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thanmayi's reviews
114 reviews
Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
There is a certain comfort that comes with reading a romance novel with all the right feels that is just the right amount of sappy and also functional. This book will have you teary eyes and laughing out loud and is an absolute delight to read!
If I were to convince you to read this in 3 points this would be it.
1) marriage of convenience
2) HE IS WILLING TO BUILD HER A LIBRARY
3) Perfect blend of spice and plot
Arabella is determined to save her family's reputation and have her sister wed to a respectable gentleman, so she approaches the rakish duke with a deal. An heir for him finding her sister a groom and saving her family's reputation.
Did I see the plot twist coming from several miles away and know exactly what was going to happen...yes. But did I enjoy this book regardless? ABSOLUTELY!
The convenience marriage trope is one of the best tropes out there and the author has done an absolutely fantastic job at it and the vibes were absolutely immaculate, Silas is everything I would ever want in a boyfriend and I would sell my soul for this man.
I loved how the whole consent was asked for several times and how Silas made sure she was always comfortable.
Overall 10/10 recommend would read again!
If I were to convince you to read this in 3 points this would be it.
1) marriage of convenience
2) HE IS WILLING TO BUILD HER A LIBRARY
3) Perfect blend of spice and plot
Arabella is determined to save her family's reputation and have her sister wed to a respectable gentleman, so she approaches the rakish duke with a deal. An heir for him finding her sister a groom and saving her family's reputation.
Did I see the plot twist coming from several miles away and know exactly what was going to happen...yes. But did I enjoy this book regardless? ABSOLUTELY!
The convenience marriage trope is one of the best tropes out there and the author has done an absolutely fantastic job at it and the vibes were absolutely immaculate, Silas is everything I would ever want in a boyfriend and I would sell my soul for this man.
I loved how the whole consent was asked for several times and how Silas made sure she was always comfortable.
Overall 10/10 recommend would read again!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent
Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS
The vibes of this book were IMMACULATE and I knew less than 20 pages in that it was going to be a 5 star read but that being said I have a slight bias because it's the first sapphic book I've read where coming out and family aspects aren't that big of a deal and it was nice to see that for a change.
But that being said now that I've had like an hour to process this book critically there were a few issues with it that made me bump it down to four stars.
- The reason that they couldn't be together isn't really solved by the end but they just seem to not care which makes the whole book seem sort of pointless.
- The way the Barry Davis incident was a plot point to resolve conflict and while the way it's dealt with later was good, it just felt like that point could've been avoided?
- There was a lot of telling and not enough showing, there is no clear reason as to why they really fell for each other.
This was the first Adult sapphic romance that I've read so maybe that's why I enjoyed it as much as I did, anyways this will always have a special place in my heart and is a pretty good read.
The vibes of this book were IMMACULATE and I knew less than 20 pages in that it was going to be a 5 star read but that being said I have a slight bias because it's the first sapphic book I've read where coming out and family aspects aren't that big of a deal and it was nice to see that for a change.
But that being said now that I've had like an hour to process this book critically there were a few issues with it that made me bump it down to four stars.
- The reason that they couldn't be together isn't really solved by the end but they just seem to not care which makes the whole book seem sort of pointless.
- The way the Barry Davis incident was a plot point to resolve conflict and while the way it's dealt with later was good, it just felt like that point could've been avoided?
- There was a lot of telling and not enough showing, there is no clear reason as to why they really fell for each other.
This was the first Adult sapphic romance that I've read so maybe that's why I enjoyed it as much as I did, anyways this will always have a special place in my heart and is a pretty good read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia
Check the trigger warnings before going in for this
Revenge Body by Rachel Wiley
dark
emotional
sad
3.0
White feminism is as feminist as Dr. Pepper is a doctor
First off, A huge thank you to Button Poetry for sending an arc my way through NetGalley.
I discovered Rachel Wiley at 3 am one night and fell in love with her words, this book brought that back out tenfold. The same intense feelings and the connection to the poems.
This book has some absolutely BEAUTIFUL POEMS, I liked the structures and the writing of many of them but very few of them are actually remarkable...some of them felt way too long and their writing felt like something out of a teenager's diary.
Overall I really enjoyed this collection and would totally revisit some of these poems.
First off, A huge thank you to Button Poetry for sending an arc my way through NetGalley.
I discovered Rachel Wiley at 3 am one night and fell in love with her words, this book brought that back out tenfold. The same intense feelings and the connection to the poems.
This book has some absolutely BEAUTIFUL POEMS, I liked the structures and the writing of many of them but very few of them are actually remarkable...some of them felt way too long and their writing felt like something out of a teenager's diary.
Overall I really enjoyed this collection and would totally revisit some of these poems.
Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
This is an especially hard review to write because I absolutely love Alexis Hall, but I didn't quite enjoy this book as much as the rest of his work. It mostly had to do with the fact that it felt unnecessarily long while also somehow a lot of things were happening back to back to the point where I couldn't process the information before the next thing happened.
While the romance is supposed to be a subplot, it was probably the most annoying thing in the book. Liza was so bloody unbearable while Hanna is probably your dream partner. I didn't get why the main characters were together to the point where I was almost waiting for them to split by the end of the book. I get it marriage is hard, but it felt like their marriage had come to the point where while Hanna wanted to do anything to fix it, Liza was on a goose chase to figure out who the murderer was and barely made any effort while saying that she wanted to.
