thebooknook180's reviews
298 reviews

Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

2.75

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

emotional sad slow-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death

My Salty Mary by Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley

adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.75

I finished this book a few days ago, and as I’m sitting here ready to write the review I’m struggling to remember any emotions I was feeling about the plot or it’s characters. I like the general idea of following along with the two characters (Jack and Brooke) as they trek through the Scottish hillsides and find their way back to one another. Kiley did a great job of telling you how passionate the characters were about their dreams, even though they still feared taking the leap to jumpstart those careers. Even though the main narrator (Brooke) doesn’t find out about Mhairi’s sickness until the end of the book, she did a fine enough job portraying that grief and how that in turn caused her anxiety about starting out her own writing projects with her mentor no longer going to be around. 
Overall the 2.75 rating is mostly because these characters didn’t stand out enough for me - they were simply two ideas on a page, never feeling fully flushed out enough for me to be rooting for them and dying to read the next chapter. Which is something that’s important to me, especially when you have a largely character driven book. There was just nothing that made me intensely passionate about this book. 

1984 by George Orwell

dark informative reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Bullying and Violence

Some Shall Break by Ellie Marney

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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

3.25

None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney

dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

mysterious medium-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

3.0

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

3.0