immabehazzie's reviews
255 reviews

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

Go to review page

emotional sad tense medium-paced

2.75

The story was intense and amazing but the writing was just… not good. I left this book feeling disappointed.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

This is the second novel that I’ve read by Grady Hendrix and now I’m convinced that he puts some addictive properties in his stories. ‘Witchcraft for Wayward Girls’ was an absolute page-turner that sucked me in from the very first page. 

I know that this book is classified as “horror” and while I won’t argue that it isn’t, it is a coming-of-age story just as much. Even when the plot is a bit more toned down and in a lull the characters are still growing and changing. ‘Witchcraft for Wayward Girls’ is just as much about the characters as it is about the plot. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom

Go to review page

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.5

Going into this memoir I was aware of Rachel Bloom but had never seen the show ‘My Crazy Ex Girlfriend’, this was also one of the books that was recommended to me by a friend. After finishing it I understand why. 

This memoir has a very distinct voice and is funny whilst still being very honest. The frank discussion of mental health and bullying and feeling as though you’re on the outside looking in is something that I can relate to very well. Even when the book moved on from Bloom’s adolescence and into her work in theater and Hollywood, she still managed to make everything seem relatable. 

Reading this book felt like talking to a friend. 

I do also think it was a bit scattered in places and about halfway through I started to think it started to get obnoxious. Not the stories, per se, but the voice in which it was written in. However, the last half of this book brought it back and settled down and wrapped it all up well. 
The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

“What makes you feel you’re not free? […] Whatever it is that has you bound — whether that is a place. A time,or an outdated belief around a physical disability… Please don’t dwell there.”

I don’t know how else to describe this book other than it felt like being given a warm bear hug. Even I. The moments when I rested up the book patted me on the shoulder and reminded me what it was. 

I love fantasy books but I think this book might put all other fantasy books to shame. It has Santa Claus and Leprechauns! This book is a nice quick cozy read. That you may think is superficial at first but it really isn’t. 
Sojourn by R.A. Salvatore

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.0

Ans entire novel is about Drizzt trying to find who he is on the surface. While this book is more or less 

intriguing and fascinating, the first two don’t hold a candle to it oddly boring this novel lit s flame in evseybodkdd asses to speed i



Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad tense 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

4.25

‘Someone Else’s Shoes’ was a novel that was extremely well written with a really good introspective look at what makes a person who they are. The two main characters go through a rough patch in their lives after an accidental shoe mix up

Whilst it could be a simple fix, it turns out to not be. 

Bad people get involved, families have the potential to get ruined but most importantly, the two women find lifelong best friends throughout this whole deal and learn what really is the most important thing in this life, and hint: it’s not material possessions, such as shoes. 

This story is intriguing and easy to follow with deep, emotional, and fun characters. 
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson

Go to review page

dark emotional sad tense 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? No

3.75

The synopsis doesn’t do the book justice. The whole time I thought that Pheby would reconnect with her “true love” and find a happy ending. I was wrong. This story is about resilience, growth, and what it means to be a mother. 

Admittedly I couldn’t stand Pheby at the start of this book and everything seemed so tame to start with that I was annoyed and bored. The story picks up quickly, though. Through the years of being the mistress/slave to a sadist man and having his children and one child before him with a runaway slave, Pheby grows into the person she needs to be and the person everybody else needs her to be. She never loses her compassion and her sense of self-worth. She makes hard decisions after hard decision to protect her children and the other slaves. 

Once this book truly got going there were scenes that made me feel sick but I felt a duty to continue. It can be a tough read but it is a worthy one. As someone who is biracial myself, I was worried that there would be many characters that shit on Pheby for being mixed race as well, something that I often see in different types of media. That wasn’t the case though. The author allowed Pheby to be her own person. 

My main gripes with this book are the slow start and the abrupt ending. There are graphic scenes of slavery in this book and some made me want to pull my eyes away. The epilogue did make me want to cry, though. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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? No

4.25

I ended up enjoying this book so much more than I thought I would. ‘The Husbands’ balances comedic writing, a good plot with compelling characters, and a unique new story. It was a fun and easy read that kept my attention the entire time. 

I liked how this book presented the question: Do you keep starting over in hopes that things will be perfect or do you take what you’re given and work with that?, and then proceeded to answer its own question through the storytelling. I left this book with questions still unanswered, such as; how does the attic actually work? How does the attic/universe choose who is in need of a spouse and is there a way to get back to your original life eventually? Despite not getting an answer to any of these questions, I found that I didn’t mind and that I was happy enough with how the story unfolded and ended that I was okay with not having the answers that I wanted. I finished this story happy and satisfied.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Go to review page

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

3.25

Ever since reading The Secret History, I’ve been looking forward to reading this novel by the same author. That being said, I wish I could say that I enjoyed it but I didn’t. I didn’t dislike it, either, though. My thoughts on this book are much more complicated. 

To simplify my feelings on this book, I would say that whilst reading it I couldn’t help but feel like it was way too drawn out and a bit pretentious. I think it was around the 300 page mark that I started to question where this story was actually going. It’s not the length of the book that made this story feel drawn out either, it was the manner in which it was written. I’ve read much longer books that have felt shorter. This felt like sitting in a lecture hall where the subject matter is aesthetically attractive but is boring otherwise. 

The biggest issue I have with ‘The Goldfinch’ is the characters. Specifically Theo. I felt no connection to the main character whatsoever despite sitting through over 700 pages with him. Other than that though, a lot of the characters sounded too similar for me. However, the saving grace was in the character Hobie. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Blurry Years by Eleanor Kriseman

Go to review page

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

4.0

If you want to read a book that reminds you of the film The Florida Project then you’ve definitely found it. ‘The Blurry Years’ made me want to cry and throw up and not in a bad way. This story felt like home, for better and for worse. 

This is a hard read (emotionally, speaking) but it’s intoxicating as well. I was hardly able to put it down once I picked it up. While there were many similarities to my own childhood in this story it was the ever-changing feelings and relationships that the main character had to navigate that felt so familiar and hit hard.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings