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tylerlee_readsnow's reviews
699 reviews
The Ride of Her Life by Jennifer Dugan
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
This is probably my favorite Jennifer Dugan book to date! Cowboy books are having their moment right now and I really enjoyed this one. I was a quasi-horse girlie growing up so I was excited to relearn things as Molly learned them. All of the characters played their part, although many of the side characters did not get fully fleshed out until the second half of the book. I am a sucker for a grumpy x sunshine and this definitely delivered.
I am not a huge fan of Dugan’s other books, but I was excited to read this one and I am glad I did. My only real gripe is that the ending felt very rushed. I wasn’t ready for it to be over and it felt like there were still some loose ends to be taken care of. I think one more chapter or an epilogue could have really rounded everything out and made this a 5-star for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon HarperVoyager for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur
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
4.25
This was such a fun read. The characters were both larger than life but also so very real. The connection between our two main characters made me believe in love again, so there’s that. I love that both the main characters are bisexual. The conversation about bi-erasure, especially when in a straight-presenting relationship, was great. Colin McCrory is also maybe one of my favorite new book boyfriends. Thighs for days? Sign me up! He’s such a cutie.
There were times when the timeline was a little confusing, but I got over it for the sake of being obsessed with the storyline. This book is also completely millennial-coded but it made me enjoy it even more. I giggled out loud several times because of it. So do with that information what you will. I enjoyed that aspect.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon HarperVoyager for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
There were times when the timeline was a little confusing, but I got over it for the sake of being obsessed with the storyline. This book is also completely millennial-coded but it made me enjoy it even more. I giggled out loud several times because of it. So do with that information what you will. I enjoyed that aspect.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon HarperVoyager for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
- 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
5.0
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t quite have words for how much I love this book.
Logan and Rosemary were best friends in middle school. An incident the summer before high school turned them into rivals. For ten years after high school, they didn’t speak. Now, in their 30s, they agree to go on a death trip with their mentor as his dying wish. They are forced together for what is supposed to be a simple 5-day trip, and they soon realize maybe they have more to work through than the grief of losing their lifelong mentor.
This book was, in a word, incredible. I very much enjoyed ‘The Charm Offensive’ so when this book came up I knew I wanted to read it. I was absolutely blown away by the weaving of this story. I laughed and cried the whole way through. Cochrun made me feel so connected to these characters so that every part of them felt embedded in my heart.
The mental health and grief representation in this book was done so well. The way it was weaved together was perfect. How different people process their grief and how their mental illness can affect that process is something that is so important to talk about and Cochrun did a phenomenal job.
Tropes:
Childhood friends to lovers
Second chance
Opposites attract
Found family
Forced proximity
Content/Trigger warnings:
Death of a parent (off-page)
Death of an important figure
Cancer
Addiction
Abandonment.
I don’t quite have words for how much I love this book.
Logan and Rosemary were best friends in middle school. An incident the summer before high school turned them into rivals. For ten years after high school, they didn’t speak. Now, in their 30s, they agree to go on a death trip with their mentor as his dying wish. They are forced together for what is supposed to be a simple 5-day trip, and they soon realize maybe they have more to work through than the grief of losing their lifelong mentor.
This book was, in a word, incredible. I very much enjoyed ‘The Charm Offensive’ so when this book came up I knew I wanted to read it. I was absolutely blown away by the weaving of this story. I laughed and cried the whole way through. Cochrun made me feel so connected to these characters so that every part of them felt embedded in my heart.
The mental health and grief representation in this book was done so well. The way it was weaved together was perfect. How different people process their grief and how their mental illness can affect that process is something that is so important to talk about and Cochrun did a phenomenal job.
Tropes:
Childhood friends to lovers
Second chance
Opposites attract
Found family
Forced proximity
Content/Trigger warnings:
Death of a parent (off-page)
Death of an important figure
Cancer
Addiction
Abandonment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Cancer, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Addiction and Abandonment
In The Weeds by B.K. Borison
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
3.0
Flirty Little Secret by Jessica Lepe
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Abbot Elementary AND You’ve Got Mail? Immediately count me in. I was excited to read this book just from that short tagline, not to mention I can never say no to a cutie cartoon cover. In the end, I am so glad that I was able to read this book.
Lepe’s debut novel tells the story of a school guidance counselor, Lucy, and history teacher, Fletcher, who have unknowingly been building a friendship online for months. After a disastrous first meeting, the two begin a real life flirtationship.
The modern epistolary element of their story through Instagram DMs was super cute and I enjoyed seeing behind the curtain.
I also loved the characters. I felt that they were both incredibly real and their faults made them all the more lovable. The mental health representation as well as the blended family was done really well. It made me feel like I was catching up on family gossip and I loved it.
Another aspect of this book that really kept me entertained was the side characters. They made our main characters all the more well rounded and I really liked the little snippets of their lives that we got to see outside of being in a relationship because of these characters.
Abbot Elementary AND You’ve Got Mail? Immediately count me in. I was excited to read this book just from that short tagline, not to mention I can never say no to a cutie cartoon cover. In the end, I am so glad that I was able to read this book.
Lepe’s debut novel tells the story of a school guidance counselor, Lucy, and history teacher, Fletcher, who have unknowingly been building a friendship online for months. After a disastrous first meeting, the two begin a real life flirtationship.
The modern epistolary element of their story through Instagram DMs was super cute and I enjoyed seeing behind the curtain.
I also loved the characters. I felt that they were both incredibly real and their faults made them all the more lovable. The mental health representation as well as the blended family was done really well. It made me feel like I was catching up on family gossip and I loved it.
Another aspect of this book that really kept me entertained was the side characters. They made our main characters all the more well rounded and I really liked the little snippets of their lives that we got to see outside of being in a relationship because of these characters.
Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
At no point was this book going in the direction I thought it was. This made for quite an exciting read. The way that Lowkins strings the story together, giving you only the most pressing information up front, leads to a story that takes its time spanning out. I enjoyed learning about the sisters’ dynamic through the tidbits left in the story, having it all culminate in a final reveal. Another aspect I really enjoyed was the differing timelines and POVs. These were handled in a way so that the story didn’t spoil itself and instead followed a cyclical tunnel of realizations for the reader. So many parts of the story I feel like I can’t speak about without accidentally spoiling some part or another, but take my word it is worth the read.
The one critical note I have is about the formatting of the eBook. The indents of the paragraphs are very small so often it looks like a block of text when in fact there are several paragraphs on a page.
At no point was this book going in the direction I thought it was. This made for quite an exciting read. The way that Lowkins strings the story together, giving you only the most pressing information up front, leads to a story that takes its time spanning out. I enjoyed learning about the sisters’ dynamic through the tidbits left in the story, having it all culminate in a final reveal. Another aspect I really enjoyed was the differing timelines and POVs. These were handled in a way so that the story didn’t spoil itself and instead followed a cyclical tunnel of realizations for the reader. So many parts of the story I feel like I can’t speak about without accidentally spoiling some part or another, but take my word it is worth the read.
The one critical note I have is about the formatting of the eBook. The indents of the paragraphs are very small so often it looks like a block of text when in fact there are several paragraphs on a page.