wallflovver's reviews
92 reviews

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

as with the rules of magic, it took me a while to get through this book. but i enjoyed it so much! 

these books are so well crafted, i think it takes so long to get through them because everything matters to the owens's stories, the threads are woven carefully to create a larger tapestry

following vincent, jet & franny was a pleasure and I'm so excited to get to sally & gilly's story 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

guys i genuinely hated this book and even though it's a very short book, it took me over a week to get through..

i genuinely don't understand why the racism in this book is never spoken about, and the constant fatphobia! some slight homophobia thrown in there too

you can call it "a product of its time" all you like, but not everyone in the 60s was intensely racist like this... she stereotypes multiple people based on their race, she kicks a black man, uses slurs. 

even without the fatphobia and the racism, esther is a horrible character. she's a mean person, and no amount of mental illness can excuse just being completely indifferent to the people around you. not even indifferent, actively looking down on everyone around you

ive seen some people say "she's just a character" but the bell jar is semi autobiographical, esther is a reflection of sylvia herself and that's kinda weird to me guys!

maybe it didn't hit that hard for me because i've been mentally ill since i can remember and i know what intersectional feminism is.. but i honestly feel like teenage me posted tweets about being suicidal with more impact than this book lol

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

sentimental and healing - read in a tattoo studio waiting for a friend to get a tattoo. i did tear up

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

it took me quite a while to wade through this book but can safely say, i adored it

the practical magic movie is one of my all time favourites, and this book took everything i loved and mixed it into historical fiction (another favourite of mine)

some sections were a little slower than others, but i enjoyed how careful this book's construction seems.. there's a lot of threads that connect to one another throughout the story and I was left feeling very satisfied at the end

i love love, i love women, and i love magic

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

5.0

i can't believe it's taken me so long to read this book considering the movie is one of my comfort movies - i was so pleased by how much of the movie is directly lifted from the book! 

this was a perfect read in my opinion, it has a lot of older themes and they're presented in a way that is digestible for children 

it's a story of loneliness, melancholy and loss, but also the warmth of community, forgiveness and love

Nell's Cowboy by Debbie Macomber

hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

these stories continue to get more complex as the series goes on..

i loved travis and nell's romance, and unraveling the mystery of bitter end was very satisfying 

Dr. Texas by Debbie Macomber

hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

i really liked this romance in the series, it made me very happy, lots of involvement from other characters we've seen before and lots of loose ends tying up! 

these books as they tie into eachother gradually are becoming more full and exciting! it's very fun 

Caroline's Child by Debbie Macomber

lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

3.75

definitely enjoyed this more than book two, not as much as book one though!

grady's character development and his growing love for maggie was so lovely.. the ending made me so happy! 

as always such a joy to see all the other residents of promise

grady's dog dies half way through and makes no difference to the plot at all? that was weird and so sad?

Texas Two-Step by Debbie Macomber

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.25

i love this series and the characters at play, but ellie and glen's story was a bit of a miss for me. im not a fan of the miscommunication trope and this story relied on it too much for my tastes.. but it is promise, texas, and i have a soft spot for sure

Lonesome Cowboy by Debbie Macomber

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

debbie macomber you know exactly what i need and you have delivered it!

sweet, concise romance with a large cast of characters.. i can't wait to get my teeth into the other books set in promise, texas