bookishaddictions's reviews
310 reviews

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

Although I’m a bit late posting this for Diwali, it is still a time of light and celebration. I didn’t really understand the significance of Diwali or what it was before reading this; while I have friends and family that celebrate the holiday, I haven’t personally participated. I’m so glad that I got to learn more about Diwali though, and our main characters (Niki and Sam) are both so lovable and relatable. I found their story believable as far as meet cutes go, so I was rooting for them. I appreciate Lalli’s openness to discussing the “other” identity that stems from having multiple cultures; we see this as Niki finds herself being too Indian for the U.S. but not Indian enough for her community. Lalli also addressed the ugly and the beautiful truths about being a woman in India, and her candor does not go unnoticed 🎆

Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

So I read the novellas out of order, as I read The Love Hypothesis (loved it) and then Stuck With You (wasn’t a fan). I got the novellas as my library made them available on @libby.app, so I found UOR last. While I loved TLH because I felt like I could really follow as the characters’ relationships built, I didn’t really feel that in Under One Roof.

Due to the shortness of the story, it felt a bit like a porno; they went rapidly from enemies to friends, and then they were suddenly getting naked

Although this story was more enjoyable than Stuck With You, it still did not live up to the novel that started it all. I found the antics of Mara and Liam to be entertaining, and there was a certain organic feel to their relationship development. Aside from the scene that felt straight out of a porno- if you read it, you know what I mean- the story feels possible. I found that I actually wanted to finish reading this one (unlike Stuck With You).

Content Warnings

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

The only word to describe Ugly Love is captivating. I waited more than five months for my turn to borrow a digital copy via @libby.app and I completely understand now why the wait list was so long. Following along with Tate and Miles no-strings-attached relationship is steamy and fun, but as we know, no-strings relationships always have invisible threads that tug at the hearts of those involved. I loved reading about Tate and Miles’ time together, but the history is devastating. Although I won’t say much too avoid spoilers, I also love the reoccurring symbolism of fluidity; just as water changes, so do we as people. Ugly Love is a story of love, growth, and heartbreak.

Content Warnings

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.0

I enjoy graphic novels, and I enjoy fantasy- I did not enjoy this one though. The story both makes no sense and total sense, and the plot itself wasn’t very engaging to me. I thought the different art styles were interesting, but that’s about it. I noticed that I wanted to DNF Neverwhere, but I’m too much of a completionist to have actually done so. While I will credit Gaiman for his originality, I wouldn’t recommend this book to my friends or family.

Content Warnings

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

I know I should love the story as an English teacher, but I found it so dull! I usually love historical fiction, and I enjoy older novels; this one just felt so pointless.

Gatsby is a man that’s love borders on obsession (I honestly got some stalker vibes from him, but that’s another issue), and Daisy feels superficial and materialistic. I felt like narrator is just passively there, and he is almost condoning the nonsense behavior of the other characters. So we have an affair between Tom and his side partner, and it is implied that an affair is potentially present towards the end between Gatsby and Daisy- and yet people from the outside can’t tell which individual their own spouses are cheating with?

This whole story was ridiculous in my opinion. I read it in case I had to teach it, but I’d be perfectly happy if I never had to think about TGG again 🤷🏼‍♀️

Content Warnings

Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed this volume, as it really looks at the confusion that can occur as teens explore their sexuality. This was a quick and light read

Content Warnings

Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman

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challenging funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

After volume 1, this volume felt a bit underwhelming. It really just felt like fluff meant to keep readers involved until volume 4; it’s possible that I’m just too old now to see the magic in this issue though as well. Super quick read, so it’s great for someone looking for something to help them meet their reading goals.

Content Warnings

Across Ancient Sands: Uncovering a Bronze Age journey around the Mediterranean Sea by Eric Horn

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adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

3.5

I would like to start by thanking Eric for helping me snag a free copy of his book for me to review; he reached out to me quite a while ago, and I’ve been slowly working my way through the text. I’ll be honest, my first impression was that the cover looked like that of a dull history textbook- but this story was not that. The novel follows along with two archaeologists and their students as they work to uncover hidden historical gems in what I believe was the African desert. As the archaeologists uncovered the story of a (possibly real?) historical figure, they are learning of an overlap between cultures that were not previously believed to have interacted with one another. I’m not certain how much of this story is historical accurate- I have a degree in English, not history- but you will learn as the story continues. I will say that the thing that took the story from 4⭐️ to 3.5 for me was how little we learn about the characters. I could picture the stories the characters learned about clearly, but it was very difficult to really see the actual characters as individuals. This book would be great for someone that’s a fan of archeology or a history buff, but it was lacking the humanistic component for me. Overall, I found myself entertained despite my struggling to connect with the text. I would recommend this book to those that loved history class or had those childhood dreams of discovering ancient relics

Heartstopper Volume 3 by Alice Oseman

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

I found this volume to be okay. They begin to lean into the issues of mental health and eating disorders, but it felt very superficial. Hopefully this will be addressed more in the next volume.

Content Warnings

Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman

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challenging emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I decided to check out Heartstopper since I kept hearing my teenage sister talk about it. I try to keep up with the trending books so I can continue adding to my class library, and I do think I will be adding Heartstopper to mine. I would like to note that I thought the stories were cute in a shy teenage romance sort of way, although it wasn’t quite my cup of tea. I found that Volume 1 and Volume 4 stuck out to me, primarily do to their focus- discovering one’s sexuality and mental health. Volume 2 and Volume 3 essentially felt like fluffy filler to me. It was cute to see how Nick and Charlie’s relationship evolves, but that’s about it. If you’re looking for a quick and simple read, Heartstopper is the series for you.

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bookishaddictions's reviews 310 reviews

bookishaddictions's reviews
310 reviews