thaliareads's reviews
143 reviews

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I've always been a fan of this series, this is probably close to the fifth time I've re-read the first book and it always scratches the right itch in my brain. I'm a huge fan of Greek mythology and the world developed in this book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

I've included content warnings just in case, but to be aware that this was very well written for a middle grade audience and remains very appropriate despite the high stakes.

Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey

emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I think this book was incredibly successful. You can tell from the start how much August truly cares for Natalie, and how oblivious Natalie was to both August's feeling and her own feelings. This is such a fun "hate" to love spicy rom-com. If you like forced proximity, marriage of convenience, "opposites" attract, and adorable cats then this is a great choice!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, and Grief

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War

August is dealing with the loss of one of his best friends in battle. Natalie has been using alcohol to cope, and alcohol is a central theme of the book as it centers around winemaking. This book is very spicy, so be aware before you begin.

Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee

emotional funny lighthearted 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

5.0

Such a cute YA queer read. It also puts a lot of focus on the importance of cultural and familial traditions and expectations and how we choose to stay within or break free from those bounds. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia

Both of the main characters experience homophobia from their immediate or extended families, be it for what they believe to be a "good reason" of because they simply don't approve.

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

challenging emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I really appreciated that this book didn't make Sloan and Jason's budding relationship easy. They were coming from very different situations, points in life, and circumstances. It was nice to see their bond grow and develop as they faced different milestones in their relationship - and I think it was appropriate to see that it wasn't always easy and required a lot of compromise on both sides. Overall this book was full of lots of entertaining twists and turns. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Car accident, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Violence, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Sloan's fiancé had died prior to the book in a motorcycle accident. Drug and alcohol use and abuse related to a side character that fell victim to the entertainment industry. Some minor animal neglect leading to Sloan finding Tucker at the start of the novel.

Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful 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

Truly an incredibly entertaining book, and boy was it steamy. I loved the setup and that Margot and Olivia were getting a chance to figure out what could have been if massive miscommunication hadn't been at play in high school. I do love how this book ended, just had some second hand stress from the continued communication issues that persisted as things really started to hit off again between Margot and Olivia. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Olivia's previous marriage was a toxic relationship. Margot does struggle with some feelings that people are abandoning her and moving on.

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-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

5.0

Such a fun read. Forced proximity with a hint of "they should marry for convenience but are too stubborn." I liked the bit of mystery in figuring out why Izzy is now the owner of the castle that rightly should have belonged to the incredibly grumpy and now confused Duke. While the spice was nice, this was also a story about Izzy finally finding a home, building new friendships, and finally claiming what is hers. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Death and Death of parent

Izzy's family has all died prior to the events of the book. There are some ableist assumptions about the Duke who has been left blind after an injury.

The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-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

4.0

 Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this ARC! 

Margot is recently single and is frankly not interested in entering into a cliched romance. When her client, Ben, invites her to a vacation at his family’s country home in exchange for pretending to be his girlfriend she decides it might just be worth it. What Margot didn’t bargain for is Ben’s sister Ellie. Ellie senses that something is off and is determined to get to the bottom of it. However, as Ellie and Margot spend more time together will they realize how much they have in common? Will something more develop between the two, threatening Ben and Margot’s charade? 

This was a super cute holiday read. Starting with the positive, I really liked the cast of characters and overarching plot. It was a setup bound to lead to mayhem, hijinks, and misunderstandings. I enjoyed seeing the friendship develop between Margot and Ben, and I think Ben was probably the most unproblematic man I’ve read in a long time. I think that their conversations related to Margot’s treatment in her previous relationship were handled very well. Moving into the negatives, I just felt like the pacing was off. This could be because I’m partial to faster paced books, whereas this was absolutely slower and more drawn out where I’m not sure it needed to be. Also, while I love Ellie and Margot together and where they ended up as the story finished, I felt like they got started very fast. There were a lot of obstacles in their way like Ellie’s recent hatred of Margot, Margot and Ben’s façade of dating, and even just Margot’s ability to enter into a healthy relationship after her recent split from her emotionally abusive ex. All this aside, if you want a cute and clean sapphic holiday romance, this book is a great pick and a fun read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Dementia

Minor: Grief and Alcohol

Death is prior to the events of the book. Emotional abuse occurs prior to the events of the book but is discussed and the ex-partner is still trying to be in the picture.

On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

 Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for this ARC! 

Ever since the death of her grandmother, who had been her biggest cheerleader, Everly has been perfectly happy to fly under the radar and avoid extra attention. Everything changes when someone nominates her for her favorite makeover show, ON THE PLUS SIDE. Not only is the show giving her an unprecedented opportunity to rediscover herself and her style, but it is also giving her the ability to further explore her interest in making her art her career. While being behind the camera may turn out to be more than she bargained for, she begins to enjoy her newfound camaraderie with the grumpy cameraman Logan. However, will this develop into something more than friendship or will Everly finally have the courage to go after the office hottie she’s been crushing on instead? 

I adored this book so much! I really appreciated the emphasis on the fact that Everly was never trying to hide her body, she was trying to hide who she was to avoid the attention that would lead to rejection based on her skills or her personality. I also appreciated that the novel structure itself mirrored Everly’s wishes for her story arc on the show, focusing on her goals as an artist over “improving” her love life. I also thought that it was nice that the author showed that even people who may not appear it externally can still have their own battles with their views on their bodies.  This book also surprised me with some twists and turns I hadn’t anticipated that really made it even more interesting. Overall, Everly shone brightly as she reached for her goals and showed the true depths of her talent. As for Logan, all I’ll say is that like Everly I’m a sucker for a man in flannel and I love the way he was always truly seeing who she is and understanding what she was trying to reach for. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia

Moderate: Death and Sexual content

Minor: Animal death

Everly's mom, while meaning well, comes off as very fatphobic and is constantly body shaming Everly in little ways. This is addressed by the other characters. Death is prior to the events of the book. The death of the animal is just briefly mentioned and prior to the book.

The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This is one of the rare times when I don't know what particularly was bothering me about the book, but I just didn't click with it like I tend to with rom-coms. I thought the plot was a fun idea and I liked the main characters. I love a man who loves his dog. However, I don't know if it was the pacing or the dialog but even listening to the audiobook I was never motivated to continue the story.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Alcohol

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

The FMC does get left behind at one point and the resulting feelings do get discussed. One of the primary settings of this book is the MMC's bar, which means you'll see alcohol and the results of drinking too much as well as bar fights and injuries from various exploits. Sexual content while semi detailed in what is written, is fade to black/primarily implied. Animal cruelty has to deal with the fact that tourists don't understand how to properly interact with wildlife.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing slow-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

4.5

This book was an absolute delight! It's a pretty low-stakes story but the importance of these events to the characters is immense which makes it incredibly endearing. I love the characters that are drawn to the new coffee shop. More on my personal side, I think I prefer books with a bit faster pace. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Violence

There is a pretty large fire towards the end of the book. There are also a couple pretty mild fight scenes.