rhi_xo's reviews
125 reviews

Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor

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informative reflective relaxing 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? No

3.0

I found this to be a very relaxing read. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I liked how the way the book is written really coincides with how Manod lives her life: there's clearly not a lot of activity or flashy customs but there's still a lot of heart, & I think the way the book is written reflects that. I think that this book can speak a lot to the kinds of microaggressions & exploitation that a lot of people who have been pushed off their homes or exoticized can relate to. & I can appreciate that my Welsh name was mentioned in the book!
Matrix by Lauren Groff

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

took a while for me to get into the style of this book because it moves pretty fast & almost reads as stream of consciousness, but by the end of it I was happy I picked it up. it’s just a really cool story about some complex & cool women. will read more from this author.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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emotional funny inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

enjoyed the first half but wasn’t quite understanding the hype. the second half really started to make the whole book come together for me & made this a five star read. the characters & their dynamics felt very real & the story was just so well done. I get it now lol
Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer

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

3.0

at some point I just had to surrender to not fully understanding what vandermeer is trying to relay. I kind of started to think of it as long-form poetry & in that way it became a more enjoyable reading experience. chapter 9 from the fox's perspective was definitely my favorite. I just wish I knew what exactly vandermeer was picturing in his mind for this book!!
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.0

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

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emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

this might be the only book that has made me cry & I still didn’t like it lol. I really tried to like Tully but she was so selfish & immature that I just couldn’t take it anymore by the end of it. I genuinely wanted Kate to rip her a new one lol. I think the only thing that really kept me reading was how sympathetic I was for Kate’s character. she put everyone’s feelings before her own & I felt so bad for her that her “best friend” & daughter never really appreciated it. other than that I felt like the book moved very fast. things you think will be part of a larger arc end up getting resolved in literally the next chapter. but even the major events/conflicts seem to be completely forgotten about in later chapters. I understand what the author was going for here, but I just wasn’t buying into this friendship. :/
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sally rooney’s mind…👁️👄👁️
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

this was such a fun mystery read!! I love reading books like these every once in a while where it’s fast-paced & has different twists & turns. I would definitely read more from this author again.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

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

0.0

erm… what the flip?🤨
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The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

it’s really hard to write a review of this book without just explaining every character & every piece of the plot so I’m just going to say if you love classics & have ever considered reading russian lit, you’ve gotta read this at some point in your life. yes, it’s long & I did almost fall asleep at one point (hence only 4 stars lol), but I already know that I will be thinking about the ideas in this book for years to come & I’m so glad that I pushed myself to read it. here’s what you can take away from my review: dostoevsky absolutely cooked in the pro and contra part of this book & with Ivan’s character in general; basically the point is there will always be a longstanding battle of whether you want to believe that love and faith stand a chance against the grief & horrors humans inflict on each other everyday; and finally, maybe god is the friends we made along the way :) okay gotta go learn russian now, byee🏃🏻‍♀️

edit: changed it to 5 stars because I honestly cannot stop thinking about this book <3