redlipstickandreading's reviews
413 reviews

Next of Kin by Hannah Bonam-Young

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emotional funny 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? Yes

4.0

Next to You by Hannah Bonam-Young

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emotional hopeful 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

4.25

Black Women Will Save the World: An Anthem by April Ryan

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

4.0

This was a rough listen given the current administration and the ongoing attacks on diversity equity and inclusion. But sometimes you have to sit in the uncomfortable feelings to learn and move forward. This is somewhere between a memoir and an extended opinion piece. Both parts were compelling but the more data based points would have been served better with stronger organization; some parts felt repetitive and unfocused which undermined the very important arguments being made. I would recommend this to anyone starting their  intersectionality journey (remember if it's not intersectional it's not feminism!!!) because it introduces the impacts in clear but non academic terms. 
Slap Shot by Chelsea Curto

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emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Chelsea Curto does not miss!!! This book is the third in her DC Stars series of hockey romances and every time I think I can't love the characters as much as the previous story. And every time she proves me wrong. Hudson is the epitome of if he wanted to he would. He literally learns sign language in secret to better communicate with her daughter **swoon**. The slow burn was so good and they had a beautiful relationship/connection built by the time they got to their first kiss. I could go on, I laughed and cried during this book. As of right now the next two books are scheduled to be released this year and I am eagerly waiting for what is sure to continue to be a five star series. 
Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I read and didn't love the first but really wanted to see how this duology ended. Honestly I would have been fine if I hadn't. The plot felt like it dragged a bit and most of the twists and surprise reveals felt way to easy to guess. I mentioned this in my review of What the River Knows but Inez is the most blindly naive and trusting person which is wild in a situation where people are literally trying to kill you. I also found the chemistry between Inez and Whit weirdly lacking in this one after being a better part of the the first book. I love the historical Egyptian setting but it didn't make up for everything else. 
Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

So fun fact, I started reading this last summer and just finished it this month 🤦 as I began reading this book I realized I had not retained enough of the first one to remember where the plot was going. So I put it to the side to try again later and then just put it off. But after a quick reread of the first I restarted this one and finished it. This one was just as fun as the first with slightly more world building and plot development (which makes sense to set up the next book). This is definitely more of a book I like on vibes not necessarily because it's super well written but I think sometimes that's what you need in a book. Plus I came back from the first one and will definitely read the next when it comes out so that has to count for something. The one thing that bugged me is the damn prophecy/riddle...like no one is getting it? But still a very fun read especially when I wasn't feeling my best! 
Scythe & Sparrow by Brynne Weaver

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dark funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

I was wondering how this one was going to weave into the other Ruinous Love books and I loved that the timeline spanned both of the first two. We got to see all the scenes we had to imagine before. It really endeared me to Rose and her journey. This has all the dark humor of the previous books with way less food ruining (the cotton candy is debatable). And still had all the spice you expected. I'm sad the trilogy is over but I think the epilogue made me excited to see where Brynne goes next. 
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

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emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I surprised myself by devouring this book not was definitely one where I kept saying one more chapter and then oops it was 2am. This thriller was high paced and kept me engaged the whole time. I could have done with a bit less of some of the side plots but it was a great read overall. 
Forget Me Not by Julie Soto

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lighthearted fast-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

4.0

I had been interested in this one since it came out and it was just delightful. Full of some of my favorite romance tropes, grumpy sunshine, he takes care of her while sick, forced proximity. It also includes a trope I don't usually pick second chance romance, but I liked it in this case. I mean what's not to like about a florist wedding planner romance. It's told in a dual POV with his leading up to their breakup and hers starting at seeing/working with with him again. I will say the lead up to the breakup I expected to be mad at Ama but man did Elliot fumble HARD. If you read it, you'll see what I mean!
The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke

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

3.0

Trying to post all of my review backlog but I've made it to books I read in February! This book probably would have been better in spooky season but was overall okay. The book is told in dual POV/timelines. One is Clem, a modern mother who is told her daughter was in a terrible accident of unknown origin and the other is Alison a mother in 1594 who is accused of using witchcraft to attempt to kill an Earl. Going back and forth between the POVs was odd since Alison's was in first person and Clem's was in third person which felt jarring every time it switched. While I appreciated how much historical research went into Alison's story (it's based on a real woman/event) I kept waiting for a little bit more to happen on Clem's side. The whole time I felt like there was going to be more and then it just fell flat.