stargoddess's reviews
281 reviews

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake

emotional funny 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 think this book suffered in my estimation because a) I had loved its predecessor so much and b) as fond as I am of Much Ado, I feel like it’s a bit overplayed in romance right now. This story was fine, but nothing about it really grabbed me. Iris and Stevie both seemed to struggle with knowing themselves, and that made them probably realistic characters but less enjoyable to read.

They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom by Dena Takruri, Ahed Tamimi

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

This book was an interesting insight into the lived experience of a young woman under occupation. She discusses growing up, surviving a variety of traumas, and going viral as symbol of resistance, for which the Israeli government punished her severely. The tone of the book is almost conversational, which served to remind the reader just how young she was for the majority of these events. At times it was almost jarring, but I appreciated her honesty and willingness to open up her life in the hopes of bringing attention to the Palestinian cause.

The Misdirection of Fault Lines by Anna Gracia

emotional 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

4.75

This book felt so real to the experience of being a high-achieving teenage girl. Alice, Leylah, and Violetta each face unique challenges but share common bonds of trying to navigate tennis, education, boys, social media, and racism. I appreciated that while they all came from different backgrounds, including different heritages, economic status, and family makeup, the book didn’t shy away from showing that they all faced both external racism and internal pressures of personal and familial expectations. The raw emotion was sometimes hard to read, especially from the characters who were making decisions that were harmful to themselves, but always well written and genuine. 
As someone who played tennis in high school and still enjoys catching a match on TV now and then, there were some fun tennis facts, but I think this book would be easy to follow even if you had no background in tennis. I also loved the side characters who brought more depth to the narrative as well as providing some much needed moments of levity. 
Thank you to NetGalley & Peachtree Teen for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry by Anna Rose Johnson

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. Lucy gave  me vibes of Anne from Anne of Green Gables and Lyra from His Dark Materials - girl who is trying to figure out where she fits in the world and doesn’t always get it right but keeps learning and growing. I found her really compelling and loved discovering with her more about the Anishinaabe culture. The Martin family was also delightful, each of them having a distinct voice and personality. The conclusion of the story felt a bit pat as an adult reader but would absolutely be appropriate for the target audience. I look forward to discovering more works by this author, who has become a must read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley & Holiday House for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory

funny lighthearted fast-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

4.25

This story was very brief, but still packed in a good amount of character development and some classic romance tropes like grumpy x sunshine and forced proximity. Not groundbreaking, but I enjoyed reading it.

Spy x Family, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A fun story with compelling visuals 

Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

This book has a lot of interesting things to say on celebrity, mental health, and figuring out what you want in life. Callender’s writing is excellent and very evocative, although as a matter of personal preference, I didn’t care for all the interstitial pieces including some (clearly intentionally) very bad fan fiction, therapy notes, video transcripts, and other assorted content as I found them jarring from the flow of the main story.

Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan

lighthearted medium-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

4.25

This was a cute romance with a strong sense of place. I loved the curse element and the way it influenced the characters’ relationship. It did feel like there was maybe one too many twists - I was ready for the story to be over a bit before it was - but the characters were enjoyable and they felt believable.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

My biggest complaint about this book was that I couldn’t tell who the audience was supposed to be. With a 12 year old lead, it seemed like it would be directed at a younger audience but other parts were jarringly adult. Also, characters were more caricatures and didn’t feel like they had life when they weren’t on the page. In general, I didn’t have a sense of what anyone really wanted in a sense greater than the individual encounter that was playing out.

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren

funny lighthearted fast-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? No

4.5

This short story was a cute Valentine’s Day treat. I really loved the first half, which was entirely epistolary and gave a lot of space to imagine the characters. When the story became more traditional, it was still fun but less exciting as some of the possibility was taken away.