tneumann's reviews
87 reviews

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

adventurous lighthearted mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Cute, crime-y but a nice easy read that was perfect for this time of year.  It definitely took place during Christmas, but wasn’t hitting you over the head with it or tough details. 

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

3.75

Magic + romance, so right in my wheelhouse. The magic, and demon physiology was one step from reality, which is my preference too. Read pretty fast considering its length!

The Situationship by Abby Jimenez

4.0

Bonus chapter focused on Maddy & Doug, and preview of the next book.

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

dark funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A story about the darkness that is patriarchy, caste / religion, domestic abuse, in India, and the necessity of female friendships, with dark humor and joy woven throughout. The aunty banter, especially in the last tense plot point, was hysterical.

Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen

slow-paced

3.25

Riley Thorn and the Blast from the Past by Lucy Score

funny lighthearted mysterious

4.25

The September House by Carissa Orlando

dark mysterious tense

• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

A really interesting and layered thriller about a haunted house,

abuse and mental illness

. Margaret has figured out how to deal with the everyday horrors of her house. She deals with it with humor, but as you get further into the book and understand her rules and why they’ve been her way of survival - that reveal is well done. A slow peeling back until the reader understands, and the show of strength at the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Animal death and Physical abuse

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad

5.0

Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

emotional hopeful

4.5

This book had all the elements I want in a romance and more - people who have lived through some stuff, magic, complicated family relationships, deep respect for nature, grief…and consent (except for outing someone as a DV survivor, which is addressed). Loved the depiction of brujas, their gifts - like Sage’s is plants, and the cultural elements woven through.

Also, the AIM chat between Tenn and Sage did not make me cringe in its use, just in the way it reminded me of living through that phase. (Of course gurl would be spelled with a u)

This story was very sweet and satisfying in how it wrapped up - again the perfect amount of magical realism for what I’m looking for in a book. 

Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.25

Setting was great, as is the cover! Numerous times I’d look at the cover to ground their characteristics and found it helpful. The romance itself felt too insta-love for my preference. At times, it felt like it skipped details, assuming I could infer conclusions the MC’s were reaching but instead it was confusing and took me out of the experience. A fun premise though, I enjoyed the curse breaking, explanation of the curse elements and historical castle.