shutupiamreading's reviews
1242 reviews

Rachel Weiss's Group Chat by Lauren Appelbaum

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.
This main character is insufferable 😵‍💫
The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez

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

5.0

I have nothing to say other than that Abby Jimenez is the funniest writer that's currently out there, and I love that there's a fish called Swim Shady.
Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller

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

4.5

This was such a cute and fun romance! I love any romance that focuses on protagonists in their thirties. But I particularly loved all the flashback scenes to when the protagonists were teenagers - Myspace, My Chemical Romance, accidentally downloading viruses from Limewire onto the family computer... I haven't seen this age be represented so authentically in a romance. Highly recommend if you were born in the early nineties and/or are an elder emo!
The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

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dark reflective
I don't feel good rating memoirs like these. This is a very hard read, but I'm glad I read this. This book gives a lot of insight into the LDS church and how/why abuse can thrive in this setting, as well as why family influencers should absolutely be banned from platforms like YouTube and Tiktok. 
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison

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

4.25

Cute cute cute cute cuteeeee

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

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emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Oh this was TENSE and toxic and messy in the best possible way. I ate this up. It was just the right kind of messiness and fast pace that I was looking for, and I know I'll be chasing the high of this book for a long time.
The Crag by Claire Sutherland

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.
This breaks my heart honestly. I’ve loved all of Ali Hazelwood’s first 3 books for their banter and academic focus/setting. Had I known going into this one that it would be so focused on steam/smut I probably would’ve just given it a pass. I know a lot of people will love this, but it’s all the things I don’t love and missing the things I usually love from her characters and scenes. 
Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

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

3.5

This was an easy and entertaining read. But only if you don’t mind an overly whacky and too convoluted plot and a main character who makes very dumb decisions.
Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell

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

5.0

I don't even know where to start with this book. It's so unlike anything I've ever read and I loved every page.

I went into this expecting a dark and bleak speculative fiction story, but what I got was a beautiful and reflective story exploring Black joy, what it means to be Black, the complexities and diversities of different kinds of Blackness. This was so beautifully written and I loved all the different narratives that were incorporated. But most of all, I loved how ultimately this was a story about how beautiful Black joy can be. Both of the main characters' development is complex but wonderful to read about, and I honestly wish this book was a 100 pages longer because I loved the writing and insights so much.