, fake dating plot was as expected… but the miscommunication (complete lack of communication) was like having teeth extracted. The science puns were so cringey. Like oh my god… especially when they were getting intimate with each other and then Olive would whip out a statistic, like seriously girl. That is so unrealistic and really took me out of the book completely. Also this quote “I swear that I once heard him mumble ‘mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell’ in his sleep.” Dead. Not a good dead… a I think I died from embarrassment because if someone said this to me in real life I’d just walk away.

I just didn’t connect with Olive, I found her thought process so exasperating (questionably realistic but incredibly frustrating). Also a whole facet of her personality is her lying to people, and then suffering the consequences of her lies which I found really infuriating. The good aspects of the book were Adam’s character,  the hotel chapter (obviously), her friends supporting her, the cute dates and the ending.

 I didn’t go into this book with crazy high expectations but with the amount of hype it’s gotten online I was expecting something, anything. 2 star read. Never again.

Bunny by Mona Awad

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

4 stars for this one, Bunny. I tried to explain this book to my fiancé, but then realised it’s definitely one of a kind, indescribable book. I enjoyed it a lot! Was very confused at points but I think that adds to the complexity of the book… the ending is genius 🐰

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous funny mysterious 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

Okay so the ending was chefs kiss, made me shed a little tear. But the middle and basically the lead up to the end… was a bit a clusterfuck of what the hell is happening, and why!? So many assumptions and explanations crow barred into the plot. Also MAL!? what the hell. I have mixed feelings about this series. But I still give it a 3 stars because it’s a bit of a YA guilty pleasure that made me have feelings for some of the characters. Like many others, I read this series so I could read Six of Crows duology and King of Scars duology. Huge fan of Nikolai. I mean he probably was the only character I liked in the entire series. Maybe Genya at a push. Alina and Mal’s loving relationship was like drawing blood from a rock. Difficult, boring and yielded little outcome. Maybe I only liked the ending because it cut all the loose ends. 

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

Okay have so many thoughts about this book! It was an eery read post covid-pandemic, but I definitely enjoyed it!! It’s a thriller through and through. I was wondering where the narrative was directing me, but then was literally blown away by the ending. It really surprised me but also made so much sense.

The characters were pretty engaging but also so grating on my head and heart. Like do I like them? Do I hate them? Who knows! Not me! Apparently! Morally ambiguous people which I love.

Honestly give this book a read if you’re looking for a nail biting thriller!

Japanese Folktales: Classic Stories from Japan's Enchanted Past by Yei Theodora Ozaki

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.75

2.5-3 stars. I found this in a free book box in Joshua Tree! Stories were very interesting, definitely had that folktale feel of random narratives and talking animals. Some of them were very bizarre, and some were more tame. Short story format, so could enjoy slices of the book at a time.