samanthaardenlockheart's reviews
56 reviews

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

challenging hopeful informative slow-paced

4.0

<i>There may be spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i> 

While walking on the treadmill a few weeks ago, I decided to start listening to the audiobook of <i>Mere Christianity</i> in an attempt to get a better understanding of my Christain faith and better expose myself to the brilliance of C.S. Lewis’s writing. I have been trying to become more involved with my faith and I feel that this book helped me accomplish that. Each section of this book had a specific topic Lewis covered, making it fairly easy to comprehend despite its philosophical themes. 

By a Thread by Lucy Score

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

<i>There may be spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i> 

This romance novel is incredibly cute with an intense slow-burn plot that is very enjoyable and done well. I started the semester at my university, so getting through this book took me a lot longer than normal, but that does not mean it was not enjoyable—I am so glad to have found the time to finish it nevertheless. Things, in my opinion, really pick up between main characters Ally Morales and Dominic Russo around the 200-page mark. It begins with Dominic getting Ally fired from her job, and in a miraculous turn of events, she ends up working for Dominic’s company—extremely close to him and finding his annoying, domineering presence inescapable. Their romantic timeline is filled with a lot of depth, yet it is impassioned and emotional thanks to everything they had to deal with in their pasts, but I will not spoil all of that here. I admire Ally’s fierce independence, too. I thought the intimate scenes were done fairly well, but sadly they were not my favourite as compared to other romance novels I have read (but I guess that is me just being a bit nit-picky). Everything that led up to those scenes made it completely worth it!! The slow burn aspect of this book is definitely one of its greatest strengths, and for anyone looking for a romantic comedy, I think you would really love this one. 💖

It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

informative 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? It's complicated

4.5

​​<i>There may be spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i> 

Overall, I thought that this second instalment of the <i>It Ends With Us</i> series was very simplistic, interesting, warm, and satisfying. Colleen Hoover promised a much lighter read, and she certainly delivered. This book followed the love story between Atlas Corrigan and Lily Bloom as they navigate a rekindled relationship in the midst of Lily’s divorce from Ryle. It is written in a simplistic style just like <i>It Ends With Us</i>, and I actually appreciate that aspect of Colleen Hoover’s writing. As a very busy Psychology student, I appreciate being able to easily finish books but still keep up with my academics, and this was a perfect novel for doing just that. ♥️ My life has gotten a little bit busy and crazy, but I am still finding the time to read for leisure and even write book reviews, which is something I’m proud of myself for doing—on top of working on my romance novel (lol). Back to <i>It Starts With Us</i>, I must say that the plot was easy to follow and I think Colleen Hoover hit all of the notes she wanted to. This story showed Lily Bloom’s reality of what it is like to go through a divorce as a single mother, which is something almost unheard of in the romance genre!! Meanwhile, Atlas Corrigan was trying to figure out how to navigate his life upon finding shocking information about his past (a family connection that I will not reveal)—a subplot brought on by the reintroduction of his mother, Sutton. I thought that this aspect of the book was very interesting and gave Atlas an additional sense of purpose and identity through life to help someone, along with being a full-time chef and managing his two restaurants, Bib’s and Corrigan’s. All things considered, this book was very simple, romantic, and sweet. I have had a personally busy, emotional, and chaotic life so reading this helped me feel a strong sense of peace. Definitely looking to reading more of Colleen Hoover in the future. 🥰♥️

The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

​​<i>There <b>are</b> spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i> 

This excellent romance book by Elena Armas is about two very lovable characters named Rosalyn Graham and Lucas Mart​ín. Rosalyn Graham, better known as Rosie, was staying in her best friend Catalina Mart​ín’s apartment as there was an accident at her own place, leaving her unable to stay there. She could not even go home and see her father since she was hiding the secret of quitting her entire career. And as a young woman who recently abandoned her promising said career as an engineer to be a romance writer, it was clear that she was in a rather difficult time in her life. So when the opening scene revealed someone trying to break into that very apartment, her problems seemed to compound tenfold. In a panicked state, Rosie had dialled 911 and was convinced someone was going to come in and harm her—a very rationally thought, mind you. But as it turns out, our other main character, Lucas Mart​ín himself was the one trying to break in. <i>Yes</i>, the very same Lucas that Rosie had a secret crush on for well over a year, keeping up with him on social media without him knowing. At first, things were pretty awkward, but the two of them ended up growing very close with one another, divulging secrets, Lucas cooking dinner for them, and them watching Netflix together. Their chemistry was completely clear from the start, and the fact that they had to deal with forced proximity was something I loved immensely!! ​​🥰

