svmreads's reviews
381 reviews

The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans

Go to review page

challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
Writing was insufferable.
Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Heartstopper Volume 3 by Alice Oseman

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Another absolutely delightful installment in the Heartstopper series! I loved reading this after (nearly) finishing season 2 of the TV show and comparing them side by side.
Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest To Track Down The Last Remaining Lesbian Bars In America by Krista Burton

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Too many personal anecdotes from the author. Was hoping for more history of the bars themselves
The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A new all-time favorite book!! 💚
The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted 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

3.75

Chlorine by Jade Song

Go to review page

dark reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

This wasn’t 100% perfect but I LOVED it. I loved how Ren’s desire to become a mermaid and find belonging in a mermaid community symbolized her otherness within her community as a queer Asian teenager. Ren’s far from a perfect protagonist but I found her story compelling and I could not put the book down for the entirety of the second half. What an excellent debut!
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
This book didn't work for me on multiple levels. The writing felt too cartoonish, the characters (except for Nelson) felt like caricatures or they were boring, TJ Klune takes forever to make a point, and every quote that was meant to feel "meaningful" came across as shallow. 
I think my biggest frustration is that I wanted this book to be more of an introspective, character-driven novel featuring Wallace grappling with what went wrong in his life through flashbacks. The one scene that worked for me was when he drank the peppermint tea and went back to his childhood, and I wish we had more of that. Without looking at Wallace's back story, we have no idea why he became the curmudgeonly lawyer he came to be, which makes the potential of his redemption feel false. Instead of emotional labor conducted by Wallace, we have a KoOkY cast of characters that are supposed to become his found family, and I don't think Klune was successful in crafting this trope. 
I will say, kudos to the audiobook narrator, he really gave it his all.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0