zaiphon's reviews
153 reviews

If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

SPOILERS BELOW (writing this review on my phone and it never hides the spoilers properly.

Where to start. I got this book ordered immediately when I found out about it after reading "If He Had Been With Me". I was captivated by the writing style and knew I needed to see Finny's POV. I didn't dig too deep into anythint else surrounding the book so I was pleasantly surprised to find that we also get Jack and more of Autumn as well.

First of all, the 5 star rating came single handlely from Jack's POV. This was written so beautifully and captured all the emotions of grief. I am currently struggling with this and while I am not so sure I have come to any resolutions that they did by the end of this novel, it certainly gave me a voice and perspectives to process my own emotions.

I love that we got more of Autumn and seeing the difference from one person's grief to the next truly catapulted the story forward and truly made me power through this book (because I had to know more, no matter how sad). 

Once again, Laura nailed it with her writing style. It's an experience and I recommend to read both novels solely based on that. She had a marvelous way of having the reader become absorbed in the world of these characters - I felt I really could relate and see their actions and the scenes I was reading through their eyes. 

I'm not sure if all releases have this, but I did get the B&N edition that had some extras and I enjoyed seeing the author Q&A. I laughed out loud because one of my questions was "I have to know what album Finny was playing in the car with Autumn and what song he was thinking of her" and sure enough - that was answered! Just some personal touches that shaped the characters even further.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

2.5

I loved the author's other book and was hoping I would get the same aspects in this book. I did not. 

I really wanted to like this, but it just felt like a rushed and bad netflix series that gets canceled after 1 season. I found myself really liking the side characters more than the main characters. 

Shara annoyed me. Romance felt absolutely forced. Lots of things mentioned but not really expounded on. Touches base on some important topics but not really talked about in depth. All this big issues get solved so easily and quickly - like the fact the damn principal - Shara's dad btw - should be arrested or at least face some kind of consequence but no because he has a lawyer so lets go back to kissing a whole bunch and describing how much I am obsessed with you even though the book doesn't really alert to any true feelings until the very end.

I know a lot of people like this book and I respect that - but I was hoping for so much more. 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

I wanted to really love this book. Do I hate it? No, but I was expecting a little bit more from the reviews and hype surrounding the story. 

I feel this story would have been better as a movie (which I heard it does have). The foundation for each scene set in this story (lover, husband&wife, sisters, mother&child) was there but I didn't feel invested to truly empathize with the stories. I just felt each story scene started out really slow, had it's "aha" moment, and then wrapped everything up in 2 pages to move on to the next thing. 

The last arc dealt with the owners of the cafe, but because I felt I barely truly knew them, I didn't get really emotional or connected with any of the revelations revealed at all. 

I see there are more books/stories with this cafe from this novel - but I think I will pass. 

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

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

3.5

Going into this, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this or not. But, I ended up reading this pretty quickly. I loved the banter between Alex and Henry. Definitely a book that can give you a breath of fresh air and is challenging enough that it's not simply just cheesy love romance type stuff. 

I do not certainly mean this in a bad way - but the writing style and humor remind me so much of a lot of K and J Dramas. Could definitely turn into a series in that style and I swear that community would eat this up. 

Did kind of have some adrenaline at the end and found myself speeding through the last few pages, so I ended the book with a lot of energy at the end that I felt like there needed to be a few pages of some more detail. I also really liked the way that showing social change and acceptance will always have a place among the people. Even if a Queen thinks the country isn't ready for change, the people probably actually are. I liked that added layer of politics and social justice the story included.

I noticed there was a movie on prime and if it is anything like this (keeping the witty humor, the slight spice and on edge feeling while reading the book) then I would love it. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

 If there is one thing book 1 to this fantasy series introduced me to again, it was my love of fantasy. My inner young teen/20 year old self was raving and loving every second of this story.

For an introductory to a fantasy world created by SJM, I thought this book did well. It had me wondering about the creatures and characters that were introduced as well as envisioning the lands and the worlds that our main character, Feyre, was weaving her way into.

I did feel there were sections of this book that could have had a little more 'umph' to it or could have painted a better picture (no pun intended.. haha).

The last part of the book

had me on edge. Everything that felt slow paced or bland in the mid of the the book felt like a small complaint to what was all packed into the last portion of the book. But then it all peaked to.. a wide open ending that I was kind of hoping it wouldn't have ended on. Like yay, Feyre is here with Tamlin but now there is Rhysand but yay happily ever after...got to get the next book immediately! Again, a small complaint to ask for the book to hang on a bigger cliffhanger but I may have been expecting more extravagance because of my rekindled love for this genre.

