samarakroeger's reviews
574 reviews

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this! I think it’s actually New Adult and not really YA (characters are 18 and 20) — which is probably a reason why I got on with it. I don’t get why people thought this was too scandalous or ~spicy~ to be YA, though — it’s totally age-appropriate for an 18 yr old to be sexually active and there’s no on-page smut or anything. 

I was also pleasantly surprised by how much actual chess was in the book (especially compared to most sports romances where the sport itself feels like an afterthought), even if it veered into the improbable for the sake of a well-paced plot. I do feel we were robbed of some juicy games in the world championship though — I would have happily read another 100 pages of tense, exciting chess games and relationship development, lol. 

All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

this was fantastic!  I'm impressed by Miles' narrative abilities (Isabel Wilkerson should be taking notes) and I'll definitely read more nonfiction from her.  I didn't expect this book to focus so much on women's work and textile history (another interest of mine) but I'm grateful it did!

Perfume & Pain by Anna Dorn

dark emotional funny medium-paced

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

3.75

this reminded me of Big Swiss and I have similar feelings about both books.  There are parts I really disliked but the wacko narrative and characters somehow won me over in the end.

But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the '60s Girl Groups by Emily Sieu Liebowitz, Laura Flam

informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

I usually struggle with oral histories but this one was well put-together!  It took a little getting used to at first but then I really enjoyed it.  Also, the full-cast audiobook was totally the right call.

Couplets: A Love Story by Maggie Millner

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

like if Wendy Cope had written An Amorous Discourse in the Suburbs of Hell (very high praise, indeed).

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I’d like to thank Juliet Stevenson’s dulcet tones for allowing me to enjoy this book. I tried reading this (on the beach? wild) ~3 years ago and was too confused by the setup of the story to bother continuing. 

I’m not a huge family drama fan but I enjoyed the sense of place and relatively small cast of characters. I think this novel is a glowing recommendation for going to Bath or wherever to look for a husband instead of picking between your two cousins (ick!).

The absolute messiness and self-destructive nature of the relationships reminded me of The Good Soldier. 

Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

the only good thing to come out of Election Day was the publication of this book

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.

too much telling, very little showing. very boring and stereotypical characters who feel flat. hate the writing style and despise the audiobook narrator. 

life is too short to suffer through mediocre books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Xenophobia, and Lesbophobia

The Setup by Lizzy Dent

emotional funny lighthearted

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

2.75

continuing the trend of kinda mid Lizzy Dent books! I mean, I keep reading them for some reason but whatever. This featured the most delusional main character yet and her reliance on horoscopes almost led me to DNF.  

The Setup has a plot akin to all the best makeover movies — low key this would probably be a decent movie. Nothing revolutionary, but still. 

Just One Taste by Lizzy Dent

emotional lighthearted

3.0

Lizzy Dent can be relied upon for a 3 star read full of enough charm that I momentarily forget it’s meant to be a rom com and she omitted most of the rom part