tepidgirlsummer's reviews
1092 reviews

Like You've Nothing Left to Prove by E.L. Massey

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Ballerina Dad by Amy Aislin

3.0

Free from Falling by E.L. Massey

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Common Goal by Rachel Reid

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

dark sad slow-paced

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

2.0

I forgot how much of a slog it is to get through this one.

I’m in the throes of a Twilight Saga reread. New Moon has always been my least favorite book, but I’d forgotten why. I sort of remembered it being boring, but thought maybe I hadn’t read it with the right perspective the first few times. I have a greater appreciation for emotional nuance than I did in my very early 20s, and several fellow Ratties defended this installment as important to understand the emotional bond between Bella and Jacob in the future books.

But holy moly is this book a snooze fest. It’s probably about 150-200 pages too long. And aging has only made me even more weirded out by how much Stephenie Meyer normalized these extremely codependent and manipulative relationships. Also, there is virtually no plot. I think this one is supposed to be more character-driven, but there’s hardly any character development after the first couple hundred pages.

I liked Twilight more this time around than I did previously. I remember Eclipse being my favorite, so hopefully that reread doesn’t disappoint.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt

Minor: Colonisation, Classism

There Goes Sunday School by Alexander C. Eberhart

emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

The Ghost at Dawn's House by Ann M. Martin

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

The Only Light Left Burning by Erik J. Brown

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child death, Violence, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Bullying, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent

Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.5