Take a photo of a barcode or cover
sebastian787's Reviews (328)
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is such a love letter to the supers genre and as a lifelong superhero lover, I devoured it. It centers more on being a ordinary human on the outskirts of superhero life than it does on the actual supers aspect, so if you're looking for an action filled adventure book, this might not be for you. But as someone who would happily comb through hours and hours of content about all the little parts of life in a super world, this was perfect for me.
The characters are all phenomenal too and it's so much fun to have college aged protagonists in a lighthearted book like this. I really wish publishing would give us more of it! Astrid was very relatable to all us anxious overachievers, David was such a fun, caring but realistic friend, and Max is just an absolute sweetheart. And the whole rest of the cast of characters are all fun and lovely in their own way as well. I could read far more in this universe and be happy as a clam.
At times the plot was very predictable (though, c'mon, that's a staple of the genre) and while I didn't really need a ton of action, the end still felt a little too rushed, which is why I can't quite give it the full 5 stars, but I really did love this and am looking forward to seeing what else Cristina Fernandez does.
The characters are all phenomenal too and it's so much fun to have college aged protagonists in a lighthearted book like this. I really wish publishing would give us more of it! Astrid was very relatable to all us anxious overachievers, David was such a fun, caring but realistic friend, and Max is just an absolute sweetheart. And the whole rest of the cast of characters are all fun and lovely in their own way as well. I could read far more in this universe and be happy as a clam.
At times the plot was very predictable (though, c'mon, that's a staple of the genre) and while I didn't really need a ton of action, the end still felt a little too rushed, which is why I can't quite give it the full 5 stars, but I really did love this and am looking forward to seeing what else Cristina Fernandez does.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a very typical friends to lovers romcom. There was tiptoeing around each other, sweet and comfortable intimacy from knowing someone for a lifetime, and of course, some easily avoidable conflict from shoehorned in miscommunication. Obviously, I like some parts of that more than others. Still, the romance was sweet and the whole cast of characters was fun, so this was overall an enjoyable read.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This is an excellent introduction to intersectional feminism and one I would gladly share with friends or family who haven't been exposed to more complex feminist and leftist theories than the mainstream. The language was incredibly accessible, some of the most accessible non-fiction I've ever read, and goes to show that we don't need to lock topics like this away in the unnecessarily dense language of a lot of academia.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I must confess: I've never actually watched 13 Going on 30. So I can't quite say how this compared to its inspiration, but I can say I loved it. I went in expecting something silly and lighthearted and fun and was instead met with some serious growth, reflection, and relationship mending. Nolan's core is the same from beginning to end, but we join him through some very valuable growing pains.
Don't be mistaken, there's still a very sweet romance and lots of fun to be had, but it's a lot more grounded in reality and familiar struggles of being a 20-something zoomer than the time traveling crystals suggest.
Don't be mistaken, there's still a very sweet romance and lots of fun to be had, but it's a lot more grounded in reality and familiar struggles of being a 20-something zoomer than the time traveling crystals suggest.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a very sad book. And also sometimes pretty funny. But mostly sad.
I liked the last third about a million times better than the first half of the book and I'm glad that I stuck it out to get there. I'm not convinced there wasn't maybe a better way of getting everything from that first half of the book across, I can't say it doesn't stick the landing when it counts.
I liked the last third about a million times better than the first half of the book and I'm glad that I stuck it out to get there. I'm not convinced there wasn't maybe a better way of getting everything from that first half of the book across, I can't say it doesn't stick the landing when it counts.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the eARC I received of this!
I loved the concept of this, as well as how it tackled the long process of grief. It was a quick read as well, with quirky, fast paced writing. I also really loved how even the 'villains' of the story were given another look and an opportunity for apologies and forgiveness at the end, since real life rarely has cut and dry villains.
Admittedly, the pacing of the romance and the sex scenes were my least favorite part of this. Not in a prudish way, I just didn't find them particularly well done and sometimes were more ridiculous than sexy (y'all please don't put produce up your ass lmao). I can understand for a lot of people that might push this into a DNF or a lower starred review, but I was able to overlook it. I think in part because I've enjoyed some of Timothy Janovsky's other books so much, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I loved the concept of this, as well as how it tackled the long process of grief. It was a quick read as well, with quirky, fast paced writing. I also really loved how even the 'villains' of the story were given another look and an opportunity for apologies and forgiveness at the end, since real life rarely has cut and dry villains.
Admittedly, the pacing of the romance and the sex scenes were my least favorite part of this. Not in a prudish way, I just didn't find them particularly well done and sometimes were more ridiculous than sexy (y'all please don't put produce up your ass lmao). I can understand for a lot of people that might push this into a DNF or a lower starred review, but I was able to overlook it. I think in part because I've enjoyed some of Timothy Janovsky's other books so much, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
My first foray into the infamous hockey romances. I had a lot more fun with this than I expected! It's not overly huge on sports nor on the grandeur of the rich and famous, but just enough to give it a fun flair. There aren't any big public coming outs or media fall outs, which I was caught off guard by, but came to appreciate. We don't need to agonize over coming out in every gay story. However, with the lack of what would have felt like an obvious third act conflict or anything similar, it does feel like a very abrupt ending. I was fine with it but I can see how many people would be disappointed by it. Overall, I still had a lot of fun reading this.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
Julian Winters is one of my favorite authors and this is no exception. A great book to finish the year out on. His characters are as fun and realistic as ever, flawed but with good hearts. The romance is sweet, but ultimately, this is a book about Theo finding himself, learning how to speak up, and realizing that being kinder and more honest with ourselves is the only way to grow.