However, this proximity is an important plot point. See, as Rosie is a romance writer, she was not feeling very inspired throughout the first hundred-or-so pages of this book. But then, when she was on the phone with her best friend Lina, she thought of the idea of getting a muse to inspire her writing—specifically, the idea of going back on dating apps and finding someone on Bumble or Tinder, for example. Funny enough, Lucas eavesdropped her <i>entire</i> conversation, much to Rosie’s dismay as she revealed many of her secrets to Lina making her madly blush at the thought of him hearing those things. But Lucas overheard it, he casually proposed a plan for her to find a muse: go on four dates together that mirror stages of falling in love and getting to know a person. In other terms, this was considered Rosie and Lucas’s experiment, hence the title of this book. Their first date was a cute trip to a record store, then a date night at a pizzeria named Alessandro’s, a Halloween Masquerade Ball, and finally, a rooftop date. I will not go into all of the details about the dates since you must read them for yourself. You best believe that Lucas went over the top to fill Rosie will love and inspiration for her new novel. ✨💖

Additionally, the main plot point of this story involved the romantic, sexual, and emotional tension that these dates created between the two main characters. Although Rosie and Lucas knew they were supposed to be “experimental” dates, both of them couldn’t help but feel very real emotions, which of course led to them falling in love with one another. I think both Rosie and Lucas fell in love with each other long before either of them could admit it; their friendship and relationship were so similar that it is hard to tell the two apart. But Elena Armas did an excellent job at articulating heartbreak towards the end of this book when Lucas had to leave Rosie standing in the airport, even though she wanted him to stay with everything that he was as a person, and not what he could offer. The feeling of sadness and missing someone against your best interests is a human thing, and I <i>sincerely</i> appreciate how she wrote about that concept. Heartbreak is a part of life, as long as you have a heart. It is irrational, messy, and sometimes stupidly inexplicable. But once again, it is life. 

Luckily, this book had a happy ending that meant so much to me. Lucas Mart​ín came back to Rosalyn Graham in the midst of her heartbreak on New Year’s Eve. He got ahold of the book she wrote, and through that, he was able to see for himself the depth of her love for him, and the man that she saw in him. It made Lucas realise that he deserved Rosie, even if he didn’t feel worthy of her. Ultimately, this is one of my new favourite romance books. It is a testament to love and truly accepting a person for everything that they are, and not what they have to offer. It is about becoming someone’s best friend, being their greatest adventure, and certainly their <i>true love</i>. One day, I hope my romance life turns into something like the love Rosie and Lucas share. It is currently January 15th, 2023 at 11:08 p.m. at the time of my writing this. Until then; I shall keep reading and living my loves out through these beautiful romance books.💖✨💖😊✨💖

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.0

<i>There may be spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i>

<i>Twisted Love</i> by Ana Huang shows the romantic story between Alex Volkov and Ava Chen; there is a four-year age difference between them which is something I enjoyed. Both of them deal with traumatising pasts and secrets, so there is that aspect of the novel. The romance is erotic, interesting, steamy, and very easy to digest, but unfortunately, not one of my favourite books. I love the Grumpy/Sunshine trope, but this book seemed to beat that trope into *gasp* a cliché that didn’t feel organic. Alex’s possessiveness felt overdone yet empty at the same time. Ava felt like a very “bubbly” and “sunshiney” girl…. but then had a complete lack of innocence in bed, reverting to some sort of femme fatale, indicating character inconsistency. Not only did the main characters feel hollow and underdeveloped, but the side characters did as well. The plot and storyline lacked depth and a sense of underlying yearning for someone. Huang is an excellent author (I will never disparage an author or give unfair insults as that would not be productive) and there were some cute moments in the book I did enjoy. and this criticism is mostly just for me, but the book just did not do it for me. Alex’s POV sections were not very intriguing to me; they didn’t leave much to the imagination, I guess. I much preferred Ava’s POV sections that left more mystery to Alex’s internal feelings. Probably not going to read this author again, though, unfortunately. But it was fun while it lasted. Thanks for reading this lil’ review, onto my next read! ♥️

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

​​<i>There <b>are</b> spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i> 

Firstly, oh my gosh. The name “Bee” is just so adorable!! I love it so much. So, so cute. 💖

When I began reading this on December 29th, and even when I was only a few pages into this book, I already knew I would love the main characters Bee Königswasser and Levi Ward (aka The Wardass, her archnemesis). Bee has her PhD in Neuroscience and Levi has his PhD in Engineering. She spent most of her young life and teenage years travelling around Europe and staying with relatives after her parents died when she was four. He went through a traumatic incident a few years prior with his best friend, Peter Sullivan, who passed away in a rock-climbing accident. Together, Bee and Levi collaborate to work on a Neuroengineering project called BLINK which is controlled by the NIH and NASA; they are to lead a team of engineers to design helmets for astronauts to improve their attentional abilities, thus their safety while in space. At least, this is how I understand it. She has a research assistant named Rocío and her twin sister named Reike (who travels the world whilst Bee loves stability). The only problem… is that Bee Königswasser is <i>convinced</i> that Levi Ward hates her with a burning passion. He spent all of his time during Graduate school ignoring her, never inviting her to meetings, and purposefully making her feel like a mediocre neuroscientist. No one deserves to be treated like that. So obviously, Levi hated her for all of that time? (...right?🥰). 

