sarasoleil's reviews
134 reviews

Stars Collide by Rachel Lacey

Go to review page

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

I do not read a lot of romance, so all I ask is to be entertained while I read. I found this book to be very entertaining and cute. It manages to be modern and talk about topics like fandoms and ships without being too over the top and cringe about it. 

It's a very easy read and the representation of sexuality and coming out is well done, and I like how all those conversations were handled in this book.

Plus, the smut was great. I really wasn't expecting there to be that much of it but I am definitely NOT disappointed by that. 

Love a cute sapphic romance with adults acting like adults. Highly recommend.
A Guide to the Dark by Meriam Metoui

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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

I wanted to love this book so so much. A horror book with queer Arab girls who fall in love? I thought this book was going to be THE BOOK for me. But it wasn't.

I don't think this book is bad but I don't think it's great either. I found myself a little bored through parts of it and I couldn't connect very well to the characters despite seeing parts of myself in them. The romance is definitely not the main plotline, which I am fine with, but it was hard to me to even see it happening when the connection just didn't seem there.

I still think this is a perfectly good YA horror book, and the representation is wonderful. Not to mention the photography aspect in it is really cool. It just didn't hit where I hoped it would.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to this book.
All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

It was cute, though I probably would have appreciated it more back in high school.
Dragonfall by L.R. Lam

Go to review page

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

3.5

This story had quite an interesting concept and I was pretty engaged the entire time. However, there were times where the writing style really stuck out as not for me. 

The characters, while they all had their backstories, lacked depth to me so I couldn't invest in them the way I'd generally want to. And I wasn't into the relationship as much as I probably should have been, but I definitely wasn't against it either.

This book was entertaining and consistent all the way through, and I don't think it's bad at all. Just wasn't totally for me. Still, I'm invested enough that I'll probably check out the sequel in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to this.
Gallant by V.E. Schwab

Go to review page

4.25

"Perhaps you are haunting me.
What a comforting thought."

I went into this book knowing there was little to no plot and it exists to be atmospheric, therefore I was able to enjoy the atmosphere fully. Absence of plot doesn't mean absence of story, and this one still had a story with beautiful writing on top of it. Definitely enjoyed it!