modernbooklore's reviews
336 reviews

I absolutely adored this book from the beginning all the way to the end.
Stella and Michael were such likeable characters and I loved the character arcs they both got.
I'm so happy that there are more books on other characters in this universe because everyone was soooo likeable

The author's note at the end of this book was also extremely empowering and great to read, I love when the writing of an author's note is just as beautiful as the rest of the story!

I just finished reading this and I am surprisingly undecided about how I feel towards this book.
I am overwhelming angry about the content and the choices of some of the characters of this book.
I found myself increasingly frustrated throughout the first 100 pages of the book while trying to get a hold of the different plot lines and time frames.
However, as always, Lisa Jewell tied everything in so well with some really well thought out plot twists and no plot holes, which was great.
I just wish I had found the characters more likeable and I wish the pace hadn't been so slow to start out.
Lisa Jewell is one of my all time favourite authors but this just wasn't one of my favourite reads from her

It's not often that this happens while I read a book but I spent a good hour towards the end of this book sobbing (translation: ugly crying).
Dannie and Bella's friendship was a work of art..it was beautiful and it was realistic and imperfect and everything you would expect from a friendship that has lasted so long.
I didn't give this a full five stars because I was extremely upset about one part in particular at the end of the book.
It was still a beautiful read nonethless

I have to say.. as much as I adore Taylor Jenkins Reid this book left me wanting MORE.
The big thing I didn't like about this book was that

Spoiler

Ben dies within the first chapter. This is something that I had never seen done before and I just couldn't connect with the character or get invested because his death happened too suddenly for me to really care about the character.

I was extremely thrown off by this and found it hard to relate to Elsie as a consequence. I also didn't really like Elsie's character for the most part. I usually love Taylor Jenkins Reid's characters so this was another surprise for me.
Overall, this was still a beautiful story about love and loss and I'm forever impressed by the way that this author writes about humanity and about our emotions in such a raw way, even the not so good parts of us. This just wasn't one of my favourites!

I was so excited when I saw that there was going to be a book about Summer and this did not disappoint!!
I love Elle Kennedy's romances, they really just hit the spot when you're looking for a sweet, romantic read.
Surprisingly,

Spoiler

I found myself actually liking Summer with Hunter as I was reading the book. This never happens where I like someone other than the main love interest. I do think that Elle Kennedy did Hunter kinda dirty. I hope that Hunter finds love in another one of the spinoff books!!

As someone who constantly thinks ((worries)) about the meaning of life and how every little decision might lead me on a different path, this book really struck a chord with me.
As cliché as this may sound, I absolutely loved how perfectly imperfect Hannah was.
As always, Taylor Jenkins Reid has this amazing way of writing her characters and giving them these beautiful character arcs.
While I thought this would be a romance, ultimately, the friendship between Hannah and Gabby was the true beauty of this story.
I found myself rooting for Hannah, especially in one storyline specifically where she doesn't feel like she needs to change so much of herself.
By the end of the book, I kept asking myself BUT WHICH STORYLINE IS HANNAH MEANT TO BE IN / STAY IN?
And I found myself thinking well ... that's the point isn't it? Is there really one storyline that is meant to be better than the other? Was Hannah fated to be in one versus the other?
At one point, there was a discussion about how a lot of people will use destiny to absolve themselves of any responsibility they might have to take for crappy things that they do. I thought this was so relevant and it made me think, maybe there isn't one way for our lives to play out. But the least we can do is live this life to the fullest and take responsibility for all of the little choices we choose to make.
This was overall an amazing read!!

The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because I found that Colleen Hoover's writing in this book just wasn't as good as in other books I've read by her. I found myself rolling my eyes at times with some aspects of the story, especially the OVERLY romantic interactions between Sky and Holder.
Apart from that, this story was phenomenal. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Colleen threw in twists that I hadn't seen coming.
I especially liked the way everything all came together full circle at the end.

Spoiler

I do have to say however that Sky slapping Holder across the face (not even just once) really turned me off. I hate seeing men being slapped by women and it's as though it's completely normal, it's not!!

This friend to lover book was a beautiful story about friendship and human nature and the ways in which we run from ourselves.
I loved how this story focused on more than just Poppy and Alex's relationship and really dove deep into how we as adults deal with our childhood traumas/scars.
These characters were immensely likeable and I found myself rooting for them really early on.
I do have to say that this was veryyyyy much a slow-burn (understandably since it spans a decade) but sometimes I just wanted it to get a move on!!
But Emily Henry's writing was spectacular and stroke a chord more often than not

Ok so the Dare was on it's way to a five-star rating, I was loving it THAT much
Until I got to the last 100 pages that is.
I felt like everything was rushed in those last 100 pages

Spoiler

the second breakup and the video of Taylor being released just seemed thrown in to bring up a very important topic in society. BUT had this been put in another one of her Briar U books or even been the primary focus of the book alongside Conor and Kai, I think it would have been a lot more poignant and powerful.

I am not quite sure where to start with this book but wow.. that was something else!
This is not a genre I usually read but House of Hollow was amazing. Some twists were predictable in my opinion but still artfully written and well fleshed out.
I put down the book at the end and kind of thought to myself... what did I just read and why did I like it so much lol
Overall, the theme of sisterhood and how deep that bond goes was really beautiful.
All I can think about it is

Spoiler

how does Cate still have love in her heart for Iris and Vivi when they aren't her daughters. I understand that Grey is the one who caused the pain but Iris and Vivi would be a constant reminder of what happened to her young daughters. I found this part of human nature and how Grey said "having something that resembles your children is better than having no children at all" really really interesting and a good point of discussion.