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violentdelights's reviews
56 reviews
Beach Read by Emily Henry
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
3.75 to 4.00
A sweet read with loveable characters and some genuine depth amidst the banter. Felt actual charisma and attractiveness coming from the grump MMC, which is hard to do to a mean spirited lesbian.
A sweet read with loveable characters and some genuine depth amidst the banter. Felt actual charisma and attractiveness coming from the grump MMC, which is hard to do to a mean spirited lesbian.
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Read this for my book club.
Quick, lighthearted fake dating read with some loveable characters and charm. Strongly resembles a British romcom.
Quick, lighthearted fake dating read with some loveable characters and charm. Strongly resembles a British romcom.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
5.0
This book warmed up inside out. A D&D campaign meets coffee shop AU, and a must read for anyone like me who is a big fan of both. If you love beauty in the mundane, the power of friendship, and coffee and cinnamon, you’ll love this book.
This is the kind of book where there is no use trying to rate it objectively. The characters felt real and beloved, the relationships had me giggling and kicking my feet, and the writing made me want to do nothing but sit in the sun with some freshly brewed coffee, and that is that. A warm, kind, sweet read that made me feel the same.
This is the kind of book where there is no use trying to rate it objectively. The characters felt real and beloved, the relationships had me giggling and kicking my feet, and the writing made me want to do nothing but sit in the sun with some freshly brewed coffee, and that is that. A warm, kind, sweet read that made me feel the same.
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
Got too busy. Gonna try again soon!
The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Confessions by Kanae Minato
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Very quick and gripping read that seemed impossible to not read cover to cover. I think the first chapter was the strongest, but I will admit that the twist at the end of that chapter was so deeply unsettling and shocking to me. I was honestly confused as to how the rest of the book was going to go because the first chapter was such a well-contained story in and of itself, but the rest of the book was interesting as well. Felt it could have ended a lot sooner than it did, but I still enjoyed as it continued because it gave twist after twist.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Additionally, as someone who has done a fair share of research of adoption (especially cross-cultural adoption) and the trauma that a lot of adoptees experience being separated from their birth family, it was interesting (and unexpected, frankly) to see such a nuanced take. While I personally don’t believe that biological and adoptive necessarily have to exist in a mutually exclusive way, clearly the characters of the novel all view the world in a black-and-white, so that can be justified.
I also found myself hungering for a short epilogue, maybe even a page or two. While not novels have to tie up neatly, of course, with how invested I got into every character it felt like I deserved to have just a little bit more closure.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’m a big fan of anything that is a deconstruction of American suburbia, and this one did not disappoint. A slow-paced novel that spends its time making sure every inch of the characters are known, which (while a little exposition-heavy at times) did develop your understanding of all the characters and layered into the ending more than one may have initially realized.
In such a character-heavy book, I didn't mind the expository nature of each character's background, as I found it enriched every interaction. Even characters that only showed up for a scene, the knowledge of their childhood and their relationship to the main character added tension and an unspoken understanding of why they were acting the way they do. With this style, in which the childhood of each adult character is used to inform the actions of their current self, Ng creates an undercurrent of worry in regards to the child characters, letting the audience know that the actions of the novel will go far beyond the story told between the pages. Just as the stories set before Little Fires Everywhere impacted each character within it, so too will the stories within the novel impact the characters after it.
Still, the most interesting character of the novel, in my opinion, was the characterization of the setting: Celeste Ng manages to make Shaker Heights come alive in a simultaneous idyllic and dystopian way, with descriptions of why it was founded and how the garbage gets taken out. It becomes clear that the theme of appearances will play a large role in the story, as Shaker Heights itself is heavily concerned with how it appears to outsiders. Again, as a lover of a deconstruction of suburbia, it’s no wonder that my favourite character ended up becoming the suburb itself.
The best part of the book to me, however, exists independent of the suburbs: it’s the overlapping tales of motherhood and desires. That is to say, how desire and motherhood can look like many different things. Bebe, Elena, and Mia all want different things and live very different lives, which of course results in three very different types of mothers. But the way their stories, no matter how seemingly different or independent at first, all weave together seamlessly, is truly a work of masterclass. They all tell the same story of motherhood, of how raising a child (or losing a child or fearing the loss of a child) is a unique journey unlike any other.
In such a character-heavy book, I didn't mind the expository nature of each character's background, as I found it enriched every interaction. Even characters that only showed up for a scene, the knowledge of their childhood and their relationship to the main character added tension and an unspoken understanding of why they were acting the way they do. With this style, in which the childhood of each adult character is used to inform the actions of their current self, Ng creates an undercurrent of worry in regards to the child characters, letting the audience know that the actions of the novel will go far beyond the story told between the pages. Just as the stories set before Little Fires Everywhere impacted each character within it, so too will the stories within the novel impact the characters after it.
Still, the most interesting character of the novel, in my opinion, was the characterization of the setting: Celeste Ng manages to make Shaker Heights come alive in a simultaneous idyllic and dystopian way, with descriptions of why it was founded and how the garbage gets taken out. It becomes clear that the theme of appearances will play a large role in the story, as Shaker Heights itself is heavily concerned with how it appears to outsiders. Again, as a lover of a deconstruction of suburbia, it’s no wonder that my favourite character ended up becoming the suburb itself.
The best part of the book to me, however, exists independent of the suburbs: it’s the overlapping tales of motherhood and desires. That is to say, how desire and motherhood can look like many different things. Bebe, Elena, and Mia all want different things and live very different lives, which of course results in three very different types of mothers. But the way their stories, no matter how seemingly different or independent at first, all weave together seamlessly, is truly a work of masterclass. They all tell the same story of motherhood, of how raising a child (or losing a child or fearing the loss of a child) is a unique journey unlike any other.
