laurenleigh's reviews
618 reviews

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

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lighthearted 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

3.5

I’m honestly surprised how much I liked this romcom! It was a case where I’m thinking about the characters outside of reading, which is always a good sign. Grace’s characters are really where the book shines. I feel very connected to them. So much so that I’ll likely pick up the other books in the series. Where this book fell flatter was in the pacing and story structure. The plot meandered at times and would have truly benefited from some editing down. And plenty of plot points just didn’t really make sense at all or weren’t believable.
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

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

4.0

Overall, this was a good wrap up to the Shepherd King duology. Again, I love this magic system, and Gillig has created some great multi-dimensional characters. Super atmospheric read. I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as the first book though. There was a new romance plot that felt a bit forced. These characters were in the first book, but I didn’t see any hint of a romance at all? I would have been fine with it if there had been at least a breadcrumb of attraction in the first book.
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

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

3.0

After failing with Piranesi, I thought this would be an easier book to digest. Only to find myself in the middle of time travel story that I could NOT make sense of. There were all these rules the characters kept mentioning, but yikes I was so lost. I gave up on trying to make sense of that, but I still just didn’t really care about any of these characters other than the young daughter (surprise surprise). Again, I don’t think this was a bad book, but it wasn’t for me at this time.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

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challenging mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I’m afraid this was good book/bad timing syndrome. I’ve heard wonderful things for years and finally got around to it, but probably not at the right moment. I heard the plot was confusing at first but then all came together at the end in a brilliant way, but...I was confused the whole way through. It feels like this went way over my head. Chalking it up to baby brain. It didn’t feel like bad writing and the audiobook narration was great, I just couldn’t get into it at all during this postpartum phase.
Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey

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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? It's complicated

2.0

Yeah, no thank you. Not my cup of tea! This livestream TV show concept didn’t feel believable at all. The characters have somehow been pining after each other for 15 years but also had zero contact that whole time? So even with all those years, it still felt like insta-love, which is a turn off. Also way too much smut for me; it just starts to get boring and repetitive. I did however really like our FMC! Can we transplant her into another book?
The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

It’s fun to revisit this world and these characters that I love so much. I thought it might be a whole new cast with mere cameos from the original folks, but it’s still very centered on the Darker Shades cast. However, I wish there was more action and excitement. It felt overall rather slow with a lot of set up for the subsequent books. The White London storyline in particular wasn’t holding my attention well. The last 75 pages or so were great, and I would have liked more of that pacing throughout.
Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir by Dolly Alderton

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emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.0

Alderton chronicles her millennial coming of age, from a preteen obsession with online instant messengers to thirtieth birthday parties. Lots of it was highly relatable, though I personally phased out of late night partying earlier. Even just reading about her 4am escapades exhausted me lol.  (No shade, just where I’m at!) The message I appreciate the most here is that our western culture can value romantic love above all else, when platonic, familial, and self love are just as important.
The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore

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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

3.5

Perfectly fine Hallmark movie-esque holiday romcom. Not something I’ll think about much now that it’s over, but it was fun for a light palette cleanser when I was in the mood for it. The small town vibes were cute and very Gilmore Girls coded, as to be expected from this author. The romantic pairing was okay, if not my favorite. They clearly had physical chemistry from the start, but I’m not sure if they have a much deeper connection. Their dogs are amazing though, fave characters!!
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Very glad I put down the audiobook when it wasn’t hitting, because I knew this would be amazing if I got the timing right! Everyone’s highly rated reviews are correct. Excellent gothic spooky vibes with a unique card based magic system. We love a band of misfits trying to overthrow a corrupt government. The romance felt a little rushed maybe, but I liked the end result. I can see why it was necessary for the plot, but I think this is a fantasy novel first, with a bonus romance subplot, which is generally my favorite way to balance the two.
The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

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

4.0

This is actually hovering around a 3.75 if I did quarter stars...maybe I will in 2025! I loved the first book so much, and this didn’t deliver as strongly. The plot dragged for too long in the beginning, and I needed more action or at least something to move us forward. The structure of the trials from book one really helped the pacing, and that was missing here. I still plan to continue the series, since the next two books focus on new characters. I like Oraya and Raihn, but I think their story has played out.