expecto_padronum's reviews
136 reviews

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

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3.25

It was fine. Not sure I would’ve finished it if it wasn’t for book club. I struggled to relate to the narrator because what do you mean
you find one guy in the town who knows the town is fictional and you just??? Don’t follow up on that?? I would have annoyed the hell out of Anders and not let the subject rest until I figured out how tf he knew he was in a book when no one else did!!  And you don’t go back to the graveyard, the ONE place you got service, for days???
there were also a couple places where the grammar / sentence setup wasn’t quite right or she straight up contradicted herself a paragraph later and it took me out of the story a little bit.  
Una Academia Muy Austera by Lemony Snicket

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4.0

Probably my favorite one so far because they finally have FRIENDS! And ending on a cliffhanger! We are leveling up 
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

3.25

Maybe I’m too old to be reading YA because some parts of this were so painfully YA I found myself rolling my eyes multiple times. The story was fine, mildly entertaining. 
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

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dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Copying and pasting @bridge_overbooked’s review because I feel the exact same way: 

“I had really high expectations for this book and it fell short for me. Butler's exploration of climate change, social inequality, and economic collapse resonates strongly in today's world, but I wanted more background on how those things happened, more regional variation as the group travelled north, and more relation to her hyperempathy. While the book kept me interested, I finished it and ultimately felt like nothing had happened. My favorite thing about the book was Butler's writing style and the journal-based format - I think I was hoping for more plot points and more of a relation to climate change!”
Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

As someone who is constantly second guessing my choices and wondering if I should have done XYZ other thing, this one really came to me at a good time. It is sweet, thoughtful, and optimistic. I loved the message.

I didn’t love the nurse/patient love story line because that’s quite the power imbalance but they did repeatedly address that generally it is not ok and this was a very special case so at least there’s that. In the end I LOVED the idea that, as long as you stick with the people who feel like home, everything will work out one way or another.
Fool Me Once by Ashley Winstead

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3.25

The main character’s trust issues and all the cheating were a little over the top, and the political parts were a bit unbelievable to me. She swayed lots of people with logic way too fast when we all know that doesn’t usually work.  But it was cute! 
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 65%.
The beginning was good but I lost interest after she finished school. I persisted for a while but didn’t care about any of the characters enough to finish it. I should’ve known I wouldn’t like it bc I don’t like war stories but I loved Yellowface by the same author and this one had such good reviews + I saw it in a little free library so I figured I’d give it a shot. 
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

still love this book a decade later. The writing is so beautiful, reading it is truly an experience. Maybe it’s the nostalgia from reading it when I was younger, but it somehow manages to be a comfort book in spite of the sad subject matter because the characters are so grounded and their love so real.
Funny Story by Emily Henry

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

4.75

Emily Henry does it again, another delightful and funny romance with very strong subplots and character development. The woman never misses.