jenni_elyse's reviews
501 reviews

For my 2024 challenges, I decided to focus on reading my Book of the Month books because I’m sorely behind. To help me with this focus, I used BOTM books that have been on my TBR for over a year to create my Trim Your TBR Challenge list. The number for THIS SPELLS LOVE was picked for January and I’m so glad because I absolutely adored it.

I zipped right through THIS SPELLS LOVE because I couldn’t put it down. When I wasn’t reading it, I wanted to be reading it. It hooked me right from the beginning and has left me thinking of the characters and their relationships long after I finished reading.

I adored everything about THIS SPELLS LOVE. I loved Gemma Wilde, her sister, kooky aunt, and her best friend Daxon McGuire. I loved the setting of Hamilton, Canada, just outside Toronto. The description of the people, shops, pubs, curling lanes, and the waterfront of Lake Ontario had me ready to book a plane ticket so I could experience it first hand.

Friends-to-lovers is hands down my favorite romantic trope and THIS SPELLS LOVE didn’t disappoint. Kate Robb’s execution was excellently written, producing a steamy fast-paced romance. The sexual tension between Gemma and Dax is amazing and leaves you wanting for more.

I also loved the lit bit of paranormal, in the form of a love-cleansing spell in THIS SPELLS LOVE. It was fun to see it flip Gemma’s world on its head, causing her to figure out what was truly important to her.

When I finished THIS SPELLS LOVE, I waffled over rating it 4- or 5-stars. It didn’t take me long to realize that there was nothing about it that I didn’t love. Robb’s debut has a lot to live up to, but I’m definitely looking forward to reading more books written by her.

DATING DR. DIL was the February pick for my Trim My TBR Challenge. I was really excited to read it because it’s a retelling of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW by William Shakespeare and Nisha Sharma did an excellent job with the execution, creating a hot steamy romance that leaves you wanting for more.

I read DATING DR. DIL in two days, which is unheard of for me as I’m not a very fast reader. I got caught up in Kareena’s and Prem’s lives and wanted to know how their story would end. I also really loved the double POV and being in both of their heads. The enemies-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites and DATING DR. DIL did not disappoint. Kareena and Prem had so much chemistry together, including awesome bantering and amazing sexual tension.

I really enjoyed being a part of Kareena’s and Prem’s culture as I read DATING DR. DIL. I honestly didn’t know much about the American desi culture. I loved all the descriptions of the clothing, parties, and food. Oh the food! I’m now craving Indian from my favorite local restaurant. The strong familial influence, sometimes to the detriment of the characters mental health, and the pressure for Indian women to be married and having kids before 30 really resonated with me.

I’m only rating DATING DR. DIL four stars because I just can’t get past a few descriptions of Prem’s mandhood

I mean calling his penis Charlie is one thing, but acting like “Charlie” is a sentient being was just too much for me. I almost rolled my eyes right out of my head each time Prem thought that way.

Other than that, I really enjoyed DATING DR. DIL and I’m glad I finally read it. I look forward to reading the two companion novels.

My IRL book club chose to read BEARTOWN for our March book and it’s my second Fredrik Backman book. I’m glad we chose to read it because it’s a thought-provoking story that deals with hard subjects like toxic masculinity, winning at all costs, and consent.

BEARTOWN was a very hard emotional read. The story’s sad but hopeful, and extremely maddening. At times, it was difficult to keep reading. Even though my heart hurts, it was worth the pain and sorrow. I absolutely had no idea that a book about hockey (but not really) would make me feel the way I did.

If you’ve ever read one of Backman’s books, then you know his stories are as good as they are because of his characters. Not only is he a master at writing emotionally charged stories, he’s also a master at writing a whole cast of round, complicated characters. The characters in BEARTOWN are no exception. These characters were so easy to connect with because they felt like real people with real lives.

BEARTOWN is the first book in a trilogy. I totally get why Backman wrote another two novels about these characters. The story’s so complex that this first installment could only focus on so much. Backman did a great job of picking and choosing what’s most important so much so that I don’t need to rush and read US AGAINST YOU and THE WINNERS.

I first read Le Petit Prince in 1997 as part of the curriculum for my college French class. Even though I had previously taken four years of French in high school, I’ll admit I didn’t understand much when I read this story. Many of the French words were ones I had never encountered. And, unfortunately, I had missed the point and charm. For nearly 20 years, I’ve disliked The Little Prince, thinking it was weird and idiotic. I decided I needed to give it a fair chance and read it in my native tongue.

