tinypotatocrisp's Reviews (45)

American Psycho

Bret Easton Ellis

4.75

challenging dark funny tense fast-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

this made me feel absolutely insane but like in the best way possible

The Seven Year Slip

Ashley Poston

3.75

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

i absolutely loved the dead romantics, so when i saw that we got this book at work, i knew i would have to read this one as well. it's a very sweet story with such diverse and interesting characters and you can tell from reading the acknowledgments/afterword that writing this book meant a lot to poston. i always appreciate when you can tell how much passion an author puts into what they are doing, and you can definitely feel that in this book. i've also really grown to appreciate this niche of book-industry-related romance novels that i keep accidentally reading? shout-out to my fav librarian at work for always recommending them to me, lol. a year ago i would have had a fit if you told me i'd be reading this much romance but i've glad i've opened up to the genre and can share fun, cute, and lighthearted, yet emotional stories like this one with my friends & acquaintances. :)

Content Warnings

The Amazing Book Is Not on Fire: The World of Dan and Phil

Phil Lester, Daniel Howell

4.5

i mostly just logged this to buff my 2024 reading challenge stats but honestly this book was such a good trip down memory lane!! it feels like a little time capsule and it was cool to look back on this era as someone who is still a fan of them.

Book Lovers

Emily Henry

4.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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: No

emily henry deserves every ounce of enthusiasm that she gets! this was such a beautifully written, multifaceted story. super emotional and captivating. i found myself non-stop thinking about it whenever i was away from it for too long. definitely recommend this one and can't wait to check out some of her other titles :)

Content Warnings

The Night Shift

Annie Crown

3.0

lighthearted 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

if any of my co-workers see this, yes i AM embarrassed (i literally bought my own copy so no one had to witness me check this out, lol). anyways! like the main character, i am also a student worker at my college library, so my curiosity got the better of me when i saw this book, and i had to read it. i was afraid it would be too misrepresenting and cringey for me to enjoy, but i did like it! however, this book is wayyy smuttier than anything i normally read, so i’m definitely out of my league here. i did find the characters lovable enough though, and i think it would’ve been nice to see more fluffy scenes of them. perhaps i’ll become the first person in history to seek out fan-fiction that’s actually less explicit than the source material??? lol. but seriously, jokes aside, while this book wasn’t my usual cup of tea, it’s very cute and fun and if you like steamier books i definitely recommend this one! and i see that the author has a second installment coming next year, which i’m curious about, so i’ll definitely keep my eyes peeled for that!

Content Warnings

Hannibal Rising

Thomas Harris

4.25

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

how bittersweet that i've finally finished the hannibal series! i think it was so smart of harris to do a prequel and give us some insight into how hannibal became the absolute menace that he is. if there’s one thing that harris is good at, it’s writing an absolutely gut-wrenchingly tragic backstory.

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

Michael Finkel

4.75

adventurous informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

a very well-researched and well-written book about one of the most interesting and unique criminals that i have ever heard of. i really enjoyed how finkel organized the story: a chronological account of breitwieser's obsession, with the hindsight of the people who have studied him sprinkled throughout the retellings of his many, many crimes. i don't have any other material to compare it to, but this seems to be the most comprehensive account of this case that exists, and i cannot reccomend it enough for those interested in art history and/or true crime.

Hannibal

Thomas Harris

3.75

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

okay, so... WOW. not the ending i was expecting at all! definitely a strange turn for this series to take, and while i'm not a fan of it personally, i think it's incredibly interesting. maybe i'm just too accustomed to a happy ending, tied off by a pretty little bow, with the promise of everything being just right. that was not this book at all. but honestly? that does track for the hannibal character and franchise. while i disliked the ending, this book is just as gripping as any of harris' other work; i was on the edge of my seat from cover to cover. what i love most about this book is that we finally get to experience the horrors of hannibal first-hand. getting to see his evil genius in action was definitely worth the wait and absolutely lived up to the hype that he got in the first two books. overall, another phenomenal read from harris, even if i did dislike where the plot went.