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chronic_listener's reviews
108 reviews

Next of Kin by Hannah Bonam-Young

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75


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Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25


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A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.0

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—œ ๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—”๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ 
โ˜พ the trauma the characters went through wasn't just swept under the rug but focused on
โ˜พ the tension and build up between
Rhys + Feyre
โ˜พ the friendship group + found family vibes
โ˜พ the secondary characters and their stories
โ˜พ the action scenes were so well written imo
โ˜พ Rhysand (especially the way he treated Feyre, always with honesty + on equal footing)

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—œ ๐——๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ป'๐˜ ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ธ๐—ฒ 
โŠ– long. so. so. long. the first 450 pages were kinda slow and dragged on
โŠ– the lengthy monologues to explain everything were tedious
โŠ– I liked the tension, flirting and banter between
Rhys+Feyre
but the spice wasn't doing it for me at all ๐Ÿซฃ

A couple other things I didn't particularly vibe with (and have decided to overlook for the sake of my enjoyment and sanity) but overall a fun experience.

๐—ง๐—Ÿ;๐——๐—ฅ: Packed with intrigues, secrets, magic, fleshed out backstories for each character and lush world-building.

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In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

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

4.25

This was such a fun book! The FMC was painfully relatable, her inner monologue made me snort-laugh more than once and I had a permanent stupid grin on my face while reading. Loved the chaotic cast of side characters, especially Benny.
๐—œ๐—ป ๐—” ๐—›๐—ผ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜‡๐—ฒ is definitely a book you read for the laughs, the giggles and the immaculate cozy winter vibes, and not necessarily for its sound logic. Don't think too hard about and you'll have a great time! 
The message it was trying to convey was heard loud and clear: be brave enough to go for what makes you happy. 

What managed to piss me off was the
quick engagement in the epilogue.
Somehow this always kinda ruins the ending for me because why the fuck.

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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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Calling this a review is really a stretch because even after a couple of weeks I still have no idea what to say about this, except that I felt so f-cking seen by some of the quotes.

This book left me feeling hollow and heavy at the same time, please check trigger warnings before reading because this is chock full of them.

There's lots of talk about video games and the creativity and mechanics behind creating them (which I enjoyed reading about a lot). The writing style seems (intentionally) detached which would suggest the reader would not be as affected by the things happening in this story (wrong, I was very affected lol). It was like watching a train wreck happen and being unable to do anything about it, it was frustrating and infuriating and still an undeniably good book in its own way.

๐˜›๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜›๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜›๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ is a book you either love or hate, and I really feel like I get both sides of it. I've come to the conclusion that I just was not the target audience for this, since I enjoy my books providing me a with good time rather than depression.

If you like books with deeply flawed characters, lots of complex issues, told over the course of multiple decades, video games and emotional damage, this might be for you!

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The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Liked this much better than the first book, Noah + Hazel had more of a genuine connection, the mystery aspect was also more intriguing, the spice was spicing. Lots of snort-laugh moments, Noah was such a sweetie, he had some depth to him and they both had good character growth.
Third person POV isn't my fav + I didn't like the epilogue at all,
because why is Hazel acting all surprised at the proposal when this man literally has their initials tattooed on his chest (which is an ick in and of itself for me but I digress)
otherwise a surprisingly enjoyable, light and fun book.

โœจboy obsessed, he falls first, he's down BAD
โœจsmall town romance 
โœจsummer adventures
โœจshy bookworm introvert fmc x reformed rake tattooed fisherman mmc

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Take Me Home by Melanie Sweeney

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ฒ ๐—›๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ was an absolutely delightful read. Well-developed main characters who actively tried dealing with their flaws, a focus not only on the romance aspect (which was swoon-worthy and giggle-inducingly great) but also on the complicated family dynamics and personal struggles the main characters faced. 
There was a delicious amount of angst, palpable chemistry, an inn with only one bed (๐Ÿคฉ) and family Christmas shenanigans.

