thebalancedbookshelf's reviews
275 reviews

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

3.5

I’m a little conflicted about this one. I liked how this focused on sports but still had the science aspects that Ali Hazlewood is known for. I liked the sports competitions set up and how Scarlett is recovering from an injury. I really enjoyed Lukas’ character and the understanding that the two had between them. I even enjoyed the Olive and Adam cameo. 

What I’m conflicted with is how the relationship was set up. The friend being their connection but still pretending they were together was annoying to me. There was a lot of back and forth because of it and I think someone needed to declare that relationship over a long time ago. It felt like a weak reason to drag it on because of gossip while Pen was already dating someone else. I also didn’t  feel like the situation was fully resolved in regards to how Pen treated Scarlett. After Scarlett defended her against Clarissa’s accusations to go and then publicly shame her and lie to everyone really bothered me. I know she apologized but it left a bad taste in my mouth. It felt like she was proving exactly who that girl said she was. 

Overall, I think this one wasn’t bad but made because of the hype I just had higher expectations. It could also just be my personal preference that the friendship/relationship aspect bothered me so much. 

Side note: I wish we could have had more insight into when they first met but she forgot because I feel like they made that something that went nowhere. 

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

lighthearted

3.5

This book had a lot of elements I liked. I enjoyed the fortune telling, adventures, and magical creatures. The found family is one of my favorite tropes and I liked all the characters individually. I just felt as a whole this book was missing something. I started to drift towards the middle and wasn’t really invested anymore. Maybe it was my mood but I think this one just ended up being okay. 

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

emotional inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

This book was adorable. I really liked this authors first release so I had a good feeling about this one. I was happy to say this lived up to my expectations. The story was heartfelt and emotional. It focuses on grief in different forms and especially the grief of the past. It makes you reflect on your own life and the different versions of you. 

What I enjoyed about the pervious book I read by Ashley Poston was that she was able to mix the romance alongside some difficult issues and the supernatural elements. The writing and story give you so much in such a short amount of time. Its undertone is emotional but it is also such a sweet and interesting story. 

My only slight downfall was that this book is very predictable. All of the plot reveals were made very obvious., very early. Surprisingly, I didn’t mind it because I loved the story and the characters that much. Regardless, I will be reading more from this author and defintely will recommend her books! 

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

3.0

This book focuses on the Odyssey from Penelope’s point of view. I liked the concept of this book but I felt even for a novella it was a little hard to get through. It felt very disjointed and the pacing was strange. I liked seeing the story from Penelope’s point of view but could have done without the maidens songs/poems throughout. I also liked and disliked the view from the underworld. I think this book was just very choppy in its execution. 

The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones

4.5

Wow this book really took me by surprise. I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting when I started this one but this had such a unique concept. It felt almost dystopian with how readily people accepted the demons and gave their body parts away. This mixed traditional fantasy elements with sci-fi in an interesting way. I liked the references to older fairy tales and the Lovecraft stories. 

Throughout this whole book I was immersed. I loved the characters and learning more about the voids. It was interesting finding out what drove the group to make the deals in the first place. James was a good character in so many ways but also in that he was so understanding and supportive of Dee. I loved Dee’s character and how much she evolved throughout the course of the story. 

The best part of this book for me was the ending. It was heartbreaking and unexpected. I think it just really pulled the whole book together. I love a good YA book and this one was no different.  

The Romanov Oracle by Molly Tullis

fast-paced

2.0

I will read anything Anastasia which is why I picked up this book but I probably should have let this one be. This book was way too fast paced for me and I struggled to get through it. I think from reading other reviews that this was a debut novel which I can see.

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

4.0

As per usual with Ali Hazelwood this book was fun and entertaining. I love her writing style and the way she blends romance with STEM topics. Surprisingly, what I liked most about this book was the science. I found the two competing physics ideologies really fascinating. I liked how it was incorporated into the academic rivals/enemies to lovers plot. 

Icarus by K. Ancrum

4.5

I’m impressed with how well this book was written. The author took a Greek myth and really transformed it into an impactful YA story. The emotion and depth that these characters had was incredible. 

The writing felt poetic and eloquent. Even though the chapters were so short, you were still able to get so much out of them. The tie ins with the Greek Myth were done in such a unique way. I loved how this book incorporated a focus on art and beauty. I really enjoyed how Icarus saw the world in colors and loved the contrast between him being “dark” and Helios being “light”. 

I really felt like the author understood the heart of the Greek mythology and Greek tragedies. The writing was just so vivid and descriptive and I was really pleased with the way the myth was transformed. 

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

fast-paced

4.5

This book was so much fun. I loved all the characters and how much depth Ali Hazelwood was able to give them. They each have such a great backstory and that just added another layer to this story. I had a good time and couldn’t put this one down! 

Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes

3.5

This book was fun and entertaining. It’s dramatic and over the top at times but it was a good fluff book, which was what I was looking for. I do think that it was a little longer than it needed to be but it did what I needed it to.