I liked The Little Prince much better in English, only because I understood its nuances more. However, because I’m a very literal person, the symbolism was lost on me. And, I still don’t appreciate it nearly as much as I probably should.

My favorite character the little prince encountered was the fox. It’s because I love animals and I can relate to their friendship. I understand the meaning and responsibility behind taming as I’ve tamed many animals and almost every animal I’ve ever come in contact with has tamed me, leaving me sad when we part.

I wish I had read this as a child, or at least had it read to me as a child. I think I would’ve appreciated it more then. I wouldn’t be a grownup who only sees a hat instead of a snake who swallowed an elephant. Although, I’ll admit I did know it was a snake from the context but I didn’t know he had eaten an elephant. I thought it was the animal in the previous picture. Does this mean I’m still a grownup but maybe with childlike inclinations or tendencies? Or, would the narrator and little prince still think of me just as a grownup?

I’m glad I gave The Little Prince another go. It was definitely a more pleasant experience and I can now at least appreciate it a little bit and give it more stars.

Reading MOCKINGJAY is always bittersweet. I feel like it’s a fantastic ending to the trilogy. I’m just sad at all that takes place. I think Suzanne Collins does a phenomenal job of showing how war, torture, death, grief, PTSD, etc. can affect us or change us. I think the last chapter feels rushed. I wish Collin’s had slowed it down, even though she needed to cram a lot of information regarding Katniss, District 12, Panem, and the other characters into those pages.

I think Katniss was right and justified in killing Coin. She would’ve turned into another Snow if she had been allowed to live. I also think Peeta is the right one for her. Between him and Gale, he’s the only one who could empathize with Katniss regarding the Games and the Capitol. I’m sad Prim died AND I think it was necessary because it illustrated that we don’t have control over everything that happens.

Reading MOCKINGJAY is always bittersweet. I feel like it’s a fantastic ending to the trilogy. I’m just sad at all that takes place. I think Suzanne Collins does a phenomenal job of showing how war, torture, death, grief, PTSD, etc. can affect us or change us. I think the last chapter feels rushed. I wish Collin’s had slowed it down, even though she needed to cram a lot of information regarding Katniss, District 12, Panem, and the other characters into those pages.

I think Katniss was right and justified in killing Coin. She would’ve turned into another Snow if she had been allowed to live. I also think Peeta is the right one for her. Between him and Gale, he’s the only one who could empathize with Katniss regarding the Games and the Capitol. I’m sad Prim died AND I think it was necessary because it illustrated that we don’t have control over everything that happens.

This is the first chapter book I remember reading. It started my fascination with stories set during the Holocaust and WWII.

As I said in my review of Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland, I decided to read these two books because I want to read Frank Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars trilogy and I thought I should start with a proper foundation. Just like with Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland, I thought Through the Looking-Glass was a discombobulated book of nonsense.

I didn’t have high hopes going into this one because I didn’t enjoy the first one very much. On that note, I wasn’t too disappointed by it, but I still didn’t enjoy it. Alice still went off on unnecessary tangents, nothing was coherent nor did anything make any sense, and this book was even more confusing than the first one which is a feat!

The only thing I liked about Through the Looking-Glass were the backwards letters on everything and the “Jabberwocky” poem. I think it’s neat that Carroll coined the terms galumph and chortle. And, the fact that everything takes place on a chessboard is also kind of neat, except that you can’t follow the game very well so it really doesn’t add anything to the story.

The one thing I did learn from reading both of these books is that most adaptations to these stories mix the two together. For example, in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, the talking flowers, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and the Walrus and the Carpenter tale are all in Through the Looking-Glass not Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Even though I didn’t enjoy these very much, I’m glad I took the opportunity to read them. If for nothing else just to familiarize myself with them and get a foundation in the cannon of Alice and her adventures.

City of Lost Souls is a great addition to The Mortal Instruments series. I thought it was interesting to get to know "Sebastian" more, even though I knew he wasn't being forthright. I love reading from all the different POVs and I loved all the relationships.

I loved this installment of The Mortal Instruments series. It was everything I had hoped it would be when Clare announced she was continuing the series. I loved the folklore with Lilith and I loved seeing Jace/Clary, Magnus/Alec, and Izzy/Simon together.