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foiblesandfiction's reviews
462 reviews
Sistersong by Lucy Holland
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
the worst case of miscommunication trope ever
Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
it may be a little-known fact, but historical romance is my jam, bread, and butter. i'm pretty sure if you go back a few years that you'll find a goodreads reading challenge of mine that is almost entirely filled up with historical romance. lisa kleypas is my ride or die, tessa dare is her second in command. i worship at the altar of the wallflowers; may summer, fall, winter, and spring live forever and ever, amen.
needless to say, i was an ideal audience for this arc and i loved it. i loved every single moment of reading this book, so much so that i finished the book and then immediately began typing up a list of every single thing i loved the most:
1) funny banter, like really witty and clever
2) the emphasis on consent
3) strong fmc
4) one of the side characters writes smutty fanfiction about another side character!! is this going to be a novella? because i need it
5) the phantom of the opera reference to music of the night
6) a skilled archery moment that gave me fox-y robin hood vibes *sweats, drools*
7) male shirtless cello playing
8) the pinnacle of a man being written by a woman
if you enjoy romantic comedies, or historical romances, or funny, touching, steamy stories about dukes and ballerinas then you are going to love this book. i swear on my wallflower saints.
the author does include some content guidance at the beginning of the book. however, it does fail to mention infertility (due to amenorrhea) that results in pregnancy.
needless to say, i was an ideal audience for this arc and i loved it. i loved every single moment of reading this book, so much so that i finished the book and then immediately began typing up a list of every single thing i loved the most:
1) funny banter, like really witty and clever
2) the emphasis on consent
3) strong fmc
4) one of the side characters writes smutty fanfiction about another side character!! is this going to be a novella? because i need it
5) the phantom of the opera reference to music of the night
6) a skilled archery moment that gave me fox-y robin hood vibes *sweats, drools*
7) male shirtless cello playing
8) the pinnacle of a man being written by a woman
if you enjoy romantic comedies, or historical romances, or funny, touching, steamy stories about dukes and ballerinas then you are going to love this book. i swear on my wallflower saints.
the author does include some content guidance at the beginning of the book. however, it does fail to mention infertility (due to amenorrhea) that results in pregnancy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Violence, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Infertility
Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy! Any book is a precious little baby that hours and hours of love and time and energy were poured into, and I am honored to be trusted with anyone’s baby, but I would spartan kick this baby off a cliff. I didn’t like it at all. It was a slog to read through thanks to poor editing and very poor sentence structure, and the characters were clown cars for tropes. Russian nesting dolls of tropes. I tried explaining this book’s synopsis to a friend and ran out of breath explaining the effing tropes. It just keeps on going and going and going.
Overall not the worst book I’ve ever read but also, no thanks.
Overall not the worst book I’ve ever read but also, no thanks.
Nicky the Driver by Cate C. Wells
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
slap my ass and call me nicky because i'm out here stalking all of Cate's work. not a single one of her books disappoints and this book is no exception. the approachable yet descriptive writing style, the flawed characters, the obsession, the groveling, the tropes, the HEAs. i can't get enough of it.
the only reason this book isn't five stars like run posy run, the previous book in this series, is because i felt a bit lost at times about the direction of the storyline and the characters. nicky really walked the line of being a psychopath like dario from the first book, yet he wasn't....i think. and we did get a glimpse of some origin story but it didn't give me all the puzzle pieces i needed. he stayed pretty ambiguous even with him having his own POV.
as with run posy run, please check the content warnings that Cate lists at the beginning of the book. muah!
the only reason this book isn't five stars like run posy run, the previous book in this series, is because i felt a bit lost at times about the direction of the storyline and the characters. nicky really walked the line of being a psychopath like dario from the first book, yet he wasn't....i think. and we did get a glimpse of some origin story but it didn't give me all the puzzle pieces i needed. he stayed pretty ambiguous even with him having his own POV.
as with run posy run, please check the content warnings that Cate lists at the beginning of the book. muah!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Stalking
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
enjoyable, inspiring, and also masturbatory.
i like liz. i've consumed a large amount of content by liz, hence why i'm calling her liz as if we're comfortable friends. and she's still likeable in this book through her message and personal anecdotes and narration (i read this via audiobook). but god, it got tiring listening to how she does everything right. listening to this book was like listening to a five hour humble brag.
still it had an overall inspiring message and i'll take it with me as i navigate through the world. so thanks for that.
i like liz. i've consumed a large amount of content by liz, hence why i'm calling her liz as if we're comfortable friends. and she's still likeable in this book through her message and personal anecdotes and narration (i read this via audiobook). but god, it got tiring listening to how she does everything right. listening to this book was like listening to a five hour humble brag.
still it had an overall inspiring message and i'll take it with me as i navigate through the world. so thanks for that.
