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t0ast_and_t3a's Reviews (494)
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This, for me, more accurately teeters back and forth from 3.5 to 4🌟. Mostly because I believe it’s a LITTLE too long. I believe if we just began in Arroyo with a recall of what Mary’s life was like in the city would have been just fine. The pacing, to was a bit weird for me—which, the more of the horror genre I read, the more I understand that to be a thing. It makes sense—build suspense and whatnot. But the suspense doesn’t hit for me until about halfway through.
What I DID love about this book was the protagonist (antagonist?🤔). I loved that she was an older woman. I loved that she had a fulfilling character arc. I love that she wasn’t one thing. And fuck if her inner monologue didn’t keep me picking up this book. Cassidy’s strength is characters, for me, and just how real they seemed.
Overall, this was a multilayered story with real themes under a veil of “what the fuck if”.
What I DID love about this book was the protagonist (antagonist?🤔). I loved that she was an older woman. I loved that she had a fulfilling character arc. I love that she wasn’t one thing. And fuck if her inner monologue didn’t keep me picking up this book. Cassidy’s strength is characters, for me, and just how real they seemed.
Overall, this was a multilayered story with real themes under a veil of “what the fuck if”.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A dry-humored comedy about love and dating and relationships as experienced from your 30s. What I liked about this was how relatable and honest it was—but the protagonist fell a bit flat for me at times. She was a food writer, but there was very little relationship with food. Her relationship with people in general was all over the place—yes, I understand that was the point, but her relationship with herself was the harshest, and it wasn’t really resolved so much as it was magical fixed by the end. Maybe that’s how it happens for people, but as a woman who struggled with accepting herself for years, this missed the mark for me.
I did like how she was able to finally say her piece in the end, but it wasn’t said with the wrong person. And in the end, I didn’t understand what the relationship with her neighbor added to the story at all.
Overall, it was a good story with good themes, but it wasn’t a bit too long and dragged pace-wise at places.
I did like how she was able to finally say her piece in the end, but it wasn’t said with the wrong person. And in the end, I didn’t understand what the relationship with her neighbor added to the story at all.
Overall, it was a good story with good themes, but it wasn’t a bit too long and dragged pace-wise at places.
challenging
emotional
tense
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:
Yes
This was a rollercoaster from start to finish, especially when you go in blind on a friend’s recommendation. I have always thought overwhelmingly about time, and this book hit me like a brick wall. The ONLY thing I’d change would be to have a bit better structure on the overall chapters.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
I adored Charlie and Nova’s story. How natural they were written, how dynamic they were together. This is my second favorite Borison book, and I absolutely love how everything, all the couples, came together as a tight knit found family. This is a great romance series to lose yourself in. 10/10 recommend.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not my favorite romance trope, but I trusted Borison the lead me through to the end without wanting to DNF. What I love about romance books is how personal the characters seem, kinda like they could be a friend you know. Borison hits the nail on the head every time with that. I also love the healthy (and not overdone) return of old characters in the Lovelight series, while expanding the small town world she’s creating with each installment.
Most of the reason this one has a lower rating than I expected is because of the trope. The writing, the wit, and the wonder is all still there on page, so if you love Borison’s writing, don’t fret.
Most of the reason this one has a lower rating than I expected is because of the trope. The writing, the wit, and the wonder is all still there on page, so if you love Borison’s writing, don’t fret.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Maybe it’s because I’ve read Kingfisher’s shorter fiction before this, but I found myself questioning why the book was as long as it was. I thought the horror aspect of it was well done—so creepy at times that I cringed a bit—as it always is with her stories, but there was a bit too much lag and repetitiveness to this one. In retrospect, I know it was to create a contrast with the last 20% of the book, but I felt a big chunk of the middle—the town visits, the focus on her phone, the overused retrospective warnings from the MC, are just a few examples of what could have been removed.
Some positives were the setting and sensory details. Kingfisher is great at descriptors and brings a scene to life with a seemingly effortless involvement of all the reader’s senses. Almost as well as she is about creating a character that readers feel engaged with—through first person POV and the unique voices she gives all the side characters, in order to make them more realistic.
Overall, I liked the story, just wish the pacing was a bit better.
Some positives were the setting and sensory details. Kingfisher is great at descriptors and brings a scene to life with a seemingly effortless involvement of all the reader’s senses. Almost as well as she is about creating a character that readers feel engaged with—through first person POV and the unique voices she gives all the side characters, in order to make them more realistic.
Overall, I liked the story, just wish the pacing was a bit better.
adventurous
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
All the plot threads come together well in the end, and all the antagonists got what they deserved, so while I thought the romance was a bit TOO back and forth, it was still a fun story to get lost in. I’m not sure if I’ll read the spin off, but I was satisfied with the characters and overall arc of the duology.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Perfectly paced, good banter for a YA book, and kept me intrigued even though everything was pretty much handed to you plot-wise.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Yes
I love a good secondchance story, especially when it feels authentic and realistic. Thread in a great love story and you have Bait for How to Catch a Tamara. This one is sad and intense, but also witty and hopeful—you’ll laugh, you’ll nod your head in understanding, and you’ll make that universal upside-down smile expression when something one of the characters says rings a little too true. But overall, you’ll bloom with Colton, and that’s what makes this book so captivating.
