sincerelykayladawn's reviews
165 reviews

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee

challenging hopeful reflective fast-paced

3.5

Not exactl what I expected. It felt a little tedious to get through all the transcripts at first but the reflections at the end made the whole journey worth it. 

Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember by Lauren Graham

3.0

I enjoyed myself because I like Lauren, but there was nothing super exciting or particularly funny or memorable about this collection of essays. I know she can do better. 

Better Hate than Never by Chloe Liese

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Wow wow wow. I absolutely adored this book. I liked the first Wilmot Sisters book, but this one was outstanding. 
The ADHD rep 👌. 
The NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!
The spice 👌. 

Found Family, Slow Burn, Childhood Enemies-ish to lovers. 
It had so many amazing tropes but didnt feel "tropey" at all. The characters all felt so real, not even smaller side characters were 2D. 
I intentionally slowed down my read of this to make it last longer because i loved spending time with them all. 

Im so grateful the author didnt rush through it either. The romance takes its time and is so robust and emotional and rewarding. If youre a romance author, read this and take notes!!

(My only complaint was the beginning "hate" portion felt very abrasive but without reason at first. You get the reasons later but i wasnt sure i was gonna like it for the first 15% or so. (so glad I was WRONG))

The Traitor Queen by Danielle L. Jensen

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

If Queen of Shadows is your fav SJM book, this one is for you. (But read book1 first lol). On the edge of my seat this entire book. So many satisfying and heartbreaking moments. 

My complaint: it could've been 100 pages longer. 💁‍♀️

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

adventurous challenging tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I JUST FINISHED AND GAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I didnt realize realize how much i started connecting to the characters until the end. but Damn. I am so excited to read book2. I will come back and write more when im no longer reeling!!!! 

LATER: 
Ive read the first 4 books in this series now (all that's out). And that bumps this up to a 4.5 because Damn. What a magnificent secret web the author wove, starting in this book. 

The only thing holding it back from a 5 is that I feel like this book couldve explored the MCs thoughts and feelings a bit deeper. I wouldve loved to get more of the emotional connection between them established. It would make the ending and all that comes after hit that much harder (am i a Sadist? Just call me Magpie🤪). 

Sammy Espinoza's Last Review by Tehlor Kay Mejia

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

dark mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

4.0

Vibes: The Little Prince meets Legends and Lattes. An Ode to book lovers of all kinds. 
Cats, books, secret realm travel. What more could you want? 

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban

emotional hopeful medium-paced

3.75

I really enjoyed this book, even though thinking on the real-life implications was utterly heartbreaking. This is exactly what you'd expect from a cute regency era queer romcom: balls, tea, gowns, misogyny, scandals, secret love, and drama. The FMCs felt so much younger than their actual ages, but I suppose that's typical of this subgenre and likely more historically accurate. The Parent Trap aspect made this read really fun. Gwen's father was my favorite character. 

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

adventurous funny medium-paced

5.0

I think I liked this even better than Legends and Lattes! (Which shocked me because prequels arent usually my thing). Getting Viv's background story: the humor, love, curiousity, friendship, makes her conclusion in L&L so much sweeter and more emotional. This is yet another cozy book, with slightly more action than L&L, but still fairly low stakes.