linneahbt's reviews
262 reviews

Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

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

4.0

An epic that has stood the test of time. I found it verbose at times, and some of the philosophical ramblings either boring or hard to follow or both. But overall I enjoyed it! 
The Giver by Lois Lowry

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

4.0

A childhood classic I missedbas a child. Loved the narration of this audiobook and the fascinating world created by Lois Lowry. What many dystopian novels wish they could be.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

I was 21 when i read Emily Doe's victim impact statement on BuzzFeed. I was a university student. I went to frat parties.

I remember hearing the judge's decision. I remember my heart breaking. I remember hearing about Brock Turner's "promising future" and "20 minutes of action" and thinking, "what about her?" 

In her searing memoir, Emily Doe demands that we know her name. Chanel Miller. She takes back ownership of her identity, her story, her worth. She walks readers through the unimaginable suffering that "20 minutes of action" caused, saying with no uncertainty that those 20 minutes were only the beginning of years of fighting to be heard, and a lifetime of putting herself back together.

Heart wrenching. Upsetting. Painful. Hopeful.

HUGE TW for graphic descriptions of assault & victim blaming.
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The Whispers by Ashley Audrain

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

3.75

Compelling and absorbing but I'm not sure if that's because I loved the story it because I liked the way it was written. A bunch of morally ambiguous characters, their worlds falling apart, separately but simultaneously. Didn't hold up to the author's first but definitely an enjoyable read.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

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

3.5

Sweet vignettes of a found community. Long rambling sentences and a huge cast of characters that set the tone beautifully but made it a bit hard to follow, sometimes.
All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore

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challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I don't think I've ever loved a memoir more. I have always liked Beth Moore, and her openness and genuine joy in the life she's been called to, even through mess and hurt and trauma, makes me like her even more. Her writing style is disarmingly familiar, like talking to an old friend. 
Solitary by Alexander Gordon Smith

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

3.25

Dark! Genuinely tense! Icky!
Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

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

3.0

It's YA, so there are things that I wish this book did more of - but in all honesty I was a bit taken aback by how much it actually did. Surprisingly dark and grim. I'm sure I'll enjoy the rest of the series! 
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

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

5.0

This is such a lonely book.  It is disconcerting. It is philosophical and speculative and raises many questions, offering no answers. The narrator's unique position of having no experiences of life outside - being without culture, society, knowledge - brings our understanding of personhood into question, when the signifiers are missing. 
A blunt look at survival, this book can be brutal, but with a surprising tenderness to it. It approaches the worst of life with almost distant observation. Unlike anything I have ever read.

"No life is ordinary. No life is without hope, without light, even during the unimaginable."