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brittishliterature's reviews
212 reviews
A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Might revisit next year, but just wasn’t grabbing me and I’ve moved on now.
Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
3.0
Read this one for a book club, and I’m not sure I would have stuck with it if it weren’t for that, but I was glad I did by the end.
Sometimes the pace felt a little slow to me, and while the story was interesting I found myself wanting to hurry it along or craving more action. Though this could have been more indicative of my reading mood at the time rather than of the book itself.
However, I did really like this book and how it came together in the end.
The chemistry between Will and Anna sometimes fell short for me, but I enjoyed Anna’s character development and the focus on her personal growth. (In a way, I could have seen this book ending with her not being in a relationship with anyone as a perfectly acceptable ending.) I thought that the friendships she forged and the bond with her sister and kids were so sweet and just as important.
I loved the Google searches at the beginning of each chapter as well. So relatable!
Reading the end of the last chapter made me smile and I’m glad I stuck with it. Overall a lovely read from Sophie Cousens and would definitely recommend. ❤️
Sometimes the pace felt a little slow to me, and while the story was interesting I found myself wanting to hurry it along or craving more action. Though this could have been more indicative of my reading mood at the time rather than of the book itself.
However, I did really like this book and how it came together in the end.
The chemistry between Will and Anna sometimes fell short for me, but I enjoyed Anna’s character development and the focus on her personal growth. (In a way, I could have seen this book ending with her not being in a relationship with anyone as a perfectly acceptable ending.) I thought that the friendships she forged and the bond with her sister and kids were so sweet and just as important.
I loved the Google searches at the beginning of each chapter as well. So relatable!
Reading the end of the last chapter made me smile and I’m glad I stuck with it. Overall a lovely read from Sophie Cousens and would definitely recommend. ❤️
One Day in December by Josie Silver
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Have loved listening to this series on audio for roadtrips or doing chores - there’s just something comforting about it 💚
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Read this one for my local bookstore’s Bingo Book Club and loved it! A good mix of mystery and rom-com set around Christmas - and the audiobook narration was superb as well. 🎄🕵🏻♀️
I enjoyed the mystery aspect, which made it feel different enough and more interesting than the average holiday romance to keep me turning the page. The spice level was pretty PG, but I liked that, so just don’t expect much there if that’s what you’re looking for.
I would definitely recommend, it was such a fun read and I look forward to reading The Blonde Identity next. I also didn’t realize she wrote The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor, which has been on my TBR for a while! And she wrote the Netflix rom-com “A Castle for Christmas” so I’ll have to watch that one.
(Also cool that she lives in Oklahoma! 🫶🏼)
I enjoyed the mystery aspect, which made it feel different enough and more interesting than the average holiday romance to keep me turning the page. The spice level was pretty PG, but I liked that, so just don’t expect much there if that’s what you’re looking for.
I would definitely recommend, it was such a fun read and I look forward to reading The Blonde Identity next. I also didn’t realize she wrote The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor, which has been on my TBR for a while! And she wrote the Netflix rom-com “A Castle for Christmas” so I’ll have to watch that one.
(Also cool that she lives in Oklahoma! 🫶🏼)
Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God: The Scandalous Truth of the Very Good News by Brian Zahnd
Will come back to it later
A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
Kinda liked the vibes for October, but the story wasn’t grabbing me.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
So slow and I was getting bored. Looked up spoilers to at least know what happened and glad I didn’t push through, because I don’t think it would have been worth another 330 pages 😅 Really disappointed in this one after seeing it recommended and loved by others, but oh well. I’ve got too many other exciting reads to get to, so I’m proud of myself for DNF’ing!!
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Finally read this one for a book club, and I may have more thoughts to add later but here’s my initial reaction:
While this book didn’t exactly rock my world, I still enjoyed it once I got past some of the things I didn’t enjoy about the delivery style/writing. At times it felt a bit distracting or off-putting and got in the way of my getting lost in the story. (And also I felt like all the death from so early on and then constantly was unnecessary? Idk just started to feel like overkill and kind of annoyed me but whatever.) It got more interesting by the end of the book, and I do really like the characters and plot at the core of it all so I look forward to reading the next one.
UPDATE: After finishing this one I found myself sad that I wasn’t reading it anymore and ready to get back into the world so I guess that says something 😂
While this book didn’t exactly rock my world, I still enjoyed it once I got past some of the things I didn’t enjoy about the delivery style/writing. At times it felt a bit distracting or off-putting and got in the way of my getting lost in the story. (And also I felt like all the death from so early on and then constantly was unnecessary? Idk just started to feel like overkill and kind of annoyed me but whatever.) It got more interesting by the end of the book, and I do really like the characters and plot at the core of it all so I look forward to reading the next one.
UPDATE: After finishing this one I found myself sad that I wasn’t reading it anymore and ready to get back into the world so I guess that says something 😂
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0