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bigborrowedbooks's reviews
723 reviews
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.75
Rebel by K.M. Neuhold, Nora Phoenix
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
3.25
Brave Boy by K.M. Neuhold
lighthearted
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
3.5
Pretty Boy by K.M. Neuhold
emotional
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
3.25
Gooey sweet
Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
1.75 stars - This is bad.
I am a hockey fan. I wanted to be a Lexi Brown fan too. I really wanted this to be good it’s why I request an arc. But wow was this a struggle to get through.
The main character was a caricature of what the author considers to be a cool girl. It’s mentioned multiple times how COOL Lucy is. Like okay? Maybe show me instead of telling me how cool and different and quirky she is. It was abundantly clear the author desperately wanted to be this FMC.
Jaylen was the only redeeming factor about this book but only because he was sort of boring. I suppose she stayed realistic to hockey players but it all it’s ended up trite.
I know this is being marketed as a queer book, and I’m not saying it isn’t. But man it would have been cool if all the queer characters hadn’t been boiled down to overused tropes. The gay best friend was sassy and mean, worked as a barista, and was the FMC’s sex confidant. The lesbian best friend was getting too serious too quickly with a woman who lived in her van. The last bisexual woman Lucy dated actually had a serious boyfriend the entire time and never told Lucy. Lucy (also a bisexual woman) herself is described as promiscuous and flighty in the beginning. It was like a running list of queer tropes with check marks beside each. I wouldn’t have minded one or two, but it truly felt like that was all she could come up with.
I almost don’t want to even get into the dialogue and zeitgeist overload. I get she wanted to be topical and funny but at some point I started to wonder if brands were getting some sort of kickback with the way they were mentioned. Every other paragraph a nod to a current pop culture moment was shoehorned in. It was exhausting. The dialogue was cringey and elementary.
I really expected so much more and was just disappointed.
I am a hockey fan. I wanted to be a Lexi Brown fan too. I really wanted this to be good it’s why I request an arc. But wow was this a struggle to get through.
The main character was a caricature of what the author considers to be a cool girl. It’s mentioned multiple times how COOL Lucy is. Like okay? Maybe show me instead of telling me how cool and different and quirky she is. It was abundantly clear the author desperately wanted to be this FMC.
Jaylen was the only redeeming factor about this book but only because he was sort of boring. I suppose she stayed realistic to hockey players but it all it’s ended up trite.
I know this is being marketed as a queer book, and I’m not saying it isn’t. But man it would have been cool if all the queer characters hadn’t been boiled down to overused tropes. The gay best friend was sassy and mean, worked as a barista, and was the FMC’s sex confidant. The lesbian best friend was getting too serious too quickly with a woman who lived in her van. The last bisexual woman Lucy dated actually had a serious boyfriend the entire time and never told Lucy. Lucy (also a bisexual woman) herself is described as promiscuous and flighty in the beginning. It was like a running list of queer tropes with check marks beside each. I wouldn’t have minded one or two, but it truly felt like that was all she could come up with.
I almost don’t want to even get into the dialogue and zeitgeist overload. I get she wanted to be topical and funny but at some point I started to wonder if brands were getting some sort of kickback with the way they were mentioned. Every other paragraph a nod to a current pop culture moment was shoehorned in. It was exhausting. The dialogue was cringey and elementary.
I really expected so much more and was just disappointed.
Caulky by K.M. Neuhold
funny
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? Yes
3.75
Super cute and sweet. Absolutely perfect for brain off vibes on reading
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
emotional
medium-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
3.0
“I’ll smell like I put sweat into the dream my daughter built”
I am an Elizabeth Acevedo fan, I think she writes so beautifully and intentional. She’s an auto buy author for me but this one was not my favorite. The timelines tangling together really made a lot of this story hard to follow. It was a great story and beautiful but I didn’t vibe with the execution.
I am an Elizabeth Acevedo fan, I think she writes so beautifully and intentional. She’s an auto buy author for me but this one was not my favorite. The timelines tangling together really made a lot of this story hard to follow. It was a great story and beautiful but I didn’t vibe with the execution.
Work: Strictly Professional by Jesse H Reign
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Wyn was so annoying I almost gave up but it was worth sticking it out. No third act break up was nice. Perfect martial to turn your brain off to
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
challenging
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
4.5
Really really fantastic story that makes you reassess your own wants and needs and fears. Even if you aren’t a sci-fi/fantasy person this is absolutely worth it
The Kidnapping of Roan Sinclair by Ashlyn Drewek
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
If you go in looking for a dark mafia romance that is what you’ll get!