There was no ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ค๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ถ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ด but a realistic "I canโ€˜t fix everything at once right now but I'm gonna try do to better, even if it takes me a while, even if I don't succeed every time". Incredible.

๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ฒ ๐—›๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ had me smiling like an idiotโ„ข๏ธ. If you love pining, complex characters, a perfectly imperfect story about love and family and learning when to hold on and when to let go: pick this up, I'm begging you.

๐ŸŽง 10/10 narration

โœจforced proximity
โœจenemies-to-lovers (for her)
โœจ"it's always been you" (for him)
โœจgreat banter 

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Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

With charm and his signature humor, the narrator (Ernie) breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader, poking (good-natured) fun at the genre and Christmas specials in general. I loved the twists and turns, some I guessed right (shot in the dark tbh) but some took me by complete surprise, which made for an exciting and satisfying read.

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You, with a View by Jessica Joyce

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Delicious tension, sizzling chemistry, beautiful writing, great banter, relatable and lovable FMC, realistic issues that have a satisfying resolution, a wonderful healing journey, and believable dialogue - I cannot fathom ๐™”๐™ค๐™ช, ๐™’๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ ๐˜ผ ๐™‘๐™ž๐™š๐™ฌ was Jessica Joyce's debut novel. Absolutely fantastic!

"๐˜ž๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฃ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฎ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฌ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ฆ? ๐˜š๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ฏ?"

I was really vibing with the humor, I loved Noelle's inner monologue and my favorite (but rare) thing about a single POV book is when it's so obvious to the reader that the MMC is into the FMC without ever being inside his head, truly the sign of great writing. 

Every single aspect of this book was well done in my opinion. It was easy to root for these characters, easy to follow along, easy to fall in love right alongside them. 
It felt real and realistic without being boring. It was refreshing to read about a couple that actually made sense together beyond physical attraction. You could practically feel the affection Theo felt for Noelle dripping off the page, I loved every second of it.

So many other small things to enjoy in this: the closeness of the family, no unnecessary dragging out of conflict, the special connection to their grandparents, learning to heal from grief, grandpa Paul being an absolute sweetheart, the man that is Theo Spencer... I could go on for a while. ๐ŸŽง audiobook was a 10/10 as well

โœจ forced proximity 
โœจ former High School rivals
โœจ road trip 
โœจ bickering as flirting
โœจ grief rep

๐™”๐™ค๐™ช, ๐™’๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ ๐˜ผ ๐™‘๐™ž๐™š๐™ฌ did what many other contemporary romances can only hope to achieve: made me laugh and sigh and swoon, entertained me and moved me, made me feel seen and understood and ๐™›๐™š๐™š๐™ก, long after closing the book.

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Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes

3.25

Done and Dusted was a very quick read with some sweet and fun moments but overall it was a very average read to me, the things I liked and the things I didn't like evening out in the end.

What I Loved
โžณ I'm a softie for books with great dads in them
โžณ the themes (ADHD rep, healing after trauma, people being able to change, being desperate to leave your hometown and then coming back to realize this is where you want to be, reevaluating your wants and needs)
โžณ I'm invested in Wes/Gus/Teddy's stories now
โžณ about 75% of the spice save for
the spitting (why???) and him calling her a slut (I get that's something some people are into but god my knee jerk reaction was to DNF)

I didn't really vibe with the writing style, some scenes gave me full body cringe-shivers and they way this book was milking the "my best friends little sister" thing to death made my eye twitch.

The second half of the book was definitely better than the first but still not 100% for me (I also had really high hopes so maybe that's on me).
I'll still check out the other books in this series because I'm counting on the writing style to have improved as she evolves as an author and I'm invested in the side characters stories now. Also there were some great moments that stuck with me and it left me with a kinda warm feeling now that it's been a couple days since reading. Not a horrible book by a long shot but still not one of my favs.

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