emmacb's reviews
176 reviews

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed this book and read it very quickly, but at the same time it was somewhat predictable - I never really felt surprised by the twists but maybe that's the point to a degree..

Will be reading the next one though, so obviously I still liked it enough! 
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Life Between the Tides: In Search of Rockpools and Other Adventures Along the Shore by Adam Nicolson

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informative inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

First part of this book was awesome. Loved learning more about some of the seemingly non-descript creatures we see in UK Rockpools - then going out looking for them armed with more knowledge when up at Millport for work. 
The middle section was probably quite interesting from a sociological point of view, but wasn't really what I opened the book for! Felt a little navel-gazey at times, but maybe I just need to learn more about Scottish history for context! (Also the straight up Nazi philosopher who got a fair bit of page-time sat a little uneasy with me!) 

Final section brought back the rockpool life and therefore got my attention back! For learning more about our complex and delicate coastal ecosystems, this book is great,  both artistically and clearly written and explained. 
To-morrow by Joseph Conrad

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reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Put 'it's complicated' for a lot of the questions on this, because it is. The characters are simple, but they interplay in a way that creates more complexity, and gives more implied character development than explicit. For such a quick read, it's worth a look! 
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I like the concept of a different path in life that didn't get to be explored, but didn't warm to the main character enough to fully feel sympathetic towards her.
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Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

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

4.0

Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish by Richard Flanagan

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Beautifully written but incredibly twisty and confusing. The very definition of 'unreliable narrator.' 

Makes me want to read other things by this author but also makes me hope they make more sense! 

Look at the warnings. This book is a weird combination of whimsical and graphic! 

Not a big fan of the use of certain racial slurs. They're in historical context, but it still sat a bit iffy with me.

Also not a fan of another incidence of a man 'being in love' with a woman because he likes having sex with her but is never really shown to have a conversation. Pet peeve of mine in male-authored books!
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Beyond the Footpath: Mindful Adventures for Modern Pilgrims by Clare Gogerty

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adventurous informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

I sort of enjoyed this book, while also feeling I wasn't really the target audience. I definitely have some friends who would be more into this book than I was, but wouldn't widely recommend it as it's definitely not everyone's mindful cup of tea!
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I really enjoyed this book, but couldn't help but feel the ending was a bit abrupt after all the build up.
I know the virus was built up all through the story but it still felt a little Deus ex machina, and I was really looking forward to seeing a more gradual building of trust and understanding between the humans and the spiders.
 
The Beautifull Cassandra by Jane Austen

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Funny, a little bizarre. Quite different from standard Austen, much sillier! 
I felt like I lacked some of the historical knowledge to get some of the jokes, but a fun short read anyway.
Married at First Swipe by Claire Frost

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lighthearted medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

Mostly enjoyed this book, but
it's a little disappointing that we end right as the proper hard work of the character development is getting started - all these characters spend the whole book building to realisations about their behaviour but we never actually get to see them act on them beyond the initial conversation.
 
That being said, I liked how the friendship between Jess and Hannah was as much a focus of the story as the romantic relationships.