teeclecticreads's reviews
291 reviews

I Love You S'more by Auriane Desombre

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

2.5

This was so disappointing. The plot felt super underdeveloped and the FMC felt way too immature to be 15 years old. How is she at a summer camp and unable to control the kids? Also the conflicts and climaxes were unnecessarily dramatic.
Big Chief by Jon Hickey

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I’m 30% in and I still can’t get a true sense of Mitch. Just a lot of boring, confusing internal dialogue and there doesn’t seem to be any acceleration of the pace of the story. I had to stop because I really wasn’t enjoying it.
Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad 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

True Life in Uncanny Valley by Deb Caletti

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emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

I have to be honest and say I struggled in the beginning. Eleanor, to me, was very immature and I didn’t feel like I was reading about a realistic 16 year old. I’m glad I stuck it out though because it did get better and the underlying messages of the book are so important.

I could relate to her experience regarding her father and that paradox of wanting to know who he is and still be a part of his other family, while also feeling loyal to her mom and sister. However, her family was horrid to her and I wish we got a more conclusive ending where that was concerned. The real discussion though was AI and its harmful impact on artists, media in general and social connection. I found myself highlighting a lot of poignant quotes and I was super pleased with the way things turned out in the end.
Reel by Kennedy Ryan

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adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

There are very few occasions where I wish I could give a book more than 5 stars. I’m writing this with my mind blown at the beautiful story I’ve just read.

Kennedy Ryan knows how to write a fucking book but this??? Oh my gosh. The attention to detail about the film industry and production. This made up black story that still feels so real and echoes the lives and struggles passed down through black generations. The tenderness in which black love was displayed. The true, raw emotion of a woman with chronic illness and the frustration when we feel when it affects how we look, how we feel, the things we love, the people we love. I am so so so deeply thankful for this story as a black, chronically ill woman and I’ll always have this feeling of reading this book for the first time and how it’s altered me, even if I forget the details. Do yourself a favour and get to this if you haven’t already.

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Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery

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adventurous emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for gifting me an eARC of this book.

This was my first race car romance and it’s gonna be hard for any other to live up. First of all, let me say that the information provided about the sport was so detailed and appreciated as someone who isn’t a big watcher of racing but finds it interesting. It is clear that a lot of research was put into also making this informative and that gets points.

Now to the romaaannccceeeee! Kian and Harper were a pain first (yes both of them) because Harper was being irresponsible but Kian was being uber judgmental. I’m glad that as the story progressed the plot line also became more developed and though there was a bit of a missing link for me
where it seemed that Harper finally found out about Tyler Heath even though there was no on-page discussion about it
I really had a blast reading this one.

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The Garden by Nick Newman

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

A very dull, uninteresting plot.
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

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mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Ohhh this was not good. Very predictable. Also very infuriating. Boring 3rd person omniscient narrator.

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The Boyfriend Boycott: A Spicy Small Town Friends with Benefits Romance by Meg Riley

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adventurous hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

Thank you to Sunny Babe PR and Meg Riley for an eARC of this book.

It’s always a nice change of pace to see the FMC of a story being the one afraid to commit while the guy is yearning. I thought it was a fun read and I enjoyed watching them work on this project together while he tried to win her over. The writing and pacing was good and the conflicts felt real. Overall it’s a great story about fighting for what you want and learning to trust.
With You Forever by Chloe Liese

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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

5.0

This might be my favourite Bergman book yet

Rating: 5⭐️

Chloe did her big one when she wrote these men but I think Axel might be the man for me. I loved seeing him throughout the story constantly try to push past his autism and general stand-offishness to show Rooney what she meant to him. Rooney is also so much like me it’s wonderful. From our shared intestinal issues to our warmth to our eager, excited, competitive nature, I was eating it all up and it meant a lot to me seeing a character who I could relate to find love. 


I don’t see IBS/IBD written in as many chronic illness fiction, and even less so romantic fiction, but this was so so so well-written. In fact I got teary-eyed for the moments where she struggled because I know that pain and frustration. The details, inner dialogue, worries, insecurities were all there and felt like my loved experience and I’m grateful.