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emilywordsandbooks's reviews
67 reviews
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
ashley poston makes me believe in love. she’s my comfort author, from Among the Beasts and Briars to The Dead Romantics, and she never flops. i genuinely can’t get enough of her writing and her characters. i loved florence and benji— they were so cute together. ashley is always so clever with her plotting and everything flowed together without info-bombing or feeling fake/used as plot device. everyone changed and grew, the side romances were so cute, and i am forever in love with ghost love stories and books set in publishing. i won’t be moving on anytime soon. it gave me a good cry but it is a guaranteed HEA, don’t worry!
The Wilde Trials by Mackenzie Reed
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Literally the ideal YA dark academia x survive the woods and solve a murder mystery novel. Second chance romance as well? I’m a sucker for character development.
For the sake of this review and to properly appreciate Chloe’s nickname as well as the book cover, we’re calling her Clover. Clover needs to win the Wilde Trials, these seven trials set in the wilderness and designed by past Champions, to earn enough money for her sister’s cancer treatment. Her ex, Hayes, is opposed to the Wilde Trials since his brother died in it 3 years ago. Now they’re both in the Trials and have to team up because somebody is targeting Clover and Hayes needs help finding what happened to his brother.
The mystery. The tension. I literally read this book in ONE SITTING because it was THAT good. I felt like my head was screwed on backwards and I needed to find out what happened next and who was responsible. And don’t even get me started on the secret tunnels. I do need some. Literally loved the whole concept and execution of this book so much. Perfection.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
For the sake of this review and to properly appreciate Chloe’s nickname as well as the book cover, we’re calling her Clover. Clover needs to win the Wilde Trials, these seven trials set in the wilderness and designed by past Champions, to earn enough money for her sister’s cancer treatment. Her ex, Hayes, is opposed to the Wilde Trials since his brother died in it 3 years ago. Now they’re both in the Trials and have to team up because somebody is targeting Clover and Hayes needs help finding what happened to his brother.
The mystery. The tension. I literally read this book in ONE SITTING because it was THAT good. I felt like my head was screwed on backwards and I needed to find out what happened next and who was responsible. And don’t even get me started on the secret tunnels. I do need some. Literally loved the whole concept and execution of this book so much. Perfection.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
honestly i got so involved i kept shocking myself when i realized this was written in third person
my favorite couple is obviously smith and rory. tell me they’re not the cutest things ever. like smith’s character development was insane. and rory’s personality was so lovable. i honestly loved all the characters. chloe’s relationship with georgia was kinda predictable but so gratifying when they turned out the way they did. every character got what they deserved.
for whatever reason, chloe and shara were pretty low on my ranking of couples. like the obsession was written in the coolest way but i just wasn’t rooting for them. like this was a genius idea and a cute rom-com but the romance was just. there. it wasn’t like fireworks but it was a nice bonfire. i loved the letters and the title is brilliant. as always, casey mcquiston is the goat.
my favorite couple is obviously smith and rory. tell me they’re not the cutest things ever. like smith’s character development was insane. and rory’s personality was so lovable. i honestly loved all the characters. chloe’s relationship with georgia was kinda predictable but so gratifying when they turned out the way they did. every character got what they deserved.
for whatever reason, chloe and shara were pretty low on my ranking of couples. like the obsession was written in the coolest way but i just wasn’t rooting for them. like this was a genius idea and a cute rom-com but the romance was just. there. it wasn’t like fireworks but it was a nice bonfire. i loved the letters and the title is brilliant. as always, casey mcquiston is the goat.
Babel by R.F. Kuang
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i cracked open Babel and it stole my soul. i have so many pictures of its pages because everything R.F. Kuang says is memorable. but i also genuinely have no idea how to feel. i feel like i learned so much but then left my feelings behind. i cried multiple times. i was in shock. i was in awe. these young students made such a big impact. they changed the world. how necessary is violence? everything in this book led to its ending but i never saw it coming.
i’m a sucker for those endings where they tell their story and hand it off to someone else to spread. it just breaks my heart.
i fell in love with these characters and i lived through them. the way they’re written, you’re stuck with them until suddenly, it’s all ripped apart. all the allusions hit me so hard and i loved the footnotes. genuinely one of my favorite reads.
i’m a sucker for those endings where they tell their story and hand it off to someone else to spread. it just breaks my heart.
i fell in love with these characters and i lived through them. the way they’re written, you’re stuck with them until suddenly, it’s all ripped apart. all the allusions hit me so hard and i loved the footnotes. genuinely one of my favorite reads.
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
funny
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? No
4.0
honestly pretty cute, i loved the banter and interactions, but it felt almost amateurish. a fantasy with a sprinkle of romance but it definitely didn’t feel very adult. aside from the swearing, it almost gave lower YA. i loved the setting and characters though.
I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
My jaw is on the floor. Vivienne, the selectively-mute step-daughter to a wealthy lawyer, requires an interpreter/bodyguard, as her voice kills and she exclusively signs. Needing the money, Thomas applies, thought Vivienne’s step-father wants him to spy on her and Vivienne wants Thomas to quit. Something darker is going on, but Thomas doesn’t know what.