But the thing that bugged me was the fact that the entire book while written in third person POV, barely showed anyone else's point of view except Liza's which makes me wish that it had been written in first person POV instead like many other Hall books that I love.
I'm probably just nitpicking here but I don't think Hall did any research before creating a black MC because she seemed whitewashed and even smaller details like (braids are but into scarfs to protect them not because they hurt) makes it obvious.
Apart from all the negative, the book in itself isn't bad, I liked the setting of the murder and the entire mystery and thoroughly enjoyed reading about the side characters. It's an enjoyable read for when you want to read something which is just the right amount of light-hearted and dark.
While the romance is supposed to be a subplot, it was probably the most annoying thing in the book. Liza was so bloody unbearable while Hanna is probably your dream partner. I didn't get why the main characters were together to the point where I was almost waiting for them to split by the end of the book. I get it marriage is hard, but it felt like their marriage had come to the point where while Hanna wanted to do anything to fix it, Liza was on a goose chase to figure out who the murderer was and barely made any effort while saying that she wanted to.
But the thing that bugged me was the fact that the entire book while written in third person POV, barely showed anyone else's point of view except Liza's which makes me wish that it had been written in first person POV instead like many other Hall books that I love.
I'm probably just nitpicking here but I don't think Hall did any research before creating a black MC because she seemed whitewashed and even smaller details like (braids are but into scarfs to protect them not because they hurt) makes it obvious.
Apart from all the negative, the book in itself isn't bad, I liked the setting of the murder and the entire mystery and thoroughly enjoyed reading about the side characters. It's an enjoyable read for when you want to read something which is just the right amount of light-hearted and dark.
Melissa by Alex Gino
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
3.5
George is a middle-grade trans fiction book that follows Melissa a trans girl as she comes out to her mother and best friend. I absolutely loved it and would definitely read it again!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dysphoria
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.0
THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE NOVEL
Whoever tried to pass this off and recommends this as a romance novel, stop it. The description may be a little deceptive but the story isn't about Lily and Ryle or Lily and Atlas, it's about LILY and LILY ONLY. Read the author's notes, read the content warnings...it's a story about breaking the cycle of abuse. Nobody saves LILY, she saves herself.
This book had me in a chokehold and crying. I despise myself for sympathizing with Ryle at several parts of the book as much as I absolutely hated him. Colleen makes us fall for Ryle, with his charm and self-deprecating humor. Her writing makes it hard for you to not insert yourself into the book. I went into this book knowing about Ryle, but it didn't help because it hurt just the same.
I don't think I'll ever be able to talk about this book and review it properly, but it's an important book and one that everyone should read.
Whoever tried to pass this off and recommends this as a romance novel, stop it. The description may be a little deceptive but the story isn't about Lily and Ryle or Lily and Atlas, it's about LILY and LILY ONLY. Read the author's notes, read the content warnings...it's a story about breaking the cycle of abuse. Nobody saves LILY, she saves herself.
This book had me in a chokehold and crying. I despise myself for sympathizing with Ryle at several parts of the book as much as I absolutely hated him. Colleen makes us fall for Ryle, with his charm and self-deprecating humor. Her writing makes it hard for you to not insert yourself into the book. I went into this book knowing about Ryle, but it didn't help because it hurt just the same.
I don't think I'll ever be able to talk about this book and review it properly, but it's an important book and one that everyone should read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Minor: Death, Gun violence, and Death of parent
The Toll by Neal Shusterman
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT I READ 3 BOOKS FOR THAT TO BE THE ENDING!? I am so fucking disappointed with this book, what the hell actually happened!? This felt like an obnoxiously long pile of words that basically failed to deliver and was so annoying to get through.
I liked the first half of the book, with Greyson being the Toll and Jerrico was a cool addition to the book. The thing that bothered me was the fact that Anastasia and Rowan while being the main characters basically had roles so little that they had little to no importance in the book.
I feel betrayed by the way it ended, I would have enjoyed it if Anastasia took Goddard town and became high blade herself instead she blasts off into space and basically leaves the world in Goddard's hands. For someone who is shown to be an ethical and smart character, she does the exact opposite of what she was set out to do.
I do not regret reading the series but this was probably the worst way to end the damn thing.
I liked the first half of the book, with Greyson being the Toll and Jerrico was a cool addition to the book. The thing that bothered me was the fact that Anastasia and Rowan while being the main characters basically had roles so little that they had little to no importance in the book.
I feel betrayed by the way it ended, I would have enjoyed it if Anastasia took Goddard town and became high blade herself instead she blasts off into space and basically leaves the world in Goddard's hands. For someone who is shown to be an ethical and smart character, she does the exact opposite of what she was set out to do.
I do not regret reading the series but this was probably the worst way to end the damn thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Transphobia
The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
The series keeps getting better and better! Totally hooked!
The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi
adventurous
3.0
I saw the plot twist coming from a mile away but I still enjoyed the book nonetheless. This might be my favorite book in the series so far.
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I loved the book! I liked the art style and the way the story was told. It's an important story but there were parts that felt a little more like misinformed and internalized misogyny.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dysphoria
Minor: Medical trauma