During the book, there is a little narrative of Bee running a secret Twitter account called @WhatWouldMarieDo that essentially helps uplift women in STEM and other underrepresented groups in academia. She messages @Shmacademics regularly, another academic account that supports her, and together she and he have over 2 million followers combined! I had my suspicions about hopeless romantic Shmac, but you may just have to read this story to find out what I’m implying. ;)

As it turns out, Levi has been smitten with her all of those years, and he was unable to come clean about it since Bee was in an awful relationship for six years with a man named Tim Carson. He ended up cheating on her with multiple women throughout her graduate years, and <i>even</i> with her best friend (at the time) Annie Johansson. So yeah, Bee had made the commitment to put up her Bee-fence, as she called it, and completely refuse to give any semblance of love to any man or even adopt a cat out of fear of having to lose yet another person or animal that she loved. But slowly, as <i>Love on the Brain</i> progresses, she starts opening up to him slowly. There are so many tells that she is falling in love with him, such as the fact that she can’t stop thinking about him and they constantly start having sex with one another!!!🥰The sex scenes are perfect, not too spicy, but just right… even though I’ve read much more intense sex scenes before—not to expose myself here. The sex scenes were actually very beautiful and erotic in their own right. Gosh, I would take myself a Levi any time!! There is a specific scene where Levi confesses his love to Bee, but she is too scared to accept that. This scene nearly sent me to tears with how visceral it felt, and the emotion I could hear in his voice. It is very clear that Bee Königswasser has a terrible fear of abandonment, but fortunately for her, she eventually overcomes that fear by ending up with Levi in the end. She grows to love and trust him in all of the ways she and he wants, and they even get married in a courthouse before having a ceremony on July 26th. They end up working together at NASA together, and they live in Levi’s home together with their two (adorable) cats, Schrödinger (Levi’s) and Félicette (Bee’s). 

All in all, this <i>Love on the Brain</i> was a huge rollercoaster of emotions, especially for me, since I personally have a fear of abandonment (just like Bee herself). In relationships, I just have not had the best of luck, and I feel like I am someone who is not worth staying for. Even though that is probably not true, my feelings are valid. Relationships are tricky, and you can’t force someone to love you, no matter how deeply you might be feeling. And it is such a reassuring notion to know that a character like Bee Königswasser now exists in my memory. I am worthy of love, and one day I will meet my special Levi Ward. He probably won’t be my archnemesis, but he will be someone that loves me and chooses me for everything I am. <i>Especially</i> on days when I feel like I don’t deserve it, on days I’m too emotional, and on days I feel completely unloveable. ✨🥰✨💖💖💖

1984 by George Orwell

4.0

Overall, this book was fantastic and I genuinely did enjoy reading it. The only thing I did not like was how technical it was at some points, but I digress. George Orwell (or Eric Arthur Blair) showed many truths in this book in relation to power and government, and what happens should both of those concepts compound and ultimately rule society. More than ever, citizens deserve control of the government as they are the ones being governed. Should the government rule, and human beings be rendered subjects—mere cogs in a machine, without any ability to think for themselves—the world would quickly descend into a dismal place. I think this novel should be read by everyone, if not for pleasure then for knowledge. As I have said, Orwell tells a great truth that can not be understated. Two plus two is four. Two plus two will always be four.

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya

5.0

This book was an extraordinary retelling of Clemantine Wamirya's life as she went through the worst thing a person could go through—a genocide. And she was only 6 years old when the Rwandan Genocide, to be more specific, began. I am very moved by her story and look up to her as an inspiration. Clemantine reminds me that I am more than my pain, sadness, and feelings of worthlessness, just as she had to remind herself of that. I commend her. She is so incredible.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

5.0

A classic book filled with memories, nostalgia, and magic! You can never go wrong with the Harry Potter series. Hopefully, I will read these books again, in the future. ♥️

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

5.0

Well, this book was very wonderful, but I don't think I'm the biggest fan of the writing style. The romance between Patroclus and Achilles made up for that—which was the only reason I was reading this book anyways. It was emotional and beautiful. Below, I write some quotes from the book so please STOP reading this review here to avoid spoilers.

One of my favourite poetic lines from the book are these:

(1) "He is half of my soul, as the poets say."

(2) "I stared at him, straight as a spear stabbing the sky. I could not find the words that would reach him. Perhaps there were none. The grey sand, the grey sky, and my mouth, parched and bare. It felt like the end of all things. He would not fight. The men would die, his honour with it. No mitigation, no mercy. Yet, still, my mind scrambled in its corners, desperate, hoping to find the thing that might soften him."

(3) "There is no fame greater than this—you will prove to them that your phantom is more powerful than Agamemmnon's whole army."

(4) "The yearning for him is like hunger, hollowing me. Somewhere his soul waits, but it is nowhere I can reach. Bury us, and mark our names above. Let us be free. His ashes settle among mine, and I feel nothing."

*cries*