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untanglingbooks's reviews
35 reviews
Bissle Spätzle, Habibi? by Abla Alaoui
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Bestimmt nicht das beste Buch das ich je gelesen habe, aber ich fand es recht unterhaltsam und vor allem auch ziemlich kurzweilig. Man sollte aber wissen, dass es sich hier nicht wirklich um eine Liebesgeschichte handelt. Stattdessen dreht es sich eher um Amayas Leben generell, neben ihrem Freund vor allem um ihre Familie, ihre Freunde und ihren Job.
Mir hat am Ende ein bisschen das Zusammentreffen von Daniel und Amayas Eltern gefehlt, das fand ich bisschen schade. Generell ging es mir zum Schluss irgendwie viel zu schnell.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Racism
Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Let’s be honest, it took me a while to get through this book, but that was definitely not because it’s not worth reading it.
I really liked the characters and the setting in general was very nice and cozy. But I need to say, the story was not particularly exciting or anything. It was more or less predictable (apart from the side story about the relationship between Astrid and Delilah, which I actually found pretty interesting).
So it was a pretty good book and I definitely enjoyed reading it, but it was a rather average queer love story. Nevertheless, I bought the second volume only one day after finishing this book😁
I really liked the characters and the setting in general was very nice and cozy. But I need to say, the story was not particularly exciting or anything. It was more or less predictable (apart from the side story about the relationship between Astrid and Delilah, which I actually found pretty interesting).
So it was a pretty good book and I definitely enjoyed reading it, but it was a rather average queer love story. Nevertheless, I bought the second volume only one day after finishing this book😁
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
2.0
<doesn’t include any major spoilers>
Oof, reading this book was exhausting. When I first started reading it I got to around page 40 and then it took me 6 whole months to pick it up again. And honestly that’s all you need to know about the book.
About the plot: Sabrina finds herself in a restaurant with all the people she once put on a „Who would you want to eat dinner with once - dead or alive?“-list. The story then is told in alternating perspectives, one set in the present, one set in the past.
So, one of the people at the table is Sabrina‘s ex-boyfriend Tobias. And we first get an insight into how they met and how their relationship was developing. And then … yeah what happens then? Nothing. We have everyone share their thoughts about each other a little in the present, but in the past we only ever really get to know Tobias and a little Jessica - Sabrina‘s best friend. The problem is that Tobias and Sabrina‘s relationship is not even that interesting. It’s really just toxic and it has been from the very beginning and how it was told was just way too slow-paced, so that sometimes it felt like there was nothing happening at all.
In the last few chapters some of the other characters also got to tell their story and it finally felt like there was an actual plot, but in general this book just wasn’t my thing.
I found it boring, sometimes too cheesy and the plot was so slow-paced that it often felt like there was no plot at all.
I really would have been interested into learning more about Sabby’s relationship with Robert and Jessica and not just read about Tobias all the time.
I like the idea of that book and I also liked the writing style, but I really didn’t like the story.
Oof, reading this book was exhausting. When I first started reading it I got to around page 40 and then it took me 6 whole months to pick it up again. And honestly that’s all you need to know about the book.
About the plot: Sabrina finds herself in a restaurant with all the people she once put on a „Who would you want to eat dinner with once - dead or alive?“-list. The story then is told in alternating perspectives, one set in the present, one set in the past.
So, one of the people at the table is Sabrina‘s ex-boyfriend Tobias. And we first get an insight into how they met and how their relationship was developing. And then … yeah what happens then? Nothing. We have everyone share their thoughts about each other a little in the present, but in the past we only ever really get to know Tobias and a little Jessica - Sabrina‘s best friend. The problem is that Tobias and Sabrina‘s relationship is not even that interesting. It’s really just toxic and it has been from the very beginning and how it was told was just way too slow-paced, so that sometimes it felt like there was nothing happening at all.
In the last few chapters some of the other characters also got to tell their story and it finally felt like there was an actual plot, but in general this book just wasn’t my thing.
I found it boring, sometimes too cheesy and the plot was so slow-paced that it often felt like there was no plot at all.
I really would have been interested into learning more about Sabby’s relationship with Robert and Jessica and not just read about Tobias all the time.
I like the idea of that book and I also liked the writing style, but I really didn’t like the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident and Death
Minor: Miscarriage
Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Sooo, I‘ve been thinking a little about how many stars to give this book…
Let’s start with the positive things: This was a really easy read. I‘m usually a bit lazy when it comes to reading but with this book I didn’t really struggle to find motivation. Also I really liked some of the side characters, especially Madi and Jam.
Who I didn’t really like though, was the main character: Lauren was not at all relatable. She was very impulsive and her decisions weren’t really understandable to me. Which might also be due to the fact that the beginning, so her finding the picture, that points to Martha, the travel to the US and the meeting with Mr Tarsen was veery rushed. There was never any actual obstacle (even though Lauren made it seem like there was). Everything always just worked out exactly as she had imagined it.