There are a lot of emotions in this book. So cute how Thomas became Tommy to Vivienne, especially when she needed him. Kinda confused about the extent of Vivienne’s powers, though. Excitement when I found out one of the side characters actually has a book of his own, The Whispering Dark. Overall, I really loved IAMOD, I’m just puzzled. It was so twisty. It was everything it promised, a dangerous girl, a sunshine boy, bubblegum horror, in signature Kelly Andrew style. A lot of reviews suggest reading The Whispering Dark before IAMOD but I somehow missed that memo so I will be reading The Whispering Dark now.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
There are a lot of emotions in this book. So cute how Thomas became Tommy to Vivienne, especially when she needed him. Kinda confused about the extent of Vivienne’s powers, though. Excitement when I found out one of the side characters actually has a book of his own, The Whispering Dark. Overall, I really loved IAMOD, I’m just puzzled. It was so twisty. It was everything it promised, a dangerous girl, a sunshine boy, bubblegum horror, in signature Kelly Andrew style. A lot of reviews suggest reading The Whispering Dark before IAMOD but I somehow missed that memo so I will be reading The Whispering Dark now.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens
adventurous
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.75
I am the biggest F.T. Lukens fan. My favorites of theirs are In Deeper Waters and So This is Ever After. Otherworldly didn’t disappoint. It’s so perfectly YA I could cry. It’s realistic AND engaging, a hard feat to balance. The found family, especially at the end, was adorable. All the side characters had personalities and purposes— no one was created for filler purposes. Ellery and Knox were so cute together and while I thought the plot was a little… some parts were somewhat unoriginal but when there’s so much literature out there, there’s not a lot of room to move and still stay inside the lines, if that makes sense, I was very satisfied with the conclusion. I love F.T.’s works and I’ll be thinking about Ellery and Knox for a long time.
Soul Hate by Hannah Kingsley
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Warning: there’s an open door scene. As a book marketed for YA & teen readers, I feel that it could have been warned, a fade-to-black, etc. The rest of the book read like YA though.
I really loved the slow burn, though I do have to say: I hate Nouis. I don’t know if I’m too used to enemies-to-lovers or I knew from that start that Renza wasn’t going to end up with him, but he just felt so slimey. On the other hand, I loved how the author handled making these two enemies, Renza and Idris, fall in love. It was so well crafted and I’m a huge fan of the ending. This book was pretty fast paced and though sometimes I’m a little lost, there’s enough context to bring me back on track. Overall, an epic fantasy with a nice sprinkle of romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
I really loved the slow burn, though I do have to say: I hate Nouis. I don’t know if I’m too used to enemies-to-lovers or I knew from that start that Renza wasn’t going to end up with him, but he just felt so slimey. On the other hand, I loved how the author handled making these two enemies, Renza and Idris, fall in love. It was so well crafted and I’m a huge fan of the ending. This book was pretty fast paced and though sometimes I’m a little lost, there’s enough context to bring me back on track. Overall, an epic fantasy with a nice sprinkle of romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
The Romance Rivalry by Susan Lee
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
3.75
as a bookstagrammer, i felt like this book was written to heal my soul. i have genuinely been looking for a book like this for so long that i was about to write one but then Susan Lee DELIVERED. the concept is so cute. two rival romance reviewers ending up attending the same college, continuing their rivalry through fake dating and competitions? literally best idea ever. i felt so inspired. i literally read this book in one sitting.
but it also felt too fast. it wasn’t very realistic. there’s a fade to black spice scene that was kinda random. the character development was fine but it all felt rushed. like as a slow-burn reader the timeline seemed unrealistic. and i wish aiden’s character was explored more. i get that most of this book was written from irene’s pov but aiden’s family life felt more like an afterthought, a plot filler, than a real background.
i really wanted to love this book and i was so excited— i do still love this book, but it’s not one of my top reads. however, i will be reading Susan Lee’s other works. aiden was such a cutie and i loved the romance. literally every chapter title was a trope. and it was so cool how the banter/epigraph showed how irene and aiden’s relationship is progressing. when aiden didn’t reply that one time? my heart broke. but this is a guaranteed HEA and the sweetest college love story. the jealousy? perfection.
thank you to netgalley and harpercollins for the ARC! all opinions are my own.
but it also felt too fast. it wasn’t very realistic. there’s a fade to black spice scene that was kinda random. the character development was fine but it all felt rushed. like as a slow-burn reader the timeline seemed unrealistic. and i wish aiden’s character was explored more. i get that most of this book was written from irene’s pov but aiden’s family life felt more like an afterthought, a plot filler, than a real background.
i really wanted to love this book and i was so excited— i do still love this book, but it’s not one of my top reads. however, i will be reading Susan Lee’s other works. aiden was such a cutie and i loved the romance. literally every chapter title was a trope. and it was so cool how the banter/epigraph showed how irene and aiden’s relationship is progressing. when aiden didn’t reply that one time? my heart broke. but this is a guaranteed HEA and the sweetest college love story. the jealousy? perfection.
thank you to netgalley and harpercollins for the ARC! all opinions are my own.
Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.75
once again, i am emotionally wrecked by a book. tell me why three of my recent reads have quoted machiavelli? that’s a warning. grr i loved Your Blood, My Bones so much. i was so entranced (and confused but we get over that). this book was so magical and manic. i’ve been reading a lot of dark books lately and i’m not even sure what to categorize this as. like Boys with Sharp Teeth without the academia? so so magical. it felt like a roller coaster ride the whole time, not sure what the next page would bring. reader revelations hit so hard when you realize what actually happened and who’s who. so recommend.