ask_rachel's reviews
81 reviews

When You Are Mine by Kennedy Ryan

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emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

3.0

WILD ride lol like a telenovela. Can’t wait to read the next one. 
The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang

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dark funny sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Funny and sad. Kind of dark? If A24 made a Schitt’s Creek movie about a Chinese family?
Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

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2.0

The main character was kind of all over the place and not at all likable. And when her racism really started to show the consequences of her actions were not at all serious, which annoyed me. 
Good Material by Dolly Alderton

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

2.75

Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma

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

2.0

My least favorite in the series. The main characters are not quite as likable and the hot librarian look being brought up so often got boring to me after a while. Like girl…sweatervests are not a personality trait lol. Probably wouldn’t read again. But I liked learning more about the characters that are present in the rest of the series. 
Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Fun read! And loved the diversity of a big bodied lead character! Such a fan of this series of books about a South Asian group of friends. The stories are well constructed and fit my cozy romance book formula. Like a warm hug ❤️ this one is maybe my favorite of the series!
Sula by Toni Morrison

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I really enjoyed this book! Incredibly reflective and some really powerful themes here. An amazing book club book to talk through and reflect on in a group setting. As really good literature does, Morrison invites the reader into dialogue with her words. I enjoyed the process immensely. 
Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic by Lauren Ho

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funny hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The characters were mostly likable but I got super annoyed with the main character at a certain point. She definitely had some stuff to work through before moving on with a new love interest whether that was a relationship with another l man or a baby. This book felt long for what it was though. Like that middle chunk could have been taken out where she and the baby daddy are just living together. Overall not my least favorite read from this author but I wouldn’t recommend or read it again.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

What can I say. She got me again. I keep saying I won’t read the next one but this author is actually so good at a cliffhanger lol. So I guess we’re all in this together! 😂
Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

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emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I love Kevin Kwan. I love the way he describes the wealth of his characters in vivid detail, how he identifies the spaces they are in and especially how he describes food. My guy should work for a food magazine for real! My only qualm is that this wasn’t a far cry from some of the same plot points as his most famous novels, the Crazy Rich Asians series (which I also LOVED.) I would still read this book again because I liked how it was written but the duplication in plot points from that OG series were a little lazy to me. I could totally envision this in film form and I can’t say I don’t want to see it! My girl Eden deserves the screen! Downton Abbey of the 21st century meets CRA. You’ll love it.