taylasversion's reviews
104 reviews

You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

emotional lighthearted 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

2.0

I like Emily Henry’s silly little romance books but it really starts to be out of the realm of believability with how completely and utterly oblivious these characters are. Maybe if they were teenagers with little to no life experience it would be convincing but these people are I’m assuming late 20’s/early 30’s. Like there’s no way you’re that naive to think that this relationship was purely platonic? Poppy is also so self absorbed it’s painful to read. 

It took so long to even get to the ‘2 summers ago’ chapter that by that point I simply didn’t care. And it was a let down anyway. The end monologue in the bar was so cringe I had to put it down for a few minutes. 

This one really wasn’t for me I fear.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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

5.0

It’s been YEARS since I’ve read this, and the thing that stood out to me the most is the foreshadowing. SO much was mentioned either briefly or in passing as if it isn’t something of consequence but it relates so something in a book further down the series. Like, she had everything mapped out to the dot. 

This is the first time I’ve annotated a book, and I’m glad it was this one because I know it inside out and back to front, so it was fun to pin point actual references to things that happen in other books. Annotating feels like homework but in the best way possible. There’s no pressure for grades or due dates. It’s fun. The first time I’ve ever written in a book before, it was simultaneously a cathartic exercise and a guilty one. But why not? It’s my book and I can do what I want with it. 

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Exiles by Jane Harper

challenging emotional mysterious tense slow-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

3.5

3.5 ⭐️

Not ready to say goodbye to Falk. Jane Harper if you’re reading this, I’ll read a million more of these if you want to write more! 

I’m a little bias to this, being set in my home state. I had a great time reading this, as I did with the others. This installment of trilogy is the slowest burn of them all. Even in the shower I found myself trying to put the pieces together. However this time, the main story didn’t have as much of a satisfying ending to me as the others. The reveal was slightly underwhelming, and rather than clues to piece together the ending (of the main story) it felt more based on assumptions and hunches. 

Regardless, I still liked it, and I hope they make this one into a movie as well. 

The Dry by Jane Harper

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Wow. Slow going to start with, but really hooks you in. Honestly, I didn’t love it as much as the sequel but it was still a gripping story. Same praise I had for Force of Nature I have for this. Very similar in its story telling but it’s effective and it works! Already bought the third installment, on my way to read now.

Force of Nature by Jane Harper

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

Not going to lie, I accidentally grabbed this while reaching for something else, not even realising until I got home, but decided to give it a go anyway. I didn’t even realise it was the sequel to The Dry and had been made into a movie this year. Luckily you don’t need to read the first to read this one. Literally as soon as I finished I went out and bought The Dry. 

I had a great time with this. Right up my alley. Love a good mystery thriller, and even more so when it’s set in Australia. This book does a great job at the back and forth between what’s happened and what’s currently happening and how they relate, and how it all unravels. It’s just done really well. Compelling  you on the edge of your seat. Very immersive with making you feel claustrophobic. I tried to guess the ending but I was way off! 

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny inspiring 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

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

slow-paced

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

3.0

Oscar Wilde is a certified YAPPER. 

This is a hard book to rate because I can appreciate it. It’s wonderfully written and a classic, but I found it so hard to read and decipher. To me there was just a lot of unnecessary babbling about stuff that (to me at least) added nothing to the story. 

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

dark emotional relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I think when I got past realising that the point of this wasn’t about the Lisbon sisters story, I appreciated it a lot more. I went into thinking I was going to get something about the sisters and how they were feeling, what they were going through and what led up to the suicides. 

But it was about the boys. About the outsider perspective. About the male gaze. The writing and prose in this is fantastic. It’s so impressive how Eugenides has almost made the suicides a backseat plot, despite the books namesake, and have the flow on effects of the event be the main story. It’s very reminiscent of real life. Unless you’re the one the story is happening to, you don’t know the ins and outs, you only see it from the outside. 

The Lisbon’s lives are told through such wonderful symbolism and themes, I can’t wait to delve further into the literary devices of this one. 

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

3.5

I’m not going to lie, I HATED this at first. Like for a good 45% of it I was so close to putting it down. Glad I persevered because I did end up liking it. The character development of both Nora and Charlie had me giggling kicking my feet, even if it was very dramatic and over the top. It’s cliche and cheesy, but I think that’s the whole point what with them being a book agent and editor. 

It’s not as good as Beach Read but it’s sweet and wholesome and pulls at the heartstrings. I would rate it higher if I didn’t dislike so much of the start.