natreadthat's reviews
396 reviews

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

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emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.5

A slow (like, really slow) burn between two 30-somethings who were best friends in high school and have now spent half their lives apart. When a mutual friend’s wedding brings them back together, they slowly dance into each other’s orbit again. 
 
This was nostalgic for me. As someone who’s married to their high school sweetheart, the obvious romantic tension between two teenage best friends is basically my life story. The awareness of maybe, possibly loving your best friend more you’re supposed to but suppressing those feelings in fear of ruining something great, amazing, the absolute best? *points to self* Yep, I know that all too well. 
 
When Shiloh and Cary finally, finally take the leap, it’s as messy as you’d expect it to be. Divorce, single parenthood, deployments, tangled feelings, fear, and hope are all ingredients in their love story. Rowell did a great job of capturing regular people with regular problems. If you’re looking for a friends to strangers to lovers, this one is for you. 
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Direbound: A Dark Romantasy by Sable Sorensen

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adventurous dark emotional tense 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? No

4.5

Meryn will do anything to protect her sister. When her sister is kidnapped, she immediately joins the army headed for the front lines to reach the bloodthirsty enemy as fast as possible. Unbeknownst to her, she joins the army as a new round of Direwolf bonding takes place. Bonding one of the ferocious wolves, or dying in an attempt to do so, is her only hope.

This review is long overdue, especially since the book was my companion on a twelve hour flight. There’s a bit of everything: a stubborn FMC that must take matters into her own hands, fantastical world building, high-stakes action, a sexy good guy, a sexy bad guy, a compelling plot, and interesting side characters. Overall the vibes were great!

Where I will cast a small warning is the predictability and similarity to other romantasties (come on, they’re all similar). The predictability still kept me guessing half the time, but if you’re trying to be kept in the dark, you might not love it. The similarities are there but it doesn’t necessarily take away from the story. In fact, it’s fun to see different flavors and spins throughout the romantasy genre. 

Thank you Sable Sorensen for the ARC—can’t wait for book two!
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Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean

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lighthearted medium-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? No

3.5

Back in Izumi’s world, she’s been more or less accepted as the princess, her parents are falling in love again, and she’s mostly out of the bad tabloids. Unsurprisingly, becoming a princess overnight still poses challenges Izumi must overcome: getting accepted into college, coupling up with an appropriate boyfriend, being cool with the evil cousins, dressing the part… All things she must do to ensure her parent’s engagement is accepted. 

Witnessing Izumi and her family struggle with their new normal was surprisingly relatable. I absolutely loved the Japanese culture and the descriptions of Japan, especially going on a trip there right after finishing the book! This was a charming book and a great series. I didn’t love the ending, hence the 3.5 stars, but overall this is a cute, easy read. 
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The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

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

4.0

Big yikes 😭 
In the not-so-distant future, religious fundamentalists have taken over. The United States is now known as Gilead. Fertile women are stripped of their rights and removed from their families. Their singular purpose is to procreate for the elite. Breed the next generation of mankind. 

With the trends of the current political climate and semi-awareness of the show, I knew more-or-less what I was getting into. The book did a great job showcasing the fear and uncertainty the characters felt as their country first took a turn for the worst—women no longer being able to hold jobs, bank accounts frozen, movement being limited. The fear felt all too familiar. As were the powerlessness and complicity the handmaidens were forced into. As their society collapsed, the overwhelming need for numbness to survive was palpable. Though the narrator became lifeless, a husk of the woman she once was, I didn’t expect the visceral blips of the previous life she had with her husband and daughter. Despite it all, the fight she still had hidden away was inspiration in times of darkness. 

A difficult read, but one for the books. Now, do I dare watch the show? Maybe not so soon. 
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A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci

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

4.5

One of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to this year. I don’t often read court dramas and I’ve never read a Baldacci before, but maybe it’s time to change that up. 
 
Set in 1968, Jack Lee is a white lawyer. He’s never really done much to push back on the racism so blatantly seen in Southern Virginia. He’s neither worked a murder case nor defended a Black person, but there’s a first for everything. The story winds through the trial, the attacks on Jack merely for defending a Black man, and his budding partnership with Desiree DuBose, a Black civil rights lawyer. 
 
The double-murder of an affluent, elderly white couple and an all white jury stack the odds against any chance of the wrongly accused from avoiding the electric chair. Yet, Lee and DuBose march on. The pair fight for what’s just and what’s right. 
 
