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tobereadbookshelf's Reviews (935)
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
I can’t get enough of Rebel Blue and the Ryder family! This felt like a warm hug. 🫶🏻 Swift & Saddled had everything I’m looking for in a small town romance and then some. The combo of “city girl” meets “country boy” was a lot more relatable to me than the plot of book one and the build up of relational tension between out two MC’s was perfection. I loved how patient and supportive he was of her and that he never pressured her to give up what she loved. He let her know unequivocally that he wanted her with him without forcing her to stay. Such a beautiful and healthy depiction of love. We love to see it. Five well deserved stars. 👏🏻👏🏻
“The little things are the big things, Ada. They're the things all the big things are made of I might not know you all the way, but I want to, and I'm just asking you to give me a chance to do that.”
“The little things are the big things, Ada. They're the things all the big things are made of I might not know you all the way, but I want to, and I'm just asking you to give me a chance to do that.”
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Complicated
When it comes to Lynn Painter, I honestly have pretty mixed feelings. Most importantly, I think she should stick with YA. It’s what she does best and I’d argue that she does it better than almost anybody. There are times when I think I may have outgrown YA books and then a book like this or The Do Over will come along and restore my faith in the genre.
I loved the slow build of this relationship and the inclusion of the fake dating trope. They became close almost in spite of themselves and when they fell for each other, I felt that it was rooted in genuine connection rather than insta love like so many other books. The third act break up was pretty dumb and unnecessary, but since this is two high schoolers we’re dealing with, I’m willing to let a little immaturity slide.
This was honestly so cute and also managed to be pretty sexy without being overtly spicy. LP really found a great balance with this one. If there weren’t so many annoying pop culture references (we get it Lynn, you’re a Swiftie), this might even have been five stars.
I loved the slow build of this relationship and the inclusion of the fake dating trope. They became close almost in spite of themselves and when they fell for each other, I felt that it was rooted in genuine connection rather than insta love like so many other books. The third act break up was pretty dumb and unnecessary, but since this is two high schoolers we’re dealing with, I’m willing to let a little immaturity slide.
This was honestly so cute and also managed to be pretty sexy without being overtly spicy. LP really found a great balance with this one. If there weren’t so many annoying pop culture references (we get it Lynn, you’re a Swiftie), this might even have been five stars.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
Complicated
I love How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and since the plot was very similar, it was kind of hard for this one to miss. The main thing that didn’t land for me was the amount of time it took for them to get back together in the end. I’m honestly not sure I would have taken him back at that point. The cynic in me says this couple won’t make it based on his over the top reaction, but hey, it’s fiction. 🤷🏼♀️ Overall I’d say this was cute and worth the read. 3.5 stars.
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How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days in book form? Say less.
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How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days in book form? Say less.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
You just can’t go wrong with the “Brother’s best friend” trope! I really enjoyed this and think I would have loved it even more if it had been a bit longer. A little more sexual tension and build up would have taken this from good to great. Maybe a few scenes where they were fighting their feelings in front of her brother’s, etc. It’s kind of crazy that 356 pages feels like a short book to me, but this is the life of a fantasy reader. 😅
3.5 stars rounded up. A roundup feels fitting for a cowboy book. 🐄🐄🤠
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Yee-haw!! Jumping on the cowboy romance bandwagon. 🤠 This emoji reminds me of the Wal Mart rollback cowboy from the 90s. 😅
3.5 stars rounded up. A roundup feels fitting for a cowboy book. 🐄🐄🤠
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Yee-haw!! Jumping on the cowboy romance bandwagon. 🤠 This emoji reminds me of the Wal Mart rollback cowboy from the 90s. 😅
challenging
dark
informative
medium-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
“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”
Reading this passage, I could not help but reflect on America Ferrera’s iconic monologue in the Barbie movie. The Bell Jar is set in the 1950s where doors were just beginning to be opened for women to choose their path for their future. I cannot help but feel that we let the pendulum swing a little too far in the opposite direction in this regard. Esther was faced with the challenge of choosing her one path while women today can “have it all.” We are encouraged to “explore our sexuality” and sleep around, to chase our dreams and build a career, to settle down and have a family, to continue to grow and change and advance and juggle all of the things without complaint, all in an economy that has made grocery shopping a luxury. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful to have choices, but there are many unrealistic expectations attached to being a woman and the pressures can weigh heavily.
