sometimes_samantha_reads's reviews
269 reviews

It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit by Justin A. Reynolds

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Weird pacing
    
I'm a 5th grade teacher and I read this to see if it would be a good read aloud for my students. I'm glad I previewed it. The idea is cute, but the pacing is very weird. More than 50% of the book was before the beach bash and it was just jumbled up chapters that kept waffling between Eddie talking to his family, lamenting about his choice to not do laundry, and going off on random tangents. I know Eddie is supposed to have ADHD so the chapters are written to express that because Eddie is the narrator but he loses track of what he's thinking so often that as a reader, its kind of hard to follow. Also because there are so so so many shifts in what Eddie is talking about and points where he makes intersections on himself and breaks the 4th wall, I don't think it's good as a read aloud. It also bothered me that the main action that the summary expresses (black out and missing parents) doesn't even happen until almost 60% of the way through the book... and it's left on an actual "to be continued." Yes, it's written into the book as "to be continued." I personally did not like this book. It was a little too messy for me. I don't think I'll be reading the sequel.

Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob

emotional reflective fast-paced

4.0

Saw a lot of myself in this one. It was published right before covid so I wonder how that would've been addressed.

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a neat concept. I enjoy a good Sapphic horror/thriller. I wish the ending was a little bit more definitive. I wanted to know more about the French mediums and the curse.

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

adventurous emotional lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I'm a 5th grade teacher and I chose this book to read with my students at the end of the school year. It had everything: humor, suspense, drama, and a satisfying ending. Each day leading up to the end of the year, my students would ask "Ms. K, are we going to get a chance to read more Styx today??" I will be adding this to my rotation of read alouds and I will also be checking out the author's other works!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Car accident

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

The Giver by Lois Lowry

challenging emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

emotional 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

Very cute! I honestly wish there was ust a little bit more book at the end for some more closure but I likes it. I'll be reading Elissa Sussman again

Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves by Glory Edim

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

I enjoyed listening to this collection of essays and book recommendations. It'll help grow my tbr!

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.0

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

The Thursday Murder Club was a delightful read! I don't typically read mysteries but I just had to know about this ragtag group of elderly people solving crimes. I will admit, I was surprised by the ending! I smugly though I'd figured it out, but I didn't. It's interesting how everything connected. I feel some things were a little bit too neat which is why it's 4 stars and not 5. But I think I will be reading the other books in the series!