thatonelibrarygirl's reviews
332 reviews

The Tea Dragon Festival by K. O'Neill

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

I like this one less than the first, but I still find this adorable. The first explores faint themes of LGBTQ+ love and disability in characters. This one also explores faint themes of LGBTQ+ love, belonging, a deaf character, and ASL. 

The Tea Dragon Society by K. O'Neill

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

Adorable! Beautiful illustrations. Nice to see disability representation. Makes me crave a nice cuppa tea! Overall, just very cute! 

Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Jill Mansell

hopeful lighthearted 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

2.5

Not my cuppa. The English (UK) phrases didn’t always flow well to me, but it was easy to understand. Very reminiscent of “Life As We Know It” (2010 film). I love the film, not this book. Also, I was very bothered by the term “transvestite” being used and mentioned as a bad thing. Inexcusable in view. Very much a clean, closed-door romance. Very meh. But I picked this author up as a random pick at the library for our book club challenge, and now I can say I finished. 

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.75

Love it! This book has me in the feels- such a sweet romance with lovable characters! Can’t wait to read the second in the series. I rated this just shy of 5 stars because it seemed like 80% in the pace changed and it wrapped up too quickly. 

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.5

So good! Narrated by Amy herself, this gave a great insight into her breakthrough in the comedy world. Female comediennes have a lot to work against, and it's inspiring to listen to stories that highlight that struggle and triumph. 

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

adventurous funny mysterious 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? Yes

2.5

This 192p. book took me 16 days to finish- it is slow, slow, slow. I’m a fan of Knives Out, Agatha Christie, and Clue so I thought this would be fun to try. The writing style was hard for me to read. Oh well, it was worth a shot. I’d maybe recommend it to a middle schooler looking for a mystery. 

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.75

3.75* (Review based on my reaction, not the content.) I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of this because it was read by Jennette herself and therefore spoke more volumes on the content of her story. The content was hard- I kept seeing moments of trauma starting and wanted to shout that it's not okay. But the stark reality is that this happens in the entertainment industry more than we know. I'm glad she wrote about her experiences, and some of it is relatable. 

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

3.5 stars. This wasn’t gripping me until halfway or so. I was excited to read a book about books and was pleasantly surprised that this contained a bit of mystery, queer romance, and bits of history sprinkled in. I’m not much of a historical fiction fan myself, but I’d recommend this to fans of historical fic and books about books. 

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.5

I started this as audio, but I switched to the print book at 80%ish because I just couldn’t wait to listen in the car- I needed to read it right away.

I’m not sure how to review this one. It was good. I enjoyed the twists. But it also wasn’t gripping to the point of needing to lose sleep over. The characters didn’t develop much throughout the book, but the mystery kept me going. 

The ending wrapped up nicely, if a bit rushed, and left me feeling hopeful for a lighter future for the characters. 

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This was very, very tough to read. Being in Lia’s mindset was a lot. Eating disorders are a topic that’s often taboo. However, books that don’t sugarcoat the psychological aspects are welcome and encouraged. I do not recommend this to folks with a history of ED. I’ll admit this was triggering. Overall, good book.