emilyrowanstudio's reviews
206 reviews

Snowflake by Louise Nealon

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dark emotional sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

I Never Said I Loved You by Rhik Samadder

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.
Can't quite believe i've DNFed this after loving Open Water so much. The storytelling felt disjointed and I found myself not wanting to pick it up. The writing style is easier to read than Open Water yet at over a hundred pages longer it feels too long. Really wanted to like this, but alas...
We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

So sad, so funny, so real. Through the worst of times we have humour and love, which this book encapsulates beautifully.
Nevada by Imogen Binnie

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emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The First Bad Man by Miranda July

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funny hopeful fast-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

4.5

Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

5.0

The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad 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

4.25

4.25 stars - An enjoyable read with irreverant and unexpected twists and turns. The pacing felt a little off, but every character had a charm that can't be ignored.

Grieving her failed marriage and parents who long ago went missing in the Australian outback, Penny tries to navigate the lives around her as a way to escape from her own - including a possibly murderous Grandmother, her accountant who shares a toupee with his brother, and a fluffy orange dog named Kweecoats.

Although more to my taste than most of 2023's Women's Prize longlist, i'm surprised this got a nomination as it doesn't feel like there's enough here to make it uniquely IT, as the others had (for better or worse).
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

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dark emotional sad 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

4.5

Pod by Laline Paull

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.