tacoshark's reviews
889 reviews

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional lighthearted 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

4.75

I really enjoyed this. Well written, well put together, delightful characters and engaging, even though it’s really not very plot driven. I particularly liked the way the book handled the fake-dating trope (one of my least favorites that I have nevertheless read a lot of) - it’s there but it’s not driving the plot and becomes a punchline more than anything else. Also Miles. Sigh. Top three MMCs? I loved him. 

Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller

• Loveable characters? No

1.0

Boring, poorly written - this is effectively a DNF but I’m marking it read bc I read 100 pages before I knew it wasn’t getting any better and skimmed another 100 before even that was pointless. I don’t read YA romance anymore and this is basically a YA romance being rehashed by adults. I found neither of them interesting, the structure irritating and the writing focused weirdly on meaningless details. That’s what I get for taking a risk on a cute cover but that might be the best thing this book has going for it. 

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

challenging dark emotional sad 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? No

5.0

God what an awful, exquisite book. 

Next to You by Hannah Bonam-Young

emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

3.5

This was pretty good, though I preferred Out on a Limb. I really liked Matt, but I found Lane a bit less compelling, which isn’t great when she’s the POV character. Overall, this was a little overdone and needed some better editing. 

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

This was a very strange book. It was quite engrossing but the whole time I was reading it, I wasn’t sure if I actually liked it. Sometimes when it’s clear there’s going to be a reveal from early on, it becomes somewhat distracting trying to guess exactly what it will be and then it doesn’t pay off as much as it should. I liked elements of this but overall I don’t think it quite worked as a whole, and the ending was a rather strange, too. It kept my interest all along, though, and the writing was quite good. Pretty good book but not great. 

Flight of Magpies by KJ Charles

dark emotional tense fast-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? No

3.75

Maybe my favorite of the series. Solid finale. 

A Case of Possession by KJ Charles

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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? No

3.5

Solid follow up. 

The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious tense fast-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? No

3.5

Solid little supernatural mystery/romance (though it’s not really a romance, exactly). The resolution was pretty thin but that’s not really the point. 

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley

emotional 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

4.0

Read almost entirely on a plane and it kept me engaged for the majority of an eight hour flight - I really liked both MCs and found their friendship and eventual romance very relatable and satisfying. Really good ace spectrum rep too. 

The Duke at Hazard by KJ Charles

adventurous 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

4.0

Really liked this one. Very charming.