whatchareadingheather's reviews
705 reviews

A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

3.0

Holy whiplash! Honestly, I feel like I got 2 completely different books and actually enjoyed the more grounded aspects in the first half of the book as opposed to the supernatural-y elements of the second half of the book. If this was just the first half of the book with an actual ending this would have gotten 5 stars from me.

Ghost Roast by Shawnelle Gibbs, Shawneé Gibbs

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

This was such a fun read! The story and characters were fully fleshed out and incorporates history in an entertaining way for all ages. I would absolutely love to see this adapted into a movie someday!

Crimes of Passion by Jack Harbon

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

Equal parts lighthearted and thought-provoking (in terms of the nature of our main characters' podcasts).  

Bacchanal by Veronica G. Henry
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.

Initially tried reading a hard copy of this and switched to audiobook thinking it might be more entertaining. While the narrator was great, the book itself is very slow (even for myself who generally tends to enjoy slow-burn books), and I didn't care much for the characters and overall worldbuilding.

We Are the Water People by Troy Onyango

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.5

Absolutely needed to be a full-length book purely because the overall lore of the water people needed to be fleshed out more than it was (clearly due to timing for this particular story). I did really like the narration and I will be seeking out more works about the water people in the future.

Zaddy by Sarah Ramos

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

Honestly, if this were a full-length book this would have gotten a perfect rating. I think this  accomplished everything that needed to happen character development-wise and for the overall plot itself given the length it had. This definitely kept me on my toes and the narration was very cinematic. Maybe a movie adaptation in the future?

Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships by Daniel Goleman

informative medium-paced

4.5

I really hope that this is required reading in psychology classes because this was very informative on many different social dynamics in an easily digestible way. Great and realistic examples paired with the necessary science-y verbiage, but wasn't intimidating. 

Looking for Alaska by John Green

emotional lighthearted sad medium-paced

• 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

3.5

I definitely would have enjoyed this more if I had read it when I was younger, but I will say that this book reignited my interest in world religions and made me a bit nostalgic about my high school world religion class. 

Memorial by Bryan Washington

emotional sad medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.0

TBH I wasn’t sold on Ben and Mike’s relationship. Honestly, I was more invested in Ben and Mitsuko’s dynamic. But I did enjoy the author’s writing style and attention to detail so I will be checking out more of their work.

When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed, Victoria Jamieson

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

5.0

This is a great example of why graphic novels should always be taken seriously as a form of literature. This book helped me understand the refugee experience from general camp life to the extensive interview process for potential relocation to the United Nations' role in aiding refugees.