Unfortunately, A Calamity of Souls is a timely read, with racism continuing to rear its ugly head right here in 2025. This story is one of many—real and fiction—that begs us to ask just how far we’ve really come in the journey of equity for all.
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Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

The Princess Diaries 🤝 Japan. 
Izumi feels like she’s never fit in at her high school, but she has the Asian Girl Gang, “AGG” for short—her close-knit group of friends, their favorite diner, and her stinky dog. And that’s all she really needs, right? She has no idea who her dad is and hasn’t thought much about him…until a book inscription provides a first name and her best friend does some digging. Turns out, her dad is none other than the Crown Prince of Japan and she’s an actual Japanese princess. The whirlwind that follows is her bellyflop into royalty. 
 
I expected a cheesy romance. What I got is a young woman trying to find her place in life, getting to know her father, falling in love, dealing with conflicting cultures, and learning how to maneuver Japanese royalty. All at the same time. This was a really wholesome book. I loved getting a glimpse into Tokyo and Kyoto, especially with a trip coming up soon (send recs pls!).  I loved how sassy and real Izumi is and watching her character develop was quite enjoyable. All of that made for a fun, easy read! 
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Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

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

4.0

An undercover socialite witch, nicknamed the Crimson Moth, dances around the most infamous witch hunter of them all. With her good looks, wicked smarts, and ability to pull information out of almost anyone, she’s fulfilling her promise in honor of her late grandmother: save as many witches as possible. As she gets closer and closer to the witch hunter, will she be able to keep her identity a secret? 
 
An enemies-to-lovers YA fantasy? Sign me up. Although it took some time to get into and it was a touch predictable, this turned out to be a great read. Plus there’s a nice little twist at the end, and a cliff hanger of course. Thankfully the second book comes out this month so I don’t have to wait long to find out what comes next! I did feel like it was more YA than it was fantasy, but hey, it was still enjoyable. 
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Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Catching One Tree Hill at 7PM on the CW on my “old school” tv and VHS combo set is a core memory of my middle/high school days. 👵🏼 
 
More than a decade later (ouch), OTH is still one of my guilty pleasures. It’s so bad, so melodramatic, it’s good—the angsty music, the basketball hotties, the nostalgia. I still love it. So of course I had to read this book. 
 
Bethany Joy Lenz, our beloved Haley, finally spills all. How she never fit in as a child, the joy of finally finding a sense of belonging within theater and acting, and eventually, feeling the love of her found church family. Although many people know Lenz from OTH, the show remains mostly in the periphery. The majority of the memoir focuses on Lenz unveiling how she was emotionally abused and manipulated out of family, friends, dream roles, millions of dollars, and some of life’s most precious moments. 
 
What a rollercoaster. Light in tone thanks to good writing, sarcasm, and wit, but definitely some heavy content. It’s always great when an audiobook is read by the author. It’s even better when OTH co-stars cameo in it. 
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The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

After escaping from a toxic marriage, Lakshmi has become a successful henna artist with a growing client list and she’s building the house she’s dreamt of. Soon, her parents should accept her invite to move in and she can finally absolve herself of her past mistakes. All is going according to plan. But only until her estranged husband tracks her down, with a sister she had no idea about in tow. 
 
This story opened up a window to a different world—one of the many reasons I love reading so much. Joshi really brought the cultural aspects of 1950s India to life. I loved how consuming the world was; it made the city of Jaipur leap off the page. The lyrical prose and budding storyline had me wondering how Lakshmi would turn her life around. 
 
There was a beauty in the way Joshi handled difficult situations while maintaining the integrity of her characters. Watching the characters struggle, grow, and heal in their own ways was captivating and felt realistic. I read this as an audiobook, but wish I had snagged a copy from my library. I hear the hard copy has a helpful list of characters, terms, and information, as well as a wonderful history of henna and even a henna recipe in the acknowledgments! Going into this blind, I also wasn’t aware this was both a debut novel and the first book of a trilogy. What a lovely surprise. 
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Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous dark funny informative mysterious 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? No

4.0

Finally!!! Action packed and funny with a healthy mix of “who tf is that again???” 

Xaden and Violet are back babyyy. The squad is journeying across uncharted territories to find long lost answers, bargain for allies, and (hopefully) save the world as they know it. 

What keeps me coming back to this series time and time again—other than dragons, you ask? The characters, their witty banter, a thiccc plot line and magical world, the sexual tension, romance, emotional relationships, you name it. And it surprisingly had me laughing out loud, which is unexpected for a war college to say the least. 

Ya girl looooves to theorize, so you know I’ll be re-reading to pick up all the hints I missed on the first whiplash-inducing read. Then… probably cry because who knows how long we’ll be questioning that cliffhanger until the next book comes out. Rebecca, don’t forget about us!
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