trishupaper's reviews
34 reviews

Body and Soul Food by Abby Collette
Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.

It was just so tedious reading this. The writing felt redundant and dry, like the book was blabbering. Keaton’s perspective was also very tiring to follow. She was very annoyingly naive and frustrating to follow - judgemental, jumps to conclusions. I wish we’d been given Koby’s perspective, because then it would really have given the twin vibe. What’s the point of pushing the twin thing when we only get one twin’s perspective? The mystery was badly paced and didn’t keep my attention. Reef’s death felt like it was just a plot device. Aside from giving us a mystery, his death didn’t impact the story in an meaningful way tbh. 

Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Good enough for the first book. It set the tone, the environment and the characters of the series. Lana was easy to be invested in, but just so contradictory. She had the tendency to be self righteous, and was so indecisive and in denial about everything, it seemed like Megan was connecting most of the dots. The pacing was also very imbalanced; all the loose ends were tied rushly at the end. I just felt like the mystery was not given the gravity it deserved. 

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

The mystery in this one was more thrilling than the previous 2; Richard Osman still keeps me guessing. And I still loved the characters, but sometimes the book had the tendency to really lean in on the cute parts that it becomes cringey, like it’s overly conscious of the things and scenes that make the characters loveable. Like, “oh look at this the characters are acting adorable and funny” instead of it just being a natural thing. The scene with Viktor and the Viking for example. Joyce also came across as very annoying in this book. Very Facebook grandma of her 

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
Did not finish book. Stopped at 63%.

The book was trying to do too much on top of the romance and none of it was working - the magic, the mystery. The romance itself, which should’ve bee the centrepiece of everything, was pretty boring. There weren’t any emotional stakes because Vivi was already contrite and ready to roll over early on in the story.

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.0

Absolutely boring with characters that are dull and uninspired. The sequence of events happen just because the book wills it so instead of there being believable build up or motive behind it. 

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

Unbelievable. This book cannot be this enjoyable. I had a fun time. An absolute fun time. 

Sign Here by Claudia Lux
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.

I really should stop pushing my expectations on books. I was hoping for more of a crossover between the hell and earth aspect of the book, but the teo were pretty separate. It seemed like two different stories. And i’m not much of a fan of domestic drama.

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I really liked Erin Adam’s writing. Her storytelling is very engrossing; she has a way of writing that just gives justice to the scene. I didn’t like following Liz very much; I like flawed characters who make mistakes, but I don’t like following characters in thrillers that are so monumentally messy they endanger the investigation and themselves. The supernatural twist by the end also took me by surprise. I would’ve liked it if it wasn’t there, or if it was there, I would’ve appreciated a good build up.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child death, Murder, and Domestic abuse

Very graphic details of murdered children

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death by Caitlin Doughty

funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

I love this book. Reading this felt like watching a Vox documentary on a very niche topic. Caitlin Doughty’s writing is insightful, thoughtful and absolutely hilarious.

The Black Queen by Jumata Emill
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

Dnf @ 30%

Something about this book felt off to me, and after reading some reviews, I know why. But it’s better to know from Black reviewers first hand, so please check their reviews out for a more concise breakdown.
I did skim until the end just to know who did what, and I’ll say that I don’t like the idea that a white character was centralised in a story that’s supposed to be about a Black character. I got more of Tinsley than I got of Nova and Duchess, and this was supposed to be their stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Violence