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meg_'s reviews
511 reviews
To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
This is truly one of the worst things I have ever attempted to read. The characters were incredibly vapid and had no depth whatsoever. Also, the vibes of the male main character toward the female main character were giving predatory. I know their age gap wasn't that large, but him continuing to call her "little one" as a pet name made me want to vomit and he obviously has a huge power difference over her, not just due to age but with wealth and fame as well. She's literally a college student and he is a widely known movie star with a fuck ton of money. It all felt super icky to me. The female main character was also veryyy "not like other girls" which was cringe to the max. Absolutely hated every moment of the reading experience before I decided to stop reading.
Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian
adventurous
dark
slow-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? It's complicated
2.75
This was fine, but I was honestly pretty bored for the majority of the book. Sophie and her journey were really the only part of the story I felt invested in, but obviously we know how that ended. I'm not sure that I will continue with the rest of the series.
The Darkening by Sunya Mara
Did not finish book. Stopped at 80%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 80%.
It wasn't bad, but I just could not fully invest in reading this. I was too bored to continue and decided to just stop.
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I found this book to be wayyy overhyped. I honestly didn't like it very much, which is saying something because I am usually a sucker for any type of friends to lovers trope. I found the romance to lack believability, especially once we learn the context of how long lasting Shep's feelings were. The premise of this sounded so fun and it started out that way, and then just went a little sideways. I felt disconnected from the characters, nobody directly communicated how they were feeling until the very end, and everything tied together with the most perfect bow that I found it a little unbelievable. I know many enjoyed this a lot, but it wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infertility
Funny Story by Emily Henry
emotional
fast-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
3.0
So this book was not bad, but for me it was SUCH a disappointment. To be fair, Happy Place is one of my favorite books of all time, so I guess I should have tempered my expectations a little bit but this fell so flat for me. I feel like the characters, especially Miles, lacked the same level or depth that I expect after reading Happy Place. I also absolutely hated the third act break up premise and found it to be so unnecessarily stupid. Major miscommunication/lack of communication trope, but done terribly and I just didn't like it.
Again, it wasn't a bad book. I did like the characters overall and the premise itself was fun and cute.
Again, it wasn't a bad book. I did like the characters overall and the premise itself was fun and cute.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark by Jessa Hastings
toxic parent child relationship
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have a really complicated relationship with my feelings on this book! As always, I love and will forever be obsessed with Magnolia Parks as a character. I think she is amazing, and so fun to read about, and I love getting to go inside her head with her and read her stream of consciousness thoughts. At the same time, this book felt like a pretty big let down for me. I was never really rooting for the relationship between Magnolia and BJ, and have always way more been rooting for Julian and Magnolia to be together.
That aside, this book just felt unnecessarily long with no real substantive plot. Don't get me wrong, I understand that this is true for almost every book in the Magnolia Parks Universe, but it felt just super off in this particular installment. I feel like the one thing within the book that was solid in terms of build up plot wise was the wedding, but even then I feel like nothing really built up to it? We knew they were getting married and planning was happening, but then it ended up being spur of the moment anyway, so what was the point of any of it. It felt lacking.
The things that I loved about this book, as I love with every book in this universe, was the depth of feeling that the story and these characters evoke. Magnolia's feelings around her grief felt so incredibly intense. I felt the way she was feeling and grieved in the same way while reading. It was beautifully described and written and this was by far the most important part of the story for me. I also just love Magnolia in general.
I am looking forward to the next book in the universe, because a lot of what was written here was setting some major plot points up for the next book (during which I will be in PAIN because my poor sweet Julian :().
That aside, this book just felt unnecessarily long with no real substantive plot. Don't get me wrong, I understand that this is true for almost every book in the Magnolia Parks Universe, but it felt just super off in this particular installment. I feel like the one thing within the book that was solid in terms of build up plot wise was the wedding, but even then I feel like nothing really built up to it? We knew they were getting married and planning was happening, but then it ended up being spur of the moment anyway, so what was the point of any of it. It felt lacking.
The things that I loved about this book, as I love with every book in this universe, was the depth of feeling that the story and these characters evoke. Magnolia's feelings around her grief felt so incredibly intense. I felt the way she was feeling and grieved in the same way while reading. It was beautifully described and written and this was by far the most important part of the story for me. I also just love Magnolia in general.
I am looking forward to the next book in the universe, because a lot of what was written here was setting some major plot points up for the next book (during which I will be in PAIN because my poor sweet Julian :().
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Grief
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Car accident
The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a great second installment in this series! I enjoyed this book even more than book one and while I don't want to give too much of the plot away, I found so much of the plot points of this book to be more dynamic and enjoyable than book one. In particular, I think the dynamic of the school/training environment was really fun to read. The cliffhanger at the end has definitely intrigued me to continue reading more. Can't wait to see how the story gets even better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping and Grief
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I ate this book up! It was so fast paced and easy to get sucked into the world and finish the read. I genuinely had such a good time reading it. I don't think it was groundbreaking in terms of content and I would say it's pretty predictable but I still really enjoyed it. I found the characters fun and lovable and found the overall mystery within the plot fun to read despite its predictability.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Kidnapping
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a good YA Fantasy that I think has the potential to be great within the context of the whole series. I really liked the dynamic between Han and Raisa and the overall plot was interesting. I will be continuing the series to see if it gets even better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism
Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a very middle of the road book that I honestly forgot I read because it was just very mid. The plot was predictable and relatively boring, and the characters didn't stand out to me. The main plot point within the romance was a lack of communication, which I don't necessarily mind, but only when it's done well. I don't feel it was done especially well in this book. I struggle with the rating because I feel like there are so many other 3 star books that I genuinely enjoyed, but I don't feel comfortable rating it lower becaue it also wasn't bad. Overall again, I would just say this was mediocre at best.