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michaelapr's reviews
74 reviews
The Sisters by Nancy Jensen
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.0
This rating should actually be in between a 2.75 and a 3 stars but it gets a 3 out of 5 stars.
This book is a hard one to rate, it's one of those where the story is well written and the characters feel like real people but it's also incredibly sad with an unsatisfactory ending that bummed me out. The book is thought provoking and the characters are incredibly complex. Sometimes they're likeable, other times their absolutely not - which I believe adds to their authenticity (although I will say I only had maybe 2 characters I liked consistently throughout the book). Unfortunately this book made me incredibly sad especially with the end. There was so much tragedy on one particular side of the "sisters" family and it just felt like a "women can't have anything they want" kind of book. There wasn't enough time spent on one sister's side of things in my opinion, as she seemed to have a nice life with nice people even if her perspective was always tinged with regret - I really wanted to know about her (she's also one of the characters I always really liked by the way).
This is a typical book by a Kentucky author with an MFA - it's very sad and takes itself very seriously (hence the ending). I was pleased that the book wasn't about Eastern Kentucky/Appalachian area as most Kentucky books are, although Louisville is mentioned at least once (I'm starting to think that it's a requirement of stories based in KY to mention Louisville or Lexington).
Just a note: I don't know if a lot of people have put trigger warnings for this book on here but I will be and I will say you should definitely check those out. The book deals with sexual assault especially and it does get intense at the very beginning and the aftermath is especially heartbreaking throughout the book.
This book is a hard one to rate, it's one of those where the story is well written and the characters feel like real people but it's also incredibly sad with an unsatisfactory ending that bummed me out. The book is thought provoking and the characters are incredibly complex. Sometimes they're likeable, other times their absolutely not - which I believe adds to their authenticity (although I will say I only had maybe 2 characters I liked consistently throughout the book). Unfortunately this book made me incredibly sad especially with the end. There was so much tragedy on one particular side of the "sisters" family and it just felt like a "women can't have anything they want" kind of book. There wasn't enough time spent on one sister's side of things in my opinion, as she seemed to have a nice life with nice people even if her perspective was always tinged with regret - I really wanted to know about her (she's also one of the characters I always really liked by the way).
This is a typical book by a Kentucky author with an MFA - it's very sad and takes itself very seriously (hence the ending). I was pleased that the book wasn't about Eastern Kentucky/Appalachian area as most Kentucky books are, although Louisville is mentioned at least once (I'm starting to think that it's a requirement of stories based in KY to mention Louisville or Lexington).
Just a note: I don't know if a lot of people have put trigger warnings for this book on here but I will be and I will say you should definitely check those out. The book deals with sexual assault especially and it does get intense at the very beginning and the aftermath is especially heartbreaking throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Violence, and War
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows, Mary Ann Shaffer
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book is a fast read that was fun and sad at the same time. It was interesting to me to read a World War II book that was more on the direct aftermath of the war and looking back on it (but still fresh, sense the war ended). There aren't a lot of books that explore that so it was nice to see a fresh take. I also liked the story told in letters - that always makes a story go faster.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Violence
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was like reading a really fun romcom and it's a good time. It's rare that I enjoy a romance book like I did this one.
Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
2.75
I hesitate to give this book anything below 3 stars based on the fact the average rating is 4 stars - but here I go. I don't listen to this podcast regularly, but I do enjoy it every now and then. What I was expecting was something similar to the podcast, which would be mostly talk about murder cases with a mix of the author's real lives. This is not what I got - which was okay! However, what was not really okay was how repetitive the stories were, and how I could not for the life of me distinguish between the two author's voices (even while listening to them).
I'll be honest though, "self help" books may not be for me. And I'm probably not in the age range for these life stories to be relevant. But also - none of this advice or anecdotes had insight that I hadn't heard before. It wasn't new to me, it didn't make me see the world differently. So that's why it gets 2 stars. It gets the .75 because the best parts really were when they started talking about specific murders, which is what I enjoy about their podcast in the first place.
I'll be honest though, "self help" books may not be for me. And I'm probably not in the age range for these life stories to be relevant. But also - none of this advice or anecdotes had insight that I hadn't heard before. It wasn't new to me, it didn't make me see the world differently. So that's why it gets 2 stars. It gets the .75 because the best parts really were when they started talking about specific murders, which is what I enjoy about their podcast in the first place.
The Martian by Andy Weir
adventurous
funny
inspiring
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
Safe Haven by Hannah Alexander
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual assault
The Cypress House by Michael Koryta
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I expected this to be a completely different book, instead it surprised me in a great way. I really enjoyed this story and it had a good ending.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.0
A sweet story that made me laugh and gave me an ending I wanted. Sometimes that's exactly what you need.
People who would like this: Fans of Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (albeit more lighthearted and arguably faster paced), Fans of the X-Men (comics or movies)
People who would like this: Fans of Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (albeit more lighthearted and arguably faster paced), Fans of the X-Men (comics or movies)
Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
I ended up not finishing this book. It just wasn't catching me. This is also not really an Odyssey retelling, which is what I was expecting. Instead it's more of an imagining of the aftermath of the Odyssey and I wasn't really thrilled with that aspect - or where it was going.
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
This was going to be a solid 3 star read until the end. It was a typical Ng ending, ambiguous and sad but unlike her other two books, I was not left with much hope at the end. There was no life can suck but there's still hope for these people kind of ending, it felt like everything the characters had done was futile. Hence the 2.75 rating. This is labelled as a dystopian book but, as I kept noting throughout reading, it feels more like a alternate reality or a thought experiment than a dystopian. This is mostly due to the fact that some of what happens in this book is either happening right now (or some version of it) or could actually happen in the future. This is not a "look at this extreme, way in the future world where I explore some of the problems we have in modern day" this is a "this future is very realistic and feels like we're heading right for it" sort of story. I've read other books of this sort and liked it, but this one was a sadder version. I also this that this book got a little lost in words, which did slow it down and seemed out of place in the genre it was trying to be in. There were parts of this book that did not need to be as long as it was due to all the details - although I was listening to the audiobook, so that might have been a contributing factor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Police brutality