All in all, it captivated me enough to continue with the others in the series and definitely would recommend this to others who are new to the fantasy genre. 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Loved this. The right amount of twists and suspense to make it hard to put the book down. 
I loved the way this book is structured and as you get further and further along, these pieces just slowly start falling into place but definitely in an unexpected way. 

This book dissects this question and left me really contemplating throughout --> Are people born evil? Unfixable? Or do they become this way?

UPDATE - after sitting on this for a while, I decided to change my rating to 3 stars

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

This book was... not for me. Not because of the dark/romance themes but the writing. 
The writing was so bad. It kind of felt like the author had too many thoughts and they were rushing all over the place with all these sub plots that ultimately didn't go anywhere. 

The main characters were unbearable. It was repetitive and the spicey scenes were just meh. Expected more from the hype I heard and that his this is targeted as such a dark novel. 

The sub plot of Adeline's great grandma was just.. not even needed? I see that it was supposed to be parallel to her and her own stalker, but it really just felt like a distraction

I hear the second book is much better, but if the writing style is the same then I think I will pass. 

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

To start, I understand this book is not for everyone. However, I believe beneath the darkness and emotional sadness of this book is the reality of life. For some, not everyone gets a happy ending. Not everyone can walk away from the challenges they face (past or present). But something this book had me questioning - does that mean this person never lived? loved? What defines someone truly happy, truly experiencing happiness and love? 

Each word, event, and small detail that this book begins building for each character immediately as you start in has a meaning. I found myself becoming attached to all the characters. They truly felt realistic to me and it was like they were old friends.

Once this is built up, slowly, these characters are stripped back (little by little) until they are almost shadows of themselves. Harboring secrets and dark parts of themselves.

I found myself analyzing a scene and realizing how not everyone views these topics in that way or would naturally come to the conclusion that a character did within that scene.

I realize that not everyone would view how Jude handles his life and his struggles as understandable and it is then subjective in agreeing with whether he deserves empathy.

One of the things I loved about what this book is that it forces you to address dark topics and find something to make sense of dark subjects that are otherwise at times considered taboo or unrelatable to most. Any book that can incite thought within a person is worth a read. However, I would not recommend this book to anyone who is healing from trauma or is still coping with loss/grief. Another thing this book tends to do (a little too well) is make you feel things in a way as if you too have lived that life. Example

I am not a parent, but I found my heart was heavy for Harold in a way that I felt I understood. When Harold described his reaction and thoughts for Jude, I felt a deeper understanding of parents. I thought of my Dad and wondered "Does he feel this way too?".

Strangely, although I am someone who struggles with their own past and mental health, I found myself seeing things from other sides and perspective in this story and it actually had me questioning and thinking about my own life in a positive way. 

One thing I wish was included in the end was being able to see a little bit more of Jude's final thoughts. More of JB and how he handled the loss. I feel a narrative from him would have really crumpled me into pieces and I almost expected that to happen at this point in the story. The book spent so much time giving you descriptive detail of all things positive or negative, and then it didn't give us much more details on those characters' ends.

Overall, I don't regret reading this book and think it is definitely worth a read after you have checked out the trigger warnings. 

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I <b> loved </b> the writing style of this novel. It is gorgeous, immersive, and has that tinge of dark aesthetic that is so very fitting to the story. 

While there is slight romance involved in the story between Marlinchen and Sevas

this is certainly not a romance novel and it does not focus on romance as a main topic or aspect of the story. Also

I really loved the scenes where Marlinchen finally confronts her family and takes back her life in her own hands. All along, that seemed to be the real villain in her story.

. 
It had me excited and felt that the empowerment resonated with me. 

There are a lot of dark topics and things that may trigger readers - so be sure to read the trigger warnings before starting.

Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas

dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I read this book after reading a few romance/romcom type books that fell flat for me. I found this to be enjoyable and get me out of a "meh" slump to the genre. I liked the idea of long lost pen pals and thought it added an interesting layer to the story. The spice in this book to me wasn't too extreme, but it is there. This was a coming of age with a twist and a dash of rebellion, grief, anger, and other emotions from both main characters wrapped up in one. 

I didn't feel this book is as dark as some may make it out to be, but for some it may be as well as some other triggering topics that are discussed.