sophiesometimesreads's reviews
263 reviews

I loved this! So cute, heartwarming, realistic (except the magical creatures...) and funny.

This was well-paced, in my opinion, as it kept my attention the whole time, though I did go in with the expectation that this was more of a mystery over a thriller so wasn't expecting a super fast pace. Some people seem to feel like it dragged in the middle but I didn't really find this to happen for me.

I didn't pick much of the nitty gritty details (and most of the time when I did it was two pages before it was revealed in text). Some of the overarching details I did get, but I was questioning myself the whole time, and there was one reveal that really shocked me but made sense when looking back, so that was fun. I was hoping for a little more of a shocking reveal for a five star read, but there were components that shocked me so I wasn't disappointed, just felt like there was a little room for more shocking details or a big twist to the overarching narrative. In saying this, all the loose ends were tied up one way or another which is something I really appreciate about Holly Jackson's novels. Even the red herrings were explained away.

A lot of the characters are unlikeable, so if that's not your think you might not enjoy this, but I thought it made for an interesting dynamic between them all. Bel did get a bit frustrating at times, but it wasn't enough for me to hate her or to feel as if I didn't want to keep reading. I did feel like her character development happened a little quickly at the end though, and could've been fleshed out a little more, particulalry given the length of the novel, but it was still good to see how her character changed and grew across this novel.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this and if you like HJ's other novels, I'm sure you'll also like this one!

I finished this book about 12 hours ago at the time of writing this review and I'm still not really sure what to think of it.

Firstly, I want to say I absolutely adored the writing and the prose. It was so interesting and conveyed the story and nature of the content well, and I'd be interested in reading more from Mona Awad if not for this alone. 

The thing about this book that confused me in regards to what I think about it was the plotline and ending. I had absolute NO idea what to expect from this going in, which I think was a good thing. It meant the start was really intriguing and I wanted to read more to learn what was going on and WHY it was all going on... and I think that's where it fell flat a little for me. Whilst we did get some clarity on what was happening at the end of the book, I wanted more of a resolution from it, particulalry more on WHY things happened and why Samantha.

I think the pacing of the book fell away about two thirds in, particulalry because I still didn't have much idea as to what was going on and why and felt like I should have at least had a little bit of information fed to me as a reader at that point. The conflict between the Bunnies also felt a little out of place and didn't seem, to me, to fit with the rest of the story.

I don't think them fighting over a boy was interesting at all, or in line with the tone of the rest of the book. It just felt like an odd turn to me.

This is a really interesting book because the premise was so intriguing, I enjoyed the writing and had a relatively good time for the most part, I think I just wanted more from the resolution. It's obviously a polarising book, so if the premise intrigues you then it's probably worth a read to see what you think.

I really loved this! It was fun, a little absurd but never completely unbelievable, and had some wonderful representation. The small-town and B&B vibes were immaculate and made for a wonderful atmosphere, and the dislike to lovers was done well. As usual in Hibbert books, the banter was great. The only (very minor) thing for me was that it did feel a little insta-lovey BUT it was self-aware in this case which meant it wasn't much of an issue for me personally. In saying this, I tend to find instant (or relatively instant) love a little unbelievable but if you don't mind or enjoy this then this is for you! A wonderful conclusion to the Brown Sisters trilogy and I would highly recommend it for everyone who enjoys romance.

Though I loved all 3, my ranking of the trilogy is as follows:
1. Take a Hint, Dani Brown (5⭐)
2. Act Your Age, Eve Brown (4.5⭐)
3. Get a Life, Chloe Brown (4.5⭐)

The art style of this graphic novel was nice and I liked the action scenes, particulalry. I felt like some of the early parts of the novel were a little wordy and the panels didn't have a lot going on, despite the actual drawings being done well technically, which made some parts drag a little for me. I liked the premise of the story though, and the ideas it presents on colonisation, racism/classism, military and revisionist history.

Disclaimer: I no longer rate memoirs, or most non-fiction in general. See below for thoughts!

I picked up this book after being invested in and obsessed with the Toni and Ryan Podcast for the last two years, and absolutely loved it! Toni's voice is so authentic and I could honestly hear her reading it in her voice in my head. Her humour, but also her deep stories and authenticity, both shone through in the pages and made this a wonderful (albeit emotional, at times) read.

