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simplyjennifer's reviews
238 reviews
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
5.0
One of Jude Deveraux’s characters once said that romance novels “celebrate the power of love and always and happily.”
Sometimes it’s not about happily ever after. Sometimes it’s just about finding out who we are and finding happy for now.
And sometimes there’s magic, and the magic is everything.
It’s hard to describe what it is about a book that reaches the heart of who I am. This is one of those books. It’s just everything.
Sometimes it’s not about happily ever after. Sometimes it’s just about finding out who we are and finding happy for now.
And sometimes there’s magic, and the magic is everything.
It’s hard to describe what it is about a book that reaches the heart of who I am. This is one of those books. It’s just everything.
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
This is yet another telling of the legend of King Arthur, but Grossman doesn’t shy away from human foibles and human feelings and how, in the end, people have to get up and do the thing even if there’s no one fit to do it.
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“The Dictionary of Lost Words” is one of the best, most perfect novels I have read in my lifetime.
It is a novel about the women who contributed to the Oxford English Dictionary, the women who submitted words, edited pages, without whom the stories are incomplete. It is a story about the meaning and power of words, about the words women use - words largely missing from the first 20-volume edition of the OED. It is a story of the importance of spoken language and the myriad ways words mean different things to different people.
It is a story of the creation of a monolith, an homage to the written word. It is a story deeply wound around the struggle for women’s suffrage and the First World War.
Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Everything Catherynne writes is, at varying points, delightfully whimsical, bitingly witty, so beautiful you want to weep, so sad you DO weep, horrible, and hopeful. Her stories are all tight, complex works of art that, quite literally, take your breath away.
This story - this collection of stories - does all of that, and more.
This story - this collection of stories - does all of that, and more.
Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I just finished the audiobook in a single day. I couldn’t bear to pause it, and devoured it all today, start to finish, but it was mostly flawed characters and flash and nothingburgers, wrapped up by a rushed, incomprehensible deus ex machina. I actually looked to see if there was a sequel. I see no way forward for a second installment, but an actual resolution would have been nice.
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
dark
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Stalking, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Terminal illness, Medical content, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual content
I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillan
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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