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takarakeireads's reviews
548 reviews
Manila Takes Manhattan by Carla de Guzman
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I think I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if not for how it started. I am just really not a fan of the instant-attraction, hookup trope (like they are hooking up in the first few pages - that's really fast) and that really tainted the rest of the book for me. The hook-up also just seemed rather unrealistic: a famous actress meets a man in her hallway and invites him in and not 5 mins later they are getting intimate? I would have much preferred an initial meeting and attraction that didn't lead immediately to them hooking up. I think their romance could have been more well developed in general as well because it still felt very surface level physical-attraction based. Once we got more into the story Olivia and Mon's character interactions were cute, at times a bit cheesy, but fitting for their characters.
There's great Filipino representation and I definitely appreciated reading a romance very connected with that culture. Sure there's lots of words that I didn't know the meaning of, but it's not my culture and I got the gist of those parts. I'm sure that Filipinos reading this will appreciate the language and references! Lots of discussions around Olivia being a BIPOC/South Asian actress working in Hollywood (constantly dealing with racism and just wishing to be cast for roles that don't hide ethnicity).
This clearly was also written at the height of the pandemic and there were lots of specific topical references that I think in a short time might make this book read a bit outdated.
Spice: 3.5/5
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.
There's great Filipino representation and I definitely appreciated reading a romance very connected with that culture. Sure there's lots of words that I didn't know the meaning of, but it's not my culture and I got the gist of those parts. I'm sure that Filipinos reading this will appreciate the language and references! Lots of discussions around Olivia being a BIPOC/South Asian actress working in Hollywood (constantly dealing with racism and just wishing to be cast for roles that don't hide ethnicity).
This clearly was also written at the height of the pandemic and there were lots of specific topical references that I think in a short time might make this book read a bit outdated.
Spice: 3.5/5
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew
Kelly Andrew is the queen of writing YA fantasy that will leave you in a puddle on the floor. Her writing is descriptive and beautiful (even when describing gross things). Endlessly quotable and I highlighted so many parts!! The reveals keep you reading and engaged. Even though the ending is foreshadowed you still have to see how it plays out. The one downside is the magic isn’t explained super well so you just gotta go on vibes. I found myself a bit confused at some parts but also reading an eARC formatted weirdly might have been a contributing factor. I will definitely be rereading this once I can get my hands on a physical final copy 🙌
Thank you to Netgalley and Scholastic for the eARC.
dark
emotional
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
4.5
“There’s a Welsh word I learned in school,” said James. “Hiraeth. There’s no direct translation for it in the English language, but it means a deep longing for a home you can never return to.”
- Gothic
- Scary forests
- nature emotion magic
- Childhood friendships
- Angst
- the price of immortality
- Adult men on power trips 🙄
Kelly Andrew is the queen of writing YA fantasy that will leave you in a puddle on the floor. Her writing is descriptive and beautiful (even when describing gross things). Endlessly quotable and I highlighted so many parts!! The reveals keep you reading and engaged. Even though the ending is foreshadowed you still have to see how it plays out. The one downside is the magic isn’t explained super well so you just gotta go on vibes. I found myself a bit confused at some parts but also reading an eARC formatted weirdly might have been a contributing factor. I will definitely be rereading this once I can get my hands on a physical final copy 🙌
Thank you to Netgalley and Scholastic for the eARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, and Torture
Minor: Vomit, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Animal death: mentions of hunting and cleaning animals. A pet chicken is murdered gruesomely. & a pet cat dies peacefully at the end
Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This really just did not keep my attention.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
animal death: hunting
Artificial Condition (Dramatized Adaptation) by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Murderbot is just doing his best! Graphic Audios *bow down*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Death, Blood, Medical content, and Murder
Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Ableism, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Unfortunately a lot of modern science is based on animal testing/experiments, some of which are described in this book
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
funny
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? It's complicated
4.25
Ali's books have increasingly gotten better and if she's gonna keep writing fantasy romance I'm here for it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Mental illness
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
emotional
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
4.5
I will def be rereading eventually to highlight some quotes. John's writing is just *chefs kiss*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
Moderate: Body horror, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Part of Aza's OCD is continually checking this wound she has on her hand so there are quite a few descriptions of the injury/blood etc.
Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
4.5
(re-read on audio) [ The audio narration was ok, not a ton of differentiation between the main characters when speaking which sometimes made it hard to follow]
WE NEED MORE BOOKS WITH THROUPLES!!!
WE NEED MORE BOOKS WITH THROUPLES!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent
The Love Connection by Denise Williams
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
For a short novella this really was packed with a full story and well-rounded characters. Although the attraction starts very instantaneously, I enjoyed that the romance was a bit slower to form that I predicted. Bonus points for a dog meet-cute.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Gaslighting and Abandonment