velvetyaverage's reviews
274 reviews

The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert

emotional funny medium-paced

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

4.0

I’m conflicted on this one. On the one hand, I can see why everyone is raving about Talia Hibbert. Objectively, this is a good romance novel. On the other hand, personally I’m not a huge spice fan and there’s a lot of it in here. Like… a lot. So I think I’m going to settle on a four because the book deserves it, even if it’s not to my particular taste in some ways.

Emily Dickinson: Complete Poems by Emily Dickinson

dark funny inspiring reflective

4.0

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

dark mysterious fast-paced

4.0

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

2.75

I knew going into this that it’s a silly book and that I am not a silly person. That being said, I was enjoying this for the first half or so. It was fun! After Wandermere, though, things kind of fell apart. The writing was very casual to start but almost felt a little sloppy by the end. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it was at this point the spice kicked in. Clearly there were priorities and continuing the bare bones plot was not one of them. Super quick read and I don’t regret committing a few days to it.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye
Did not finish book. Stopped at 75%.

I am 75% of the way through this and we are still only getting crumbs of a plot. They are doing nothing to combat the curse. The ex-husband drama is getting more development than the centuries long curse meant to be what the book revolves around. Any chemistry between them is strictly because they are soulmates and not because of any on page development. We’re just told that they’re madly in love. I don’t hate Helene and Sebastian but neither are very interesting or well-developed. I understand the idea is that we should live in the moment no matter what and not let worries about the future bring us down but not a whole lot is happening in the moment! And from what I’ve seen in other reviews I’m only going to get more annoyed from here.

I mean really? He had one job: tell Helene about developments with her ex and he IMMEDIATELY chooses to not tell her.

It’s not a terrible book but life is too short for me to spend another 3 hours on a book I am this uninterested in.

Link Click Vol.3 by Li Haoling

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

My first Brandon Sanderson book and I get it now. I understand the hype! Not at all the kind of writing style I was expecting but the conversational style really worked for this. I immediately was sucked in and became so immersed in the world. Could not tear my eyes away from the page.

Definitely got the feeling that there were some parts I would have understood better had I read other Sanderson books but these were more like little nods to previous works rather than being necessary to follow the plot of this one. A lovely standalone with, I assume, fun references for Sanderson fans.

A very interesting time to read this, as well, as it has a lot of say about art in this time of generative AI.

Yeonnam-Dong's Smiley Laundromat by Kim Jiyun

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC of the book!

"Every one of us needs our own little beach. A place where we can let go and cry. Here, in Yeonnam-Dong, is one such spot. Washing away our tears and sadness with its white, frothy waves."

Such a lovely collection of interconnected stories about the patrons of the Yeonnam-Dong Smiley Laundromat! It felt almost like parables at times with its emphasis on humility, compassion, and the importance of community and human connection. I enjoyed all the stories and especially found the fourth story and

the assembly of the laundromat avengers to take down their local scam artist

to be quite entertaining. Although not entirely the same, I can definitely see a similar storytelling vibe to Korean dramas so if you're a K-drama fan you may enjoy this.

That being said, the fifth story felt disconnected from the rest and I found it a bit of an odd choice to end on that story.

I also found myself incredibly irritated with Daeju. While I understand the stress he's under, I had such a hard time sympathizing with him berating his father because he expects his dad to foot the bill for international horse riding lessons. I may just be sensitive to this particular topic because of my own experiences but the audacity of Daeju and the daughter-in-law to expect this poor old man to abandon his home and rent it out so they can profit had me fuming! I understand that his growth from this was at least part of the point of the story but there was not enough growth to redeem him in my eyes.

I did listen to this on audiobook and while for the most part I could accept the narrator's creative decisions and choices for voicing characters, interesting as they may have been, there was one particular character that almost made me DNF the book. If you're particularly sensitive to noise, especially gross noises, be warned.

The scammer in the third story and the fourth story was horrible to listen to. I understand that the text described his voice in a very specific way but I hated hearing this man hacking up phlegm in my ear every time he spoke. It was disgusting.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Grief

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death

Miss Percy's Definitive Guide (to the Restoration of Dragons) by Quenby Olson

adventurous funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

2.75

There was a point in the second book where Olsen's style of writing went from being charming to being tedious and it continues to go downhill in this third installment. It's like molasses: in small doses sweet and lovely but in excess leaves you drowning in verbosity.

Most of the attempts at humor, especially in the overabundance of asides, fell flat for me and the occasional chuckle that did escape me just wasn't enough. Every chapter was spent talking in circles about the same things: "How much bigger will Fitz get?" "Whatever shall Miss Percy do once this adventure is over?" "Miss Percy simply isn't an adventuress; she's far too old and tired for all this!" The first 70% of the book is spent spinning wheels and when we finally get a conclusion it's rushed and leaves so much to be desired.

How we went from Belinda--the pretty-faced, petulant teenager who somehow charms the entire city with a wave of her hand-- and the Regent Prince--a literal prince who has clearly never been told no, wants the eggs for himself, and has otherwise zero personality-- being the unstoppable antagonists to rolling over and letting Miss Percy do whatever she wants I don't know. The fact that the Regent Prince was so willing to let Miss Percy just leave with the dragons and the remaining eggs baffles me. All she did was sit in a ballroom for a week and then coincidentally be in the same room as the eggs when they hatched. Now you expect me to believe that this completely obtuse, self-centered regent is going to just let her walk away? What happened to banishing them all to the countryside?

All this being said, if you've been a fan of the series up through the first two books then I do think this is a worthwhile read. It's an adequate conclusion to the series and the epilogue is quite sweet.