I loved the fact that each chapter is named after a lie she told herself, and I found a lot of the content to be very relatable. It almost felt at times that I was reading my own memoir, so cheers to Toni for that, you love to see it (or maybe not if a lot of it was related to anxiety...). Also, I could've sworn only my mother called the caravan park bathrooms the "ablution block" but I guess not, the more you know.

I do think that perhaps those who don't already know and have a (parasocial) relationship with Toni may not get as much out of this, but it is a funny, emotional, heartwarming journey through her life until now, with a bit emphasis on her mental health and journey with grief.

Due to the non-chronological nature of the book, there were a couple events that were rehashed multiple times that did stall the pacing just a little, but I was having such a great time with the book that it wasn't a huge deal for me.

I would recommend, particulalry for those who are TARPers (fans of the Toni and Ryan Podcast) and if you're not a fan, go check it out because it's a whole lot of hilarious nonsense that's so much fun.

I don't know if "enjoyed" is the right word to describe my experience with this, as it was a rollercoaster, with some very intense scenes at times, but I thought this was a very interesting book that was well-constructed and made the points it was aiming to make well. Just make sure to check content warnings before reading.

There were some very good and interesting conversations and points throughout this book on the prison system (in the USA, specifically) and the treatment of incarcerated humans, as well as demographics of people more likely to be subject to these things. As a non-American, I thought the footnotes were useful to provide context and outline some of the hypocrisy in the system and judgements made. They were also used sparingly so didn't interrupt the overall flow of the story.

There were many points of view, but I found I followed them all well and I liked how we got the intersection of all these stories by the end. I have seen people say they got confused listening to the audio, but personally, having read the book with my eyes, I thought it was easy to follow who the character of interest was each chapter. I think the multiple POVs gave a lot of context to the dystopian world and really hit home the shocking nature of the death games, and how involved the community is.

The characters in here were really interesting. I appreciated how we saw them as human, but their crimes were never pushed to the background. It was a really good way of showing that even people who have committed crimes are human and have the ability to think, feel and change in some circumstances. It was a good way of furthering some of the points made in the book, particulalry about the death penalty and solitary confinement.

The only real thing I wanted more from was the ending. I read it and was like "that's it?", though I did go back and reread the last chapter and it did feel a little more solid of an ending the second time when I knew I was on the last chapter. I'm just not a huge lover of an open ending, so I personally would've liked to see a little more resolution, particularly in the other storylines. But part of me also thinks maybe the point was that, as much as the others fight, it's not going to nicely resolve in such a short period of time. I think I'll be pondering this ending for a while, either way.

This was an interesting read. I went into this with very little knowledge of the civil war in Sri Lanka, but came out with a general understanding of the time and what it was like to live within it. This was partially a result of the book, but I was also intrigued enough to engage in my own research, which I think was the best way to read this book and if this doesn't sound like an interesting time to you, then this book may not work as well for you. The second-person prose was an interesting choice that I wasn't sure about at first, but I think it worked for the story, or at least didn't take away from the narrative the author was trying to tell. Magical realism in a book about civil war was a choice I was intrigued but wary about going into this, but the balance between the realistic and unrealistic worked in this context to show Maali's life, his photography and the brutalities of the civil war. Aside from the brutalities of war that the book showed, it was actually quite funny and sarcastic and witty at times, which was a good contrast to some of the intense content covered. There were parts of this novel that were a little repetitive and slow-paced, which is why it wasn't a five star for me, but I enjoyed the reading experience, even if the content and storyline of the book was not necessarily "enjoyable". 

This was a really insightful and important read. I thought a lot of these essays or stories from peoples' lives growing up Aboriginal in Australia were great and shed light on these experiences that I, as a white Australian, have not experienced and the privilege that provides me. There was a good mix of happy, sad, beautiful and ugly throughout these stories. It also really shows how recently the atrocities against the Aboriginal population occurred, with stories from people part of the stolen generation included, as well as their children. It really highlights how much better as a society we must strive to be to be inclusive and accepting of the Aboriginal people and their ways of life. I think this was a great and important read for anyone in Australia, or even those globally. 

I really enjoyed this! I loved how magical realism was woven through this and the writing style was wonderful, lyrical but easy to follow too. I liked that we got snippets from journal entries and letters through the stories. It was funny and emotional and real, and I had a great time reading this. Check the content warnings, though, as this does have some intense themes at times.