staceen's reviews
97 reviews

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Read in a few days, couldn't put it down. What I wanted The Secret History to be. 
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Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

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hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

I adore Ina's work, and it felt so comfortable to listen to her tell her story. It was honestly like a book valium, calming and kind of mindless. Not a whole lot of substance but I thought it was just right. 
Nofx: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories by Jeff Alulis

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challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

I read a lot of celebrity memoirs and I was so surprised and impressed by this one. As a fan of the band, I know their music but was unfamiliar with their personal stories. This book was long, but worth every page, with crazy, almost unbelievable stories and refreshingly, what felt like genuine vulnerability and self-reflection. A really great read. 
Joyful Recollections of Trauma by Paul Scheer

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lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society by Arline T. Geronimus

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I assigned this book for our work DEI book club. Despite having some of the same organizational issues that other reviewers found, I thought it was really, really good! Dr. Geronimus did an excellent job of explaining scientific research in layperson's terms using really smart anecdotes to solidify the point. I learned so much. 
Funny Story by Emily Henry

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I was shocked not to like this as much as EH's other books. I had a really hard time connecting to Daphne as a character and I get impatient when romantic leads don't do what they want to do (kiss, have sex, be together etc) for ....reasons. I love the way Emily Henry writes characters but I found the leads this time around to be kind of bland. I'd read Ashleigh's love story. That being said, this is still a great little romcom. 
Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

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

5.0

I couldn't put this down. When Margo gets pregnant with her professor's baby, she decides to try Only Fans to tackle her titular money troubles. I loved the writing and the fleshed out characters. It felt surreal but also very true, much like The Knockout Queen, which I also really enjoyed. 
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

i love science writing, especially about the ocean. This unique memoir in science essays worked really well. The metaphors weren't cringy, and the author's thoughtful commentary and personal narrative gave new weight to popular science and kept my attention throughout. 
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Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

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mysterious medium-paced

3.5

Lucy doesn’t remember the night of her best friend’s murder in which she has become the prime suspect. Now, 5 years later, she returns home to confront that night with a podcaster doing his own investigation. This was good not great for me. I know I wasn’t supposed to find Lucy necessarily likeable, but I found it hard to root for anyone. I kept hearing people recommend the audiobook because of the podcast element but I didn’t find that it added much for me. 
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The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.0

I generally like Christina Lauren’s books, even though the shifting perspective each chapter thing is getting a bit stale for me. This one started so strong, the characters were great, and the Pretty Woman billionaire fantasy was great escapism. The class commentary, while I absolutely think it was important to include and necessary for the story, I could have done without in my romance book.