literarybear's reviews
438 reviews

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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

4.0

This is such a great gothic horror, with its creeping sense of dread, dark family ties, chilling nightmares, and cursed heroines. It was a little slow, but I feel like it helped build the descent into madness. Still, I’d have liked to see more action in the first half. I was positively nauseated at some of the descriptions but could not pry myself from them. This was a great choice for entering my spooky season reading. 
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A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons by J. Penner

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lighthearted 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

3.75

The first book in this series made me like the characters more than I realized, so I jumped right into this second book the day after finishing the first lol. I don’t know if it’s just because I got to hang out with the characters again, the love interest is a librarian, or if it was because the lifelong people-pleaser finally asserted her boundaries, but I did connect with this more than the first book. Such a low-stakes cozy read!
A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J. Penner

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lighthearted relaxing 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

3.25

A quick, cute, fantasy version of the Great British Baking show with a touch of romance. It isn’t anything ground breaking, but it was a lovely companion to yard work today and made me crave pastries.
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor

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

3.5

The first half of this book was much more engaging than the second half. I really liked Bob’s humanism, when it came through, and his sense of humor. I feel like the second half of the book is a lot more procedural and there are too many replicants to keep track of or have a vested interest in. I probably won’t continue the series because I don’t feel super compelled to stay in the universe, but it was a fun romp to visit.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Low-stakes, cozy romantacy featuring an introverted librarian and her sentient spider plant companion? Yes, this is just as adorable and fun as it sounds. I really needed this easy, calming audiobook to get me out of a reading slump and it delivered. Huge thanks to Macmillan audio for the advanced listening copy of this delightful book. ❤️ #MacAudio2024
Old Enough by Haley Jakobson

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funny inspiring sad 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

4.0

This is the kind of book that queer teenagers deserve to have. Yes, the dialogue can be cringy at times and lot of the character bonds are a little superficial, but I think this tackles important topics. That transition into adulthood and leaving behind some of who you used to be is such a key aspect of a bildungsroman. Add sexual assault into the mix and that transition is 10x harder. I hope that this gets to the people who need it most. I know if have really benefited from reading this when I was about 16-17.
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Happy Medium by Sarah Adler

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lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I think I’ve just been reading too many fluffy romcoms lately and I’m growing a little tired of the genre at the moment. This was cute in a lot of ways, but I couldn’t quite get behind Gretchen‘s hangups and Charlie didn’t seem all that likable. The ghost and the goats were the most redeeming.
Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith

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

4.25

Loosely, this is a novella about stories and the artifacts that make up the moments of a life. It’s a story that doesn’t rely so much on plot as much as filling you with an ache and a haunting of experiences, like poetry.
Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Funny Story by Emily Henry

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-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

4.0

I love the picturesque town painted in the pages of Funny Story even more than the main couple. Although Miles and Daphne’s story is charming and relatable, the town itself is the star. I could almost taste the seasonal fruits and veggies, hear the waves of the lake, feel summer on my skin. At this point, Emily Henry might end up being responsible for single-handedly doubling the population of Michigan. This is a perfect late spring/early summer romance but, like most romance novels, it’s pretty standard and predictable. The dialogue is good though, and made me laugh out loud several times.