jcaceres88's reviews
396 reviews

Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez

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

3.5

Overall I enjoyed it but I was less emotionally engaged than I am with Abby Jimenez's books. While this had all the makings of a super cute romcom, for some reason by the time the characters finally get together I just wasn't invested in them. I did love their friendship, and exploring Vanessa's unstable home life with her family, and Adrian's anxiety and emotional hurdles. But the romance part of it was lacking. 
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

This was so beautifully written. I had a hard time getting into it at first but once we dove into the author's life I was hooked. It was hard to put down by the mid way point. The author's voice almost lulled me into a hypnotic state at times. So much of what she highlighted about Caribbean families and men resonated with what I've seen and experienced within my own life. I'm happy this book exists and it does what she hopes by helping break some of these generational traumas and chains.
Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home by Jessa Hastings

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

Wow... that was... an insane ending. Geez luoise. Welp this is definitely my favorite of the 3 I've read so far, even though I still like Daisy more than Magnolia. Everyone is still pretty obnoxious but it was a fun ride. I literally laughed out loud several times. The book was probably much longer than it needed to be but I was thoroughly entertained the ENTIRE time. The way everyone's written they just all have these very specific personalities that jump off the page for me and keeps me sucked in. 
The Perfect Find by Tia Williams

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

3.5

At first I found the writing to be a bit cringe/cheesy and the age difference was a bit off putting mostly because of Jenna's history with his Mom. But by the time I was 30% through I was fully invested in this story lol. I loved the aspects of Jenna finding herself at that age. Sometimes it felt like her dialogue/behavior was a bit juvenile so it took me out of it as it didn't feel believable to me. But overall I liked the journey and their story. Also - didn't necessarily love some aspects of that ending......
Daisy Haites by Jessa Hastings

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

4.5

Ok first of all... Daisy > Magnolia. I was a bit worried going into this that it wouldn't suck me in as much as Magnolia's book did. And I was extra worried when I saw it's the same timeline as Magnolia's book too. But whoa was I wrong. I was fully sucked in and Daisy annoyed me way way less than Magnolia did. At first I thought Rome was another BJ so I got annoyed at the repetitiveness of that story. But they proved me wrong. I just wish people would just say the way they feel! It would save us all so much strife and heartache smh. But overall the drama was top tier.
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

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

3.0

I liked the setting and the premise but I wasn't super riveted to the story. It took me a while to finish because of that. I didn't find any of the people likeable, there was a lot of jumping around from person to person and the bouncing back and forth in time made the story feel super drawn out. It all came together nicely in the end but it ultimately just left me feeling like the book could have been so much shorter.
The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

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

4.0

| enjoyed this more than The Friend Zone. I'm so glad Sloan's story was the one told in this book. My heart broke for her in the last one. I also loved the way her and Jason got together and the beginning of their relationship was super cute. Some parts of the last half left me feeling like it was a bit too unrealistic. Major problems would just get glossed over too quickly or buried or tidied up a little too perfectly. But overall super cute rom com.
The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

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

3.0

I always find Abby Jimenez's writint super easy to get sucked into and I enjoyed some of the dynamic between Josh and Kristen. But there was a lot that left me feeling iffy. Josh's overly macho "let me protect you" vibe plus the leaning too heavily on Kristen being "the cool girl" who eats a lot and drinks beer and hangs with the guys. It was like all of sudden we went back in time where all the gender stereotypes were ok again? I dk... it left me feeling weird because I did want to enjoy their story because I loved how they came together and their chemistry.
When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

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

4.0

I enjoyed this even though I was hoping to get more horror/gore. I was waiting for some kind of big moment to happen where the ghosts really get their revenge. Mira was also not my favorite main character. But overall it sucked me in and the flashbacks were intense. It's such an important message regarding plantation weddings. 
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

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

4.0

This was way darker than I expected when I went it. I also liked it more than I thought I would at the beginning. The narrator of the audio book did an amazing job, I was fully sucked in by the time we started getting into the mystery of James Harris. But there are still quite a few unanswered questions I wish we explored more and all the gaslighting of the main character did drive me a bit crazy. But all in all I enjoyed the crazy ride. There were sections that literally made me physically uncomfortable so readers beware.