yelloweyedbeta's reviews
128 reviews

Breaking Character by Lee Winter

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

3.75

very enjoyable, especially if you’re a “i could never be an actor cause i would fall in love” type of person and love the fake dating trope.

The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

i have honestly too many thoughts about the book.
my precious, beloved characters who mean the world to me. my heart is aching for jean so badly. jeremy, cat, laila are a blessing. i was smiling, i am hopeful, i broke quite a few times whenever more of jean’s story got revealed.
all i need to know now: when is the next book coming out??

“a cool evening breeze. rainbows. open roads. friends”

Tempting Olivia by Clare Ashton

hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

yes, just yes. read it and love them yourself. i wish it could’ve swept me off my feet more but i still really enjoyed the read. they’re too kind, too gentle, too soft and so in love. 

In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

“the world isn’t kind […] but that doesn’t mean i can’t be”

i enjoyed it more than anticipated cause the time frame and the whole fantasy aspect isn’t usually my cup of tea. they’re cute. they’re the sweetest. also really enjoyed the bond between tal and his siblings.

“athlen laughed again. the sound echoed off the walls, and tal would gladly have drowned in it”

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

surprisingly good and highly cute~
we love best friends to enemies to lovers in this household. can recommend, will recommend the book to anyone who wants some excellent chemistry and lighthearted romance

“we’re lying here like different coins, but for years of my life we were two sides of the same. she had my back and i had hers”

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

another one of lisa’s books that i read and it didn’t disappoint. i wasn’t as clutched to it as “the night she disappeared” but “none of this is true” sometimes felt too much to bare, especially for someone who doesn’t usually read this kind of book. sometimes i didn’t even know what or whom to believe, however, it’s done. at first i was confused by the netflix series real life story telling, it turned out to be more interesting in the end. maybe she can write one where the gays have a happier ending? just a suggestion 

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

dark emotional lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I am starting at notes and I cannot help but laugh at myself and how much I wanted it to be a queer thriller with a happy ending. I couldn’t put the book down. It wasn’t my first story of Lisa but it might be my favourite so far. Also: bi, pan, queer people exist.

“She’s a strong woman. A gay woman. A mother. A future social worker.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Biphobia, Homophobia, and Rape

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

dark emotional reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

i was yet again reminded of why i don’t usually read those kind of books. they’re just not my cup of tea, doesn’t mean it was a bad book. some terms that were being used from the author/translator didn’t sit right with me but i read the comments and i came prepared. i wish mikage and yuichi nothing but the best, that they get through whatever together.

“as i grow older, much older, i will experience many things, and I will hit rock bottom again and again. again and again i will suffer; again and again i will get back on my feet. i will not be defeated. i won't let my spirit be destroyed.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism

Better Than Expected by Haley Cass

hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

i finished wylei this morning, finished bte just now and i had high hopes. seeing more of hannah’s pov. getting more parallels of the scenes we got in wylei, more inside. i didn’t like the time jumps as much but i am glad we got more of their story and their love for each other. saw them grow a bit more, tackling the daily life and their future together. it wasn’t bad at all, i just wasn’t better than expected 

When You Least Expect It by Haley Cass

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

3.75

to love and to be loved, unconditionally, full of trust, wholeheartedly.
i really loved this book. it’s just warm, like a warm hug. sometimes i got a bit distanced but they pulled me right back in.

“but mostly, she wished that hannah could look in the mirror every day and see that she shines as bright as the moon and had twice the gravitational pull.”