emmreadsbooks's reviews
1181 reviews

Only When It's Us by Chloe Liese

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

4.5

Hello Bergman family, sorry I'm late. This book is a warm hug with a side of Swedish massage, plus enough banter to leave you sated for at least a year. I came to this series after reading Two Wrongs Make a Right and am so glad I did. 

7 stories for 7 siblings, all with varying tropes? How can you resist? I snagged this one on Hoopla and devoured it. Willa is a downright spitfire with delicious soccer thighs and Ryder is a giant lumberjack who you'll want to climb like a tree. Plus we also have a glorious dialogue on Ryder's journey with being hard of hearing. The plot was a little weird (because the last 50 pages felt like a whole bunch of sex to make all of the slow burn story you'd spent reading worth it), but still super enjoyable. I can't wait to read Ren's story next!
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Behind the Scenes by Karelia Stetz-Waters

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

4.5

A slow burn sapphic romance with an ASMR subplot, all about processing your trauma and respecting boundaries? Y-E-S. Like... how could I not be head over heels for this book? Rose and Ash are compelling characters in their own right, but the chemistry they have is next level. This book feels like an exercise in edging, building up all of the tension and then letting it just SIT there while the drama plays out. Also, I just need to say that we STAN a book with no 3rd act break-up. It isn't necessary for this book at ALL!! But that isn't to say that there aren't some truly devastating twists along the way. I can't wait to read more from Karelia Stetz-Waters.

*Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*
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Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

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adventurous hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.25

It's an unfairly cute YA romance, full of mental health dialogue and one of my new favorite tropes - friends to enemies to friends to lovers. What a mouthful! I can't entirely speak to the accuracy of the OCD representation, but it felt true to my secondary experiences and was treated with utmost care. I enjoyed the orienteering competitions, Celine's conspiracy theories on TikTok, and revenge plots. While this was my first Talia Hibbert novel, I'm so excited to read her backlist now! The wit and pacing are on point. Plus I loved the alternating narrators on the audiobook, it really helped me remember which PoV we were in and gave more characterization to Celine and Brad. 

*Thank you to PRH Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review*
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The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

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

4.25

I swear, sometimes I just wanted to shake Evangeline and be like "JAX LOVES YOU, YOU IDIOT". Because it was seriously obvious throughout... That being said, I really enjoyed the plotlines in this book, especially the clusterfuck that is the ending. I did think it was a duology at first, but I've since seen that Stephanie Garber has announced a 3rd. And honestly with that ending, it HAD to be a trilogy. It also makes sense as it parallels Caraval's series development. I enjoyed the focus on villains in this book as Evangeline has no options but to align with the Fates. I just wish she was a little less love-blind. (Oh and as always, the descriptions of fashion are EXCELLENT)
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Know My Name by Chanel Miller

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5.0

There's nothing more I can say about this book apart from that it's heartbreaking and beautiful. Chanel Miller went through so much and continues to shape her trauma into art. It's dark, it's hard, but it's a must-read.
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My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

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challenging dark tense medium-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

5.0

This is some glorious campy Grady Hendrix goodness and I absolutely cannot wait to watch the movie adaptation. That isn't to say that it isn't chock full of trigger warnings, including but not limited to animal death, abuse, self harm, and the works. However it is a horror book and these aren't added in just for thrills. I'd categorize this as a guilty pleasure book, especially as a 90s baby, because it feels like this perfect mix of Mean Girls with demonic possession (Or She's All That if she turned into the devil when she took off her glasses). That being said, I can't in good conscience recommend this for the faint of heart. But if you're like me and like reading the synopses of horror movie Wikipedia articles, I'd say you'd really enjoy.
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Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter

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funny lighthearted fast-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? No

5.0

It's no accident that I loved this book. Like INSTA LOVE (not unlike Amy and Blake). It's a breeze on audiobook, even with all of the text messaging and multi-POVs. I can't even imagine having to *wait* for each new chapter to come out. (And even more waiting for these two to finally get together)

Amy has that classic Lynn Painter bubbly main character personality and Blake has the CHEST. These two are all teeth in the bedroom followed by sunshine-y banter that'll have you rolling on the floor laughing - or in my case yelling at them during the 3rd act break-up. Do I want to be in Omaha showing Amy Spaghetti Works? Uh yes. And can we PLEASE have rules for Billboard Asshole? Because that sounds like the most fun game to drunkenly play.

Ultimately if you want a quick romantic read, pick this one up. You won't regret it.
The Headmaster's List by Melissa de la Cruz

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

2.25

Let's start this out with the obvious - Ripley is the goodest girl. And while several of the twists were predictable from the start, I didn't quite see the last few coming. Also can we talk about how great of a podcast name Get Salty is? I feel like we probably could've done with a few less pages and more insight into the implications of the Headmaster's List, but it's an enjoyable YA thriller.

*Thank you to Roaring Book Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*
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The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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5.0

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

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5.0