agiecummings's reviews
365 reviews

Take the Lead by Alexis Daria

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

I stayed up til 1:30am reading this book and I absolutely adored it. There’s probably valid flaws that other people could come up with when reading this book, but you won’t be hearing about them from me.

First, I’ve loved every Alexis Daria book I’ve read. Perfect balance of character development, fun (Hollywood-adjacent) plot, and 🌶️. Second, the “Hollywood-adjacent” aspect of this book was basically a rip off of Dancing with the Stars, which, unironically, is my favorite television show (I have watched it religiously for years). Third, there’s whiffs of The Simple Wild with Stone’s background, which is one of my fave books. And finally (but certainly not the least important reason), Alexis Daria does such a beautiful job of incorporating strong, independent women into her FMCs (particularly Latinx women) and they’re so fun to read.
Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by Mildred Pitts Walter

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emotional funny informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I, once again, read this for work. But I think it would be a great jumping off point for a student who wants to learn a little bit more about Westward expansion and Black cowboys (but through a fiction lens). 
Seesaw Girl by Linda Sue Park

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informative inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I read this book for work, and it’s such a beautifully written and interesting piece on the life of a wealthy girl living in Korea long ago. Fascinating from a historical perspective, but also engaging on a plot level. Kids would love it.
Reckless by Lauren Roberts

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow I was a little skeptical after book one, but after reading her second book I now see how her style works and I’m 100% on board. And 1000% behind Paedyn and Kai being in love. And the stakes being even higher after he finally finds her and brings her home to Ilya? Insane.

I can’t believe that it took so much darkness for me to find the light in Kai and Paedyn’s story, but I’m all in now. I absolutely adore them and I need them to find a way to be together and save Ilya from tyranny in the process. 

This series is a bit of The Selection, a bit of The Hunger Games, and a bit of Divergent/X Men and I love all of those things so I’m very excited for the final part of the trilogy to come out in 2025. I need to see how this surprise marriage proposal is going to play out 👀!!
Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

This novella/short story just reminded me how much I love Alexis Daria. Her stories are so fun to read and Evie and Theo perfectly fit the bill. They’re so sweet with each other as they figure out how they want to relate to each other (and how admitting their feelings for each other will affect their daily lives).

But overall they were super cute and I loved seeing so much of myself in Evie. 😭❤️

P.S. Would have been 5⭐️ if the epilogue had been more than a week later. That messed up the pacing in a way that I didn’t like. 🙈
Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I thought this was the cutest of the set yet. I think Griffin and Everleigh were both so precious and made for a cutie little modern damsel-in-distress being saved by a firefighter. Honestly, a bit on the nose in terms of a fantasy come to life but it was so fun to read.

I’ve never read a book by Alexandria before so now I need to check out her catalog now!
All by My Elf by Olivia Dade

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

This was cute. A little epilogue might have helped. For all we know, this was a one-time hookup and they’ll never speak again. But it was a little cute story about two coworkers giving into their crushes, which was adorable.
Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey

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

3.0

I think my issue with these little short stories is that there just isn’t enough time to get to know the characters in order to make their stories make sense and feel reasonable. And Evie and Luke are such a good example of this. Like these two could have a rich story on their own, but we don’t really get any explanation of either part in a meaningful way. And then it’s just like “oh they love each other.” 

P.S. We didn’t need Evie to be a mom. If you’re going to do that, make it purposeful and honest. We didn’t do that.

P.P.S. We get it. He’s big. Not sure I needed it to be brought up that often.
Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood

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emotional mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I loved the second-chance romance aspect of this, but there was just a little too much in terms of how quickly we had to get on board with Marc being in love with Jamie. Honestly, I would have loved to read a whole book about them, not just a quick little novella. 

But Ali Hazelwood is my girl and even if I didn’t love this story, it’s mostly cause I wanted more of it and I know Ali would absolutely *eat* if she made this a full novel.
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music by Rob Sheffield

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emotional funny informative medium-paced

4.0

This book loses a star for the way this man writes about the songs/things he doesn’t like across Taylor’s discography and history as if everyone agrees with him. Spoiler alert: some people actually like “ME!” It’s me, I’m people.

Either way, a fascinating look at the life and songs of our best girl, Taylor MF-ing Swift. 🩷