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
3.0
gothic romance is the way to my little emo heart. somewhere there's a myspace picture of me at warped tour wearing a green studded belt. i still know the words to every song on three cheers to sweet revenge. and somewhere on the internet is the search history of 14 year old me trying to find phantom of the opera fanfiction at 2am.
so let's just say i was really excited for this book - a ya gothic mystery with romance and a death daddy love interest.
but where i was expecting crimson peak, instead i got eddie murphy's the haunted mansion. which isn't the biggest disappointment because god knows that movie is entertaining as hell, but it's still a disappointment.
- too much telling, not enough showing
- too little character interaction, and what there was had little substance
- inconceivable plot twists that felt contrived.
as this is the first in a series, i would be interested to read the next book in hopes that my complaints would be resolved with character development and world building.
ETA
realized i did truly enjoy the observations and commentary about the expectations of women in society, particularly of their purity and demureness. though she was faced with solving a murderer, signa's main dilemma was actually choosing whether or not to meet societal expectations. could she have what she wanted - belonging and community - without being mired and hidden amongst female social norms? is that even true belonging?
now THIS is some good stuff, and i especially love this in a ya novel. thumbs up.
so let's just say i was really excited for this book - a ya gothic mystery with romance and a death daddy love interest.
but where i was expecting crimson peak, instead i got eddie murphy's the haunted mansion. which isn't the biggest disappointment because god knows that movie is entertaining as hell, but it's still a disappointment.
- too much telling, not enough showing
- too little character interaction, and what there was had little substance
- inconceivable plot twists that felt contrived.
as this is the first in a series, i would be interested to read the next book in hopes that my complaints would be resolved with character development and world building.
ETA
realized i did truly enjoy the observations and commentary about the expectations of women in society, particularly of their purity and demureness. though she was faced with solving a murderer, signa's main dilemma was actually choosing whether or not to meet societal expectations. could she have what she wanted - belonging and community - without being mired and hidden amongst female social norms? is that even true belonging?
now THIS is some good stuff, and i especially love this in a ya novel. thumbs up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement and Abandonment
The Sea Knows My Name by Laura Brooke Robson
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
5.0
have you ever had a book be so rich and make you feel so full that there's no room left for your words? you lose all of your vocabulary and are left with images, feelings, and you're own personal experiences that the book touched.
that's this book for me.
i read the sea knows my name over a month ago and still can't get it out of my head. its a fantasy story about pirates, and it's also an exploration of female strength and power and how those dynamics should affect relationships. it's haunting and beautiful.
heads up that there are content warnings. i really recommend reading the author's honest and vulnerable comment on goodreads before starting the book.
but please start the book, and then we can lose our words together and just silently stare at each other because we're too overwhelmed with feelings to speak with anything but our eyes.
that's this book for me.
i read the sea knows my name over a month ago and still can't get it out of my head. its a fantasy story about pirates, and it's also an exploration of female strength and power and how those dynamics should affect relationships. it's haunting and beautiful.
heads up that there are content warnings. i really recommend reading the author's honest and vulnerable comment on goodreads before starting the book.
but please start the book, and then we can lose our words together and just silently stare at each other because we're too overwhelmed with feelings to speak with anything but our eyes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual assault
The Dream Thief by Shana Abe
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
So so good. So good. If you enjoy shifters, and dragons, and historically accurate descriptions of women's wear and home decor, and the "I hate everyone but you" trope, then you will enjoy this book.
Unfortunately I wasn't convinced of the romance for about 75% of this book (hence why its four stars and not five). Listen, I can accept some insta love, but this was INSTANT. And it wasnt even love? Thankfully the plot was absorbing enough to carry me through.
Unfortunately I wasn't convinced of the romance for about 75% of this book (hence why its four stars and not five). Listen, I can accept some insta love, but this was INSTANT. And it wasnt even love? Thankfully the plot was absorbing enough to carry me through.
All The Feels by Olivia Dade
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
A third of the way through the book and nothing is happening. Well, stuff is happening but it's off putting. I think there's supposed to be tension but it just seems like the MMC gets angry a lot and talks about how ugly the FMC is. Whil the FMC has no emotional recations whatsoever. This is not what the synopsis sold me. No thx.
The Fastest Way To Fall by Denise Williams
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0