joyfulfoodie's reviews
324 reviews

funny hopeful relaxing 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

I really enjoyed the gamer aspect of this novel. As a D&D player I saw a lot of recognizable characters and situations, and really connected to that. I loved seeing beloved game organizations in the authors notes at the end (geek and sundry, critical role, etc). I also felt like this did a good job of representing both neuro-divergent and LGBTQIA’s experiences.

Ten Things My Cat Hates About You by Lottie Lucas

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funny lighthearted 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

4.25

This is a very enjoyable light read. Unlike some of the romance novels I’ve read recently, this one keeps things very pg. I could very easily see this as a movie, there is nothing HBO that needs to be edited out. There are occasional “talk to the camera” type moments, a little Bridget Jones style. The “well you get where I’m going with this” type lines. It works. Fairly predictable, but with a few surprises in the exact method of execution. Not a new favorite of all time, but I learned some British vocab and enjoyed the sweetness.

All the Lies They Did Not Tell by Pablo Trincia

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

3.5

This book was extremely well executed and researched. My 3.5-star rating is based on the fact that it was a dark, depressing, horrifying slug through reality. If you enjoy true crime, you will likely enjoy this book detailing the horrific events of small-town Italy. If you want to skip some of the "did they or didn't they" angst from the first half-two thirds of the book, then Spoilers:

It takes until about 40% of the book for the author to hint that they do not believe the children were abused. By 60%, these are becoming less hints and more direct statements. By 80%, you are sure that the abuse was completely falsified... lies. And you finish the book wondering how this could have happened. With the time that has passed, we get some resolution of things, but you are still left with the horror of the families destroyed and the people that died.

Not my usual genre; I got this as a Kindle First pick. I had to finish it once I started to know how everything worked out but spent a lot of the first half of the book with my jaw clenched tight. Just know your own reading preferences when you decide whether or not to start this one. It is, as I said, very well done, just very uncomfortable subject matter.

Content Warnings

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book had me like 🤯 through ohhh most of it. I was reading a true crime book at the same time and had told my husband that if he saw my face like 😳😲😵‍💫🫣… then I was reading the true crime one. But then this one…. Yeah I had to update him that it wasn’t possible to guess any longer.
I gasped out loud at parts. I cried at parts. I have definitely been clenching my jaw. This was a fast intense read, and definitely has me thinking. Reading the reader’s questions or reading questions section at the end I’m going nope, no, nuh uh, no way…. Not even a debate. 😂😅

I highly recommend this book.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

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4.0

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

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5.0

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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5.0

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

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5.0