To a parent, your child wasn't just a person: your child was a place, a kind of Narnia, a vast eternal place where the present you were living and the past you remembered and the future you longed for all existed at once. You could see it every time you looked at her: layered in her face was the baby she'd been and the child she'd become and the adult she would grow up to be, and you saw them all simultaneously, like a 3-D image.
Additionally, as someone who has done a fair share of research of adoption (especially cross-cultural adoption) and the trauma that a lot of adoptees experience being separated from their birth family, it was interesting (and unexpected, frankly) to see such a nuanced take. While I personally don’t believe that biological and adoptive necessarily have to exist in a mutually exclusive way, clearly the characters of the novel all view the world in a black-and-white, so that can be justified.
I also found myself hungering for a short epilogue, maybe even a page or two. While not novels have to tie up neatly, of course, with how invested I got into every character it felt like I deserved to have just a little bit more closure.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Writing this review a fair amount of time after I read the book, so forgive me if it's not completely accurate.
This book was a fast read that got me out of my reading slump and stuck with me for a few days. The interview format made it easy to get through (sometimes I find books tend to get bogged down in details) and also gave voice to all the characters that was easy to hear. With such a big cast of characters, and especially in such a character heavy book, it can be difficult to make all the character's desires and quirks unique to one another. I found this book did a fairly good job, especially as it went along, though at the beginning I had to flip back and forth to make sure I had all the character's instruments and such down pat.
The format probably was the most appealing part of the book to me, as someone who loves unique storytelling devices. Of course, there were moments where it worked to its detriment: at some points the informed characteristics of the characters felt heavy-handed (it felt like a lot of the book was telling us how great Daisy was instead of showing us), as that can be a difficult thing to avoid in a multi-interview style book. However, I found that overall it worked really well to bring the characters to life and for us to feel the growing relationships, both negative and positive. Seeing everybody's perspectives on situations that may have been read as cut-and-dry in other formats paved the way for the eventual demise of the band: for example, being able to see how everyone but Billy himself could see Billy was adored the most set up various tensions within the band.
I liked the deconstruction of the manic pixie dream girl/it girl trope with Daisy, who is introduced as someone who does wild things like goes to clubs too young and stays out too long, but it becomes apparent that it came from parental negligence and a lack of anyone caring about her to take care of her. For me, personally, though, this made certain aspects of her relationship with Billy (as well as other members) harder to swallow: I speak specifically of the scene where Billy sees Daisy coked up and walking barefoot on glass and writes a song about it, flat out romanticizing someone in physical pain from drug use. The way they felt about each other, while palpable, had this undercurrent of disapproval, of knowledge that this wasn't quite right.
Of course, that is both a charm and detriment of the book: all the characters and their relationships to one another were deeply complicated. It's hard for me to truly say I liked any of the characters; moreso, I liked hearing their stories and wanted to know more about them, which I think is more important in a story than liking them. Still, if likeable protagonists and uncomplicated relationships are more your speed, this book may not be for you.
Everyone so far has described this as a book about drugs, sex, and rock and roll, which of course it is, but I feel that to be a little inaccurate. Moreso, this book is one of miscommunication, conflict, difficult decisions, and in a way a bit of a coming-of-age story set to the backdrop of drugs, sex, and rock and roll.
This book was a fast read that got me out of my reading slump and stuck with me for a few days. The interview format made it easy to get through (sometimes I find books tend to get bogged down in details) and also gave voice to all the characters that was easy to hear. With such a big cast of characters, and especially in such a character heavy book, it can be difficult to make all the character's desires and quirks unique to one another. I found this book did a fairly good job, especially as it went along, though at the beginning I had to flip back and forth to make sure I had all the character's instruments and such down pat.
The format probably was the most appealing part of the book to me, as someone who loves unique storytelling devices. Of course, there were moments where it worked to its detriment: at some points the informed characteristics of the characters felt heavy-handed (it felt like a lot of the book was telling us how great Daisy was instead of showing us), as that can be a difficult thing to avoid in a multi-interview style book. However, I found that overall it worked really well to bring the characters to life and for us to feel the growing relationships, both negative and positive. Seeing everybody's perspectives on situations that may have been read as cut-and-dry in other formats paved the way for the eventual demise of the band: for example, being able to see how everyone but Billy himself could see Billy was adored the most set up various tensions within the band.
I liked the deconstruction of the manic pixie dream girl/it girl trope with Daisy, who is introduced as someone who does wild things like goes to clubs too young and stays out too long, but it becomes apparent that it came from parental negligence and a lack of anyone caring about her to take care of her. For me, personally, though, this made certain aspects of her relationship with Billy (as well as other members) harder to swallow: I speak specifically of the scene where Billy sees Daisy coked up and walking barefoot on glass and writes a song about it, flat out romanticizing someone in physical pain from drug use. The way they felt about each other, while palpable, had this undercurrent of disapproval, of knowledge that this wasn't quite right.
Of course, that is both a charm and detriment of the book: all the characters and their relationships to one another were deeply complicated. It's hard for me to truly say I liked any of the characters; moreso, I liked hearing their stories and wanted to know more about them, which I think is more important in a story than liking them. Still, if likeable protagonists and uncomplicated relationships are more your speed, this book may not be for you.
Everyone so far has described this as a book about drugs, sex, and rock and roll, which of course it is, but I feel that to be a little inaccurate. Moreso, this book is one of miscommunication, conflict, difficult decisions, and in a way a bit of a coming-of-age story set to the backdrop of drugs, sex, and rock and roll.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
lighthearted
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
3.5