I don’t believe it was ever definitively diagnosed, but it was pretty clear that Esther’s character was struggling with depression. The “treatments” she received were highly disturbing and undoubtedly ineffective. It is unsettling to think about how many people suffered as a result of similar misguided attempts. How hopeless and trapped they must have felt. We are conditioned to believe that doctor’s know best and I have no doubt these treatments and the environment would have only served to exasperate their symptoms and feelings of despair.
I often think that the only necessary requirements for a book be considered a classic is that it is depressing and slightly pretentious and this certainly checked both boxes. Can’t say it’s my favorite but I think it was brave of Plath to put this semi autobiographical story out into the world. I hope she found more resolution and happiness in her own life than Esther did.
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My monthly classic pick for May 🤗
Reading this passage, I could not help but reflect on America Ferrera’s iconic monologue in the Barbie movie. The Bell Jar is set in the 1950s where doors were just beginning to be opened for women to choose their path for their future. I cannot help but feel that we let the pendulum swing a little too far in the opposite direction in this regard. Esther was faced with the challenge of choosing her one path while women today can “have it all.” We are encouraged to “explore our sexuality” and sleep around, to chase our dreams and build a career, to settle down and have a family, to continue to grow and change and advance and juggle all of the things without complaint, all in an economy that has made grocery shopping a luxury. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful to have choices, but there are many unrealistic expectations attached to being a woman and the pressures can weigh heavily.
I don’t believe it was ever definitively diagnosed, but it was pretty clear that Esther’s character was struggling with depression. The “treatments” she received were highly disturbing and undoubtedly ineffective. It is unsettling to think about how many people suffered as a result of similar misguided attempts. How hopeless and trapped they must have felt. We are conditioned to believe that doctor’s know best and I have no doubt these treatments and the environment would have only served to exasperate their symptoms and feelings of despair.
I often think that the only necessary requirements for a book be considered a classic is that it is depressing and slightly pretentious and this certainly checked both boxes. Can’t say it’s my favorite but I think it was brave of Plath to put this semi autobiographical story out into the world. I hope she found more resolution and happiness in her own life than Esther did.
____________________________________________
My monthly classic pick for May 🤗
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
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:
Complicated
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ll be honest, being an avid fantasy reader, the murdery bits barely phased me. MC’s doling out vigilante justice has become pretty run-of-the-mill at this point. The smut however was NOT for me. I hated every second of it and worry my lip might stay curled permanently now. 😅 You do you boo boo but keep this brand of spice far away from me. 🙅🏼♀️
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hate Mail is one ill intention short of becoming a thriller.
POV - Your fifth grade pen pal who you have bizarrely written hateful letters to for over a decade tracks you down, meets you under false pretenses, conceals his identify, tampers with your mail, starts a relationship with you and has sex with you, and only comes clean about his identity once you have already figured it out on your own.
But… he’s a hot animal doctor so we’ll just let that all slide and forgive him. 🙄 She could just as easily have filed a restraining order for this behavior. Them having sex before he told her who he was made this plot unsalvageable for me.
The whole explanation about how she misunderstood both his name and her bosses names because she’s “so bad with names” was absolutely ridiculous. There is no way she didn’t say his name to him at least once during their relationship. Him making up a fake name for his pen pal and never correcting it would have been much more believable.
I also hated her best friend who had plenty of red flags of her own. She was so pushy and nosey and gave her some truly terrible advice throughout the book. Them flying all over the country talking to people who knew him made them almost as creepy as he was.
I thought this was going to be so cute, but it really did not work for me.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Need to add in some magical realism so they can go back in time and fix this. That ending! Life is so unfair. 😭😢💔