talyasoytas's reviews
212 reviews

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

We see little snippets of Poehler’s life from family to professional ventures, and the lessons she drew from them (whether a serious or a goofy one). I loved the listening experience and found everything super relatable. I think this is a great read to have some laughs. A memoir and a stand up skit all in one! 

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Okay, the stakes have been raised for sure. Alex’s character goes through a lot of growth and the dealings with hell get super interesting. The descriptions of the hellscpae, the rituals and New Haven especially were very enticing. We learn so much more about each character and go througha sort of ‘found family’ trope, which was a great moment. However I did find the plot to be repeating itself a little, which is why my enjoyment was lowered.

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I think I might need to jump into the next, even larger, tome of a book in this series because WHAT DO YOU MEAN BRANDON? What is up still? Whose agenda is good? Is anyone right in their speculations? 

All that aside, another incredible weaving of stories, characters and lore is in this book. I loved it particularly because our favorite characters start converging, sharing secrets and matterring more and it is exhillirating. I do get confused by the magic system still, but doing my best here. Also, some of the interludes, although I KNOW they will be important, were a tad long for my liking and impatience to get to the main plot. Overall though, another knockout. Cheers.

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Happy Place by Emily Henry

emotional inspiring sad 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

This had no business whatsoever making me cry this hard. As far as a second chance romance goes, I think stories work better if the gap between the first and second relationship is further apart in time, because it gives the people room to grow and change. This was more of a ‘i haven’t even gotten over you’ sort of story so my enjoyment was a little deflated.

Other than that though, the connections with the other characters, the back and forth with the present and the younger characters, and just the overall emotional intensity Emily Henry captured on stage were ten out of ten. Not my fave of her books but definitely a great read.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I let this book drag along for SO long and then read it in two days because the story is SO GOOD. I absolutely ate up the circus setting, the descriptions, the people and the animals that were a part of the show… The dual timeline in Jacob’s life (in his youth and then in his 90s) really hammerred home his character and made me tear up at times.

With other characters, there was a mix of good and not enough development. Particularly I expected a little more work going into the romantic partner other than her looks and general demeanor. Also, I can say the mental disorder representation was a product of its time - both the book’s and the story’s. 

Overall, I think this is an incredible read if you want to dive into a unique, colorful, yet dark world of a travelling circus and I think it would make for a very fun read for a weekend. 

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A four- star purely out of enjoyment. The atmosphere of a cozy retreat in the middle of nowhere, the endeavor to write and produce and how things quickly spiral out of what anyone expected from the retreat… I thoroughly enjoyed many twists thrown our way. There was blood, mystery, betrayal, and more. The only part I wasn’t a fan of was the resolution of one of the characters, I just thought it was not as dramatic as the character seemed they would want it. Other than that, definitely a great read for this time of year!

Hands Down by Mariana Zapata

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? No

4.0

Ookay where to start.. I do adore all characters the author comes up with but maybe it was a mistake to read From Lukow With Love before any others because my bar is SO high. I do usually enjoy the slow burn romances as a genre but this one took so long to get anywhere that I started getting a bit annoyed with Bianca. Maybe having two POVs would’ve helped because the tension and confusion between them would be better explained. There would also be so many opportunities to have Zac talk about how jealous he got over some people in her life, which ya know, wouldn’t hurt. Honestly it got repetitive after a while, just hearing Bianca talk about why they couldn’t be a thing.

Side characters: love. Chemistry: love. Pacing: umm… not really. But my overall enjoyment was definitely there though (read it THROUGH the night) so this book gets a recommendation stamp from moi.

The Honeymoon Mix-up by Frankie Fyre

funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.0

A good read with amazing age, sexual orientation and  diverse racial representation. It was refreshing to read a romance between two women NOT in their 20s - as is the norm for most stories I’ve come across thus far. All that said, the connection the characters share left more to be desired for me. The attraction is undeniable, but the emotional connection was rushed and not very developed on-page. Overall a fun romance read but not the best I’ve come across sadly.

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny fast-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

2.75

Okay I loooved the characters and the chemistry instantly. The phone componentwas also incredibly good at making them getting to know each other on paper. BUT did this book have to be sooo long and go into so many downs in this relationship? I think not. Although the make up scenes were fun to read I feel like the fights and problems were a tad too stretched out. Although they were realistic problems to have with fame and building a life with someone, I still thought some more editing could’ve gone into those sections.
Overall, a good read, I enjoyed most of it, I don’t think it is the most memorable romance I’ve read by any stretch of the imagination.