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karenmsecrest's reviews
296 reviews
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Frustrated by pop culture references that are too Gen X for a high school kid in 2014. I'm not buying that a kid from the class of 2015 would be watching John Hughes movies, listening to the Mermaids soundtrack, not using the map app on a phone when driving, or playing with Barbies rather than American Girl Dolls.
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
lighthearted
fast-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
3.0
Lovely setting and a sweet story. (With plenty of spice.)
The drama and secrets are low stakes, and I got frustrated with the whole “Lucy leaves her whole life behind and risks a major job opportunity to help Bridget through a crisis, but Bridget refuses to tell Lucy what the crisis is” aspect of the story. Just tell her!!! Also, stop talking about vinho verde!!!
Good if you love:
The drama and secrets are low stakes, and I got frustrated with the whole “Lucy leaves her whole life behind and risks a major job opportunity to help Bridget through a crisis, but Bridget refuses to tell Lucy what the crisis is” aspect of the story. Just tell her!!! Also, stop talking about vinho verde!!!
Good if you love:
- Hot dudes names Felix
- Oysters
- Anne of Green Gables
- Friends who are kind of shitty but are really understanding and maybe they should just TALK TO EACH OTHER?
- 29-year-old figuring their shit out.
Until Forever by Johanna Lindsey
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A time traveling Viking loves slaughtering enemies with his magical sword (not a euphemism) almost as much as he loves making love to ladies. He meets a foxy college professor who wears fake glasses and frumpy clothes in order to be taken seriously at work. The magic/cursed sword brings them together, the sexy times happen behind closed doors, and eventually they live happily ever after.
Published in 1995, so this book leans heavily into the 90's style of feminism that claims to celebrate independent, professional women ... but they better be ready to serve cookies in the local bake-off as a photo-op for their husband's career. (Let's call it the Hillary Clinton paradox.)
It's a little bit like Outlander without the historical research or in-depth medical lessons.
Published in 1995, so this book leans heavily into the 90's style of feminism that claims to celebrate independent, professional women ... but they better be ready to serve cookies in the local bake-off as a photo-op for their husband's career. (Let's call it the Hillary Clinton paradox.)
It's a little bit like Outlander without the historical research or in-depth medical lessons.
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
emotional
fast-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
Surprisingly sweet love story about a baseball player and the reporter assigned to cover his trade to a struggling NYC team.
Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Fun contemporary romance with some funny bits. Entertaining and spicy.
I was caught off guard by an unexpectedly rough bed scene featuring pinching and biting.
I was caught off guard by an unexpectedly rough bed scene featuring pinching and biting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
Overall, this was trite, redundant, and rushed. Read for a book bingo challenge, otherwise would’ve DNF’d at 40%.
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Cute concept but lame writing style:
- “Gorgeous” as a description 18 times
- “That night in the library” referenced 8 times, and the incident that took place “that night” did not live up to the hype
- The MFC’s vibrator is mentioned 18 times (side note: what kind of professional brings a vibrator to a remote archeological jungle dig site with zero access to batteries?!?)
Overall, this was trite, redundant, and rushed. Read for a book bingo challenge, otherwise would’ve DNF’d at 40%.
Liar's Point by Laura Griffin
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Solid mystery/thriller with a side of romance. This is number 4 or 5 in a series, but fine as a stand alone. Good mix of detective work and murder without relying on torture or gratuitous violence.
The Sins of Lord Lockwood by Meredith Duran
emotional
fast-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
4.5
I love a fierce heroine and a tortured hero (literally and figuratively). He has to make up for lost time, she has to learn to forgive him, together they team up to avenge his kidnapping. I fell in love with these two dummys.
Some light kink (blindfolds!), some references to torture (he was kidnapped and beaten), some miscommunication (ultimately resolved).
Some light kink (blindfolds!), some references to torture (he was kidnapped and beaten), some miscommunication (ultimately resolved).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Kidnapping
Minor: Torture
Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta
emotional
funny
fast-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
4.0
Device Free Weekend by Sean Doolittle
Lowlights:
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
5 stars for the audiobook narration by Zachary Webber.
Loved the concept, didn’t like the execution. Overall, the writing style was a little simple and the characters needed a little more development.
Highlights:
Loved the concept, didn’t like the execution. Overall, the writing style was a little simple and the characters needed a little more development.
Highlights:
- Seattle/PNW setting
- Tech billionaire as the bad guy
- Gen X college buddies reuniting
Lowlights:
- In a story with 7 (8? 10?) main characters, I couldn’t keep track of them all and had a hard time identifying any of their individual traits.
- The writing style was a little repetitive: “she said… he said… then Emma said… Perry said…”
- Random 9/11 reference at the end of the story… why?!?!