Some more unexpected things happened towards the ending of part one and then in part two, even though I really couldn’t quite follow why there hadn’t been any other option apart from making Lauren live with her biological family after her parents got arrested. But I‘ve accepted it since it’s a fictional story xD What I don’t accept though is how the whole story about Shelby hitting her sister just wasn’t ever resolved.
What I also didn’t enjoy at all, was the love story between Jam and Lauren. It felt kinda „pointless“ because they had been super good friends anyway and tbh I enjoyed their friendship a lot more.
I liked Jam as a character because he seemed to be quite reasonable (unlike Lauren), but I don’t understand the author’s need to make them a couple.
Then there was the ending. The story climaxed in the abduction of Madi and Lauren. (Of course, they were rescued by Jam, the great saviour and Prince Charming - what a cliché … but whatever.)
There were several things that didn’t make sense to me about this scene, but all in all it was thrilling. What felt kinda rushed again, was what happened after. Suddenly everyone seemed to be happy and Lauren got along with all her family members, even though she had been having a lot of problems with her biological family before? Don’t get me wrong, I‘m totally in for happy endings but this one just seemed a little too romanticised.
In general, the book didn’t really have the thriller vibe that I expected. It felt a lot more like a book that I would have read in middle school. The protagonist is very young, so the story definitely was adventurous, but in the end there were only some short scenes (basically the abduction scenes) where it actually felt like a thriller.The atmosphere was probably also crashed by the sudden love story.
So, if you wanna have an easy read and enjoy a nice story (with a little lack of logic), this book is for you, but if you’re looking for an actual thriller, go find something else.
Let’s start with the positive things: This was a really easy read. I‘m usually a bit lazy when it comes to reading but with this book I didn’t really struggle to find motivation. Also I really liked some of the side characters, especially Madi and Jam.
Who I didn’t really like though, was the main character: Lauren was not at all relatable. She was very impulsive and her decisions weren’t really understandable to me. Which might also be due to the fact that the beginning, so her finding the picture, that points to Martha, the travel to the US and the meeting with Mr Tarsen was veery rushed. There was never any actual obstacle (even though Lauren made it seem like there was). Everything always just worked out exactly as she had imagined it.
Some more unexpected things happened towards the ending of part one and then in part two
What I also didn’t enjoy at all, was the love story between Jam and Lauren. It felt kinda „pointless“ because they had been super good friends anyway and tbh I enjoyed their friendship a lot more.
I liked Jam as a character because he seemed to be quite reasonable (unlike Lauren), but I don’t understand the author’s need to make them a couple.
Then there was the ending. The story climaxed in the abduction of Madi and Lauren. (Of course, they were rescued by Jam, the great saviour and Prince Charming - what a cliché … but whatever.)
There were several things that didn’t make sense to me about this scene, but all in all it was thrilling. What felt kinda rushed again, was what happened after. Suddenly everyone seemed to be happy and Lauren got along with all her family members, even though she had been having a lot of problems with her biological family before? Don’t get me wrong, I‘m totally in for happy endings but this one just seemed a little too romanticised.
In general, the book didn’t really have the thriller vibe that I expected. It felt a lot more like a book that I would have read in middle school. The protagonist is very young, so the story definitely was adventurous, but in the end there were only some short scenes (basically the abduction scenes) where it actually felt like a thriller.
So, if you wanna have an easy read and enjoy a nice story (with a little lack of logic), this book is for you, but if you’re looking for an actual thriller, go find something else.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse
Du darfst nicht alles glauben, was du denkst: Meine Depression by Kurt Krömer
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Ich denke für einen Einstieg ins Thema wirklich sehr gut. Ich habe mich vorher wenig mit Depressionen auseinandergesetzt und fand es daher sehr interessant, man muss allerdings beachten, dass es sich bei dem Buch wirklich nur um einen Erfahrungsbericht und nicht um eine wissenschaftliche Herangehensweise handelt.
Ich denke, das Buch hätte noch etwas heruntergekürzt werden können, da es doch Passagen gab, die sich wiederholten. Ich empfehle daher, das Ganze als Hörbuch zu hören, beim Lesen wäre mir wahrscheinlich doch manchmal langweilig geworden.
Ich denke, das Buch hätte noch etwas heruntergekürzt werden können, da es doch Passagen gab, die sich wiederholten. Ich empfehle daher, das Ganze als Hörbuch zu hören, beim Lesen wäre mir wahrscheinlich doch manchmal langweilig geworden.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Blood and Gun violence
Minor: Abortion
La vita in due by Nicholas Sparks, Alessandra Petrelli
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
The story is way too slow-paced and also cheesy, so I don’t really have the motivation to finish it right now.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I really love everything about this book. The whole atmosphere is just so lovely. The characters are amazing and I‘m always in for bisexual main characters <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content