charl's reviews
379 reviews

The Things We Do To Our Friends by Heather Darwent

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

stormed through this book in two sittings (it was needed back at the library tho so that was a factor), god mean rich girls stress me the f out!!

This book wasn’t flawlessly executed, some bits didn't click with me, mainly in the resolution, however I enjoyed the ride - saltburn / promising young woman vibes and I loveee the Edinburgh setting 

also ending every chapter on a cliffhanger I imagine would get tiring if not for having to storm through the book for the library 
Toxic by Sarah Ditum

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medium-paced
read this not realising the author is a terf until after finishing it. Absolutely fuck off.

the book itself is mainly a description of 00s events and their implications of several big female celebrity names of the 00s.  this book should have come with a lot of content warnings IMO and it was nearly a DNF because it doesn't actually do a lot of intellectual and feminist analysis, in fact a lot of the chapters focus on the lives and careers of men who've made the women’ lives worse, and it just seems to wallow in the bad stuff that's happened to the women, concluding “I just think it's interesting”. In summary, ugh 
Weirdo by Sara Pascoe

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-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? Yes

3.25

this gal sure was a weirdo
But she’d also been through a hell of a lot so fair play
Enjoyed the interview at the end, and I liked Sophie’s chaotic af inner dialogue, very relatable 
Rouge by Mona Awad

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this!! Mad shit fever dream magic realism beauty industry fairytale vibes and I was here for it!
Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I waited so long to read this book and it was worth the wait, viva la butt
Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 2: The Pillars of Civilization by Daniel Casanave, Yuval Noah Harari, David Vandermeulen

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adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I love these books
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
I TRIED GODDAMN YOU! I just wasn't swept away with the story, I think I've quit maybe just before it gets good, but I feel like there should have been something more in the first 3 hours to have really gripped me 
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.
Could not get the vibe of this, couldn't be arsed to continue :(
Musical Truth by Jeffrey Boakye

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

What a sick book!! I love the playlist structure with the history behind it going chronologically, loveee
What's That Lady Doing? by Lou Sanders

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

Lou is sooo funny. This book is filled with traumatic and “shameful” events aplenty, but Lou shares and reflects upon them with a kindness and positive disposition that makes you root for her and who she is now every step of the way. To be where she is now in life considering all she's been through is astounding and very inspiring.